by Jeffrey A. Tucker
The American Institute for Economic Research
In the old days, which seem behind us, people were invited to marvel at the workings of the American system. For all the problems with the vote in a constitutional republic, at least it assures the peaceful transition of power. That was the core argument that old liberals made for democracy. It kept violence at bay. Instead of killing each other for power and control, we went to the ballot box, and acquiesced even when the vote didn’t go the way we wanted. No more violent revolutions! Bring the peaceful cooperation of market action to politics itself!
That result somehow seems impossible this year, a year when the stakes are higher than ever because governments have never controlled so much of our lives. We found out some things we did not know. We discovered that government can stop our travel plans.