Mises Wire

The Incredible Stuff Machine

The Incredible Stuff Machine

So those scurvy bums at Wal-Mart are finally getting what is coming to them! The state of Maryland will force all companies with more then 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health insurance. Lots of companies have that many employees, but only one falls under the 8 percent threshold, which is you know who.

It is only the latest legislative blow dealt against the company that is finally accomplishing what everyone throughout all of human history dreamed of: plentiful food and goods available to all people in all places at low prices. What's to complain about? This is the mystery that cries out for investigation.

That success breeds destructive attacks is part of business lore. A classic in modern libertarian literature, for example, is the poem "The Incredible Bread Machine" by R.W. Grant. It tells the story of Tom Smith, who invents a great machine to bake bread and package bread so cheaply that it could sell for less than a penny. "The first time yet the world well fed, And all because of Tom Smith's bread."

But then Tom Smith developed a problem: success.

ARTICLE ON LRC

All Rights Reserved ©
Support Liberty

The Mises Institute exists solely on voluntary contributions from readers like you. Support our students and faculty in their work for Austrian economics, freedom, and peace.

Donate today
Group photo of Mises staff and fellows