Politics

Electing Our Daddy

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 1, 1992

For 125 years, the American people elected a president. During that time, the powers of the president were extremely limited. The American people did not permit the passage, for example, of income taxation, drug laws, and welfare laws. They also refused to permit a large standing military force. And they did not allow their government to engage in foreign ...

Political Correctness and the Closed Society

by Richard M. Ebeling June 1, 1992

In February 1992, the Center for Constructive Alternatives of Hillsdale College in Michigan organized a five-day conference on "Thought Police on Campus: Is Academic Freedom in Danger?" Among the speakers invited to participate as opponents of political correctness in academia were Charles Sykes (author of Profscam and The Hollow Men,) Shelby Steele (author of The Content ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Consequences of World War II

by Sheldon Richman November 1, 1991

World War II is often viewed as the last good war. In contrast to the wars that followed it — Korea and Vietnam, primarily World War II is said to have had a clear purpose: the smashing of Nazism and fascism and all the horrible things for which they stood. The description "last good war" also implies that the ...

From the New Mercantilism to Economic Fascism

by Richard M. Ebeling August 1, 1991

February 1991 saw the release of the latest annual Economic Report of The President. Prepared by the President's Council of Economic Advisors, the report is meant to provide a detailed summary of where the American economy has been during the past twelve months and to offer various projections as to where the economy is heading for the next twelve ...

Producer Interest vs. The Public Interest: The Origin of Democratized Privilege

by Richard M. Ebeling March 1, 1991

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith constructed some of the most devastating arguments against the then-prevailing system of economic policy — mercantilism. In practically every country in Europe, governments regulated, controlled and planned the economic activities of their subjects. In France, the regulations were so detailed that they specified how many stitches should be used in ...

The Heritage of Economic Liberty

by Richard M. Ebeling July 1, 1990

For the Founding Fathers, economic liberty was inseparable from the case for political freedom. Many of the grievances enumerated in the Declaration of Independence concern British infringements on the free movement of goods and men between the thirteen colonies and the rest of the world. It was not a coincidence that ...

Freedom’s Greatest Challenge

by Richard M. Ebeling June 1, 1990

At the end of January, President Bush delivered his State of the Union address before the Congress. Two leading themes ran through his speech: the demise of communism and the bright future for America in the post-communist world. The President spoke forcefully of the desire for freedom that had never died in the hearts and minds of the people in ...

A Message from FFF’s Founder and President

by Jacob G. Hornberger January 1, 1990

Socialism is morally and intellectually bankrupt. Under the guise of "order" and "security," millions of innocent people have been murdered or enslaved. Under the guise of "taxation" and social justice, untold amounts of income and savings have been plundered and redistributed to the politically privileged. Having gripped the hearts and minds of the people of the world in the ...