The New York Times misunderstands Javier Milei and libertarianism

By Walter E. Block

Javier Milei's followers, including myself, are delighted that the New York Times has published an article about him. Overall, it's pretty accurate. It is true that it defends deregulated capitalism, private property rights, the desire for profit and everything else that comes with the philosophy of the free market. And, yes, it has also fought Argentine inflation to the point of almost defeating it. It is also true that, in the past, it was ignored. This is stated quite precisely: “... in 2019,... Milei was a little-known libertarian economist and media celebrity, shouting from the margins of a political class that didn't take him seriously. Since then, he has surprised the world with a meteoric rise to the presidency.” Truer words than these have never been said. Nor can it be denied, as Emma Bubola correctly states, that the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Friedrich Hayek, is one of the brightest stars in his sky. Ludwig von Mises

as well.

However, there are some aspects in which the author misunderstands President Milei and his libertarian perspective. For example, he states that:

“A nation where people resist eating alone or drinking a cup of mate, the national infusion, without sharing it with the person next door, is embracing a leader whose fundamental message is that each person must stand up for himself.” And so Bubola offers this quote, without hesitation: “Milei tries to destroy the essence of Argentina and the community identity of the people,” said Juan Grabois, legislator of

the opposition to Milei.

This is nonsense. Even if you search every corner of libertarianism, for Mr. Milei's philosophy, you will never find a shred of opposition to sharing, to participating in voluntary community activities, or to the refusal to “look after” others as well as yourself. Is the president of Argentina opposed to parents feeding their young children? No. Do you reject cooperative initiatives such as amateur soccer leagues or chess clubs? Of course not. Are you against good-neighbourliness? If anyone believes any of this, they should then subscribe to the system's official press, because that's the corner they're trying to get him into

.

And then there's this: “At the World Economic Forum held in Davos in January, Milei made her argument that any redistribution of wealth is immoral...” I bet that this statement was qualified, since, as has been pointed out, that is not your opinion at all. Javier Milei is not opposed to voluntary charity! When has he tried to pass a law banning contributions to cancer research? Never, that's the answer. Nor is he against parents supporting their children through the “redistribution of wealth”, or the other way around, when the parents are elderly. This is just one more attempt by the Gray Lady to drag this hero of civilization into the mud. Yes, he's opposed to the government doing something like that, but that's a completely different matter. Why? Because such transfers are coercive, and this man's middle name is “voluntary”.

This journalist also tells us that the presidential couple, Evita and Juan Domingo Perón “made the State the guarantor of equity and a better life”. A better life? They impoverished a country that had one of the best reserves of natural resources in the entire planet through their mixture of socialism, nationalization and fascism, in addition to strong state regulation. It is a great credit to Mr. Milei to have driven his country away from such economic and ethical ignorance.

Suppose, for the purpose of the argument, that this is true: “... your free trade measures have contributed to the closure of more than 24,000 Argentine companies.” Is this a regrettable thing? Of course not. Canada should not produce bananas. Costa Rica should not be in the maple syrup business. Countries should specialize in their comparative advantage. Should we bring back the blood-powered industry? And what about typewriters? If these companies closed, other more efficient and effective companies have opened, enriching the Land of Silver

.

That said, I am extremely happy that the New York Times has directed its gigantic loudspeaker to Javier Milei, the best president Argentina has ever had. Although a little more precision would have been nice, but you can't have everything.