Friedman in the News

Nature disaster just keeps on coming, just shortly after the devastating earthquake that took place in a month ago in Haiti, there was another earthquake hit South America country Chile that resulted huge damages to the country. But this is not what I am going to talk about, I am talking about the aftereffects that soon follow with nature disasters or human-made disasters. We all know that the first thing that follow with those disasters are the rebuilding projects, like building houses and public services, more often than not they involve major corporations coming in and making deals with the local governments. They seem like aiding with the situation but we all know there is no free meals in this world.

The closest event that I remember is the Iraq War. We killed Saddam Hussein, and found no trace of mass destruction weapons which was so the only aim that we went in there. But what happened next? We appointed a president for Iraq who signed a contract with the U.S. that allowed U.S. companies going in there and drill oil. If I am not mistaken that is government taking over its country’s economic resource, which is the total opposite of a free market economy. Friedman says that government has tendency to centralize and taking over its country’s economy, and society that can only be free if there is a free market system. He also said that the only way to achieve freedom is through free economy. The sole idea of free market economy for Friedman is that it is the key that leads to our other freedoms.