First man learned how to capture and make use of animals. Animals were herded, eaten and used as labor. From there humans from other tribes and societies were captured and made into slaves. At one time slavery was very popular. The first real economic systems were feudalism and then mercantilism. Under these systems genuine freedom was rare. Everyone except the king was a servant of someone else in some capacity. When wars were fought, the entire country which lost would be force to serve the people of the country which won. Prisoners of war became chattel and served as slaves.
In early times the institution of slavery was highly profitable. While private parties could own slaves, people were normally enslaved by governments and ended up as property of upper class citizens who had political power. Then the world changed. The free market concept evolved and paying wages became more economical than owning people and bearing the enormous expense of keeping them. Paid labor turned out to be much more efficient and productive.
Paid labor became the standard. The problem of slavery began disappearing not rapidly but disappearing just the same. When the War Between the States broke out, interest in owning slaves in the North was gone because paid labor proved to be less costly for manufacturing. Had slavery been profitable in the North, there would have been no Civil War and slavery would have still been legal in those states. Slavery was becoming less profitable in the South, just not fast enough.
Chattel slavery is no longer legal in the United States. Servitude is completely normal and more than commonplace. In modern societies servitude is still managed withing the world’s system of dominance and subservience. Even though Americans are not forced into lives of slavery they are more than pleased to offer their freedom to others in return for comfort and security. Society is organized in ways that make servitude the path of least resistance.
Chattel slavery in the United States is an extinct form of labor management. Still, servitude as an institution continues to flourish. Is servitude a choice? In the South during the Civil War, it was common for slaves to openly choose to stay with a master. Servitude can be a choice and is when there are more benefits that way than being free. The human brain is concerned with survival and reproduction and attends to those goals first.
When congress hordes information so citizens cannot govern themselves it is really, facilitating the institution of servitude. Since representation is transferable, lawmakers serve citizens who offer them the most benefits in return. It is constantly noted that the income distribution in the United States is becoming very skewed in favor of the upper class. Over time Americans have opted for lives of servitude and the rich and powerful are aggressively taking them up on the offer.
The truth is a hard sell. Fantasy Free Economics gains readers one at a time. Major search engines simply do not list blogs which disagree with their political agenda. As long as folks share the link to this blog and others speaking out against the grain, the truth will at least trickle into the public consciousness.
Fantasy Free Economics recommends the following blogs.
Woodpiler Report Of Two Minds Liberty Blitzkrieg Mises Institute Straight Line Logic Paul Craig Roberts