Of Markets and Men

I met a man who said to me
That men and markets should be free
And on the face of it, it seemed
To be unfair to disagree…

I asked him to elaborate
Upon this most ideal state
And he, with pleasure, did relate
Some things we could eliminate.

“The War on Drugs is such a waste,”
“Quite so,” said I, “and in bad taste.”
He then returned that rules on vice
In general, were not so nice.

“I’ve often said,” (I said to him)
“The state’s no tool for fighting sin
Let people make their own mistakes
And intervene for peace’s sake.”

“That’s right,” said he, “we need police
And armies to keep safe the streets
Plus courts where persons have their day
But me, I’d throw the rest away.”

I asked him if he really meant
To so reduce the government
That he would cut off pension checks
And slash all regulations next.

“See, what you’re missing,” he explained
“Is how that revenue was gained.
Their funding’s stolen straight from us
And we don’t even make a fuss.”

“But (a) they print it,” I replied
“And (b) there’d be none otherwise.
People like their pension payments,
Bans on things that may be dang’rous.”

“Well, all this legislation sucks!
It gets so hard to make a buck,”
He cried, and then he followed up
By saying taxes should be cut.

A cause that I could get behind!
I wondered whose he had in mind
But not for long, for he declared
“Those of our multimillionaires!”

At this point, one starts to question
Men like these and their suggestions
If they’re paid for their opinion —
Of whose empire they’re a minion.

If men and markets should be free
(And so they should, it seems to me)
I hope that if we have to choose
It’s markets which forever lose.