Freedom Daily Archive

The Economics of the Drug War

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 1990

Does America have a drug problem? Yes. Is the drug problem undermining a part of the country's social and economic fabric? Yes. Are there steps that can be taken to help overcome America's drug problem? Yes. Should government be given more power and greater financial wherewithal to halt and reverse the drug crisis? No! For ...

The Morality of Drug Controls

by Thomas Szasz April 1, 1990

We Americans regard freedom of speech and religion as fundamental rights. Until 1914, we also regarded the freedom of choosing our diets and drugs as fundamental rights. Obviously, this is no longer true today. What is behind this fateful moral and political transformation, which has resulted in the rejection, by the overwhelming majority of ...

An Open Letter to Bill Bennett

by Milton Friedman April 1, 1990

In Oliver Cromwell's eloquent words, "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken" about the course you and President Bush urge us to adopt to fight drugs. The path you propose of more police, more jails, use of the military in foreign countries, harsh penalties for drug ...

An Open Letter to Russell Kirk

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990

Friends of mine recently shared with me your two articles, "Libertarians: The Chirping Sectaries" and "A Dispassionate Assessment of Libertarians." In these articles, you claimed that an unbridgeable gulf separated the moral and philosophical positions of conservatives and libertarians. You concluded, therefore, that there was little hope for ...

Forget the Alamo (and the Flag)!

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 1990

The American flag is one of this nation's most treasured symbols of freedom. Therefore, when the United States Supreme Court held that the burning of the flag was an act protected under the First Amendment, many Americans were outraged. Reflecting passionate devotion to this highly valued symbol of freedom, they called for new laws, and even a Constitutional amendment ...

Book Review: Free Persons and the Common Good

by Richard M. Ebeling March 1, 1990

Free Persons and the Common Good by Michael Novak (Lanham Maryland: Madison Books, 1989); 233 pp.; $17.95. One of the most profoundly enduring, yet frustratingly illusive concepts, has been that of the "common good." Under its banner, noble ideals have been proclaimed and despicable crimes have been committed. Its elasticity of meaning and ambiguity of content have been its most appealing ...

On the Edge of Hyperinflation in Brazil

by Richard M. Ebeling March 1, 1990

Monetary expansion and the price inflation that it brings in its wake always eat away at the social and economic fabric of a society. The value of money constantly diminishes. The ability of people to plan their financial future is made more difficult. Money begins to lose its usefulness as a common denominator through which the value of goods ...

Fighting Plunder with Plunder in Poland

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 1, 1990

After more than forty years of suffering under socialism, the Polish people finally have an opportunity to pursue economic freedom. Yet, every indication is that the new Polish government intends to pursue the same old hackneyed ideas of plunder which caused so much misery and despair. Rather than immediately eliminate the immoral impediments to economic progress which have plagued ...

Free Market Money – Instead of Political Manipulation

by Richard M. Ebeling February 1, 1990

Money is the most important commodity in an economic system Indeed, money "makes the world go 'round." This is because money is the general medium of exchange. We sell our products and services for money, and then use it to buy the products and services of others. Money also permits us to ...

Visions and Ideals

by James Allen February 1, 1990

The dreamers are the saviors of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and ...

Book Review: Discovery, Capitalism, and Distributive Justice

by Richard M. Ebeling February 1, 1990

Discovery, Capitalism, and Distributive Justice by Israel M. Kirzner (New York: Basil Blackwell, 1989); 179 pages; $29.95. From the time of the ancient Greeks to that of Karl Marx the earning of a "profit" in an exchange has been condemned as unjust and exploitive of others in society. Even defenders of ...

A Message from FFF’s Founder and President

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1990

Socialism is morally and intellectually bankrupt. Under the guise of "order" and "security," millions of innocent people have been murdered or enslaved. Under the guise of "taxation" and social justice, untold amounts of income and savings have been plundered and redistributed to the politically privileged. Having gripped the hearts and minds of the people of the world in the ...