During 'normal' times, most people believe we have a free market, because the manipulation of money and debt is under the surface. The more the elites get into trouble (like having to fight post-crisis deflationary forces over the last eight years,) the more they are forced to expose the non-free nature of their 'market' system, such as with 'quantitative easing', i.e. printing money. But they will do it, if they have to.
Because the goal is never to maintain a free market. The goal has always been to manipulate the economy to give unearned wealth and power to politicians and bankers.
Because the goal is never to maintain a free market. The goal has always been to manipulate the economy to give unearned wealth and power to politicians and bankers.
That can hardly be argued. But should we really think that this wealth is so unearned? They grabbed the power, and they are profiting off it. Or do you really think that anyone else who could dethrone them and take their place would behave differently in the end? The new elites would have to fight with the old ones to take their place, but they would be fighting not in the name of equality, fraternity and liberty for everyone, but just to make profits themselves.
If the public allows a criminal justice system (as they did in the past) that allows officials to torture people into confession in order to finish their assigned cases, certainly, it doesn't matter who the officials are, in most cases.
So the key is public awareness. This will be a multi-decade, if not multi-century, struggle.
Once awareness is formed, the solution is quite simple: make money a totally market based commodity by adding money 'management' to the list of Enlightenment prohibitions against the state.
The stakes are much higher than theft. You can draw a pretty straight line from money manipulation to almost all major modern social ills, including pollution, addiction and other manifestations of unhappiness, wars and terrorism.
