BrianGarst.com

I’m a few days late on noting F.A. Hayek’s May 8th birthday, but the occasion provides a great opportunity to highlight the continuing relevance of his work. At a time when many in the West believed in the idea of a “democratic socialism,” Friedrich Hayek warned in The Road To Serfdom that economic planning of the type advocated by many on the left would inevitably lead to totalitarian dictatorship, on top of being poor economics.

Unfortunately, many today are just as intent on traveling down the road to serfdom as they have ever been. Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) is at the front lines of the war on oil companies. His proposed legislation, the Consumer Reasonable Energy Price Protection Act of 2008, not only imposes an economically damaging windfall profits tax, but creates a Reasonable Profits Board to sit in judgment of private activity and determine how much profit is reasonable for a company to make.

Since Representative Kanjorski thinks this is a good idea, maybe he’ll like my own proposal: a Qualified Candidates Board. Rather than trusting those pesky voters to determine which public office candidates are qualified, just as he doesn’t trust consumers, the board would be tasked with determining which candidates are allowed to run for office. As its first order of business, I submit the name of Paul Kanjorski as one to be barred from office for his gross economic and political ignorances.