FLOW Perspective on Government Policy

In order to make the world a better place, we need government policies very different from those we have at present.  Indeed, government policies are the single greatest obstacle to improving the human condition.  As individuals we adhere to the motto “Criticize by creating” instead of complaining, but as a movement, if we want to change the world, rather than merely ameliorate things here or there, we do need to improve government policies.

The challenge we face at present is that too few people understand, adhere to, and support FLOW ideas for us to be influential in electoral politics. Our closest ideological cousins, mainstream libertarians, are themselves marginalized though they exist in at least four forms in the U.S. political system:

1.  The Libertarian Party
2.  The Republican Liberty Caucus
3.  Freedom Democrats
4.  Independents

If these groups could cohere around a common vision, or a common policy, or a common candidate, they could, in fact, be very  influential in electoral politics. 

FLOW is unique insofar as we are presenting a positive vision; often freedom-oriented groups focus primarily on the negative, on what politicians are doing wrong.  For instance, while we firmly agree with the principle of “limited government,” the expression “limited government” doesn’t say what positive outcomes one supports.  Our shift is to emphasize that it is only by means of limited government and economic freedom that entrepreneurs can make the world a better place.

In order to have an impact on public policy, and thereby “liberate the entrepreneurial spirit for good,” we would like to create coalitions of individuals who are committed to entrepreneurial freedom and who together create a public voice in the electoral marketplace for the positive changes that can take place when the entrepreneurial spirit is liberated. 

As explained by Michael Strong in his book, Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World's Problems, to “liberate the entrepreneurial spirit for good,” it is important to provide creative problem solvers with The Entrepreneur's Toolkit:

• Secure and well-defined property rights
• Freedom of contract
• Timely, fair, and reliable enforcement of contracts

“With respect to increasing health, happiness, and well-being,” Strong writes “legal obstacles to freedom of contract, including laws restricting innovation in education, health care, and community formation, are the primary limitation on accelerating our pace of health, happiness, and well-being.  Therefore, at this point it is more likely that the opportunities for electoral progress will be focused around particular issues (such as school choice) or particular candidates rather than a political party.

Internationally speaking, we support the increase of economic freedom around the world, both at the nation state level as well as via geographically restricted islands of economic freedom such as well-designed free zones, Free Cities, and Charter Cities.