Just Right Media

 

We continue our examination of economic interventions and their unintended consequences, beginning with Iran’s fuel crisis. Despite being the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, Iran imposes gasoline rationing because decades of subsidies have distorted markets, discouraged domestic refining, and fueled massive imports. When authorities recently raised prices and limited supply, citizens responded by setting gas stations ablaze—an entirely predictable reaction to artificial scarcity created by government controls. We warned months ago that similar price-notification schemes would provoke panic buying; Iran’s experience confirms that intervening in markets only exacerbates shortages and unrest.

We also highlight former chess champion Gary Kasparov’s warnings about Vladimir Putin. Kasparov rightly observes that Western leaders grant democratic legitimacy to authoritarian regimes through incremental concessions. True freedom erodes step by step, just as it does when citizens accept minor encroachments on their rights.

Closer to home, we scrutinize Ontario’s upcoming referendum on electoral reform. The proposed mixed-member proportional system promises “fairer” results and greater choice, yet it merely dilutes individual votes by introducing party lists and expanding the legislature. Citizens trade direct influence over local representatives for partial sway over appointed list members—a classic shell game that weakens accountability while entrenching party power.

Finally, we reflect on the deeper peril of government “doing good.” As Isabel Paterson observed, most harm arises from well-intentioned people pursuing virtuous ends through coercive means. Genuine charity requires voluntary action; when government confiscates resources to redistribute them, it replaces benevolence with force, impoverishing both donor and recipient.

These examples demonstrate why individual freedom and market principles remain essential for prosperity and justice—a perspective that is just right.

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