“We Believe in Presenting Both Sides.”

By Hughston M. McBain

You hear it everywhere. “We believe in presenting both sides.” That concept is endorsed by the overwhelming majority of persons who arrange the education and information programs for colleges, service clubs, discussion groups, business organizations, and others. They believe in presenting the case for socialism along with the case for the free market. Challenge them and they will reply: “Objectivity and fairness demand that we present the arguments for government ownership even though we ourselves don’t believe in it.”

Do objectivity and fairness demand that they present the case for coin clipping? They say no. Then why do they arrange for speakers and teachers who endorse the monetization of debt? After all, the device of monetizing debt is merely a modern arrangement of the old idea of clipping coins.

Objectivity and fairness aren’t the real reasons a person arranges for the presentation of both sides. The primary reason is this: The person hasn’t made up his own mind! He doesn’t arrange for a defense of coin clipping because he himself has repudiated the idea of coin clipping. He arranges to have the case for monetization of debt presented because he himself hasn’t yet repudiated that method of financing government.

Objective persons have repudiated the ideas of astrology, slavery, alchemy, witchcraft, and the divine right of kings. They no longer believe that the earth is flat. Therefore, no objective person can, in good conscience and fairness, be responsible for having those ideas presented as valid. In like manner, if a person has rejected the ideas of government ownership and government controls, advocates of those ideas won’t be on any programs over which he has authority.

When a person voluntarily arranges for the presentation of socialistic ideas along with free market ideas, you may be sure of this: he hasn’t completely repudiated socialism; he hasn’t completely accepted the ideas of the free market and of government restricted to the equal protection of the life, liberty, and honestly acquired property of everyone.

Here is a truism: If the evidence clearly indicates that an idea or policy is untrue or evil, no fair and objective person will voluntarily arrange to have it presented as valid.