[OakInitiative  06.04.15]

Nuttle Report:  Free to Choose

Oak Leaf 60-2015

 

by Marc Nuttle

 

 

In his book, Free to Choose, Milton Friedman argues that a free and open marketplace is the most proficient and efficient environment for the development of society. Economic, political, and spiritual attributes are best served when an individual is free to make choices on all matters that concern them personally. The collective wisdom of mankind can best be utilized by individuals contributing unrestrictedly to the overall equation of life through their individual talents. Dr. Friedman points out that through free enterprise and ingenuity, the wooden pencil was invented. It uses lead from one part of the world, tin from another part, wood from another part, and rubber from another disconnected part of the world. Yet it is manufactured and sold for a nickel, and it works perfectly for the purpose it was designed. That was achieved because of one simple axiom. Each entity along the way was free to use their capital and their labor as they saw fit to fulfill the need and choice of an individual.

 

It has often been debated why America has achieved such economic prosperity in its brief history as a nation state. And it is a brief history. On July 4th of this year, we will celebrate the 239th year of our Declaration of Independence. Most of the countries in the G-7 have been around for centuries longer. So, what is it that makes us exceptional? It is quite simply that in the United States, when you get up in the morning you can do anything you want to do with your own capital and your own labor as long as it is not against the law. In most countries of the world today, you still have to get the king's permission (the government) to pursue a project. What bureaucrat would have ever seen the value of a computer in the 1950s or a personal computer in the 1970s? That innovation would not have happened without the freedom for individuals to be entrepreneurial. And the products developed would not have been successful unless the public was free to decide whether or not they would use them as measured against other choices.

 

In the United States today, 50% of the non-farm adult workforce works for a small business of 25 employees or less. Sixty percent of those small businesses are family owned. The corporate decision making in America today is largely conducted around a kitchen table at night. This structure exists to this extent only in America where families are free, without government interference or permission, to pursue their hopes and dreams.

 

On a visit to Oklahoma City, Dr. Friedman spoke at the then Oklahoma Christian College. He started his speech by stating, "What is a Jew boy like me doing speaking at a Christian college?" He paused as everyone gasped, concerned that they had offended this great man. Dr. Friedman then laughed and said, "Everybody catch your breath. I'm making a point. The reason a Jew boy like me is speaking at a Christian college is because in an open and free enterprise society, we are free to make choices for ourselves that impact our lives. This includes the religion we choose to follow. Without freedom of choice in the marketplace, we could not have freedom of religion." He went on to explain how freedom of choice must be constant throughout the spectrum of society. Freedom of choice in economics, freedom of choice in education, freedom of choice in politics, freedom of choice in religion, and freedom of choice in where to live. Without total freedom, all other freedoms are encumbered.

 

I was particularly struck by a recent speech delivered by Carly Fiorina, a 2016 candidate for President of the United States. She defined a leader as one who is committed to helping each individual reach their full potential and purpose in life. She went on to say that she believed God instilled in each person a special purpose. It is important to believe and trust in the design of life that each person reaching their full potential enhances the prosperity and potential of everyone.

 

A group of bureaucrats is never qualified to dictate to a person what his or her purpose or vocation will be. Seldom are they ever in a position to restrict one societal activity in favor of another for social planning purposes. In so doing, they will always upset the equilibrium of the maximum efficiency of the collective wisdom. There is a reason why small and family owned businesses are critical to the economic well-being of the United States. They provide product development, new ideas, new systems and processes, and new software to fit the individual need that a large corporation or government cannot always detect. To burden small business with regulation, costs, or taxes, to the point that they cannot function, is not only inexcusable, it is destructive to our very way of life. It should be a priority and commitment by all elected officials that any proposed new government policy should be tested for its impact on small and family owned businesses before being enacted into law. Small business is the lifeblood of job creation, innovation, and our nation's future.

 

Self-evident truths include the principle that man's potential

and purpose in life is designed by God

and ordained through His universal purpose.

It is in the open, free, and unrestricted interchange of society

that humanity is advanced for the ultimate good.

 

Without freedom to choose, we never reach our potential.

And without freedom to choose,

we are hindered in our "Pursuit of Happiness."

 

My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.

 

What do you believe?

 

The Nuttle Report: Political Insider, Free to Choose is Volume 3, Issue 12. To subscribe to The Nuttle Report, visit Marc Nuttle's website at http://www.marcnuttle.com.

Marc Nuttle is an attorney, based in Norman, Oklahoma, who represents corporations, business projects and political entities nationally and internationally. He is managing partner of Oklahoma Sovereign Development, LLC (OSD), an Oklahoma based industrial development company. OSD has members and advisors internationally from Great Britain, China, Eastern Europe and, in the United States, from Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, DC, and Oklahoma City. OSD specializes in research, investment, development and operations of international trade, manufacturing and distribution opportunities. He is also the author of the published book Moment of Truth: How Our Government's Addiction to Spending & Power Will Destroy Everything That Makes America Great.