Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 10 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Anti-Government Propaganda is Fueled by Ignorance

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   4 comments
Message Brian Cooney
Become a Fan
  (22 fans)

In his classic bestseller Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Friedman proclaimed that "The greatest advances of civilization, whether in architecture or painting, in science and literature, in industry or agriculture, have never come from centralized government." Instead, we owe it all to private enterprise.

For right-wing ideologues and the Palin, Beck and Limbaugh congregations, Friedman's claim has always had a lot of truthiness. It sounds so good that it must be true, and was made by a world-famous economist and Nobel laureate.

However, the claim is not only false, but strikingly ignorant coming from a professor at one of our most famous universities. Had Dr. Friedman ever heard of the Acropolis, or the road and aqueduct systems, magnificent public buildings and other engineering marvels created by the imperial government of Rome? Did he notice the Apollo moon landing in 1969?

Friedman (1912-2006) lived to see the economic and cultural revolution brought about by the Internet. Its development was funded and overseen for three decades by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Department. The NSF finally turned it over to commercial providers in 1995, launching the dotcom boom.

The idea for the Internet originated with Robert W. Taylor, an ARPA researcher in 1966. Taylor tried unsuccessfully to get private industry interested in his project. Fortunately for us all, he got federal funding.

America's strong economic growth over the past 65 years depended on its leadership in basic scientific and engineering research. This research spawned technological innovations that made firms more competitive and even gave rise to entirely new industries. As Ed Lazowska, one of America's leading computer scientists, explained to the House Subcommittee on Technology and Information Policy in July of 2004: "The innovation that creates the technologies that drive the new economy today is the fruit of investments the federal government made in basic research 10, 15, 30 years ago."

Besides the Internet, the list includes web browsers, public key cryptography for secure credit card transactions, parallel database systems, high performance computer graphics, and portable devices such as cell phones.

Why is major government support for basic research necessary? Why can't private enterprise play this role, as conservative ideologues would have it?

The reasons are straightforward and point to a major flaw in market fundamentalism. Private corporations, even the largest, invest little or nothing in basic research because it is long-term, often stretching out for decades. Its outcomes are uncertain and its impact on markets is not easily predicted.

Moreover, this research is necessarily public, calling for peer review and publication. It can't be kept secret for the profit of the company funding it.

The distinction between basic or fundamental research and the kind of research funded by corporations and leading to patented applications can be fuzzy at the margins. But it is a hugely important distinction that we ignore at our peril.

For instance, it may be in the interest of society to allow a company to patent a bacterium that it has genetically engineered to decompose plastic. But we would not want patents on the underlying bioscience that makes such applications possible.

The partnership of government funding of basic research and private for-profit funding of applied research is essential to the progress of our scientific knowledge and economic prosperity. Like national defense and the administration of justice, funding basic research depends on revenues from taxation.

That's one of the reasons why I get very tired of mindless tirades against government. Here's Doctor Friedman again, in a 2003 interview: "I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible."

His dread of government seeps through these words. He was near the end of his life-long battle to hobble government. But he has successfully passed the torch on to the Republican Party today.

They are the party of "NO." No to what the preamble to the Constitution refers to as "We the people of the United States" acting collectively to "promote the general welfare."

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Well Said 3   Valuable 3   Must Read 2  
Rate It | View Ratings

Brian Cooney Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I'm a retired philosophy professor at Centre College. My last book was Posthumanity-Thinking Philosophically about the Future (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004). I am an anti-capitalist.

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Are humans creating a posthuman future?

The Mythology of Individualism

The elephant in America's living room

Is capitalism inherently anti-democratic?

Trump's mental instability threatens national security

Haspel nomination is a sign of increasing lawlessness and brutality of U.S. government

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend