Current plans and goals

Hello world! And welcome to the Candlestick Makers' Petition Blog!

Without restraining ourselves from potential growth in time, the team behind CMPB would like to delineate our current plans for discussion along with contemplating some goals for the future. This blog's objective is to discuss relevant issues in the economic, financial, and political realms with an empirical perspective. We hope to provide provocative social commentary on top of analyzing unintended consequences in these spheres for the reader's (and our own) benefit, pleasure, and as an attempt to better understand the world.

For those unfamiliar with the story of the candlestick maker and his petition, I'd highly encourage you to read the whole thing here. Written by Frédéric Bastiat in 1845, "The Candlestick Makers' Petition" is one parable within Economic Sophisms which mocks French lobbyists seeking to block out the sun - in addition to forming protectionist policies to limit foreign competitors. In this satire, Bastiat shows his true colors as not only an early advocate of free-trade or as a critic of lobbying, but most clearly as a wonderful artist with the pen.

History has shown how persuasion can often bear more fruit in promoting human progress than violence, and in the marketplace of ideas Bastiat surely has quite an influence.  A libertarian-leaning Congressman - who also campaigned for president in 1988, 2008, and 2012 -  recently reintroduced Victor Hugo's famous verse "No one can resist an idea whose time has come" back into the public sphere. Frédéric Bastiat certainly bought into that belief while he was boldly writing The Law, critiquing not only contemporary merchants trying to gain a legislative advantage in the market, but also the members of the French Parliament who considered facilitating such action with the law's monopoly of force. We are convinced by many of Bastiat's arguments and the power of putting ideas out in the open for debate and discussion - and we hope further discourse will provide a platform for learning more about humanity and raising the quality of life for all people across the world.

What better time to start up a blog than during ISFLC 2014?

Until next time!