The Law by Frederic Bastiat

This is the first of my book reviews...

I've recently read the book entitled "The Law," by the Frenchmen Frederic Bastiat, and I was amazed at how intelligent this man was in his knowledge of different forms of government. his book was first published in French in 1850 in the form of a pamphlet, and it is still very pertinent today. If you have not read this book, you must get a copy!

In 1853, the book was translated by an unidentified Englishman, and published in English.

The book focuses in on the importance of LAW, and why men need it so badly. The book also shows laws should come from a Creator, for if not, laws will become corrupt, and be used for evil instead of good.

Mr. Bastiat's favorite word, it appears, is "plunder. And he does a great job of showing how without law, others plunder their neighbors. Under just laws with just rulers, they do not. But, and this is where we are in America today, under unjust rulers, laws are perverted so that they can plunder the masses.

He further shows how socialism is a bad form of government that is nothing short of legal plunder.

Mr. Bastiat was so intelligent, he exposes people like Rousseau as the fakes they are, and gives real logical reasons for how and why a government must work.

Of Rousseau he says, "The followers of Rousseaus's school of thought--who consider themselves far advanced, but whom I consider TWENTY CENTURIES BEHIND THE TIMES--will not agree with me on this..."

Bastiat calls socialism nothing short of "legal plunder." He further attackes the "seductive lure of socialism" and shows how it tries to bring a man to its submission, as it takes away his freedom and right to choose.

I quote Mr. Bastiat, "Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should be just; it must be philanthropic. Nor is it sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the free and inoffensive use of his faculties for physical, intellectual, and moral self-improvement. Instead, it is demanded that the law should directly extend welfare, education, and morality throughout the nation. This is the seductive lure of socialism. And I repeat again: These two uses of the law are in direct contradiction to each other. We must choose between them. A citizen cannot at the same time be free and not free."

Doesn't this sound like it applies directly to us today, and what we are going through in our current political system?

Bastiat continues by speaking of "fraternity." As I read this, I thought about all the "Labor Unions" in the world today, and how they are trying to take over under the slogan of "workers of the world unite!"

Bastiat's words are so powerful when he writes, "Mr. de Lamartine once wrote to me thusly; 'Your doctrine is only half of my program. You have stopped at liberty; I go on to fraternity [i.e. unions].' I answered him: 'The second half of your program will destroy the first. In fact, it is impossible for me to separate the word fraternity from the word voluntary. I cannot possibly understand how fraternity can be legally enforced without liberty being destroyed, and thus justice being legally trampled underfoot."

This statement should send cold chills up your spine! For the current administration is busy taking over the private sector and setting up unions which are subservient to the powers that be!

Bastiat further speaks of the importance of the ownership of private property, (something socialists and communistis are against), as well as how "Socialists wish to play God."

His words, "Socialists look upon people as raw material to be formed into social combinations. This is so true that, if by chance, the socialists have doubts about the success of these combinations, they will demand that a small portion of mankind be set aside to experiment upon."

Sounds exactly like what Hitler and the Nazi's did, doesn't it? This guy Bastiat is a prophet!

He continues writing under the following headings:

The Socialist Despise Mankind

Socialists Ignore Reason and Facts

Socialists Want to Regiment People

The Socialists Want Forced Conformity

The Socialists Want Dictatorship

The Socialists Reject Free Choice

Bastiat hits the nail on the head time and again. He even has a small section in his pamphlet entitled, "The Leader of the Democrats," in which he atacks Rousseau again for his illogical political ideas.

I just thought it was funny that he mentioned Socialists and Democrats so closely knit together. It's almost like he wrote his book in our day and not in the mid 1800s. He was a true Conservative.

Under a section called, "The Doctrine of the Democrats," Bastiat states, "The strange phenomenon of our times--one which will probably astound our descendants--is the doctrine based on the triple hypothesis: the total inertness of mankind, the omnipotence of the law, and the infallibility of the legislator. These three ideas form the sacred symbolof those who proclaim themselves totally democratic. The advocates of this doctrine also profess to be social...But so far as they are social, they regard mankind as little better than mud...But when the [Democratic i.e Socialist] legislator is finally elected--ah! then indeed does the tone of his speech undergo a radical change. The people are returned to passiveness, inertness, and unconsciousness; the legislator enters into omnipotence. Now it is time for him to initiate, to direct, to propel, and to organize. Mankind has only to submit; the hour of depotism has struck.."

Does that not sound like the Pelosi, Reid, Obamer agenda, which continually goes against the will of the people, while claiming it is doing what's best for the people?

Bastiat continues with a wealth of well-thought-out, logical, and impecable wisdom under the headings of "Socialists Fear all Liberties," "The Basis for Stable Government" and "Justice Means Equal Rights."

I won't further give away the book, as I urge you to read it for yourself. But it's amazing how well it's written and how much of the book applies to us today. (The copy I have is only 74 pages long, so it's an easy read).

Suffice it to say, Bastiat went through a Revolution in France, and he saw his country destroyed.

What destroyed it? Socialism. That is why he wrote this book to warn others of the dangers of such a system, or any other political system that takes away liberties, enslaves the populace, and takes away their God-given rights. And, for over 150 years Frederick Bastiat has been dead-on right!

So why haven't you heard about this book? Why hasn't it been taugth in every school in America? I think you know the answer to that.

The old addage really is true, "The only thing men never learn from history is that men never learn from history!"

That's why you need to read, study, and disperse information to others!