The government wants to interfere in order to force businessmen to conduct their affairs in a different way than they would have chosen if they had obeyed only the consumers. Thus, all the measures of interventionism by the government are directed toward restricting the supremacy of consumers. The government wants to arrogate to itself the power, or at least a part of the power, which, in the free market economy is in the hands of the consumers.
-Ludwig von Mises (Economic Policy: Thoughts for Today and Tomorrow )
Political Marketplace (government directed economy) vs the Free Marketplace (consumer directed economy)
(H/T: Cafe Hayek)
