Frederic Bastiat - A Great Defender of Capitalism and Freedom from Do-Gooders

The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the individual. No more and no less. Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) was a French economist, statesman and author. The quotes below are from "THE LAW" published as a pamphlet in 1850. He said, and is correct that socialism must inevitably degenerate into communism.

"Let Us Try Liberty" by Frederic Bastiat
Away with their rings, chains, hooks, and pincers! Away with their artificial systems! Away with the whims of governmental administrators, their socialized projects, their centralization, their tariffs, their government schools, their state religions, their free credit, their bank monopolies, their regulations, their restrictions, their equalization by taxation, and their pious moralizations!

And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty...

"The Desire to Rule Over Others"
This must be said: There are too many "great" men in the world - legislators, organizers, do-gooders, leaders of the people, fathers of nations, and so on, and so on. Too many persons place themselves above mankind; they make a career of organizing it, patronizing it, and ruling it.

"Proper Legislative Functions"
It is not true that the legislator has absolute power over our persons and property. The existence of persons and property preceded the existence of the legislator...

It is not true that the function of law is to regulate our consciences, our ideas, our wills, our education, our opinions, our work, our trade, our talents, or our pleasures. The function of law is to protect the free exercise of these rights, and to prevent any person from interfering with the free exercise of these same rights by any other person.