Sunday will be the 99th anniversary of the birth of the great – the truly, deeply great and sorely missed – Milton Friedman. Nick Gillespie and reason.tv offer this splendid tribute.
The world is getting richer. (HT Karol) In light of today’s Quotation of the Day, I point out that I rejoice no less for the improvement in well-being enjoyed by people in, say, China, Laos, and Zambia than I do for the improvements in well-being enjoyed by people in, say, Alabama, Idaho, and Texas.
You do not want to be in a debate with my brilliant younger colleague Bryan Caplan.
Every word David Harsanyi writes is worth reading.
Here’s a pdf of the late Murray Rothbard’s marked-up copy of a 1975 interview with Hayek. (HT Richard Ebeling)
This new collection, edited by Mario Rizzo, looks to be filled with must-read papers.
Steven Hayward weighs in on China’s alleged ‘green’ achievements.
Share
{ 17 comments }
Is it just me, or is the Famous American Women link a little over-echoed?
Don: Thanks so much for the Hayek interview. Amazing how Hayek described Keynes as “of a libertarian concern”. You cannot say the same thing for Keynesians.
Keynes’s views were wrong, but from what I can see, they were a bit more subtle than those of his followers. Indeed Keynesianism has degenerated into little more than “Tax and spend your way to prosperity.”
Taxing the rich and spending on the poor are a necessary, but insufficient means to achieve prosperity and freedom. Widespread education, a healthy/health conscious populous, a healthy environment (no global warming, no toxic spills or nuclear meltdowns, no destruction of habitats and species), a truly free press (no hacking billionare Murdochs), preventing the rich from controlling government for their selfish, greedy sole benefit via control of the political process (end lobbying), etc. Five extreme right-wingers on the Supreme Ct., and a backward Tea Party doesn’t help much either. Termination of the pro-capitalist libertarian/Greenspan destructive non-worker ethic, hiding illegal profits in offshore accounts, mass negative externalities from capitalist exploitation without recourse for the victims, freedom only for the 5-star Paris Hilton Hotel, coke sniffing wealthy elites are also necessary conditions. There are no truly sufficient conditions for mass prosperity as long as there are Norwegian libertarian terrorists and gun-wielding rednecks run amok. The deer and bear in the woods doesn’t stand a chance with the 2nd amendment giving hunters, killers and religious fanatics free reign to terrorize the world.
I didn’t bother to edit my comment for absolute clarity . It was just an extemporaneous, free association effort on my part. You all claim to know what “free” means, don’t you?
What a pile of Leftist crap. I guess “free” association means never having to use your brain. Troll.
You are so full of silly left wing talking points, there is no sense in anything you said.
Otto & Kyle,
I’ve read the pure nonsense that the two of you have written in the past, so you shouldn’t talk. I have 2 masters degrees from the University of Chicago in physics and math, and another Masters is computer science from USC, so you can take whatever I say to the bank. Learn from me; I’m a font of knowledge and wisdom. Observer_Guy1 makes little sense to me. I think Global Warming is all hype and scare tactics from the left and Al Gore, and I know a thing or two about science.
Regards,
Ken
Don, I am from Zambia, and I can attest to the fact that things are indeed getting better. Thanks for sharing the article.
Nick Gillespie did a fantastic job there.
In the late 1970′s I changed my major from chemistry to Economics after watching the TV version of Free To Choose. Happy circumstance is that my own little college’s economics department was full of Chicago School men.
One of our professors was a Dr. Vulkohvic, who fled Hungary in the 1950′s. He was a colorful figure. The youngest professor, when I was there was a Dr. Foshee who gave me my first book by Hayek. He is now the only one still there and is the head of the Department.
I never understood the point of highlighting EVERYTHING.
I know, it seems weird but it somehow helps some of us to remember the passages highlighted. I used to get funny looks from people when they’d see my markings. It becomes a habit, maybe a bad one. I’ve since switched to marking margins only and have ceased to mark up the body of the text. Though my margins may be full of notes now, the main body looks a lot cleaner now. Whoever ends up with my books someday won’t be as offended I hope.
Oh noes! Why is China sabotaging its economy by fooling around with green technology?
Who ever accused China’s gov of being smart? How many ghost towns exist in China because the gov really thought “if we build it they will come”?
Regards,
Ken
David Harsanyi does indeed usually make a lot of sense in his arguments for greater individual freedoms and fiscally responsible governance.
However, he concluded this very sensible column by saying that he hates to get all dramatic but that he is reminded of a quote from Ben Hecht “..governments have taken the place of people. They have also taken the place of God. Governments speak for people, dream for them, and determine, absurdly, their lives and deaths” – apparently suggesting that people (and their governments) should acknowledge that God is the authority on morality, or at least more so than governments?
Unfortunately, too many writers and politicians that advocate greater individual freedoms and small government, also keep harping on the idea of the place of God in public life – that only seems to serve their undermine their otherwise sensible points by bringing in something of an irrational element into the their argument.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/magazine/can-jeremy-grantham-profit-from-ecological-mayhem.html