Daily Articles

Monopoly

by Dominick T. Armentano May 1, 1992

I have been teaching economics at the university level for twenty-five years. Easily the most often-asked questions relate to monopolies. The questions are often put in the following form: "In an economy free of governmental regulation, wouldn't a firm or group of firms obtain a monopoly over some vital resource or ...

The Phantom Called “Monopoly”

by Hans Sennholz May 1, 1992

In their denunciation of capitalism the socialists use some frightful phantoms. The oldest and perhaps the most effective one is the notion that monopolistic concentration of business inheres permanently and inseparably in capitalism. They depict in vivid colors the horrors of monopolistic capitalism and then conclude that a free ...

Book Review: Anti-Americanism

by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 1992

Anti-Americanism: Critiques at Home and Abroad, 1965-1990 by Paul Hollander (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992); 515 pages; $35. In 1981, Professor Paul Hollander published Political Pilgrims: Travels of Western Intellectuals to the Soviet Union, China and Cuba. He explained and critically evaluated the appeal that socialist countries have had ...

Book Review – Constitutional Economics

by Richard M. Ebeling April 27, 1992

Constitutional Economics by James M. Buchanan (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Basil Blackwell, 1991); 137 pages; $29.95 What are the reasons behind the growth of government in the 20th century? And why has it been so difficult to diminish the size of government even when many in society may have come to the conclusion ...

Seeking Security in a Government-Guaranteed World

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1992

Throughout history, people have surrendered their liberties to government in the hope of attaining a sense of security. The American people in this century proved to be no different. Our ancestors had established a way of life in which there was no income taxation, welfare, or economic regulation — a ...

If Liberty Mattered … A Presidential Candidate’s Press Conference

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 1992

Election years are meant to be momentous events in the life of a nation. The electorate are given the opportunity to determine the political course of the country. And every four years, the electoral process includes the election of the president has come to symbolize the mood of the country — a statement by the people on the political ...

Free … But the Patient Doesn’t Get Well

by Lawrence W. Reed April 1, 1992

If government ever does to health care what it has done to the Postal Service, we will be well down the road to contracting the national illness known as "socialized medicine." With so many regulations already, it's arguable that we're halfway there now. We'll know we've reached the end of the road when doctors become federal employees and medical ...

Push the Button

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1992

Should the welfare state be eliminated all at once or phased out over time? Some of the most committed freedom-devotees waffle when it comes to that question. They maintain that the immediate elimination of the welfare system would be unfair or harmful to those who benefit from the welfare apparatus. We must never lose sight of the fact that the ...

Book Review: Constitutional Economics

by Richard M. Ebeling April 1, 1992

Constitutional Economics by James M. Buchanan (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Basil Blackwell, 1991); 137 pages; $29.95 What are the reasons behind the growth of government in the 20th century? And why has it been so difficult to diminish the size of government even when many in society may have come to the conclusion that government is too big and is interfering too much? Trying ...

Race, Power, and Repatriation

by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 1992

Every single domestic war waged by the United States government against the American people in this century has been a failure. The war on alcohol — a failure. The war on poverty — a failure. The war on drugs — a failure. The War on illiteracy — a failure. But perhaps the biggest ...

Nationalism and Classical Liberalism

by Richard M. Ebeling March 1, 1992

For forty-five years, Europe enjoyed peace. But it was in the form of an "armed truce" called the Cold War. On the one side of the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union maintained its through the threat — and occasional use — of force, as in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. On the other side of the lron ...

Bringing the Revolution Home

by David F. Nolan March 1, 1992

On December 15, 1991, the United States celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. The importance of this document is hard to overstate; by any measure, it is one of the great landmarks in the advancement of human rights and liberty. Our forefathers created this staunch bulwark to Secure ...