Posted by ShedPlant on 04/16/09
Last updated 04/16/09

Liberty Lost?

Or

To What Extent Have the United States of America Become Collectivist To The Detriment of Individualism?

This dissertation charts the changes throughout history in the balance between collectivism and individualism in United States federal government policy.  It is argued that collectivism has become more prominent to the detriment of individual liberty, especially since the twentieth century.  Particular attention is paid to the relationship between collectivist policies and an inflationary monetary system. The issue of military conscription is also examined. The dissertation concludes that the trend towards collectivism, though alarming and harmful, is neither sustainable nor inevitable.

Here is a link to my BA Politics dissertation, described above.  It is just over 13 000 words long and gives an overview of US history, economics and military conscription from a right-of-centre libertarian viewpoint.  I argue that since 1900 collectivism has indeed been growing to the detriment of individualism, but that this trend cannot continue indefinitely.

I'd be grateful if any C4L members can read all or part of it and tell me what they think :) !

http://download.shedplant.net/Liberty%20Lost.pdf

Posted 04/16/09 Haystacks Calhoun NEW YORK, NY

I don't think I'm qualified to comment on the details, though it looks good to me. Are you concerned that you will get a liberal professor reading and grading it? May I also ask how long it took you to write it? I'm always impressed by writers, undergraduate and otherwise :)

Posted 04/16/09 ShedPlant Slough, United Kingdom

Haystacks Calhoun, I am concerned, but only insofar as I can't take for granted that the reader knows and believes liberty, limited govt. action etc are desirable. If it's a good essay, then it makes a convincing argument regardless of the inclination of the reader. If it rests on axioms that are either unstated or not properly defended, then that's my fault. I've been doing the research since last year, and started writing in earnest last month. I'm afraid I don't know (and would rather not, at that) exactly how many hours have gone into it, but I've been working seven days a week from 10 or 11 am until 7pm or later. Son of Liberty, thanks :) . Do let me know what you think if you read the whole thing!

Posted 04/16/09 Elysiumboy Billericay, United Kingdom

I've only just started reading it Shedplant, but it looks presentable, professional and clear to read. I generally look up the facts as I go along so I should be able to give you a rating on readability and extent of knowledge gained. I've requested you as a contact; hit the button when you have the chance and are willing. We need further contact between members in Britain.

Posted 04/20/09 ShedPlant Slough, United Kingdom

Please be aware that I have just uploaded an updated version. The edits are quite minor, however. If any of you read more and have further comments, I would be pleased to hear them :) .

Posted by ShedPlant on 05/08/09

I've just come back from a short meeting at a local Conservative Club where David Cameron came to give a short, charming and funny speech thanking Conservative supporters in advance for their June 4th election efforts and laying out the recent failings of Gordon Brown's premiership.

I got the opportunity to ask him a question. I did not record the exchange verbatim, however.

Mr. Cameron, as you well know, it used to be a catastrophic embarassment for a government to devalue its currency¹, but yesterday the Bank of England announced it would create fifty billion pounds out of thin air. Will a Conservative government put an end to this 'legalised counterfeiting'?

He replied that he was very sceptical of 'so-called quantitative easing', that the Bank of England already had interest rates at nearly zero and should wait longer for the effects of this policy to be felt. He said there was a very real danger that this policy would cause inflation just as we were coming out of the current recession, which would require interest rates to rise and put the country back into a recession.

What he did not say was that creating inflation provides no social benefit but only economic damage; that the Bank of England was a monopolistic economic central planning agency and should be abolished; that interest rates should not be controlled by a committee but by the marketplace; that not even the government should be able to create money out of nothing. Also, he didn't promise that a Conservative government would not authorise further deliberate inflation of this kind.

That doesn't bother me overmuch, however :) . He obviously understands that monetary inflation leads to price inflation. I was approximately 75% pleased with the answer I received.

What would you have asked the next Prime Minister?

1) http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_cameron#Special_Advisor