It is a yearly tradition in this blog to simultaneously discuss 1) what makes Thanksgiving worth celebrating and 2) to set the record straight by articulating the first point clearly and refuting the nonsense that tries to drown it out.\u00a0 This year\u2019s column is no different, although the message comes in particularly well-worded argument by Dinesh D\u2019Souza\u2026 but more on that later.<\/p>\n
First, just what makes the holiday worth celebrating? (Hint it isn\u2019t a day off, turkey dinner with friends and family, football games, or Black Friday \u2013 although the first three of those are nice.)\u00a0 It is the idea that economic freedom, specifically in the form of private property ownership and voluntary exchange of goods and services, is the \u2018magic\u2019 that makes us all prosperous.\u00a0 Of course, the \u2018secrets\u2019 to this magic are nothing more than the recognition that different people are made differently, have different interests and abilities, and, above all, different drives, and the faith that people, left to their own devices, will generally want to cooperate to the betterment of all.<\/p>\n
Second, just why does the record need straightening out?\u00a0 Well there are two reasons.\u00a0 On one hand, there is simply a lot of misinformation that clutters up the idea landscape.\u00a0 This economic noise distracts and deceives people from understanding and appreciating what economic freedom means; from appreciating that they control much of what happens in their lives.\u00a0 This ignorance not only spawns poor decision making it also contributes to the overall unhappiness of any afflicted by it.\u00a0 On the other hand, there is a certain class of people unwilling to trust that their fellow citizens can manage their own affairs.\u00a0 This professional busybody class is always poking its collective nose into everybody else\u2019s affairs seeking to dictate and control things that aren\u2019t any of their business.\u00a0 Ironically, but not unexpectedly, these type of people never subject themselves to the autocratic rule they wish to subject others under.<\/p>\n
The story of the first Thanksgiving (nicely summarize here<\/a>) centers around the Pilgrims realizing that private property and economic freedom matter (see also How Private Property Saved the Pilgrims<\/a>).\u00a0 Sadly, this fundamental message is warped and twisted \u2013 sometimes innocently, sometimes maliciously \u2013 with off-the-mark commentary and argumentation that simply \u2018doesn\u2019t follow the science\u2019 (the dismal science of economics that is).\u00a0 A previous post<\/a> dealt with some of the most distressing criticisms of the holiday and tried to set some small corner of the record straight but there is always a need for more.<\/p>\n This is where Dinesh D\u2019Souza comes in.\u00a0 I recently came across a lecture he made in which he presented ideas that solidly support just why the real story of Thanksgiving is worth remembering.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t tie these ideas directly to the pilgrims so that will be the contribution I provide here.<\/p>\n The tale that Dinesh tells involves a valet car attendant who parks cars at a luxurious resort.\u00a0 On average the attendant works 10 hours in a day for which he makes $150 ($15\/hour).\u00a0 Over the course of that day he parks 100 cars (10\/hour) at the price of $30\/car.\u00a0 The total revenue the resort earns $3000.<\/p>\n