Rothbard.ca

Friday, December 6, 2013

A Mainstream Inflation Contradiction

Reprinted from Mises.ca

By Gregory Cummings

The Financial Post has published an article entitled “Why Canada’s policymakers may want a weaker loonie.” It is a fine testament to the sad state of economic analysis by the mainstream media.

Alcohol in BC Grocery Stores

Not worth the risk? Well let's examine their reasons:

Liquor store taxes provide $1 billion in government revenue annually; selling alcohol in grocery stores puts these dollars at risk. - Excellent! Government spending is a black hole that provides zero accountability.

Over 10,000 good-paying jobs in British Columbia could be lost, putting families at risk. - Broken window fallacy. Think of all the jobs that will be created when the restraints of the state are lifted.

Local producers & liquor stores will be impacted, putting your choice of Made in BC wine, craft beer and spirits at risk. - By offering even more choices? It doesn't surprise me that the "Honorable" Suzanne doesn't understand economics.

Grocery stores are not age controlled, increasing the ability of minors to gain access to alcohol, and putting them at risk. - Bullshit. Besides, minors get alcohol anyway. I grew up in Ontario, probably the most controlled and centralized province in terms of alcohol and beer. My first drink? Sure as hell wasn't when I was 19. Black markets exist and nothing can prevent them.

The Chicken Mafia

As people become more aware of the destructive factory-farm techniques of Corporate Farming, the demand for local and organic meat and produce is on the rise. Unfortunately for those living in the territory monopoly of Ontario, the supply of quality meat is restricted by the provincial "supply management" racket. Small farmers cannot compete with the cartel when provincial bureaucrats are demanding that farmers stay below the 300-bird limit or purchase a quota, approximately 90,000 chickens.

Adding to the absurdity is the rule that chickens cannot be slaughtered on one's own property. They must be brought to a provincial-approved abattoir. This, along with other regulatory requirements, is economic fascism pure and simple. It squeezes out marginal producers, it centralizes economic power into the hands of a few and it's all backed by state violence. The solution is quite simple: End supply management and let consumers decide who shall succeed and who shall fail.
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/01/small-scale-poultry-farmers-unite-against-the-chicken-mafia-and-strict-supply-management-rules/

And check out the Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada blog: http://canadiansmallflockers.blogspot.ca/

The "Free Market" Medical Marijuana Industry

Reprinted from Mises.ca

Government is the antithesis of a free market. Governments, by definition, use coercion to extract funds while the market relies on voluntary exchange. So while the necessity of the Harper Government's medical marijuana policy may be debated, it is certainly not a "free market" nor does it bear any resemblance to one. To call the Health Canada program a "free market" (as the mainstream media have) is intellectual dishonesty on a grand scale.

Derek Kowalenko: Another Victim of Monopoly Law Enforcement

He has the words “24-hour prohibition — DRUGS” stamped on his driver’s abstract, just for smoking a flavoured tobacco product. A heavy-equipment operator by trade, he can no longer find work in his field. He doesn’t drive much anymore, he says, because he’s been forced onto welfare and can’t afford to put gas in his truck.