But, by an inference as false as it is unjust, do you know what the economists are now accused of? When we oppose making activities illegal, we are charged with being in favor of those activities. Thus, if we ask that the state not make prostitution illegal, we believe that there is nothing wrong with prostitution. If we demand that the state not make drugs illegal, we are accused of being potheads or addicts. If we advocate freedom of speech for Nazis, Communists, or anti-feminists, we are accused of being Nazis, Communists, or anti-feminists. If we say that racists should be free to hire whomever they want, we are accused of being racists.

This is an extension of a point Frederic Bastiat made in his classic article, “What is Seen and What Is Not Seen,” Paragraph 1.63.