The Overlooked Liberty

Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachement as that from which they draw gains. [Thomas Jefferson - March 1814]
As the United State's Independence Day draws near, it would be appropriate to explain a very important interpretation about the above statement. Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith [Author of the Book "Wealth of Nations"] support this testimonial, proving that an absolute market economy and personal liberty are two interchangable ideas.

Only a few months before July 4, 1776, Scotland's Adam Smith released his now famous book, "Wealth Of Nations." This March 1776 book release kicked off the idea of promoting the economic concept of a Free Market.

During this time, European monarchies [including Britain's], absolutely controlled the market place with unfair taxation, promoting international tariffs, and not allowing the common folk to own private property.

In a nutshell, bits and pieces of Smith's book advocated that free international trade was the only way to conduct a foreign policy. Furthermore, a 100% economic laissez faire policy should be implemented by any government. Smith beleived that by any government interfering in any economic decision making activity would create artificial barriers.
Additionally, Smith beleived in the concept of private property, which the colonists passionately wrote for, and eventually was one reason to fight the British over. Without the concept of private property, an almost non-existant pratice amongst many European countries during the 1700's, there would simply not be any personal liberty.

On July 4, 1776, The Declaration Of Independence was proclaimed for the entire world, especially the British government to hear. Include in this most important document was many of the same themes included in the "Wealth Of Nations." In a round about way, the Declaration included the concept of Free Markets, while directly promoting limited government roles and personal liberties.

It is the highest impertinence and presumption, therefore, in kings and ministers, to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense... They are themselves always, and without any exception, the greatest spendthrifts in the society. Let them look well after their own expense, and they may safely trust private people with theirs. If their own extravagance does not ruin the state, that of their subjects never will. [Adam Smith - "Wealth of Nations"]
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Jefferson, MLK, & Affirmative Action

Thomas Jefferson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. should have rolled 180 degrees in their graves upon hearing the landmark June 23, 2003 Supreme Court's reiteration of the University Michigan's School Of Law affirmative action enrollment policies.
Affirmative action was first implemented in March of 1961 when President Kennedy decided to react to many years of racial prejudice against African-Americans, from being private property of plantation owners, all the way to the subjection of post-Jim Crowe , Southern segregationalist policies.

Scribesman of the Declaration Of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote in this most sacred document, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Simply said, he means that all people are created equal, even though at the time, the only people were white, caucasian males. In order for Jefferson to help organize the great experiment, the United States Government, he had to begrudgingly deal with these important matters of the day, which included slavery [Jefferson On Slavery].

If Jefferson was currently walking the earth, he would be equally as shocked over the treatment of whites in discriminatory hiring practices as the black's bondage into slavery during the colonial days.

"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." [Martin Luther King Junior's I Had A Dream Speech : August 28, 1963]
My interpretation of the above statement is that every man has the right to live in a "color-blind society," period. In addition, he has the responsibility to allow others to live as equally as him. Equality is equality if it pertains to African-Americans, Whites, Native-Americans, Latin-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc. Why should it be that a certain race has preferencial treatment because their skin color is dark [as in this case]?

Jefferson would no doubt slam his fist to the table upon hearing about "reverse discrimination." Contrary to "Jeffersonian Theory", there is evidence that King supported affirmative action during his life, but he might have eventually changed his mind later on because the landscape of America has radically altered. Present day African-Americans are economically more sound than thirty years ago. It has become common place to encounter them in numerous upper-level jobs, while many more have even jumped into the investment game. Sure, lots of prejudice is still targeted towards African-Americans, but why should anybody have an up on another due to the recent American phenomenon of "victimization?"

Pro-affirmative action policies propels itself against the spirit of Jefferson and [maybe] King. Why should an artificial barrier be placed in order to supposedly make up for many years of oppression? The more just outcome would be equal hiring practices, which could possibly mark the closest we have done to achieve utopia in years.
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