The book entitled ‘The Road to Serfdom’ is the economist Hayek’s seminal anti-planning polemic of the 1940s.  He was writing when Hitler was in power in Germany.  Hayek was rejecting a mixture of ‘laissez faire’ (let the market be) economics combined with central planning.

The economist, John Maynard Keynes, agreed with much of the sentiment of Hayek (even though Keynes was actively involved in government economic planning to help Britain fund the second world war and such).  But Keynes qualified his support of the book by saying:

“I should therefore conclude your (Hayek’s) theme rather differently.  I should say that what we want is not no planning, or even less planning.  I should say that we almost certainly want more.  But the planning should take place in a community in which, as many people as possible, both leaders and followers, share your own moral position.  Moderate planning will be safe if those carrying it out are rightly orientated in their own minds and hearts to your own moral position…

What we need therefore…is not a change in our economic programmes, which would only lead in practice to dissillusion with the results of your philosophy, but perhaps even…an enlargement of them….I accuse you of perhaps confusing a little bit of the moral and the material issues.  DANGEROUS ACTS CAN BE DONE SAFELY IN A COMMUNITY WHICH THINKS AND FEELS RIGHTLY WHICH WOULD BE THE WAY TO HELL IF THEY WERE EXECUTED BY THOSE WHO THINK AND FEEL WRONGLY.” (my emphasis)

We should take care as to the moral character of those being elected to Government.

Thanks for the ‘article’. And for the comment.

We should take care as to the moral character of those being elected to Government… ie, in that we don’t know who will govern, ‘the moral character of everyperson’.

Okay; where do we start? With which ism or anity?
I reckon I know ... says almost anyperson.  So they come to blows over moral issues.  Yet we know truth is common and singular.  Just being good, doing ‘good’ deeds isn’t enouigh.  If it wasn’t for moral decline there’d be no issue.  We don’t ‘evolve’ morality.  Moral decline makes it impossible for anyperson to triumph.  I’ve seen Mafia do good.  What do we need?  There was a man among men who made claims far greater than any man . He said he was a close relly of God.