While I do agree that Professor Block’s views are sometimes extreme, I do not believe them to be any farther to the right than many of my arts and science professor’s views were to the left (I was often uncomfortable as a conservative in one of my classes, which was supposed to be English literature, but turned out to be an anti-war rally). Father Gros’ comment at the end of his article about Dr. Block spending time in Nicaragua was especially interesting. In my opinion, the people working in sweatshops are only there because they are better off than they would be otherwise. An extremely low wage is more desirable than the alternative, an even lower wage, or no wage at all. In fact, living standards are strongly correlated with the level of economic freedom in a country (this would include the absence of minimum wage laws). The only long term solution to poverty is allowing people in all countries to participate in the free market. Social welfare programs are merely band aids that cover the problem but do little to solve it. Dr. Block is not insensitive to the complex problem of poverty; he merely offers a different method of solving it.

Jason P. LeBoeuf