Dear Salvatore
congratulations for your clear conceptualizing and presenting a clear
political position, to which I susbscribe also.
Are we here only two protectors of capitalism, liberalism and legal
emphasis of proper governments ?
Cheers and best regards, yours nikolai rozov
> From: Salvatore Babones <sbabones@jhu.edu>
>
> In regards to Richard K. Moore's question:
>
> > Dear Salvatore,
> >
> > Could you say more of what you mean by "liberal, capitalist,
> > particularist government" ?
> >
> >
> > -rkm
> >
>
> I could take the cheap way out and refer you to my comment on Warren
> Wagar's "Praxis of World-Integration" (see
> http://csf.colorado.edu/wsystems/jwsr/vol2.html), but I will attempt a
> brief answer here.
>
> By a liberal government I mean a government that GOVERNS (creates a legal
> environment for the market, provides a court system and enforcement,
> "governs" human action to the extent of prohibiting and punishing theft,
> murder, pollution, etc.) but does not ADMINISTER any more than is
> necessary for carrying out the duties of government (does not direct
> production, either directly or indirectly). This is liberalism in Mises'
> sense, and also Polanyi's (Polanyi called Mises "the consistent liberal")
>
> By capitalist I strictly mean to refer to the market, not the government;
> that is, I mean a market in which individuals or patnerships of
> individuals use their own capital (equity) in their businesses, bearing
> full responsibility (unlimited liability) for their obligations. If you
> take your money and open up a chemicals company, pollute a river, make
> enormous profits, take those profits out of the company and buy a mansion,
> when people are hurt by your polution, they can sue you and take your
> mansion away. Hopefully, if your chemical company operates under a
> well-governing government, the government will have anti-pollution laws
> and take you to court itself.
>
> By particularist I simply meant non-global. There's no reason why there
> couldn't be a wonderful global government, but I think the chances are
> much better of there being one or two "good" governments in a world of
> over a hundred governments than in a world of one government.
>
> I emphasize: while I am FOR capitalism, I am also FOR active government
> (I don't propose a return to the 1840s), and I am certainly AGAINST
> a corporate-controlled economy overseen by a corporate-controlled
> government.
>
> Salvatore
>
> Salvatore Babones
> Sociology Department
> Johns Hopkins University
> Ph.D. expected Spring '98
>
>
>