Socialists Will Often Talk As If Some

Precisely Because The State Has The Monopoly Of Coercion It Can Be Allowed The Monopoly Only Of Coercion. Only If The Modern State Can Be Held Within A Strictly Limited Agency Of Duties And Powers Can It Be Prevented From Regimenting, Conquering, And Ultimately Devouring The Society Which Gave It Birth.

All Subsidy Measures, All Schemes To Redistribute Income Or To Force Peter To Support Paul, Are One-eyed As Well As Shortsighted. They Get Their Immediate Appeal By Focusing Attention On The Alleged Needs Of Some Particular Group Of Intended Beneficiaries. But The Inevitable Victims - Those Who Are Going To Be Asked To Pay For The New Handout In Increased Taxes (which Directly Or Indirectly Means Almost Everybody Else) - Are Left Out Of Account. Only One-half Of The Problem Has Been Seen. The Cost Of The Proposed Solution Has Been Overlooked.

No Matter Whether It Is Their Intention Or Not, Almost Anything That The Rich Can Legally Do Tends To Help The Poor. The Spending Of The Rich Gives Employment To The Poor. But The Saving Of The Rich, And Their Investment Of These Savings In The Means Of Production, Gives Just As Much Employment, And In Addition Makes That Employment Constantly More Productive And More Highly Paid, While It Also Constantly Increases And Cheapens The Production Of Necessities And Amenities For The Masses.

The Real Solution To The Problem Of Poverty Consists In Finding How To Increase The Employment And Earning Power Of The Poor.

We Cannot Distribute More Wealth Than Is Created. We Cannot In The Long Run Pay Labor As A Whole More Than It Produces.