A Capitalist Christmas Carol

If you enjoy Dickens’ classic tale, “A Christmas Carol,” you might want to consider another interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge’s character.

Economist Howard Baetjer Jr. makes the case that Scrooge didn’t give up his capitalistic ways when he learned to care about Bob Cratchit’s family. In fact, Baetjer points out that it was Scrooge’s success in business that ultimately allowed him to be generous to others. He says,
      “We must be fed, clothed, and sheltered adequately if the spirit is to soar.       We can do little for others or ourselves if we lack the means to do it with.”

Read Baetjer’s provocative Christmas essay at:
      Ebenezer Scrooge and the Free Society

Steve Buckstein is Senior Policy Analyst and founder of Cascade Policy Institute, a Portland-based think tank.