Similarly, the Department of Commerce endeavors to reduce foreign imports and raise goods' prices. The former imposes costly labor regulations, the latter levies taxes on housing and thus raises housing costs or indulges in deficit spending that deprives the loan market of needed funds and raises mortgage costs. One agency of government accuses big business of monopolistic tendencies, but others create monopolies of their own and bring about conditions that invite monopolistic practices. The various departments of the Federal government are vocal advocates of special interests and bitter enemies of the common interest. In its own way each department promises to provide benefits to its charges at the expense of all other people whom it does not represent.
All departments together labor diligently to boost living expenses and lower levels of living.
But above all, they all contend for and live the ways of Machiavellian mores which set politicians and government officials free from the code of morals that governs private conduct. Hans F. Sennholz is president of The Foundation for Economic Education.