Daily Articles

Economic Ideas: The Ancient Romans, Who Went from Rule of Law to Corrupting Inflation and Price Controls

by Richard M. Ebeling October 3, 2016

The ancient Romans failed to leave any systematic body of thoughts on economics, just like the ancient Greeks had failed to. Indeed, many of whatever ideas the Romans expressed on such economic themes they took from the Greeks. The Romans were mostly concerned with “practical” matters, and have sometimes been referred to as “doers” rather than philosophers on these ...

Dysfunctionality, Violence, and Race in American Society

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 2016

The following are five libertarian proposals that would help to resolve the conflict and violence between blacks and the police across America and, to a large extent, alleviate much of the dysfunctionality that afflicts American society: End the drug war. A free society necessarily entails the fundamental right to ingest anything an adult wants, no matter how destructive or dangerous. ...

My Blowup at the Enviro Checkpoint

by James Bovard October 1, 2016

As I sat in a seemingly endless line of cars at the Maryland vehicle-emissions check-point, the engine in my 1999 Ford suddenly growled, shuddered, and conked out cold. Maybe it was karma for my decades of scoffing at harebrained government regulations? As I waited 90 minutes for a tow truck, I watched a stream of vehicles tarry up to half ...

Does the Second Amendment Even Exist?

by Laurence M. Vance October 1, 2016

Gun control was going to be a campaign issue even before the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting back on June 12. Donald Trump was endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) after he spoke at the group’s convention in May and remarked that “the Second Amendment is under threat like never before” and that “crooked Hillary Clinton is the most anti-gun, ...

Lessons of the Orlando Massacre

by Benedict D. LaRosa October 1, 2016

In the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, a 29-year-old, American-born Muslim of Afghan descent, Omar Mateen, with allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), entered a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, armed with a semi-automatic, high-capacity rifle and handgun, and began shooting and taking hostages. Although an Orlando police officer serving as an armed guard ...

Adam Smith’s Moral Path through Quagmire

by Wendy McElroy October 1, 2016

Adam Smith’s book The Theory of Moral Sentiments offers a path through a dangerous social quagmire. Namely, the law increasingly demands that peaceful acts conform to a specific state-approved morality. The process turns morality into a matter of state and law rather than one of individual conscience. The politically correct justify mandatory morality in the name of social justice or ...

The Inequality of Wealth and Income

by Ludwig von Mises October 1, 2016

What is most criticized in our social order is the inequality in the distribution of wealth and income, There are rich and poor; there are very rich and very poor. The way out is not far to seek: the equal distribution of all wealth. The first objection to this proposal is that it will not help the situation much because ...

The Libertarian Mind

by George Leef October 1, 2016

The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom by David Boaz (Simon & Schuster, 2015); 417 pages. Since the beginning of the so-called Progressive Era, advocates of big government have been on the offensive. They promised Americans more prosperity, better education, increased security, a cleaner environment, a society that’s more fair, and so on — provided they would ...

A Few Uncomfortable Truths You Won’t Hear from the 2016 Presidential Candidates

by John W. Whitehead September 30, 2016

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell The final countdown has begun to the 2016 presidential election, and you can expect to be treated to an earful of carefully crafted sound bites and political spin. Despite the dire state of our nation, however, you can ...

FREE FFF Ebook for Mises’ Birthday!

by Future of Freedom Foundation September 28, 2016

 FREE ebook download! Wednesday through Friday, September 28-30. Please share this announcement with others. To celebrate the September 29 birthday of Ludwig von Mises, we are pleased to announce that Richard M. Ebeling's Monetary Central Planning and the ...

The Libertarian Angle: Presidential Debate Follies

by Future of Freedom Foundation September 28, 2016

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling discuss the recent presidential debates. Go to the podcast.

Economic Ideas: Plato, Aristotle, and the Ancient Greeks, Part 2

by Richard M. Ebeling September 26, 2016

When we turn to the other most famous ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384 B.C. – 322 B.C.), we find little of the political regimentation that characterizes his teacher, Plato. For Aristotle, the appropriate behavior is the “golden mean,” that is, the avoidance of “extreme” or unrealistic goals or conduct in the affairs of men. While he hopes that wise policies ...