History may not always repeat, but it rhymes. As seen in just about every situation where socialism and government intervention in the market economy of any nation is triggered, eventually you get to the point where government solutions to their created crisis take center stage.
We have seen this exact scenario repeated in the former Soviet Union, Poland, Europe, Cuba and more recently Venezuela. The triggers are the same, and the outcomes are identical. Now, as unbelievable as it may seem, Joe Biden’s socialist policies have triggered the discussion in the United States.
CTH warned this was going to become a narrative; and we saw the first signs of it at the White House podium on January 12th.
WASHINGTON – People are paying a lot more for food, gas, cars and services, and inflation isn’t over yet as the pandemic continues to distort the economy. So, should governments consider setting the price of essential goods?
It’s been done before, typically during times of crisis, but for most mainstream economists, the answer to this question is a resounding “no.” Limiting how much companies can charge will distort markets, they argue, causing shortages and exacerbating supply chain problems while only temporarily reducing inflation.
“Price controls can of course control prices — but they’re a terrible idea,” David Autor, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, remarked in a survey published earlier this month by the University of Chicago. Asked whether price controls similar to those used in the United States during the 1970s could reduce inflation over the next year, less than a quarter of economists surveyed said they agree while nearly 60% said they disagree or strongly disagree.
[…] with annual inflation running at a four-decade high of 7% and midterm elections approaching, price controls could feature in future debates about how to reduce prices, particularly if actions taken this year by the Federal Reserve fail to tame inflation. (read more)
See that emphasis of mine in the above paragraph. Yeah, the same University of Chicago at the epicenter of Alinsky crowdsourcing.
Accepting socialism in the United States does not come easily. To use the lingo of the Marxists, it comes as an outcome of a “larger conversation” where we begin to “reimagine a nation of greater equity.” Every nudge begins with the opening of a conversation…
Create the crisis. Fuel the crisis. Then offer government solutions for the crisis. Use the crisis to advance the goal.
[Barack Obama and crew are smiling at CNN right now.]
