Can we go back to the future?

In the Science of Success, Charles Koch writes,

 "As an engineer, I understood the natural world operated according to fixed laws.  Through my studies, I came to realize that there were, likewise, laws that govern human well-being.  I learned that prosperity is only possible in a system where property rights are clearly defined and protected, people are free to speak, exchange and contract, and prices are free to guide beneficial action.  Allowing people the freedom to pursue their own interests, within beneficial rules of just conduct, is the best and only sustainable way to promote societal progress."

The Future Once Happened Here, by Fred Siegel, is a well-documented and articulate account of what happened to the cities of NYC, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, when they chose to ignore the principles of economic freedom and instead took the road to serfdom.  This sobering account deftly puts the pieces together to show the consequences of public policies that favor "takers" over "makers."  It is a compelling read with all the features of a train wreck developing in slow motion. (A short paper with the 30,000 foot fly-by of the issues in the book is here.)

The title refers to the unfortunate fact that many other cities look to NYC, DC, and LA as examples to pattern off of - and they are experiencing the same frustrating, avoidable results.  So is there hope?  Can we go back to the future and do things differently this time?  Check this series out:

Comments

[staffaction]

Looks like a good one. Thanks for the recommendation. I nominate Detroit as runner-up to that list.