Thomas Paine Was Just Sayin'

By Chris Rossini

Thomas Paine described life prior to the 1787 Coup in Philadelphia (my emphasis):

For upwards of two years from the commencement of the American war, and a longer period in several of the American states, there were no established forms of government. The old governments had been abolished, and the country was too much occupied in defense to employ its attention in establishing new governments; yet, during this interval, order and harmony were preserved as inviolate as in any country in Europe. There is a natural aptness in man, and more so in society, because it embraces a greater variety of abilities and resources, to accommodate itself to whatever situation it is in. The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security...

If we look back to the riots and tumults which at various times have happened in England, we shall find, that they did not proceed from the want of a government, but that government was itself the generating cause; instead of consolidating society, it divided it; it deprived it of its natural cohesion, and engendered discontents and disorders, which otherwise would not have existed. In those associations which men promiscuously form for the purpose of trade or of any concern, in which government is totally out of the question, and in which they act merely on the principles of society, we see how naturally the various parties unite; and this shows, by comparison, that governments, so far from always being the cause or means of order, are often the destruction of it.

I'd speculate that Paine would've been a big fan of Lew Rockwell's latest work.

After 238 years, it's extremely difficult for the average American to contemplate "a natural aptness in man". If the U.S. government had a monopoly on creating sneakers for the last 238 years, it would be equally as hard for Americans to imagine entrepreneurs doing the same.

Nike?....Reebok?....Under Armour?

Impossible!....Fringe!....Crazy!

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Chris Rossini is author of Set Money Free: What Every American Needs To Know About The Federal Reserve. Follow @chrisrossini on Twitter.