The Fixed-Pie of Power

Here's where the collectivists have it wrong:

It's pretty commonly understood that they believe, or at least act as if they believe, in a fixed-pie of wealth. In fact, the total available wealth is not capped when an economy is allowed to flourish freely; indeed, wealth begets wealth and the rising tide lifts most boats. The history of the free(ish) market attests to this, as today's poorest Americans live demonstrably better than the royalty or yore.

Where collectivists make their most dire mistake, however, is by not believing in a fixed-pie of power. They mistakenly believe that when you concentrate power in the hands of a few elite central-planners, that everyone else will be empowered (no doubt by the grand results of the powerful elites' expert vision, magnanimous decisions, and beneficent power-wielding).

This is, of course, utterly wrong. There is only so much power to go around, and when power shifts to elected politicians, unelected bureaucrats, and unfathomably-wealthy corporate magnates, the power of the individual is unavoidably diminished. Like a parasite sucking your lifeblood, they can only thrive as you become weaker.

It makes sense: every act of the more-powerful naturally reduces the liberty of the less-powerful. The only exception would be if those in power served by only acting in ways that protected natural rights for all — but that, of course, is a fantasy.

So, while the collectivists keep pushing for equal distribution of wealth — a conclusion which is at least internally-consistent with their false belief in a fixed-pie of wealth, lovers of liberty should always be pushing for a more equal distribution of power among every citizen.

The best way to achieve that, of course, is to strip the federal government of all extra-constitutional powers, and re-empower smaller jurisdictions (states). In the same vein, states must also be defanged in favor of stronger county leadership, and likewise, counties should defer to municipalities. The towns, in turn, answer to families and individuals. The smaller you get, the more power should be distributed at the expense of the larger entities, until there is as broad a leveling of the power structure as is reasonable.

(Imagine the natural, just effect that would have on wealth equity.)

The thing that really gets me, though, is how the collectivists flip the narrative by promising "power to the people," but only delivering power to themselves. They promise equality while hiding the fine print that their brand of equality comes at the cost of nobody excelling, and nobody being empowered but themselves.