Explore Freedom

Farming on Our Own

by Deanna Dyksterhuis July 1, 1995

My husband Jerry and I are farmers in Corvallis, Oregon. We started with ten acres of strawberries on rented ground in 1961. We now own and farm 1,500 acres of riverbottom land along the Willamette River. We have grown green beans, carrots, cauliflower, table beets, black-berries, alfalfa, barley, sweet corn, ... [click for more]

As Capitalism Wins, the U.S. Drops Out

by Theodore J. Forstmann March 1, 1995

American political and economic life has entered a twilight zone. As countries everywhere are embracing capitalism, the United States, unfortunately, is moving toward democratic socialism. As I travel the world, the irony could not be more profound. I've been to Mexico to talk about free-market reform, to Russia and Eastern Europe — to meet with young entrepreneurs, and all over ... [click for more]

The New, New Left

by Rev. Robert A. Sirico December 1, 1994

The anticapitalist Left has devised a new intellectual attack on the market economy. The straw in the wind was a blistering article in The New York Times that appeared on May 8, 1994. The article, written by Peter Passell, was headlined "Life's Hard? Blame the Market." Like other attacks on market fundamentals, it complains about unequal income distribution. ... [click for more]

The Case for Unilateral Free Trade and Open Immigration

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 1994

The American people are extremely fortunate. Two hundred years ago, their Founding Fathers used the Constitution to prohibit American government officials from ever enacting trade and immigration restrictions between the respective states of the Union. This meant that the citizens of any state could buy and sell goods and services with the citizens of any other state, without tariffs ... [click for more]

Clinton, Castro, and Cuba

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1994

August 19, 1994, will go down as a black day in the history of the United States. On that day, President William Jefferson Clinton began jailing Cuban refugees in an American concentration center on the American side of Cuba. It was the first time since the Cuban revolution in 1959 that ... [click for more]

The Forgotten Argument for Free Trade

by Samuel Bostaph October 1, 1994

Like most public policy debates in the United States of the Bush-Clinton era, the debates preceding congressional approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) consisted mostly of extensive public wrangling over who might gain and who might lose if NAFTA passed. Self-proclaimed champions for various special-interest groups debated the job-creating versus job-destroying potential of the agreement, the implications ... [click for more]

The United States: A Protectionist Nation

by James Bovard October 1, 1994

In talking about trade, many politicians rely on the Big Lie — the simple assertion that America is the most open market in the world, and, therefore, that any criticisms of our existing trade policies for being protectionist are absurd. But sifting through the details of trade policy can provide insight — and entertainment. One of the best ways ... [click for more]

The Immorality of Protectionism

by James Bovard September 1, 1994

The tariff is the protection the wolf gave the lamb. —Rep. James Beck, 1882 Protectionism produces political corruption, economic stagnation, and international conflict. Yet, many people will insist that even though protectionism hinders a nation's ability to feed, clothe, and house itself, the moral gains from protectionism are greater than the economic losses. But what is the moral core ... [click for more]

Trade and Immigration Controls Assault the Right to Life

by Sheldon Richman September 1, 1994

Ask Americans if they believe in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and they will say yes. But ask if they believe people should be allowed to buy all the imported products they wish without tariffs or other restrictions, and they will say no. Ask if citizens ... [click for more]

Classical Liberalism in Argentina: A Lesson for the World

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 1994

Two centuries ago, Adam Smith asked a very fundamental question: what are the nature and causes of the wealth of nations? Note that Smith did not ask what most people today ask — that is, what are the causes of poverty? Smith understood that poverty had always been the natural state ... [click for more]

National Conflicts, Market Liberalism and Social Peace

by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 1994

For three years, civil war has caused massive death and destruction in the former Yugoslavia. Almost every day, the television evening news has broadcast pictures of devastating artillery bombardments, ruined towns and villages, and multitudes of killed and wounded men, women and children. Tens of thousands of people have been turned into refugees forced to leave their homes and belongings ... [click for more]

Cooperation Between Capital-Rich and Labor-Rich Countries, Part 2

by Milton Friedman May 1, 1994

Part 1 | Part 2 The Common Market has an enormous opportunity. The Eastern European countries are a natural extension of the Common Market, and the Western European countries could benefit themselves and the Eastern European countries by opening their markets. We could do the same. We have talked for decades about trade, not aid. Yet we are now ... [click for more]