Explore Freedom

A Libertarian Visits Mexico

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 1998

Last summer, I spent a two-week vacation studying Spanish in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I thought that the readers of Freedom Daily might find some of my experiences to be of interest. San Miguel de Allende is located in the heart of Mexico, about three hours north of Mexico City. This is the area of Mexico where the ... [click for more]

Inequality of Wealth and Incomes

by Ludwig von Mises October 1, 1998

The market economy — capitalism — is based on private ownership of the material means of production and private entrepreneurship. The consumers by their buying or abstention from buying ultimately determine what should be produced and in what quantity and quality. They render profitable the affairs of those businessmen ... [click for more]

In Praise of Working People

by Wendy McElroy September 1, 1998

A prominent difference between the 19th-century libertarian movement and the contemporary one lies in their attitudes toward working people. These are people who are not primarily interested in reading economic or political theory but who focus their energies instead on making a decent living or raising a healthy family. These are intelligent people who understand the impact of laws ... [click for more]

A Libertarian Visits Costa Rica

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 1998

Last spring, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation of Fairfax, Virginia, invited me to participate in two conferences in Costa Rica. One conference was to celebrate the inauguration of a new Costa Rican libertarian think tank named INLAP. The other was a conference of 1,000 international business people who were gathering to make free-market recommendations to the international negotiators of ... [click for more]

Who Is an Extremist?

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1998

Libertarians are often hit with the accusation "You are an extremist." What the accuser means is that the libertarian holds political and economic beliefs that are at the outermost fringes of American society. The term is customarily used in an insulting or derogatory sense. But isn't "extremist" a relative term? That is, doesn't being extreme depend, in large part, on ... [click for more]

Compromise and Concealment-The Road to Defeat, Part 6

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 1, 1998

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Libertarianism is one of the grandest movements in history. And every single libertarian should feel proud to be a part of it. We follow in the tradition of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, David Crockett, Jim Bowie, ... [click for more]

Drawing the Line

by Sheldon Richman February 1, 1998

Socialism and communism have collapsed so completely that only a few holdouts refuse to acknowledge the rubble before their eyes. We've apparently reached "the end of history," as Francis Fukyama labeled the post-Cold War era a few years ago. But appearances can deceive. Some people are clearly uncomfortable with the ... [click for more]

Compromise and Concealment-The Road to Defeat, Part 5

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1998

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Some libertarians suggest that it is incorrect strategy for libertarians, both in the ideological and political arenas, to maintain the consistency and purity of libertarian principles. They recommend that libertarians "reach out" to mainstream America by watering down ... [click for more]

Compromise and Concealment-The Road to Defeat, Part 4

by Jacob G. Hornberger December 1, 1997

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Libertarians believe that individuals should be free to engage in any peaceful activity without governmental permission or interference. It is one of the duties of government, libertarians hold, to protect, not regulate or obstruct, peaceful activities. Thus, libertarians ... [click for more]

Neglected Fortieth Anniversary

by Sheldon Richman December 1, 1997

A remarkable event occurred 40 years ago this month. Not the launching of Sputnik, which in retrospect, considering the collapse of the Soviet Union, had much less significance than people suspected at the time. Ironically, the event I am thinking of involved a woman who understood from the ... [click for more]

Compromise and Concealment–The Road to Defeat, Part 3

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 1997

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 Libertarian candidates for public office often say, "A no-compromise approach may be fine for a think tank, but it has no place in a political campaign. We have to be practical. We can't turn voters into libertarians overnight. ... [click for more]

Contra Gradualism

by Wendy McElroy November 1, 1997

It is 1858 and you are living in a Northern town. A man has arrived at your door with papers documenting his ownership of a runaway slave whom you are sheltering. The slave throws himself at your feet, begging to stay while the slaveowner reasons with you. Being philosophically inclined, he ... [click for more]