Business

“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.” ~Milton Friedman

We’re conditioned by the media and the State and other purveyors of misinformation to believe that businesses are selfish entities motivated only by profit and greed at the expense of their fellow man, especially the poor. And since such individuals cannot be trusted to “do what’s right,” the State must intervene and redistribute wealth and resources more “fairly” —whatever the State decides that is. But like everything down the psychological rabbit hole, it’s exactly the opposite from reality.

Every decision any rational person makes is for personal benefit, profit of some kind. If it were not, then that person would be a self-destructive person sticking his hand in an open flame and flushing money down the toilet. If you work, then you profit from your decision to work. If you buy a house, then you benefit from your decision to have shelter. If you take a vacation, then you benefit from fun in the sun. Even giving a poor person money is for personal benefit because you feel good about helping someone. The agenda for everyone always is profit, personal benefit in one way or another. The profit motive for businesses is no different than that of the individual.

Markets demand that businesses understand what people need and want. The business’s concern for the needs and wants of society must come first and foremost, they must produce what the public demands or else fail and risk making no profit at all. If a business produces a thing called a “widget” and nobody needs or wants a widget, then nobody will buy it, the business will make no money, and it will go out of business; so they must serve the public need. And not only serve the public need but be able to do it as efficiently as possible at a price consumers can afford. Wasting resources benefits no one and drives prices up, making it more difficult to sell. Free markets are voluntary, moral, efficient, and fair. Everybody can find anything they want and need from businesses. All of our essential needs in life come from businesses: cars, food, clothing, housing, medical care, and all of our most important wants: computers, cell phones, cigarettes, alcohol, and holidays. Businesses are essential to serving society’s greater good. They serve the needs and wants of society at the best price possible and everybody benefits. What’s selfish and greedy about that? What's more compassionate and economically prosperous for everyone than that?

The selfish and greedy businesses are the ones with the politicians in their back pocket. Those businesses can produce a “widget” that nobody needs or wants and still profit handsomely. Only with government influence can a business be selfish and greedy and steal their wealth rather than earn it. It’s perfectly legal for people to bribe politicians to redistribute wealth to their business in order to subsidize its failure. The “Green Energy” industry has received hundreds of millions of dollars of government subsidies and “loans” over the years as one company after another has failed, gone bankrupt and taken its government subsidies with it. Although the word “Green” makes people feel psychologically warm and fuzzy and socially responsible inside, these companies produced nothing of any benefit to society whatsoever, they served no one but themselves at the expense of society. It is government force, it’s immoral, inefficient, and unjust.

Those who are emotional about the issue complain that since profit is the motive, the ends are irrelevant, it's just evil without any further examination and regardless how much it benefits society. As if it's not enough that the profit motive incentivizes business to provide for society’s needs at a price they can afford, it's got to be done for the ‘right’ reasons, the reasons they “feel” it should be done, otherwise it's just wrong. Better people go without than have their needs provided for by a profit motivated business. But somehow, if government—whose motive is nothing but money, power, and control—takes control of the market and robs Peter to pay for shitty, inflated products for Paul then that's better since they want to believe that the government’s motives are benevolent and kind. Better we’re all equally poor and in need than everyone having their needs and wants fulfilled while some are unequally wealthy. Rinse and repeat.