Citizens of any society, including Iranians, do not need to be John Locke [English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers] to know that they have to make daily efforts to provide for their families.
The same citizens, however, understand that if their lives or the lives of their loved ones are threatened, they will give away everything to save them. The fact is that life and assets are the only things that should never be threatened; no institution, not even by a government, said Mohammad Sadeq Jenan-Sefat, an economic expert in a write-up for the Persian daily Jahan-e Sanat. The translation of the text follows:
Most economists, sociologists and politicians are doing their best to save the lives and assets of their citizens, but unfortunately in Iran, the government is jeopardizing the assets of Iranian citizens by using unscientific economic policies.
The inflation rate hit 40% last year and that of food inflation was unbelievable. Iranians are grappling with this abominable phenomenon with grief and rage.
The uncontrollable inflation rates in any society, including Iran, have economic and cultural consequences, one of which is the decline in morality.
An employee who is tempted to make more money from a client, a baker who reduces the size of bread, or the manager of a large dairy plant who cheats in weight to balance income and expenditure, or a farmer who mixes rice of different qualities, or a honey-seller who trades a sugar syrup instead. These are all instances of moral decline and the only way to safeguard it is by controlling inflation. We need to weigh in factors that help curtail inflation.
Even ordinary citizens now know that US sanctions, which have reduced government revenues and forced it to adopt inflationary policies to cover the budget deficit, are among the main causes of inflation. If we want to avoid moral decay, we have to curb inflation.
