How many of you call ahead to your local grocery store ahead of time and order your Thanksgiving turkey every year? Why not? For the same reason I don't, you know that a turkey will be there when you show up, Of course every year when you showed up "unannounced" at the grocery store to select your bird there it is waiting for you.There is a reason your Thanksgiving turkey is waiting for you every yeer. That reason is the spontaneous order, self-interest, and the invisible hand of the free market. That mysterious power that leads innumerable people, each working for his own gain, to promote ends that benefit many. Even if turkeys appear in grocery stores every Thanksgiving only because of the selfish greed or corporate greed of turkey farmers and/or supermarkets, it sure works for me.
In a 2003 Boston Globe column titled "Giving Thanks for Capitalism" (available only in the paid archives), Jeff Jacoby explains why he is thankful for invisible hand that makes turkeys automatically available so efficiently at Thanksgiving.
The activities of countless people over the course of many months had to be intricately choreographed and precisely timed, so that when you showed up to buy a fresh Thanksgiving turkey, there would be one -- or more likely, a few dozen -- waiting. The level of coordination that was required to pull it off is mind-boggling. But what is even more mind-boggling is this: No one coordinated it.
No turkey czar sat in a command post somewhere, consulting a master plan and issuing orders. No one forced people to cooperate for your benefit. And yet they did cooperate. When you arrived at the supermarket, your turkey was there. You didn't have to do anything but show up to buy it. If that isn't a miracle, what should we call it?
Adam Smith called it "the invisible hand" -- the mysterious power that leads innumerable people, each working for his own gain, to promote ends that benefit many. Out of the seeming chaos of millions of uncoordinated private transactions emerges the spontaneous order of the market. Free human beings freely interact, and the result is an array of goods and services more immense than the human mind can comprehend. No dictator, no bureaucracy, no supercomputer plans it in advance. Indeed, the more an economy *is* planned, the more it is plagued by shortages, dislocation, and failure.
It is commonplace to speak of seeing God's signature in the intricacy of a spider's web or the animation of a beehive. But they pale in comparison to the kaleidoscopic energy and productivity of the free market. If it is a blessing from Heaven when seeds are transformed into grain, how much more of a blessing is it when our private, voluntary exchanges are transformed - without our ever intending it - into prosperity, innovation, and growth?
I wish there were some members of this community who had lived in a communist nation who could speak to this.
Comments
I 100% agree with OP.:thumbsup:
ubeebrav is a one post account that was made by a regular as failed attempt to troll this thread.
Couldn't agree more. Many people fail to realize that the NEWS, is a business and they cater to their own supporters. You never see anything positive on the news simply because everyone considers "good news" as boring. People are more interested in the "bad news" like death from 3rd world contries, starvation, murder, and celebrity scandals. You don't hear about Donald trump donating billions to non-profit organizations.
Business is all around you, and yet everyone is just unaware:rolleyes:.
Either way, we had a turkey.
Capitalism works. Most everybody gets what they want if they want it badly enough. The people who complain about it are usually poor and jealous or rich and eccentric. When I was younger and stupid I believed that socialism was the way to go. Really though I was just jealous of the rich and too lazy to strive for my own wealth.
This is a friendly warning Brandon. In the future, should you wish to continue posting in PLRC refrain from your usual run on misspelled slop. Save that for HB, B&M, or even SG. I have edited and quoted your post to prevent the record from being altered. I am posting this warning here for transparency. I will also PM you to ensure you read this warning.
Have a nice day.