Crony Capitalism and Vaccine Mandates

A conversation with Mises Institute Board Member Steven Berger

As I have remarked in other posts, a bizarre and distressing feature of our times has been the abandonment of the Classical Liberal tradition of carefully defining and limiting the power of the state. It seems to me that America became an immensely successful and prosperous country by insisting that the most important element of civilization is a free, self-reliant, and largely self-governing citizenry. While some activities and infrastructure are best administered by the state, the citizenry should keep a watchful eye on the state to check it from growing too big and powerful, or hijacked by special interests. During the pandemic, the state became the overgrown, voracious, corrupt, and bungling beast that our Founding Fathers worried it could become if We the People don’t remain vigilant.

For the last three years, the financial industry veteran and Mises Institute board member, Steven Berger, has watched this development with horror. Today I had the pleasure of talking with him about how the great Austrian-American economist, Ludwig von Mises, would have probably viewed the state’s conduct during the pandemic. More specifically, we discussed how the COVID-19 vaccine mandates were an expression of crony capitalism and fascist corporatism, and how these pernicious arrangements thrive during purported crises. For venal politicians, an emergency serves as a splendid excuse for cranking up the money printing press and disbursing the funds to their corporate cronies who often play a strong role in creating the emergencies. As Groucho Marx (or Ernest Benn) put it:

Please listen to Steve’s fascinating insights and share this video with your friends.

Watch Now

Originally published on the author’s Substack