L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz may have been marketed as a whimsical children’s story, but it carries a hefty dose of political allegory. As America emerges from the Biden administration, the parallels between Oz and modern political life are impossible to ignore. Dorothy’s journey is more than a fairy tale; it’s a call to return to the principles of liberty, free markets, and sound economics.
Beneath the technicolor world of Emerald City lies a biting allegory for politics, economics, and society. And in the aftermath of the Biden administration, Dorothy’s journey feels less like a fairy tale and more like a survival guide for navigating government overreach and rediscovering liberty.
As we follow Dorothy and her companions, we’ll explore how their story mirrors our own struggles and triumphs—reminding us that the solutions to our problems don’t lie in wizardry but in Jeffersonian ideals of self-reliance, free markets, and limited government.
Let’s pull back the curtain and see what Baum’s tale has to say about the state of modern America, from social media illusions to the shaky foundations of fiat currency.
Dorothy: The Self-Reliant Everywoman
Dorothy is the everyman—or everywoman. She’s practical, courageous, and determined to solve her problems, not wait around for someone else to fix them. Her singular goal is simple: get back to Kansas, where she can live free and work hard.
Dorothy is the embodiment of the American citizen, resourceful and capable. She’s not sitting around waiting for someone to solve her problems. Instead, she takes on the challenges of Oz with determination and ingenuity.
In today’s world, Dorothy would be standing up to government overreach, fighting to keep her farm afloat despite regulations, and finding innovative ways to thrive. She reminds us that self-reliance, not dependence on wizards or bureaucracies, is the cornerstone of a prosperous society.
Post-Biden, Dorothy would probably be trying to save her family farm from crushing taxes and EPA regulations. She’s not asking for bailouts or subsidies; she just wants the government to get out of her way so she can produce crops, contribute to the economy, and maybe upgrade Toto’s doghouse. Dorothy is a testament to the American spirit: work hard, take responsibility, and don’t rely on some self-important bureaucrat hiding behind a curtain.
The Yellow Brick Road: Government Promises Paved in Fool’s Gold
The Yellow Brick Road may glitter, but its promise is deceptive. It’s a path built on illusions, much like the promises of government programs that claim to offer “free” solutions while actually indebting future generations.
The Yellow Brick Road is the perfect metaphor for government programs that sound good on paper but lead to dead ends. It’s flashy, sure, but it’s also lined with traps—whether it's inflationary poppy fields, debt-laden potholes, and bureaucratic flying monkeys. Following it leads Dorothy and her friends to the Emerald City, not to freedom, but to more disillusionment.
The road’s golden hue represents government promises of “free” this and “guaranteed” that. Like the policies of the last few years, it’s all sparkle with little substance. Dorothy quickly learns that following the government’s path doesn’t get her closer to Kansas—it leads to the Emerald City, where the Wizard (spoiler alert) turns out to be a charlatan.
The lesson here is clear: economic prosperity doesn’t come from central planning or gilded promises. It comes from the free market, where real progress is made by innovation and hard work—not by following a shiny, predetermined path.
The free market doesn’t need gilded roads; it needs honest opportunities and the freedom to innovate.
The Emerald City: The Illusion of Prosperity
Emerald City dazzles with its green-tinted splendor, but it’s all an illusion. Its wealth isn’t real; it’s a façade maintained by the Wizard’s trickery.
Upon entering the Emerald City, Dorothy and her companions find all visitors are required to wear emerald glasses. These glasses create the illusion of wealth and prosperity, masking the city’s reality.
This detail is eerily relevant today. Social media, traditional media, and political narratives often serve as our modern emerald glasses, distorting reality and convincing people that a centralized government or technocratic elites are the answer to all problems. Like the Wizard’s illusion, these narratives obscure the truth: prosperity isn’t manufactured by appearances or clever marketing—it’s built on real productivity, value, and liberty.
Removing those emerald glasses means questioning the curated reality we’re fed and seeking out the unvarnished truth. The Emerald City reminds us that true prosperity comes not from artificial manipulation but from hard work, creativity, and free trade.
The Silver Slippers: The Path Not Taken
In Baum’s original book, Dorothy wears silver slippers, not ruby ones. These slippers are a crucial symbol, representing the silver standard—a reference to the populist debates of the late 19th century about gold and silver as monetary standards.
Today, the silver slippers remind us of what we’ve lost with the rise of fiat currency. By abandoning gold and silver as the backbone of our monetary system, we’ve moved from an economy grounded in real, tangible value to one propped up by fiat currency—money created by decree, not by labor or production.
Gold and silver are earned through past or current work. Each ounce of gold or silver represents hours of effort and investment. Fiat money, on the other hand, represents an IOU to future workers—borrowing from productivity that hasn’t even occurred yet. The Federal Reserve’s unchecked printing of dollars distorts the value of labor and savings, much like the Wizard’s tricks distort the Emerald City.
