Conundrums in Korea
by Tim Swanson If you are an outspoken libertarian, odds are that someone has trenchantly advised you to travel the world, to see why "America is so grand." However, the underlying motivation for their sage wisdom is typically shrouded in nationalistic rhetoric, to defend the state against your treasonous attacks. And this issue is not necessarily a matter of foreign policy. For instance, one of my former roommates labels himself a fiscal conservative, yet when I mentioned the defunding of NASA, he waxed on and on about their technological contributions to America. He finished by suggesting that I go see how the rest of the developing world struggles to survive because their governments failed to finance such innovative and future-thinking agencies. That’s right, the key to progress, economic growth, and a high standard-of-living is a NASA in every nation-state. Why stop there and not erect a NASA in every municipality? Ignoring the modern-day arguments for pyramid building, perhaps there is something to this globe-trotting perspective that Doug Casey is missing. Go West Young man, Far West In the middle of the summer, I moved to Korea (the South of course). And if anything, my libertarian convictions have grown stronger. Many of the conversations I have had over the last several months have been illuminating. For instance, I have yet to meet a Canadian that is not proud of their national health care system. Admittedly, they acknowledge that wait times are much longer than those in the US, but gosh darnit, everyone gets their equal chance at suffering. And according to them, that is more important than independent, incentivized care. Che shirts are en vogue. In fact, aside from my history department, this is one of the only places I have met die-hard, militant Marxists and Trotskyites. Some knaves even long for the day when the South becomes a socialistic paradise. Dare we ask who the cult of personality will be? Rain? And while I am hardly the stereotypical, gun-toting Texan, a Scotsman I have befriended recently admonished me for suggesting that when guns are outlawed, the "good" law-abiding citizens are the only people that turn them in. Furthermore, criminals will keep them and know that they have a better chance at successful armed robberies because MAD deterrence is now a statistical whisker. William Wallace was certainly a fan of victim disarmament, no? Because it is fair, egalitarian and makes me feel warm and fuzzy One of my former coworkers is a diabetic and must take insulin shots several times a day. Until the day he left, he was singing praises to the nationalized health care system here in Korea, because it allowed him to purchase his medical supplies and drugs at a rate far cheaper than what he could in America. However, this is the classic case of the seen and unseen. While my coworker does indeed obtain subsidized health care that is seemingly cheaper, someone else is footing a large chunk of the bill, namely, Korean taxpayers. Not only that, but one of the reasons medical care, drugs, and supplies are substantially more expensive in America is due to stifling regulations and licensing procedures that insulate incumbent providers (e.g., Big Pharma, HMOs) from outside competition. Fool me once, shame on you -- fool me twice, shame on me Despite the vapid, foaming-at-the-mouth statism that some expats extol, the ironic, yet unfortunate reality is that their ideas have all been tried. For instance, while I have detailed the corrupt, government-conglomerate system of chaebols, inefficient unions still bully the show in many industries, including banks, public education, manufacturing, shipyards, automobile factories, steel mills, and most other blue-collar industries. Heavy tariffs insulate the car and agriculture industry from foreign competition. Until recently, a 100% tariff was placed on all imported cars and every vehicle from Japan was permanently non grata. In fact, until 1998, importing music, movies, and video games from Japan was banned carte blanche. Similarly, limited quotas are maintained for crops like rice. The loser in both of these situations is the consumer, because they are essentially forced to pay the rent-seeking prices charged by domestic providers. And while the controversial Free Trade Agreement will supposedly remove some of the rampant protectionism, most of the industries will still be managed and reregulated by the state. Until last year, movie theaters were required to show domestically produced movies 146 days of the year, now it is a mere 73 days. Could you imagine if American theaters were legally required to show bombs like Gigli or Kangaroo Jack for that amount of time? How do you say bankrupt in Konglish? In an effort to stymie overseas tourism, the Korean government is now offering farmers tax breaks to build golf courses on their land. Those involved in constructing them will receive subsidies and various regulatory leniencies. Of course, the small little detail that goes unmentioned in those reports is who ultimately finances the subsidies: Korean taxpayers. Also, why not cut taxes across the board and put money back into the hands of every citizen, who in turn has more to spend domestically? North bad, South good… right? Unbeknownst to most foreigners, for nearly 40 years, the South was essentially run by one military dictator after another; its history is arguably more tumultuous than the revolt-happy French. In fact, Syngman Rhee, the president of the First Republic was a megalomaniac who was in some ways, no different than Kim Il Sung, his northern counterpart (e.g., he single-handedly prolonged the Korean War by refusing to sign numerous ceasefire agreements). And while South Korea is considered the "Miracle on the Han" (after similar economic growth in Germany – "Miracle on the Rhine"), historians often overlook that during the 20 years after the Korean War, roughly 60% of the foreign investment came directly from the US government (roughly $3 billion). This list of malfeasance is by no means exhaustive, however it can act as an educational illustration: statism is statism, no matter what language is spoken or where the sun rises. November 1, 2007 Tim Swanson [send him mail] is a graduate of Texas A&M University and enjoys kimchi and soju cocktail. Visit his blog. Copyright © 2007 LewRockwell.com |
So
not only was the American taxpayer unwittingly forced into paying
for the bombs to level Germany and Korea, but they were also prodded
into reconstructing the ruined civilizations, brick by brick. (See
the 