"Despite my sharp disagreement with the authoritarian political system of Chile, I do not regard it as evil for an economist to render technical economic advice to the Chilean government."
Milton Friedman, 1982
Hoping to implement his ideals of economic purity, Friedman washed his hands of the fact that Chile had gone, through brute force, from a democracy to an American-sponsored police state. He believed his goal of an economy free of all government control (mere theory until he had a chance to test it with the Chilean military coup) was within reach. Therefore any and all assaults on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were acceptable (albeit sharply disagreeable) since upon full achievement of economic liberty, the other liberties would naturally be restored. Friedman, one of the holy trinity (along with Ayn Rand and Ronald Reagan) of the free enterprise religion, was not about to let his opportunity go to waste. That the Chilean experiment failed miserably is forgotten. Disciples of the capitalist religion are now in control of the United States government. Some of us feel a healthy fear of the future.
Lenin's smug allusion to breaking eggs in order to make an omelet, as if people were something to eat, is similar to Friedman's stand on helping rightwing authoritarians. To Leninism's true believers, as it is with adherents to the free enterprise faith, purgatory is a necessary stop on the road to nirvana. In our circular universe the two mortal enemies among economic theories have grown so far apart they have come back around and tied themselves together in their belief that the end justifies the means. Donald Trump's newly vaporized chief advisor, Steve Bannon, calls himself a "Leninist."
(As an aside: does it seems Trump uses people the way most of us use napkins or other paper goods?) America has arrived at a historical moment similar to Russia in 1917 and Chile in 1973. Events will unfold according to American culture in the twenty-first century, but the similarities are that the people in charge of the nation are convinced they are on the brink of a new world. They are bent on bringing it about, and they are so sure of their moral righteousness that they will forge ahead, impervious to whatever anguish they might inflict on those who stand in the way.
Small wonder many rightwing politicians avoid meeting their constituents. They answer to a higher authority: the magic hand of the marketplace, which if fully liberated will bring in an era (why not a millennium) of peace, freedom, and prosperity heretofore unknown to mankind. Of course, the lame, the halt, the "useless", must be gotten out of the way as efficiently as possible. Same with the rebels. But to true believers, the worst barrier to the new era of health, wealth and wisdom is the United States government, which they now control. All who benefit from this government must be either liberated or jettisoned. For those who will not quietly accept the new order, the police and military organs of the government will be retained and used. America probably will not endure the ongoing wholesale slaughter that was Russia from 1917 to 1953, or even the more surgically directed terror in Chile between 1973 and 1988. But they who now rule America must use some force to establish their ideal society, for the simple reason that Americans overwhelmingly approve the government programs and protections that the one-party state intends to eliminate.
Remembering that the Chilean junta replaced a popularly elected government, we can all come up with scenarios about the dystopia we have elected. Why not--imagination is the key to progress. But we also need to take stock of reality, which is that America's one-party government is dedicated to eliminating itself. Since one of the most important rules of our politics is that people can change their minds, the losing side can and should continue using all available methods of persuasion short of armed rebellion to bring about the changes. We are not dealing with small changes. What we face in the short run is termination of programs that benefit most Americans, and giving that money to the wealthy. People who think this is a good idea are of course entitled to their opinions--but so are those who think it is insane. Getting over it is not an option.
The kernel of reality is that we are in a long, hard struggle against powers with enormous influence, supported by people who are irrevocably convinced that the only hope for preserving our democracy is to destroy it. Those of us who are unconvinced we are on the cusp of a wonderful new millennium need to persistently practice the same old methods of protest even when it seems our democracy is gone, to stay cheerful even when the news is completely depressing, to stick together and encourage one another, even when it seems we're all alone.
Or we can await our dystopian scenarios.
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