¶ … 11th Grade Froggybottom Class
The questions you asked me about have no easy answers. Philosophers, economists, revolutionaries, and social leaders have all been debating the answers for centuries, and as usual many of our politicians don't even know the first thing about the issues involved! Though the questions seem simple, they are actually rooted in the most basic questions of human existence: what is the "good life" and how can we live it? All the world's religions have tried to answer that question, and still no one knows the real answer. I can tell you my opinion, and I can tell you what famous thinkers and politicians have said, but in the end these are questions you need to figure out on you own. Think about them carefully, because your own personal answers will help you define your political and economic position wisely.
Your first question asked, "What is in the public interest? That is, what is the goal we should be trying to reach?" It was a good idea to ask this question first; the answer to this question changes the answer to all your other questions. Some people say that the public interest is to protect the rights and freedoms of each individual to the maximum. This is one of the ideas that inspired many of our founding fathers, and thinkers of their day and age like Locke and Mill (influential political philosophers). Locke said that the public interest was defined by something called "natural law" which believed people had an innate right to their property and their choices. Mill also tended to believe this, but he added that the most important thing was the greatest happiness and welfare, and that the greatest public good would be served when people had property and free choice. Both philosophers believed that intelligent self-interest would guide people to make the best choices for themselves and for society. The idea of the
It suggests that when the government doesn't interfere with personal property and
business decisions (such as wages, prices and qualities and quantities of goods, and so forth) that things will still work out for the best. It is believed that consumer demand will guide what goods are produced and how much they cost, and that
employees desire for
employment will be balanced by their self-interest not to work for corporations that hurt them. No one will work for employers who don't pay enough, and no one will buy goods that are too expensive. Competition will keep quality high and costs down. Free market advocates say that the forces of
competition and self-interest will create maximum efficiency and
economic growth, by assuring that only needed things are created with the minimum necessary cost and price. This theory believes that if
human rights to property and to their free choice is protected, all other good things will come naturally. The problem with relying on free choice and natural rights to provide for the good of all is that sometimes self-interest may not lead to the greater good, but instead cause harm to others. The benefit is that it allows people to be free, and minimizes the degree to which (generally corrupted) government runs the lives of citizens.
However, there are other
theories about what is the most important part of the public interests. Some people say what is important to the public is
safety and well-being, and that if free will and property rights…
