It’s been with us since the beginning, but is the anti-monopoly clause of the state constitution a valid tool in today’s fight against cronyism? In Part Two of his series, JLF’s Jon Guze explains why the original understanding and purpose of the clause are still relevant today.
Like their fellow revolutionaries throughout the colonies in 1776, the North Carolinians who adopted the state’s original constitution believed that legally-granted monopolies violate an ancient and fundamental right – the right to earn an honest living by engaging in a lawful occupation. They inserted the anti-monopoly clause into North Carolina’s constitution to protect that right, and it is fortunate for us that they did. The vast number of legally-granted monopolies in North Carolina makes one thing perfectly clear: politicians and their cronies will never stop trying to create government-granted monopolies. The profit-sharing potential is irresistible. Thanks to the anti-monopoly clause, however, the people whose right to earn a living is violated by such monopolies have a powerful weapon they can wield in self-defense.
Read more here.