Dorothy’s silver slippers are a poignant reminder that sound money isn’t just about economics—it’s about morality. It honors the value of work and preserves wealth across generations, unlike fiat systems that erode purchasing power and create endless cycles of debt.
The Scarecrow: The Wisdom of Common Sense
The Scarecrow believes he lacks a brain, but he proves to be the group’s most resourceful member. As a story unfolds, he consistently comes up with clever solutions to the group’s challenges. He represents the American farmer and small business owner—often underestimated but vital to our nation’s success.
In today’s context, the Scarecrow might be a small business owner navigating excessive taxes, labyrinthine regulations, and inflationary pressures. His problem isn’t a lack of brains but a lack of freedom to use them. When the government steps aside, the Scarecrow thrives—proving that ingenuity, not central planning, drives economic prosperity.
In a world bogged down by regulations and central planning, the Scarecrow shows us that common sense and innovation are what drive progress. If the government gets out of the way, the Scarecrow can thrive and solve problems more effectively than any committee of “experts.”
The Tin Man: Industry Rusted by Overreach
The Tin Man longs for a heart, but his real problem is that he’s rusted solid—paralyzed by neglect and overregulation. He symbolizes America’s industrial sector, weighed down by bureaucracy, energy policies, and labor laws that stifle growth.
Today, the Tin Man might be a factory owner trying to stay afloat amid shifting labor laws and energy policies. He doesn’t need a handout; he needs the government to let him operate efficiently and competitively.
What the Tin Man needs isn’t a heart—it’s a good oil can in the form of deregulation, lower taxes, a return to common sense, and policies that let him function at full capacity. His story reminds us that industry, when left free to innovate, drives national prosperity.
The Cowardly Lion: The Case for Courageous Leadership
The Cowardly Lion thinks he’s a coward, but he discovers courage when it matters most. He represents leadership, or the lack thereof, in times of crisis.
What America needs isn’t more leaders who roar on MSNBC but retreat in the face of tough decisions. We need leaders willing to embrace liberty, trust in the free market, and stand firm against those who seek to expand government power at the expense of individual freedom.
America needs leaders who aren't afraid of offending X (Twitter) mobs or opinion polls. We need courage—leaders who trust the free market, empower individuals, and limit government’s role to what’s absolutely necessary. The Lion’s transformation from coward to courageous reminds us that true leadership means standing up for liberty, even when it’s unpopular.
The Wizard: Bureaucracy Unmasked
The Wizard is the ultimate charlatan, promising salvation while hiding behind a curtain of illusions. His tools—smoke, mirrors, and bureaucracy, convincing people he’s their savior when, in reality, he’s a fraud—are all too familiar today. The Wizard is the quintessential bureaucrat. From trillion-dollar spending bills to policies that erode freedoms, the Wizard represents the hollow promises of centralized power.
The parallels to today’s political class are striking. Whether it’s trillion-dollar spending bills or executive orders that overreach their authority, the Wizard embodies big government’s tendency to promise the world while delivering little more than inflation and inefficiency. The takeaway? Don’t wait for a wizard to solve your problems. Trust in the free market, where real results are driven by individual effort and innovation.
Dorothy’s triumph isn’t in defeating the Wizard but in exposing him. The real solutions come not from the wizardry of government but from the courage, brains, and heart of individuals working together in a free society.
The Wicked Witches: Enemies of Liberty
The Wicked Witches of the East and West represent the forces that oppose freedom and self-determination. The Witch of the East could be seen as the entrenched elitist establishment—those who favor crony capitalism and centralized power. The Witch of the West, meanwhile, embodies external threats to individual liberty, from economic overreach to cultural authoritarianism.
Dorothy defeats them not through coercion or manipulation but through integrity, courage, and action—proof that liberty triumphs over tyranny when people take responsibility for their own destinies.
Dorothy’s victory over these witches isn’t just about dropping a house or throwing water; it’s about exposing their weakness in the face of determined individuals who refuse to be controlled.
A Modern Dorothy: Lessons for Today
In a post-Biden America, Dorothy’s journey feels especially relevant. Like her, we’re navigating a landscape of big promises and empty rhetoric, searching for solutions that actually work.
As America looks to remove big government policies and hopefully the removal of the fiat currency experiment, Dorothy’s journey is a reminder of what truly builds a prosperous society: sound money, individual liberty, and a free market.
The lesson of The Wizard of Oz is clear: stop looking for salvation from wizards and witches. Trust the free market, embrace Jeffersonian principles, and remember that the tools for success—brains, heart, and courage—are already within us.
So, next time someone offers you a glittering Yellow Brick Road, think twice. The real path to prosperity doesn’t come from gilded government programs. It comes from liberty, hard work, and the freedom to pursue happiness on your terms.
It’s time to take off the emerald glasses and see the world as it really is.
And remember, there’s no place like a free market.
