The Patriot Post® · Giving Thanks for the Free Market
In two days, millions of Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a predominantly American tradition in which we thank God for blessing us with a comfortable lifestyle. Of course, those blessings would be significantly diminished — and are across many areas of the world — if not for the men and women who promote a free market.
In some nations, it’s not even possible to celebrate Thanksgiving like we do here. Take Venezuela. Statism has so ruptured and paralyzed the nation that most resources that are overflowing here are extremely sparse there. Of course, Venezuela doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. But even if it did, greed, corruption and power grabs have made it tangibly impossible to celebrate it American-style. In America, Thanksgiving generally consists of bountiful amounts of food. In Venezuela, millions of people are literally starving.
Simply stated: The people who most appreciate Thanksgiving are those who understand what life is like without the free market. In many cases, they or a family member have had to sacrifice something. Or at the very least they recognize that it is because of the free market that our tables are chock-full of goodies. And now has never been a better time to further promote the ideals that make it possible.
According to Investor’s Business Daily, “The American Farm Bureau Federation released its latest price survey of items typically found on the dinner table at Thanksgiving. What it found is that the cost of providing all the usual trimmings went down this year. Feeding 10 will run an average $49.12, down from $49.87 last year. The report also notes that the cost of Thanksgiving, when adjusted for inflation, is 23% less expensive today than it was in 1986.” IBD rightly credits the free market.
These statistics probably come as a surprise to most people. But they also offer sage advice. Reuters reports, “Nearly one-third of all adults will actively avoid political conversations when they see friends and family over the Thanksgiving and December holidays, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday. About half said they do not expect to discuss politics at all.”
This isn’t surprising when taking into account our polarized society. But the Reuters poll also means there are still plenty of people who are ready to engage in political discourse. (Here are our thoughts on that.) As we stuff our faces on Thanksgiving, it’s worth reminding your family, both liberal and conservative, that food is cheaper today thanks to ingenuity and Liberty. Surely everyone can agree this is a good thing and worth giving thanks for. And maybe, just maybe, it can segue into a civil discussion about our God-given liberties, which make Thanksgiving possible.