Bastiat: The Broken Window

Bastiat: Selected Essays, Chapter 1, What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen | Library of Economics and Liberty: "What would become of the glaziers if no one ever broke a window?'"

That's the question that Bastiat questions. And he says...

"Society loses the value of objects unnecessarily destroyed," and at this aphorism, which will make the hair of the protectionists stand on end: "To break, to destroy, to dissipate is not to encourage national employment," or more briefly: "Destruction is not profitable."

Breaking and rebuilding, or digging for digging's sake won't produce any good. We will be wasting resources. I hope government leaders of the world to keep this in mind.