Book Review: Economics for Real People by Richard M. Ebeling November 1, 2002 Economics for Real People: An Introduction to the Austrian School by Gene Callahan (Auburn, Ala.: Mises Institute, 2002); 349 pages; $19.95. Back in 1932 an economist named Broadus Mitchell wrote an introductory principles textbook entitled A Preface to Economics. When he came to the discussion of supply and demand, he stated, “I hate graphs, anyhow. They are the only pictures economics books ...
Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 5 by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Table of Contents In the Slaughterhouse Cases (1872), the U.S. Supreme Court, ...
Capitalism, Scandal, and the Government by Richard M. Ebeling October 1, 2002 Every few years voices are heard heralding and warning of a “crisis of capitalism.” The 20th century saw an unending series of such voices of doom that the free market had shown its injustice towards and exploitation of the ordinary working man or that free enterprise fostered ’merchants of death” who dragged ...
Packing Heat, Part 2 by Sheldon Richman October 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 As I described last month, Jeffrey Snyder’s path-breaking article, “A Nation of Cowards” (The Public Interest, Fall 1993), transformed guns and gun control from abstract philosophical and policy issues into a personal moral issue. We cannot — morally or existentially — truly delegate our right and responsibility to ...
The Folly of Protecting Teens from Work by James Bovard October 1, 2002 Protecting teenagers from work is one of the worst things you can do to kids. Some child-labor groups are campaigning to impose new restrictions on freedom of contract. While some prohibitionists might have good intentions, pervasive restrictions on youth labor would be a menace both to kids and to society. The Associated Press reported that 73 teens were killed on ...
Can Gun Control Reduce Crime? Part 1 by Benedict D. LaRosa October 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 In the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School in April 1999 and other schools across the country, there has been a chorus calling for more gun-control measures to prevent similar incidents and to control crime in general. Setting aside the obvious emotional response that such tragedies always engender, is it realistic to ...
Some Reflections on the Second Amendment, Part 1 by Richard M. Ebeling October 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 For millions of Americans the Second Amendment and its guarantee of the right of the individual to bear arms appears irrelevant and practically anachronistic. It seems a throwback to those earlier days of the Wild West, when many men, far from the law and order provided by the town sheriff and circuit judge, had ...
Book Review: Should We Have Faith in Central Banks? by Richard M. Ebeling October 1, 2002 Should We Have Faith in Central Banks? by Otmar Issing (London: Institute of Economic Affairs, 2002); 53 pages; $12. One of the momentous events of the new century has been the establishment of a single, common currency for many of the member nations of the European Union. The German mark, the French franc, the Austrian schilling, the Italian lira, the Irish ...
Economic Liberty and the Constitution, Part 4 by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Table of Contents After the end of the Civil War, the “carpetbag” ...
Homeland Security and the Bureaucratic Dilemma by Richard M. Ebeling September 1, 2002 On the evening of June 6, 2002, President George W. Bush delivered a brief nationwide television address in which he called for the creation of a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security. The president stated that “America is leading the civilized world in a titanic struggle against terror. Freedom and fear are at war. And freedom is winning.” But in ...
Packing Heat, Part 1 by Sheldon Richman September 1, 2002 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 I sometimes wonder what the people around me would think if they knew I had a pistol under my shirt. A few years ago I would have been the last person I know who was likely to carry a concealed handgun. But here I am. I carry it nearly everywhere. ...
Protectionist Welfare for Steel by James Bovard September 1, 2002 On March 5, President Bush announced that he was slapping high tariffs on steel imports. Bush began the announcement by declaring, “Free trade is an important engine of economic growth and a cornerstone of my economic agenda.... To open even more markets to American products, I have urged the Senate to grant me the ...