Ayn Rand, "A free economy will not break down"

Man I love Ayn Rand (statist problems aside), of course there is truth to this. :D
 
It's absolutely true. In fact, I believe if we truly had a laissiez-faire system for the past 100 years, the world today would be a lot like this:

jetsons.gif
 
sevin said:
It's absolutely true. In fact, I believe if we truly had a laissiez-faire system for the past 100 years, the world today would be a lot like this:

jetsons.gif
Click to expand...


Pollution so bad we are forced to build our homes in the air?

P.S. I understand your point just thought this was more humorous.
 
DAaaMan64 said:
Ayn Rand says in this interview (5:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEruXzQZhNI&feature=related That a lassiez faire doesn't breakdown. She tells us to "study economics", does anyone know if there is truth to this? Or where to seek it? Be a helluva interesting study.



Thanks :)
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It's the truth, just as the first 150 years of the United States and Free Market Capitalism did more for the Common Man than ANY other time in the history of Man.

Do you think that the problems we encounter today are the cause of a Free Market? Do you believe there is not ENOUGH Government regulation and oversight? Here's a list of Congressional Committees and there are a couple dozen government agencies sticking their hands where they don't belong.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/committee_list.cgi?site=ctc

Politicians are failures as Capitalist that can only obtain power by controlling the successes of others.
 
DAaaMan64 said:
Ayn Rand says in this interview (5:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEruXzQZhNI&feature=related That a lassiez faire doesn't breakdown. She tells us to "study economics", does anyone know if there is truth to this? Or where to seek it? Be a helluva interesting study.



Thanks :)
Click to expand...

sounds like "no true Scotsman"

If you show an economy that breaks down, she'll say "that's not a true free economy". But if you see an economy that holds up fine, she can take credit "See? That's a free economy!".
 
YO STAY ON TOPIC PEOPLES

This is important to me.

I know that laissez-faire is the way, but I'm asking about this because Ayn Rand stated it as a believable fact. Something she should back up right now. It's such a serious fact that I was hoping someone would have the evidence on hand right now. :)

Understand?

I mean, it shouldn't be two difficult. And we definitely had a few depressions/recessions in the first100 years of the US history. (The long depression, cause by the gold/silver prop up). And a couple of post war central bank recessions.

THANK YOU
 
DAaaMan64 said:
YO STAY ON TOPIC PEOPLES

This is important to me.

I know that laissez-faire is the way, but I'm asking about this because Ayn Rand stated it as a believable fact. Something she should back up right now. It's such a serious fact that I was hoping someone would have the evidence on hand right now. :)

Understand?

I mean, it shouldn't be two difficult. And we definitely had a few depressions/recessions in the first100 years of the US history. (The long depression, cause by the gold/silver prop up). And a couple of post war central bank recessions.

THANK YOU
Click to expand...

Uhm, Murray Rothbard was a serious austrian economist, which is one of the reasons he didn't get along with Ayn Rand, so at least that is on topic - unless you want to talk about Ayn Rand and not economics, in which case this thread doesn't belong in the economics section, but philosophy section.

Murray Rothbard:
List of books here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Rothbard

Background and relationship to Ayn Rand
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/mozart.html

So in answer to your original question. Read someone like Murray who actually knows and not Rand, who he knew.
 
Ayn Rand is just a famous figure that said this as if it were a fact. This discussion is not about Ayn Rand.
 
DAaaMan64 said:
Ayn Rand says in this interview (5:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEruXzQZhNI&feature=related That a lassiez faire doesn't breakdown. She tells us to "study economics", does anyone know if there is truth to this? Or where to seek it? Be a helluva interesting study.

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

It seems to me that the OP is asking people for substantiation of something Rand mentioned in the video, that once established, laissez faire won't break down. The question is not about Ayn Rand.

Is that right, OP?
 
LibertyEagle said:
It seems to me that the OP is asking people for substantiation of something Rand mentioned in the video, that once established, laissez faire won't break down. The question is not about Ayn Rand.

Is that right, OP?
Click to expand...

That is correct, thank you.
 
I think this is another example of the "it works/doesn't work" fallacy.

People like to say things like "Communism doesn't work." or "Capitalism doesn't work." "A voluntary society won't work."

Work? What does that mean in these contexts?

People think that if they construct some system by which people live, then things will "work" and problems would be minimized. But what's the real goal? Minimize everyone's problems? Or maximize everyone's freedom?

Rand is falling into this fallacy when she says "A free economy won't break down." Oh, she's got a crystal ball and can see the future? Or see exactly how a hypothetical society would play out?

The whole point of having a free economy is for the people to be free, not to secure everyone's comfort and pleasure.

Once people start making everyone's comfort the goal, then we get into tweaking and central planning again.
 
Humans will always be humans. Nothing will work "perfectly".

IMHO, complete and total lassiez-faire quickly breaks down. Fraud and corruption become rampant, and those who "win" the free-market game quickly create some system of government which helps them consolidate and increase their power.

At a minimum, lassiez-faire needs to be combined with aggressive anti-fraud enforcement.
 
Brian4Liberty said:
Humans will always be humans. Nothing will work "perfectly".

IMHO, complete and total lassiez-faire quickly breaks down. Fraud and corruption become rampant, and those who "win" the free-market game quickly create some system of government which helps them consolidate and increase their power.

At a minimum, lassiez-faire needs to be combined with aggressive anti-fraud enforcement.
Click to expand...

I agree with you completely.

I'm not afraid to say I embrace government and violence as long as it fits my ideals.

Of course Ayn Rand will say "your breakable economy may be completely hands off, but not TRUE free economy, because fraud is not letting people be FREE" (semantics)
 
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