Things might have been much worse were it not for the efforts of a relative handful of intellectuals who have fought against socialist theory for more than a century. Without them, it might have been 99% in support of socialist tyranny.
It was Ludwig von Mises who revealed the intimate connections between Austrian economics and authentic liberalism.
Anti-poverty programs pushed by social democrats have enabled ever higher levels of corruption as bigger government programs mean the ultra-rich can skim more off the top.
A return to such conditions could mean only the eradication of the bulk of today's population and complete impoverishment for those remaining.
By just glancing at Latin America’s current gun policies, we see a region that is in desperate need of more pro-gun laws. Countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela offer lurid accounts of what happens when most of the population is effectively disarmed when facing real criminal threats.
Mexican politicians are claiming Mexican nationals are unsafe in the US. Meanwhile, Mexico's homicide rate - fueled by strict gun-control laws - has soared to five times that of the US.
Writing about the cultural background of Ludwig von Mises, an eminent former compatriot of mine, poses some difficulties: how to present you with a world radically different from yours, a world far away, which in many ways no longer exists.
Venezuelan politicians hoping to replace the current regime in Venezuela mostly offer just re-treads of the failed socialism the country has endured for decades.
The theory goes like this: capitalism combines with consumerism and advertising to make us sad, lonely, and forever chasing after material goods. So we consume endlessly and the Machiavellian capitalists reap the rewards. It's not a great theory.
