Over-looked miracles of the free-market that we encounter in our everyday life
Here are the first three parts of a series of small articles I’ve begun on my blog named “Miracles of The Market“:
Part One
I wanted to start a little series that I could post to regarding the over-looked, taken-for-granted miracles of the free-market that I (we) encounter in my everyday life. So here’s my first post on this, coming after my trip to Michigan for business.
It’s absolutely amazing to me that I can travel across the country and find waiting for me all of the things I enjoy back home. When I first arrived in Detroit, via a 3.5 hour miracle of a plane ride, I picked up my rental car and proceeded northwest. On the way, I started craving Wendy’s. I knew there would be a Wendy’s nearby and I knew that once inside, it would have the exact same look, feel, menu, and quality of food that I get in Salt Lake.
Truth be told, I was right. It was perfect, and all right there waiting for me. Similarly, later in the week I found a McDonald’s, Burger King, IHOP, Panda Express, and Pizza Hut, all completely the same as I what I enjoy back home. This is certainly one of the greatest miracles of the market. That these companies, through providing a great product and great service, have been able to expand across the country and across the world. And because they each are in competition with the other, an area where one is built, another is sure to follow, thus providing me, and all of us, with options galore.
Part Two
In my last post in this series, I talked about traveling across the country for business. That is not, however, the biggest part of my job. My primary responsibility is assisting users of my company’s software when they get stuck and need help. Those users are motorcycle dealership employees, managers, and owners from all over North America.
The utilities that I have available to use are amazing. Even though these users are located all over the continent, and beyond, they are able to talk, in real-time, to me in a matter of minutes, and sometimes seconds. As amazing as that is, my support capabilities go even further. Without pre-installing any additional software, my users can give me remote access to their computers, and while talking with them on the phone, it is as if I’m sitting with them at their desk.
I literally can talk and control the computer of someone anywhere in the world. The furthest I’ve ever “traveled” in this regard is Hawaii. Everyday I help twenty to thirty users from the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and even Jamaica. And I am only one support technician on a team of over thirty. All of us talking and remotely controlling computers all around North America, helping motorcycle dealers run their business and keep their systems in order.
Having the software that we have developed is amazing enough when it comes to efficiently running a power-sports business, but to get the kind and quality of support that we offer that makes our dealers’ lives easier, is nothing short of a miracle of the market.
Part Three
Each of us should be grateful to the free-market for our livelihoods. Even those living on the public dole, be them government employees or welfare recipients, could not receive such without the state first extracting it from the market (inflationary finance excepting). It is because of the voluntary choices of others that each of us are able to fulfil our desires.
This I understand to be the true American dream. Take my job, for example. I work for a software company
that has developed a system that helps entrepreneurs manage their motorcycle or RV dealerships. These dealerships exist because motorcycle and RV manufacturers need someone to sell their products. These products were developed because consumers wanted something recreational to ride, or something to make their vacations more comfortable. People engage in recreation and go on vacations because they have earned the means to do so by satisfying the wants of their fellow man.
Let’s look at the inverse. People voluntarily satisfied their fellow man. In turn, they had the means to voluntary engage in recreation or go on vacation. Others, seeing an opportunity to satisfy their fellow man, produced motorcycles for recreation-ers and RVs for vacationers. Still others, sensing opportunity, voluntarily worked with these producers to get their products in front of the public. My company thus, voluntarily, designed a dealer management system to help these retailers efficiently run their business. And I voluntarily work for my company, and support it’s customers, so that I may feed and house my family.
At which point in this process is government involvement necessary? Every person along the way acted voluntarily and to their own benefit. As such, they each had an interest in ensuring the best possible outcome towards the next step, namely; efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. For if the customers, who are both consumers and producers, are not satisfied, they can voluntary remove their patronage. Those producers that are unable to satisfy their customers will lose money and disappear. Again, at which point in this process is government involvement necessary? It isn’t, so long as everyone keeps “their mitts to themselves” and pursues their desires voluntarily. And because it is in everyone’s best interest to do so through peaceful economic cooperation, we have yet another miracle of the market, our jobs.
Skyler Collins was born and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has a beautiful wife and growing family. He believes in limiting government and supports free-market capitalism. He also believes the principles of liberty found in the Constitution to be inspired of God, and that everyone who loves freedom has an obligation to understand and promote them. His website and blogs can be found out http://www.skylerjcollins.com.
