Milford chronicle., 1951-11-16
FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Under free enterprise, the consumer has
freedom of choice. He can go into any store,
look around and buy or not buy as he pleases.
he can shop about from store to store seek
ing the most attractive deal.
Things are different in a tOtalitarian
economy. For instance, the book business
IN communist Lithuania had been in the dol
drums. So a cooperative federation there
decided to improve sales by deducting money
from the pay checks of it's workers for the
compulsory purchase of boOkS-whether the
workers wanted books or not 1t also COM
PEELED every consumer purchasing any ar
tlcle to buy one or more books in addition!
This is the same as if, when you went
into store to buy an Overcoat, you were
forced to buy pair of shoes too, or 90 with
out the coat. Today an American merchant
would last about twenty minutes if he at
tempted to follow such a policy. All his
trade would move with the swiftness of a
hurricane to the stores of his competitors.
Actually, in most foreign countries there
is nothing that bears even a good resemb-
lance to our splendid American retail stores
And in the communist countries, of course
the consumer gets what the bosses want to
give hlm-which is usually the bare mini
mum needed for subsistence on the near-Star-
walton leVel-and he likes it or Jumps it.
Everything is ratiOned, and practically ev-
erything is scarce and extremely expensive
when measured in terms of the average
mans earnings. Freedom of choice is un-
known.
All in all, American retailing is just about
a perfect example of the virtues of the whole
free enterprise system.
5000
JOBS FOR ALL
The country remains confused as to
what must be done if the danger of still
more intlatiOn-a danger which grows in
creaslngly critical as the expanding arma-
ment program prOgreSSeS-S to be pre-
vented. We have been led to believe that the
whole answer, practically speaking, lies in
economic controls and laws which say that
the producer and manufacturer and retailer
can charge only so much for this article or
that. Here is a perfect example of putting
the cart ahead of the horse. Controls, no
matter how wisely administered, deal only
with symptoms and never with the disease
itself. The best economists are in general
agreement that the fight against imitation
must be carried on on a broad economic
base. The primary weapons, they believe
must include sound fiscal policy; iron-fsted
economy in government; increased prOduc-
ton; stimulated savings, and sensible re-
straints on credit. This program, it is clear,
is only partially in effect now. The very
magnitude of non-essential government
spending alone is the best friend initiation
has. And the Administration has stubborni
ly battled every effort to cut costs, no matter
how modestly. 1t is futile and dangerous to
seek scapegoats for on-manufactur-
ers or distributors or farmers or workers or
any other group. It's easy to alibi and pass
the buck, but that solves no problems. Every
element in the country must share in theI
task of fighting initiation and accept the in
evitable financial sacrifices involved And
the government must take the lead-a thing
which it has disgracefully failed to do up !
to now.