Political power, on the other hand, is more difficult to decentralize. The growth of new centers of economic strength at the expense of existing centers.

15Įconomic power decentralizes political power does notĮconomic power can be widely dispersed. Source: Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton Friedman, p. The great advantage of the market, on the other hand, is that it permits wide diversity. The characteristic feature of action through political channels is that it tends to require or enforce substantial conformity. What the market does to reduce greatly the range of issues that must be decided through political means and thereby to minimize the extent to which government need participate directly in the game. On the contrary, government is essential both as a forum for determining the 'rules of the game' and as an umpire to interpret and enforce the The existence of a free market does not of course eliminate the need for government. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief

It gives people what they want, instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Government's role is only to determine the rulesĪ major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it does this task so well. To the free man, the country is the collection of individuals who compose it, not something over and above them The organismic, 'what you can do for your country' implies that government is the master or the deity, the citizen, the servant or the votary. The paternalistic 'what your country can do for you' implies that government is the patron, the citizen the ward, a view that is at odds with the free man's belief in his own responsibility for his own destiny. Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society. President Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.' It is a striking sign of the temper of our ties that the controversy about this passage centered on its origin and not on its content. Milton Friedman in Capitalism and Freedomįree men use gov't to serve people not to serve country

Friedman milton capitalism and freedom