Welcome to the magical Free Lunch Island

Slate published "The Greatest Country on Earth" which describes how everything on the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius is free.

According to the author, Mauritius provides "free education through university for all of its citizens, transportation for school children, and free health care – including heart surgery – for all."

The only problems this land faces come from the outside world:

1. Mauritius may have to intervene to weaken its exchange rate "in response to America's attempt at competitive devaluation through quantitative easing."

2. The Americans occupy a British navy base on Mauritius’ Diego Garcia Island and refuse to pay rent to Mauritius.

But one wonders why Mauritians should even care. They don’t need money. Everything is free.

Teachers teach for free, bus drivers drive for free, and doctors doctor for free.

But libertarians know there ain't no such thing as a free lunch, or anything else.

So what’s really going on on Mauritius?

Going to Wikipedia (not the best source but it’s quick and easy) we’re told this:

"Mauritius is one country that has achieved successful economic and human development with a dual-track approach to economic liberalisation, whereby poorer sections of society have participated in its economic growth."

That "human development" phrase sounds like some sort of squishy, indefinable, groupthink, social engineering, government-tinkering-with-other-people’s-lives agenda, and the definition and description on the other end of the link reads exactly like one would expect; squishy and indefinable.

But the "economic liberalisation" phrase is enough to warm the cockleburs of a libertarian’s heartbeat:

"Economic liberalization is a very broad term that usually refers to fewer government regulations and restrictions in the economy in exchange for greater participation of private entities; the doctrine is associated with classical liberalism."

So does that make Mauritius a collectivist-individualist oxymoron?

Deeper digging discloses that Mauritians pay income withholding taxes and property taxes and business taxes and a 15% VAT.

In short, nothing is free at all. A coercive tax-collecting ruling class elite forces its most productive citizens to support its least productive citizens.

Just like, to a greater or lesser extent, virtually everywhere else on earth.

The article’s author is Joseph E. Stiglitz, an economist whom Wikipedia describes as critical of real - free market – economists. But even he should know better than to throw around the "free" word when it's not real.

Because there just ain't no such thing.

[Go to the source man! TANSTAAFL! "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch," Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, 1966 --MJ]