Sunday, February 20, 2011

There Will Always Be Some with More, and Some with Less

There has always been, and will always be, some with more and some with less.  More money, more power, more land, more influence, more food, whatever.

The primary consequence of having more is that one has alternatives.

For the most part, it is futile to attempt to restrict the alternatives of those with more, because they will exercise their alternatives to avoid the restrictions.  Those with more alternatives will be more successful than those with fewer alternatives.

In attempting to level the playing field, it is better to provide more alternatives for those with less than to remove alternatives from those with more.  This is one benefit of free markets.

For example, the wealthy often choose to send their children somewhere other than the neighborhood public school. Others have the resources to live where the neighborhood school is better.  Initiatives such as vouchers, charter schools, and school choice provide alternatives for those with less.

I favor an approach for education that is similar to our approach to food.  The government does not own farms, factories, or markets.  Assistance is provided to the poor so that they can go into the free market and make their own choices about what to purchase.