Poland is home to some very committed and energetic free-market organizations and individuals. My recent trip to Warsaw, for example, was hosted and sponsored by the Polish Ludwig von Mises Institute. FULL ARTICLE by Arthur Foulkes
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/11262/the-light-of-freedom-burns-brightly-in-poland/
The Light of Freedom Burns Brightly in Poland
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I think it was Oscar Lange who prophesied in the 1930′s that there would be a statue of Ludwig von Mises in some future Hall of Socialist Economic Planning, honoring him for pointing out that such planning requires either free-market prices or a mathematical equivalent derived from simultaneous equations calculated by computers! This was the state of the discussion covered in Hayek’s collection of papers on Socialist Economic Planning. So, it doesn’t surprise me that “New Left” people understand this completely.
Indeed, the whole idea of centralized state-socialism was discredited by this discussion, and after the fall of the Soviet Union, most Eastern Europeans looked to Hayek, Popper, and their disciples for the correct “model” to replace their old system. Social Democracy (which Popper supported) or a more-evolved “market socialism” or “social libertarianism” are the ideas which most economists in Poland, Hungary, etc. still maintain.
It’s good to see they’re still looking to von Mises and the libertarian tradition, rather than American “gangster capitalism” and the “military Keynesianism” which is being foisted on them by NATO and its suppliers like Lockheed-Martin (alleged to have spent $100 million bribing and lobbying to keep NATO going after 1989, and even to expand it into former Warsaw Pact countries).
Plus Polish girls are the cutiest at least in the Europe. A gross ommision on your part, Mr Foulkes.
Re “Where are the Americans that believe in individualism and economic freedom”. Come on, don’t tell me there ever were many of them. American industry and economic power was actually built on monopolies, frauds and state-corporate coexistence. The only significant (partial!) exception from this rule I can think of was Rockefeller (what an irony, he’s mostly described in the MSM as the uber cartel monger).
@Paul: BTW, Lange was Polish. As well as von Mises, actually. “Gangster capitalism” and “millitary Keynesianism” – excellent terms. The former fits Polish situation quite well.
A young Polish lady asked me, “Where are the Americans I’ve always heard of? Where are the Americans that believe in individualism and economic freedom?”
I wonder that too, and I live in America.
Real world reality lovers will never be popular among the weeds and the more the flowers reach toward the weeds the more they will be strangled.
“Where are the Americans that believe in individualism and economic freedom”
Well, there was this little club that existed at the end of the 18th century… beyond those guys, yeah, I don’t think anyone has ever really given a damn about freedom.
I don’t think it’s in our nature. I think there’s a reason freedom-lovers are unique. I bet for everyone on this site there’s a special set of circumstances that brought to them the ability and desire to see the truth. I can certainly pick out a couple events in my life that, had they gone another way, I’d probably still be an ignorant statist.
Just visited Warsaw back in October for a day. I’m from the US. A pretty depressing history. Was once considered as beautiful as Paris, until the city was flattened by the Nazis. The Old Town was rebuilt to look exactly like before the war. But outside of Old Town, it is all modern architecture. The Palace of Science building is actually the most impressive structure in the city. It is huge! They had an impressive museum filled with technological inventions. I went to the top observation deck of the building where you can view the city for miles.
The city feels somewhat empty, particularly compared to other European cities.
@Paul: That’s because the city is overbuilt and sprawling. Talk about the housing bubble.
Situation in Poland is not that impressive. To run own business (especially to begin with one for the first time) is a real bureaucratic nightmare when self-contradicting lows seems to be designed to make everything as difficult, complicated and slow as possible so a lot of people have to hire solicitors-that rises cost that are very heavy especially for young ambitious person with little capital. Employee has to give nearly 50% of his salary to state (employer often is dammed by employee for paying so little, Sic!) as big part of it is obligatory social insurance while according to low pension is an privilege (enforced by state as citizen’s duty). Taxes are not simplified neither and penalties for making mistake are severe and can be traced several years backward. Polish constitution is a complete useless piece of rubbish with “social equality†nonsense ideas in it. On the other hand even though health service is mostly public hospital managers are behaving often like private entertainers and try to run institutions they’re in charge of as profitable businesses where private companies are involved. Private schools are more popular and becoming more affordable for middle class and so on. Over all Poland still suffers from self contradicting laws and overregulation.
One thing I notices about cities in Poland (likely in many other European countries as well) is that there is virtually no single family homes. Just about everyone lives in a multi-unit structure.
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