The Value of Property Rights in Society

Recently, Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul made quite a stir in suggesting that a portion of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was misguided.

His comments have caused an enormous flurry of misrepresentations in the mainstream (left-wing) media.

Paul made a couple of interesting points that were completely missed by the unthinking left.

First, that government policy was a driving force behind discrimination. From "separate but equal" to the fact that most of the KKK leadership were elected Democrat party officials, government was a large contributor to segregation and other discriminatory evils.

Second, that markets ultimately will do a much better job at ensuring equality of opportunity, justice, and fairness than the government. For example, why did Apple, Microsoft, HP and IBM start providing spousal benefits to their gay employees? Because government made them do it? NO. Sure, there are laws TODAY in some cities and states today that mandate this, but the whole movement started with high tech business who were competing in the market for scarce resources. Apple for example took a lot of heat in some states (like Texas, where they had sales offices)for leading this, but they stuck to their guns and did it anyway.

What do you think would happen to a business today if it refused to service some demographic segment? Their competition would put them out them out of business very quickly. (Yeah sure, there would be a few backwaters where these types of small businesses might survive, but they are largely irrelevant in the grander scheme of freedom, so who cares?)

Paul's reflections had nothing to do with racism. His comments were all about the value of property rights in creating and sustaining a free, prosperous, and decent society. Of course, the brain dead left just doesn't get it because they have never understood why property rights are indispensable to freedom. This is why the left always fails.

That's the bottom line.