More from AEI President Arthur Brooks

I earlier posted about a speech given by American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks.  Brooks has written a book, The Road to Freedom, elaborating on the theme of his speech, which is the moral imperative of free enterprise.  That point is worth repeating: Free enterprise is desirable because it is fairer,  not just more efficient, than other economic regimes. Brooks is blogging here, and he has much to say about why free enterprise must be defended against government overreach.  A sample from his book:

In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson laid out his vision of “a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”

President Obama’s vision of government is a bit more expansive than Jefferson’s. The U.S. government, in his view, should be judged on whether or not “it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, health care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.” In a bit over 200 years, we have moved from a president who believes the purpose of government is to leave you free to live your life as you see fit, to a president who thinks that the state is included in finding you a job, getting you a doctor, ensuring you save for your retirement, and a long list of other things.

We need a philosophy of government that preserves Jefferson’s ethos, while recognizing that the world has changed in dramatic ways. In my view, America would do well to turn to the wisdom of German-born economist and Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek. Hayek’s classic book “The Road to Serfdom,” written in 1944, is obligatory reading for all advocates of free enterprise — and still provides an excellent guide to the role of government.

More power to him.