"It is necessary in the first instance that the parties in the market should be free to sell and buy at any price at which they can find a partner to the transaction and that anybody should be free to produce, sell, and buy anything that may be produced or sold at all." Hayek. So straight forward and so simple, and yet utopia. In other words, unattainable. But the closer any society can come to realizing this ideal, the happier the people in it. I cannot understand why some people cannot keep their noses out of other people's business, literally. If two parties can engage in a transaction that pleases both of them, why do some others get so offended that they *must* interfere? Are there people who are so little inside that they cannot live their own lives and must destroy those who can? If someone is busy producing something that can be sold they should not have time to worry about what the next person down the road is doing. Many people misread the phrase "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The pursuit of happiness does not refer to chasing pleasure, but instead to being free to choose a life occupation that is what one wants to do. It means the government is not empowered to micro-manage its citizens.

Imagine, I raise chickens, and you weave baskets. You need some food and like fresh eggs and fried chicken. I need baskets to hold eggs and feed. If we can decide on an happy trade of eggs and chickens for baskets, and we are both completely satisfied, whose business is it except ours? I do understand the need for joint cooperation for the betterment of society, i.e. taxes. I know that each citizen cannot afford to build a strip of road that they need, and that some services, such as recording of legal records require someone to be supported by the whole community for the good of all. But there are reasonable limits to taxes and governance. Hayek uses the term "method of coordinating individual efforts" and this is a wonderful way to describe what we all need. He also points out that competion is a superior method to that of coercion to obtain this end. That is something the Founding Fathers clearly understood. And that our current government does not. Carrots *do* work better than sticks alone.

Tired, more later.