Land of the Free

LET’S kill an industry and make its workers suffer. If the industry relies on a natural resource, let’s make it impossible for men to take an interest in owning and cultivating that resource. If that resource is threatened by industrial pollution, let’s make it impossible for the industry based on that resource to take legal action against the people who are destroying it. So far so good.

Now let’s make it a law that the industry shall not use tools more modern than those available in 1885—or 1485, for that matter. That should keep production per worker at a low level, guaranteeing a low wage and perhaps helping to keep the market price of the product higher than it would have been —aha! a side benefit! we’ll really sock it to the consumer! Good. Now let’s admit that the internal combustion engine has been discovered, if not perfected, and let’s permit our industry to make use of this new gadget one day per week. How did we decide it should be one day a week? By rational planning, of course. How else can you kill an industry?

WR

About the Author

William F. Rickenbacker

LET’S kill an industry and make its workers suffer. If the industry relies on a natural resource, let’s make it impossible for men to take an interest in owning and cultivating that resource. If that resource is threatened by industrial pollution, let’s make it impossible for the industry based on that resource to take legal action against the people who are destroying it. So far so good.

Now let’s make it a law that the industry shall not use tools more modern than those available in 1885—or 1485, for that matter. That should keep production per worker at a low level, guaranteeing a low wage and perhaps helping to keep the market price of the product higher than it would have been —aha! a side benefit! we’ll really sock it to the consumer! Good. Now let’s admit that the internal combustion engine has been discovered, if not perfected, and let’s permit our industry to make use of this new gadget one day per week. How did we decide it should be one day a week? By rational planning, of course. How else can you kill an industry?