Dan McLaughlin

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To Home Page Latest Newsletter Column Archives Click to get these columns for your local paper	© 2006 Daniel J. McLaughlin Good News, Bad News I’ve got some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. The bad news is that there is a lot of bad news out there. Just look at the evening report on any given day. There is murder, assault, theft, poverty, disaster, accidents, rapes, …. We are bombarded every day with stories of how bad our cities and states are, all the awful things that nations do. We know there is injustice, hatred, discrimination, corruption, there is evil. Now for the good news. The good news is that there is even more good news than bad news. In most places around the world, there are neighbors helping neighbors. There are in-laws getting along just fine. Most teenagers go into stores with no thought of shop lifting. There is a huge amount of charitable giving. There are millions of people involved in committees, clubs and religious organizations, spending their precious time making a difference for other people. There are community events where people work together and cooperate. Most people do smile and are sincere most of the time. Why is it that we don’t hear about these good things, but we do hear about all of the bad things that happen every day? The simple fact is that there is so much good going on that it is not newsworthy. People take all of the good things for granted. They plan on good things happening. It is usually not a surprise that someone doesn’t blast into a wedding reception with guns drawn. It is usually not a surprise that we make it through a service at a church, synagogue or mosque without a bomb going off. It’s not unusual that a bank can get through a day without being robbed. That is what is expected. Newsworthy events are things that we don’t expect. It is only when something bad happens that we take notice. There are some places in the world where there is more bad news than in others, but even in those places, there is much more invisible good and cooperation occurring than anyone notices. Human society cannot exist without cooperation. You see that cooperation every day of your life. When you go to the grocery store, you buy a head of lettuce because you value the lettuce more than you value your dollar. The grocer values your dollar more than he values the lettuce. In the transaction, you both make out well because you both get what you want and satisfy your needs. Billions of times every day, people cooperate in giving someone what they want and getting back something they want in return. While those acts of cooperation may seem mundane and un-notable, they are the basis for the truly wonderful things that happen in society. They are the reason that people can trade and specialize and become very good at what they do. In that specialization, they increase their own well being and that of others. We can live our entire lives without once picking up a shovel, a hammer, a pipe wrench, a calculator, a scalpel or the tools of any occupation other than our chosen career. Nobody in an advanced society can do everything for himself or herself. It is immensely more efficient to do what you do best and trade for those other things you need. This being the case, any society that allows free and open trading, and protects individuals from violence, coercion and fraud will always prosper to a much higher level than those societies that control transactions and regulate behavior. The more free, the more prosperous. This is a logical conclusion from what we know about human action and economic laws, but it is also supported by the various annual studies of economic freedom and measures of well being. The Economic Freedom Of The World Report from the Fraser Institute and the Index Of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation are examples and point to the significant correlation between economic freedom and measures of well being for the citizens. There is more good news. Many countries in the world are getting a taste of the fruits of freedom and reaping the benefits. The bad news for America is that the guiding light of economic freedom that made us a leader is fading with more socialist programs, bureaucracy, and heavy handed government. The good news for America is that we can choose differently and regain our station as a beacon for world freedom and increasing prosperity for all.
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Daniel Mclaughlin Copyright © 2006 [Daniel McLaughlin]. All rights reserved. Revised: 03/18/08

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Good News, Bad News

I’ve got some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. The bad news is that there is a lot of bad news out there. Just look at the evening report on any given day. There is murder, assault, theft, poverty, disaster, accidents, rapes, …. We are bombarded every day with stories of how bad our cities and states are, all the awful things that nations do. We know there is injustice, hatred, discrimination, corruption, there is evil.

Now for the good news. The good news is that there is even more good news than bad news. In most places around the world, there are neighbors helping neighbors. There are in-laws getting along just fine. Most teenagers go into stores with no thought of shop lifting. There is a huge amount of charitable giving. There are millions of people involved in committees, clubs and religious organizations, spending their precious time making a difference for other people. There are community events where people work together and cooperate. Most people do smile and are sincere most of the time.

Why is it that we don’t hear about these good things, but we do hear about all of the bad things that happen every day? The simple fact is that there is so much good going on that it is not newsworthy. People take all of the good things for granted. They plan on good things happening. It is usually not a surprise that someone doesn’t blast into a wedding reception with guns drawn. It is usually not a surprise that we make it through a service at a church, synagogue or mosque without a bomb going off. It’s not unusual that a bank can get through a day without being robbed. That is what is expected.

Newsworthy events are things that we don’t expect. It is only when something bad happens that we take notice. There are some places in the world where there is more bad news than in others, but even in those places, there is much more invisible good and cooperation occurring than anyone notices.

Human society cannot exist without cooperation. You see that cooperation every day of your life. When you go to the grocery store, you buy a head of lettuce because you value the lettuce more than you value your dollar. The grocer values your dollar more than he values the lettuce. In the transaction, you both make out well because you both get what you want and satisfy your needs. Billions of times every day, people cooperate in giving someone what they want and getting back something they want in return.

While those acts of cooperation may seem mundane and un-notable, they are the basis for the truly wonderful things that happen in society. They are the reason that people can trade and specialize and become very good at what they do. In that specialization, they increase their own well being and that of others. We can live our entire lives without once picking up a shovel, a hammer, a pipe wrench, a calculator, a scalpel or the tools of any occupation other than our chosen career. Nobody in an advanced society can do everything for himself or herself. It is immensely more efficient to do what you do best and trade for those other things you need.

This being the case, any society that allows free and open trading, and protects individuals from violence, coercion and fraud will always prosper to a much higher level than those societies that control transactions and regulate behavior. The more free, the more prosperous. This is a logical conclusion from what we know about human action and economic laws, but it is also supported by the various annual studies of economic freedom and measures of well being. The Economic Freedom Of The World Report from the Fraser Institute and the Index Of Economic Freedom by the Heritage Foundation are examples and point to the significant correlation between economic freedom and measures of well being for the citizens.

There is more good news. Many countries in the world are getting a taste of the fruits of freedom and reaping the benefits. The bad news for America is that the guiding light of economic freedom that made us a leader is fading with more socialist programs, bureaucracy, and heavy handed government. The good news for America is that we can choose differently and regain our station as a beacon for world freedom and increasing prosperity for all.

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