How Bad Do You Want to Be Free? by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990 Ever since I was a small child, I have been intrigued by the Battle of the Alamo. For a time, the defenders of the Alamo were expecting reinforcements to arrive. But once word came that Fannin and his troops had been massacred, it was clear that help would not ...
The Limits of Governmental Activity by Ludwig von Mises April 1, 1990 It is an established fact that alcoholism, cocainism, and morphinism are deadly enemies of life, of health, and of the capacity for work and enjoyment.But this is far from demonstrating that the authorities must interpose to suppress these vices by commercial prohibitions, nor is it by any means evident that such ...
Socialism in America by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990 Happily, people all over the world are abandoning the 20th-century nightmarish experiment with socialism. But the great tragedy of our time lies here in America: unlike the rest of the world, Americans are rushing to embrace the socialist ideals which others are now fleeing. One of the essential tenets of socialism is public ownership of the means of production. What ...
The Compromise of Silence by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 1990 Accompanying this article is the April issue of Freedom Daily. All of the articles in this issue are devoted to the immorality and destructiveness of the government's war on drugs. People have recently said to me, "Why don't you people at FFF take it slow? Why are you immediately tackling such tough freedom issues ...
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 ...