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  • Economic Individualism – Laissez-Faire
    In the late seventeenth century, Louis XIV (to reign) as King of France. His finance minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, (to ask) a manufacturer by the name of Legendre how the government might (to help) business. Legendre’s reply (to be) “laissez nous faire” (leave us alone). The expression (to become) a watchword and motto of market economy.
    Today we (to interpret) laissez-faire (to mean) that absence of government intervention (to lead) to economic individualism and economic freedom. Under laissez faire conditions, people’s economic activities (to be) their own private affairs. As consumers, they (to be) free (to spend) their incomes as they (to choose). As producers, they (to be) free (to purchase) the economic resources they (to desire) and (to use) these resources as they (to wish).
    In reality, economic freedom (to be subject) almost always to restraints imposed by society for the protection and general welfare of its citizens. Prohibitions against force and fraud (to be) examples. Can you (to give) some others? Can you (to explain) why such restraints (to be) necessary? Read the text once again and answer the questions at the end of the text.