Liberty

For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto by Murray N. Rothbard An absolutely awesome book. If you are interested in liberty, this is, in my opinion, the most important book to read. I think Lew Rockwell, who I recently had the pleasure to meet at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, says it best about this book: Once you are exposed to the complete picture -- and For a New Liberty has been the leading means of exposure for more than a quarter of a century -- you cannot forget it. It becomes the indispensable lens through which we can see…

The ending of For A New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, by Murray N. Rothbard: Toward a Free America The libertarian creed, finally, offers the fulfillment of the best of the American past along with the promise of a far better future. Even more than conservatives, who are often attached to the monarchical traditions of a happily obsolete European past, libertarians are squarely in the great classical liberal tradition that built the United States and bestowed on us the American heritage of individual liberty, a peaceful foreign policy, minimal government, and a free-market economy. Libertarians are the only genuine current heirs…

The opening words of Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton Friedman, written around 1962: In a much quoted passage in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.” It is a striking sign of the temper of our times that the controversy about this passage centered on its origin and not on its content. Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society. The paternalistic “what your…

From Dan Mitchell: Walter Williams Warns Against Tyrannical Majoritarianism. Most people assume that decisions should be made by majority rule, but that assumes 51 percent of the people should have the right to rape and pillage 49 percent of the people. The sign of a free society, as Walter Williams explains, is that people have inalienable rights: What's so great about majority rule? Let's look at majority rule, as a decision-making tool, and ask how many of our choices we would like settled by what a majority likes. Would you want the kind of car that you own to be…