Write 500 words on this topic: “Price controls are people controls.”
I agree with this assignment completely. I believe price controls are people controls. “Control” in the dictionary means “the power, ability, or authority to manage, direct, regulate, or restrain something or someone.” So when the government controls prices, it means that they have the power and ability to decide the prices.
Price controls are government mandated minimum or maximum prices set for specific goods and services. They are a direct government intervention to manage the economy. It is often argued that price controls are beneficial for customers, that they help steer the economy in the right direction, and that they are necessary to curb inflation. This narrative that price controls are in place for the greater interest of society has continuously been pushed by the government. However, I do not agree with this at all.
I believe that price controls are people controls. The government controlling the prices leads to the controlling of supply and demand, which then leads into the controlling of how buyers and sellers act, live, and function in society. When the government controls prices and the market, it is very easy for them to manipulate the people by raising and lowering prices.
A great example of this is with firearms and ammunition. If the government were to jack up the prices of these way past what they’re worth, it would definitely limit the amount of people who could purchase these. This price hike would make it far more difficult for citizens to exercise the right to bear arms to protect themselves, their families, and their properties. The limiting of access to firearms and ammunition could also weaken citizens and drop much more power into the lap of the government and the military.
One more example is food. What do I mean when I say “food”? Well, if the government has the authority to control prices, it has the choice to decide on how different types of food are priced. Not only that, but it also decides the prices of soil, fertilizer, and equipment. These government mandated price controls can make healthy, organic, fresh foods expensive. And instead sell you over processed, low quality food at a very cheap price so you have no choice. This control instead promotes these harmful foods. Which only makes you sicker the more you eat it.
These price controls undermine how the economy is supposed to work. They screw up supply and demand and make it function improperly. Not only this, but these price controls take away the power from the buyer and the seller themselves. Ultimately these price controls are direct people controls. The government is supposed to protect its citizens, but instead it controls what they do. A much smarter choice is a free market instead of government intervention.
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