Freedom Daily Archive

God and the Economy: Is Capitalism Moral? Part 1

by Doug Bandow May 1, 2000

Part 1 | Part 2 Collectivism is in retreat around the globe, but it still retains some support in the American religious community. If recent events demonstrate that Marxism does not work in practice, many religious idealists still believe that capitalism is immoral in theory. And the criticism has long been ecumenical: Catholic liberation theologians ...

Democracy in America

by Alexis de Tocqueville May 1, 2000

In 1831, the French political writer Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States of America, a nation in which the citizenry had rejected such things as income taxation, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schooling, drug wars, economic regulations, gun control, and immigration controls. The following excerpts are taken from Tocqueville's book Democracy in America: "The Revolution of the United ...

Blue Eagles and Déjà Vu

by Walter B. Wriston May 1, 2000

The first major step that this nation took toward merging government and industry, and toward the total abandonment of the free-market system, was the enactment of the legislation that created the National Recovery Administration. The NRA with its famous Blue Eagle symbol soon began grinding out hundreds of "codes" repealing economic freedom and arbitrarily fixing wages, prices, and hours. In ...

Book Review: The Invention of the Passport

by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 2000

The Invention of the Passport: Surveillance, Citizenship and the State by John Torpey (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000); 210 pages; $19.95. One of the most stupendous achievements of 19th-century classical liberalism was the right of freedom of movement. As one indication, between 1840 and the early decades of the 20th century almost 60 million people emigrated from Europe to other ...

What is a Conservative?

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2000

The race for the Republican presidential nomination reflected the extent to which conservatives have abandoned their own principles. The two leading Republican contenders, George W. Bush and John McCain, waged a fierce fight over who is the true conservative and the real government reformer. But what does conservatism have to ...

Monetary Central Planning and the State, Part 40: Towards a System of Monetary and Banking Freedom

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 2000

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 ...

Off His Rocker?

by Sheldon Richman April 1, 2000

A baseball player who uttered some uncouth, even bigoted, remarks about various groups of people in New York City was ordered to undergo psychological testing - and possibly treatment - by his employer, Major League Baseball (MLB). John Rocker, an awesome relief pitcher with the Atlanta Braves, has apologized for his statements in a Sports Illustrated interview, but that ...

Fair-Housing Flimflams

by James Bovard April 1, 2000

The welfare state advances by demonizing one private industry after another. In the end, people are taught that government alone can be trusted. Truth is no impediment for federal chieftains determined to blacken the reputation of the private sector. In recent years, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has been at the forefront of demagoging private business. We ...

FDR – The Man, the Leader, the Legacy, Part 9

by Ralph Raico April 1, 2000

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 March 1933 proved to be a momentous time in ...

Making Sense of Jewish Stereotypes

by Jeffrey A. Singer April 1, 2000

The stereotype is a printer's aid. This one-piece plate, cast in type metal from a mold taken of a printing surface, produces an unvarying form or pattern, having no individuality. It speeds the process of producing printed material. People use stereotyping to speed up thought processes in their daily lives - only they use a cognitive matrix instead of type ...

Book Review: Reflections on a Ravaged Century

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 2000

Reflections on a Ravaged Century by Robert Conquest (New York: W.W. Norton, 2000); 317 pages; $26.95. When the 19th century was ending, there was a great sense of optimism and confidence. The December 31, 1899, issue of the New York Times had devoted practically its entire editorial page to a summary of the magnificent achievements of the 19th century: the steam ...

Monopoly, Competition, and Educational Freedom

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 2000

Unfortunately, while many scholars understand the nature and benefits of the free market in general, they seem to lack a firm appreciation of pure free-market principles in the area of education. An example was a recent speech entitled "Competition" that was delivered to the conservative Heritage Foundation by Gary S. ...