Why Libertarians Shouldn't Like the 19th century or the "Robber Barrons"

[juliusaugustus]

I must ad that the 19th century was not a time of Free markets or unregulated capitalism as some like to say. There was a great amount of corporate welfare such as subsidies to certain corporations. Franchises were granted to utilities and railroads. Pollution laws that defended property rights were often done away with in the name of the public interest. Land grants were given to certain railroads and other industries. Many of the Robber Barrons were funded by JP Morgan who was funded by the Rothschild family. The Rothschild Family benefited greatly from government enforced gold Standard and by government granted central banking monopoly. Many Robber Barons benefited from tariffs which prevented foreign competition. The 19th century and the Gilded Age were a time of massive corporate welfare and mercantilism. The 19th century should not be seen by either statists or Libertarians as a time of unregulated free markets.

[TheGrinchWhoStoleDC]

Nope, just look what JP Morgan did to poor Tesla...

[heavenlyboy34]

Who said that was a good century WRT liberty?

[Acala]

I must ad that the 19th century was not a time of Free markets or unregulated capitalism as some like to say. There was a great amount of corporate welfare such as subsidies to certain corporations. Franchises were granted to utilities and railroads. Pollution laws that defended property rights were often done away with in the name of the public interest. Land grants were given to certain railroads and other industries. Many of the Robber Barrons were funded by JP Morgan who was funded by the Rothschild family. The Rothschild Family benefited greatly from government enforced gold Standard and by government granted central banking monopoly. Many Robber Barons benefited from tariffs which prevented foreign competition. The 19th century and the Gilded Age were a time of massive corporate welfare and mercantilism. The 19th century should not be seen by either statists or Libertarians as a time of unregulated free markets.

I am not aware of anyone saying that the 19th century was a pure free market. Just a LOT more free than what we have today.

[acptulsa]

Credit Mobilier was everything the liberals say it was. It also did us the favor of putting off any more grand experiments in government building projects for decades to come, because it was so incredibly corrupt. Not surprisingly, they put it through as a Civil War Necessity, during the war hysteria.

The other land grants gave land to railroads in exchange for building through them. The government gave the roads a narrow strip to build track on and lots on either side in a 'checkerboard pattern'. Since there were no settlers on these lands, there was no market for a railroad. Since there was no railroad, there was no market for these lands. The government gave half the land to new railroad companies so they wouldn't go broke waiting for the new settlers to grow their first cash crop. And the value of those lands more or less quintupled when the railroads arrived, allowing the government to realize a lot more money selling them.

It was progressive, but it wasn't socialism. And it worked one hell of a lot better than Credit Mobilier.

Pollution didn't need to be regulated in places where you could sue the polluter. The issues back then were with the judiciary, not the legislative, but it was the same problem--crooked government. But at least it was local crooked government, and those people who were motivated to fix it could and did fix it.

And if J.P. Morgan had made as much manipulating gold as it stood to do printing funny money, the Federal Reserve would never have been created.

The Nineteenth Century was free enough to enable the United States of America to transform itself from just another New World Jerkwater Country to the most powerful nation on Earth. Today we're going the other way.

[jj-]

What was the overall tax burden in the 19th century?

[CaptUSA]

Nope, just look what JP Morgan did to poor Tesla...

You know, it's funny. Tesla was actually one of the only people to ever beat JP. JP took that very personally and destroyed him for it. Ruthless doesn't even begin to describe JP Morgan - that guy was literally INSANE with power. In his eyes, the world was his and everyone else just existed to provide him with his power.

It's not proven, but I have a suspicion that he was also responsible for the death of his father. His father started putting limits on JP's growth and he befell a fatal accident. I do not believe in coincidences with this guy. He was like Hillary Clinton - only perfected.

[Demigod]

You know, it's funny. Tesla was actually one of the only people to ever beat JP. JP took that very personally and destroyed him for it. Ruthless doesn't even begin to describe JP Morgan - that guy was literally INSANE with power. In his eyes, the world was his and everyone else just existed to provide him with his power.

It's not proven, but I have a suspicion that he was also responsible for the death of his father. His father started putting limits on JP's growth and he befell a fatal accident. I do not believe in coincidences with this guy. He was like Hillary Clinton - only perfected.

Everyone fought against Tesla .His competition stole many of his patents ( although most are today reclaimed ),his investors never understood him,the competition out played him because he was not a skilled merchant and in the end when he died the government stole all of his work .

[The Gold Standard]

I must ad that the 19th century was not a time of Free markets or unregulated capitalism as some like to say. There was a great amount of corporate welfare such as subsidies to certain corporations. Franchises were granted to utilities and railroads. Pollution laws that defended property rights were often done away with in the name of the public interest. Land grants were given to certain railroads and other industries. Many of the Robber Barrons were funded by JP Morgan who was funded by the Rothschild family. The Rothschild Family benefited greatly from government enforced gold Standard and by government granted central banking monopoly. Many Robber Barons benefited from tariffs which prevented foreign competition. The 19th century and the Gilded Age were a time of massive corporate welfare and mercantilism. The 19th century should not be seen by either statists or Libertarians as a time of unregulated free markets.

No, they didn't. Why do you think they did away with it?

[juliusaugustus]

No, they didn't. Why do you think they did away with it?

This is simply not True the banking families were always fighting against alternative currencies. The silver currencies which would have made currency available to people were regularly lobbied against by banking families. As well as the greenback and Tally Sticks.