When was it ever popular? It was perhaps more common in earlier ages of less regulation, but there were other forms of tyranny then too. Maybe the mid-80s to 2010s were a bit of a high point between the Reagan-based libertarian/evangelical coalition with neoliberalism on the left getting us some reductions in global trade barriers. But none of that was really popular on the whole.
I was thinking more like 19.th century, when people weren't yet poisoned by statism and "positive" rights (meaning, privileges). Nobody expected anything from the government. And that was a good thing. That was enough.
If laissez-faire ever becomes popular, we should give credit where credit is due, in considerable part to that modern Bastiat, Bryan Caplan.
"If laissez-faire ever AGAIN becomes popular..."
When was it ever popular? It was perhaps more common in earlier ages of less regulation, but there were other forms of tyranny then too. Maybe the mid-80s to 2010s were a bit of a high point between the Reagan-based libertarian/evangelical coalition with neoliberalism on the left getting us some reductions in global trade barriers. But none of that was really popular on the whole.
I was thinking more like 19.th century, when people weren't yet poisoned by statism and "positive" rights (meaning, privileges). Nobody expected anything from the government. And that was a good thing. That was enough.