I’m on a text chain with my 3 brothers and all our sons. All of us are liberal arts majors, mostly history. I dare say we Smiths are a bit contrarian. It’s our knowledge of history and learning the lessons of the past that allow us to reject popular narratives, think critically and approach every issue with Aristotelian logic.
History teaches us that politicians lie, and that power is an aphrodisiac. Read the campaign advice that Cicero’s brother Quintus gave him when Cicero ran for consul in 64 BC. Dear brother, lie about everything! Great literature is fused with historical realities. Macbeth confirms the avaricious nature of power. Every element of history throughout the ages teaches us that human beings are immutably wired to behave in certain ways, often influenced by the cosmic battle between good and evil, which never ceases. See Dostoevsky’s Demons. Students of history and great literature often see what myopic experts in medicine, economics and other hard sciences overlook.
Our modernity gives us short memories. Hurricanes are in the news. Up until the mid-20th century, very few people built houses along the many rivers and inlets here along the Chesapeake Bay. Old timers knew that eventually their property would be flattened by a major storm. Hurricanes happen with regularity. It’s nothing new. Humans behave with regularity. For example, we conveniently and wishfully forget historical facts, like hurricanes.
The ancients had some nifty sayings, one of which is “falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.” If one lies about one thing, he likely lies about everything. From the Sumerians to the modern day, no human lies more than those thirsting for power. Government officials lie constantly. So, wouldn’t the first synapse of thought be to question anything one hears from such an official and explore truth? Doesn’t history prove that virtually every government flunky has a self-serving agenda? During Covid, we Smiths didn’t get vaccinated, didn’t wear masks, didn’t quit socializing. We knew the best cure for Covid was prophylactics. We knew the vaccine wouldn’t work and would cause more harm than good. We knew all this because history teaches us to question. Vincit Omnia Veritas.
History also teaches us that governments spread fear to control the populace. It’s an old trick that goes back several millennia. See the 13th Egyptian Dynasty. Induce mass psychosis, and the people will cry for a protective leader. Today, fear is the favorite tool of the collectivist left and nowhere is this practice more prevalent than the faux climate change “crisis.” C02 is a necessary life sustaining element. It does not cause hurricanes. We need more C02, not less. What about all the experts who disagree? Look where their bread is buttered. Being in the herd is safe. Besides, history also teaches that being a “denier” can end careers. Look what happened to Galileo. Socrates was “hemlocked” for being a “threat to democracy.” Sound familiar?
The biggest and most long-running scandal in economics is using the power of government to shield certain industries from competition. Protective tariffs are nothing more than a payoff scheme where certain businesses use the power of government to get special advantages that all other consumers pay for. The political class grants these favors and gets favors in return. It is an insanely stupid policy and nothing in American history has caused such foolish destruction. See the causes of the War Between the States and the Great Depression. The more hands competing to produce goods and services, the lower the costs. It is childish thinking that a manufacturing plant in the US could procure all its needs domestically. A standard car has over 30,000 parts that are created and assembled from thousands of other parts from all over the world.
Education is another protectionist scam. Why do universities need to be accredited? Shouldn’t the consumer decide if the schooling is worth the money? I was at a dinner party this past weekend. Everyone at my table agreed that the university system is a money laundering scandal. A doctor told me that a bright 18-year-old could follow him around for 5 years and then be able to do everything he does. So instead of taking 10 years and over $500,000 in tuition costs to get “certified,” the 18-year-old could get paid $30,000/year as a paid apprentice employee and gain the same knowledge in 5. Why doesn’t this happen? Because our education system is a state sanctioned protective guild. All its certifications exist to protect the education and medical establishments and not the consumer. The engineer and the lawyer at the table said the same thing about their professions. None of this prevents one from getting PHDs from top schools, but wouldn’t the price of education and professional services drop dramatically if consumers decided what they wanted instead of having a protective industry tell them what they need?
All protective regulations sound good: “let’s save American jobs!” But the way to raise living standards is to reduce taxation, regulation and government spending, not to shield businesses from competition and make everything more expensive. All innovation is created by private capital. Produce more capital, and it begets more wealth. See Wealth of Nations. The only reason policy makers ignore Adam Smith is because somebody’s palm is getting greased.
Right now, I’m scurrying to finish my continuing education for all the “government granted” licenses I hold; law, real estate, investments, life insurance, commercial insurance, etc. It is an incredible waste of time and money, but rest assured the CE community is making millions. It’s a racket, and dear reader there are hundreds of other industries that simply wouldn’t exist, but for the government favoring one industry to the disadvantage of all others.
My last history lesson comes from Virgil’s Aeneid. “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” There’s always a catch. What sounds good usually isn’t. History’s greatest lesson, documented throughout the ages, is to learn its lessons.
