Is Peter Schiff a Racist?

by Robert Wenzel
Economic Policy Journal

Recently by Robert Wenzel: Krugman Cracks Down on Bill Kristol, Hard

Get this, Business Insider is running a piece arguing that Peter Schiff is a racist. Gary Anderson write at BI:

Peter Schiff once said, and I paraphrase:

Employers should be able to discriminate based on race.

It is time to cut to the chase with regard to Schiff, Libertarianism, and racism. The libertarians will say, "Well, I want other people to hire based on race, but I would never do that". So their argument is that they aren't racist because they choose not to be. However, it is clear that this is a ploy, a scam if you will.

Anderson then goes on to paint with a broader brush:

It is a scam because fostering racism is racism. If you set up racist policies you are fostering racism. Most normal people understand that, but Libertarians are far from normal. I have discussed the racism of Rand Paul and of Murray Rothbard. There is a pattern emerging here

Of course, Anderson's charge is absurd. How does he justify it? This way:

The logic of the Libertarians is what places them into the box of fostering racism. The logic is that it is somehow immoral for a government to force relationships in the public sector. They cannot see the difference between public and private relationships. Making voluntary relationships in public institutionalizes racism.

If the government does what Schiff wants, a big company like Walmart or Target or some other company could start the ball rolling towards the exclusion based upon race. Racism is a fire that is dangerous and deadly. That Schiff and the Libertarians cannot see this shows something lacking in their character.

First objection, how the hell are Walmart and Target public institutions? Last I looked, they are private companies providing products in mutual exchange.

Second, in our private lives, we all discriminate against people. It may be against ugly people, dumb people, people we don't know very long, people that have bad breath, obnoxious people, rude people, interventionists, Keynesians etc. In a world of non-discrimination, you would just show up at a restaurant and be seated with the person that came in just before you. Hey, everybody is equal, right?

Some people discriminate based on sound reasons, others for reasons that don't seem to make a lot of sense to me, but if their discrimination practices cause them to miss out knowing some very interesting people, that's their loss. Same thing if it is a loss for an employer. Except for people like Gary Anderson, who try to impose their values on others, I don't discriminate against many. Anderson has no business telling me who I can and can't associate with. I think I would be miserable if I was forced to have a lunch with this guy. He should mind his own damn business.

Reprinted with permission from Economic Policy Journal.

November 1, 2011

©2011 Economic Policy Journal

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