It's Not Personal; It's Institutional

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:59:37 GMT  <== Politics ==> 

Wendy McElroy at The Ludgig von Mises Institute - Ms. McElroy derided the gunnerment school to a friend, not realizing that her husband taught in one of them. That husband may well be a good man, but he's working for an institution that makes it difficult if not impossible for him to do good. This is why the very concept of the state must die. It is that concept that produces the institutions that cause good people to do evil things, every day.

The unique structure and procedures of a specific institution will determine the results it produces. As long as the procedures are followed, the motives of those participating in the institution are irrelevant. A man may work in a candy factory with the announced intention of producing cans of tuna, but — as long as he follows the workplace rules — he will produce candy. Likewise, a police officer may truly wish to promote the Rothbardian view of justice, but — as long as he enforces the laws of the state — he will promote its antithesis. It is the institution and not the character of its servants that defines the overall results. Only by breaking the rules can "good men" produce incidentally good results.

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