Here’s a letter that I sent today to the Washington Post:
Such “wonder and glory” is funded with money forcibly taken from taxpayers. This process inspires no awe and is decidedly inglorious. Moreover, achievements even more wondrous and glorious than moon shots surround us daily – for example, New York City is fed day in, day out, without fail. Millions of people from around the world work to grow, process, warehouse, deliver, cook, and serve food so that eight million New Yorkers eat well each day. No one plans this wondrous achievement, and no one is forced to contribute toward its realization. It’s the happy result of hundreds of millions of persons peacefully pursuing their own self-interests within markets.
Is a moon shot really as wondrous as the intricate coordination of the plans and actions of these countless suppliers and consumers? Is putting a human being on the moon really as glorious as the fact that hunger has been all but eliminated everywhere that markets operate?
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
