ARE CATHOLICS PERMITTED TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY? Walter Block, the Austrians, and the Catholics. Ryan McMaken remarks [in bracketed, bold text] on an article in U.S. Catholic magazine:

Many of these economic conservatives hold a variety of views, and they usually reject precise — and often loaded — labels like “libertarian” or even “capitalist.” They prefer to be known by the principles they largely share: free markets, minimal government oversight of business and the environment, reduced social welfare programs, and lower taxes for everyone, including the wealthy. [Lower taxes even for the wealthy. You see how crazed and extreme, these “Austrian” people are.]

While in practice those principles often run counter to official church [sic] positions, [Nope. None of this debate centers around any official Church positions at all. The divinity of Christ is an official Church teaching. The correct level of coercive poverty “relief” to be administered by modern nation-states is not.] these free-market advocates say they are in fact true to Catholic teaching [it’s arguable]; they are simply trying to achieve the same goals through different means. Those means, they add, also regard technical issues that are judgment calls for believers, not matters of faith.