They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer. Not an easy answer, but simple.
Transcript of the 1964 “Rendezvous with Destiny” speech.
The early Wittgenstein thought that all philosophical problems were mere problems of language, and that if this was recognised, the problems with dissolve and not need to be solved.
If the state has a monopoly on a certain area of the economy, it will of course not produce things efficiently. We might try in vain to solve the problem: to improve the state and make it more efficient. But instead we should dissolve the problem, by ending the state monopoly and creating a competitive market.
This won’t be easy. The many employees and rent-seekers of the state will have to find new jobs. But in the long run, the economy will be more efficient and wealthy, and there will be more jobs.
Reagan’s phrase is as applicable to fixing the state by shrinking it as it was to defeating the Soviet Union.
Tags: Reagan