September 11, 2012--Hayek

At the same dinner where we got into a discussion about food stamps, since the service was slow, from food stamps we segued to the Austrian School of economics.

In my obsession about Paul Ryan's draconian, Republican-endorsed budget plan and about his continuing adolescent attraction to the "philosophy" of Ayn Rand (selective though his version is--she was a true libertarian and wanted government out of both the economy and people's personal lives, very much including people's reproductive practices), in order to help me understand Ryan's thinking, since he also purports to be a follower of Friedrich Hayek and his Austrian colleague economists, I have been looking as well at Hayek's work.

So at dinner, I said, "You know, this Hayek had some pretty good ideas in addition to those that are clearly crackpot and have been shown by history to be off base."

Rolling her eyes, Iris pleaded, "Do we have to?"

"We don't," her husband Tom said, "But if he insists, let's let him rattle on while we finish our entrees."

Sort of encouraged, I continued, "My problem with Ryan and his followers is that they cherry pick Hayek.  They like his small government rhetoric and his belief in the almost mystical power of the free market to bring about progress. But as with Ayn Rand they ignore his libertarian streak. He, like Rand, was in favor of abortions being legal. But even in the economic realm, Ryan passes over key components of his thinking."

"Like what?" Tom asked, chewing on his strip steak.

"Ironically, ideas of the Austrian School that would assure that life would be fairer and not just dependent on the free market to solve all social ills."

"For example?" Iris asked while taking a long swallow of her Malbec.

"For example, Hayek and the others in Vienna advocated a universal form of socialized medicine."

"Really? And he's one of Ryan's heros?" Rona asked, finishing her baked flounder.

"Indeed, really. And what's more, as another example that the GOP ignores, Hayek advocated for what he called a basic guaranteed annual income."

"Sort of a minimum wage on steroids," Tom suggested.

"Yes, everyone would receive a guaranteed annual income from the government. From the very government Ryan and his crowd hate so much. That would end means testing for the welfare system and welfare itself as well as for food stamps, the need to have unemployment insurance, and student loans."

"No more Obamacare, either," Iris said, clapping her hands, "No need for it if Hayek was in charge."

"Precisely," I said. "Though I doubt if Ryan were intellectually honset and talked about all of these things--a full, comprehensive package of economic policies--that he would continue to be the Tea Party's darling. He would be castigated by them and still be a backbencher in Congress. Actually, like so many others in the House and Senate, they'd go after him during the next Republican primary in his district and vote him out of office."

"I hope some of this comes out as the campaign unfolds," Rona said. "Like his lying about what's really in his budget."

"And," Iris said, getting into it, "his time in the marathon."

"But in the meantime," Tom winked, "I'm ready for my brandy."