Even now, people think nothing of professing their attachment to socialist ideology at cocktail parties, at restaurants serving abundant foods, and lounging in the fanciest apartments and homes that mankind has ever enjoyed. Yes, it is still fashionable to be a socialist, and — in some circles within the arts and academia — socially required. No
It must be really painful to be an economist of the mainstream today — at least, it should smart to some extent. In a financial and economic calamity of the current scale, people naturally want to know who issued the warnings about the real-estate bubble and its likely aftermath. When private-sector jobs have not grown at all in ten years, and
[Day 23 of Robert Wenzel’s 30-day reading list that will lead you to become a knowledgeable libertarian, this article originally ran June 03, 2010.] It seems incredible that in the last days, a fundamental right of the whole of humanity, the freedom of association, has been denounced by the New York Times and all major opinion sources, even as a
It should be obvious to everyone but the most dedicated adherent of Keynesianism that the stimulus did not accomplish its end. The combination of outright spending by Congress, the desperate schemes to reflate the housing market, the attempt to transfuse bleeding firms with other people’s money, and the creation of trillions in artificial money,
Not too long ago, the myth of Lincoln was accepted everywhere. The Greatest President, the Savior of the Union, the you get the idea. His true role — as dictator, the launcher of a horrific and unnecessary war (other countries abolished slavery peacefully), an inflationist and pioneer of the income and inheritance taxes, a centralizer, a police
More than 30 years ago I had lunch with the widow of Ludwig von Mises in her favorite restaurant, the Russian Tea Room in New York. I asked her permission to start an institute dedicated to her husband and his ideas. She gave her enthusiastic blessing. The next person I asked was Murray Rothbard, who literally clapped his hands in delight. Then I
[This talk was delivered at the 30th Anniversary Supporters Summit of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Callaway Gardens, Georgia, on October 26, 2012.] What a thrill to speak to you on this happy occasion of the Mises Institute’s 30th anniversary . I am delighted that Ron Paul and Andrew Napolitano have been able to join us for this wonderful
Ron Paul has given us a huge opportunity. With your help, we intend to take full advantage of it. I mean, of course, Ron’s teaching of Austrian economics and the free market, and the crimes of the Fed and the government, to millions of young people. He touched hearts and changed minds in a way I’ve never seen, though Murray Rothbard predicted it
Dear Friend, Ron Paul has given us a huge opportunity. With your help, we intend to take full advantage of it. I mean, of course, Ron’s teaching of Austrian economics and the free market, and the crimes of the Fed and the government, to millions of young people. He touched hearts and changed minds in a way I’ve never seen, though Murray Rothbard
A libertarian must never tire of saying “I told you so.” Nor is there a dearth of opportunities to do so. Before 9-11, for example, it was the libertarians who said that 1990s sanctions against Iraq and broader intervention in the Middle East would inspire terrorism. The libertarians also warned that FAA regulations weren’t really making the
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.