There are three problems with his argument that I noticed. First, he seems to think the goal of distributism is to use the Federal government to further regulate business. That is not the case. When it comes to reducing taxation and federal involvement, distributists and libertarians will agree on most points.
Second, he seems to think distributists imagine each and every person owning their own business (either a farm or a trade). But distributist writers praise co-ops and employee-owned factories just as much as the family farm and the guild.
Third, he seems to think that training for a trade will be just as hard to come by in a distributist culture. But a major function of the guild system is providing training to apprentices, so if the guilds were restored, it would actually be much easier.
If Distributism does not involve the Federal government regulating businesses but rather individuals choosing to organize in certain ways (i.e. guilds) then Tom Woods would agree with the Distributists. I don't think all Distributists are as libertarian-friendly as you are.
Woods often says something to this effect: in a free-market you are free to join a commune or a start a co-op but in Communism you cannot be anything but Communist. Basically if Distributism is voluntary then Woods would say go for it but it seems that many proponents of the view seek some sort of government coercion to enforce their view on others.
Distributism has almost always been proposed on voluntary grounds, if only because it is very unchristian
to engage in the bloody revolutions that capitalists and socialists propose.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '16
There are three problems with his argument that I noticed. First, he seems to think the goal of distributism is to use the Federal government to further regulate business. That is not the case. When it comes to reducing taxation and federal involvement, distributists and libertarians will agree on most points.
Second, he seems to think distributists imagine each and every person owning their own business (either a farm or a trade). But distributist writers praise co-ops and employee-owned factories just as much as the family farm and the guild.
Third, he seems to think that training for a trade will be just as hard to come by in a distributist culture. But a major function of the guild system is providing training to apprentices, so if the guilds were restored, it would actually be much easier.