Karl Marx probably never rode a dirt bike

(The following is a re-post of an article that originally appeared on these pages back in January of 2011)

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The intellectual arguments regarding collectivism/statism vs. free market democracy have raged for decades. One would think that empirical evidence should have settled the debate long ago but old dreams of creating a heaven here on earth die hard.

But academic and intellectual exercises aside, there is one thing, over the years, that has occurred to us and that is collectivism/statism just doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.

Seriously, what sort of curb appeal does "command and control", "top-down" and "redistribution" really have? Does that sound like much fun? It's like kindergarten without the nap time.

The founding fathers, then, were on to something with "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It was their gift to us: "Constitutional Republics for Dummies". It was their way of saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff...go ahead and do whatever you want and we'll set up these rules here to make sure no one messes with you". Now, that sounds like fun.

Over-simplification? Perhaps, but it works for us and that's all that matters.

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