Daily Articles

Economic Ideas: The Ancient Incas and the Collectivist State

by Richard M. Ebeling July 10, 2017

Examples of government control over social and economic life are as old as recorded history, and they always have features that are universal in their perverse effects regardless of time or place. One of the most famous of these collectivist episodes was that of the Incas and their empire in South America. The Inca Empire emerged out of a small ...

Liquor Socialism

by Laurence M. Vance July 7, 2017

As long as America has been a nation, governments at all levels have sought to tax, regulate, control, and even prohibit the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most infamous example, of course, is the era of Prohibition. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution took effect in January 1920. It didn’t ban outright the consumption or possession of alcohol, ...

Imagine a Boot Stamping on Your Face

by John W. Whitehead July 7, 2017

The Internet is watching us now. If they want to. They can see what sites you visit. In the future, television will be watching us, and customizing itself to what it knows about us. The thrilling thing is, that will make us feel we’re part of the medium. The scary thing is, we’ll lose ...

The Libertarian Angle: Independence Day

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 6, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling celebrate America's independence. Go to the podcast.

A Declaration of Independence from Big Government

by Richard M. Ebeling July 3, 2017

The Declaration of Independence, proclaimed by members of the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, is the founding document of the American experiment in free government. What is too often forgotten is that what the Founding Fathers argued against in the Declaration was the heavy and intrusive hand of big government. Most Americans easily recall those eloquent words with which ...

Separating Economy and State

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2017

Throughout history, governments have controlled and regulated economic activity and monetary affairs. It has been generally accepted that such control and regulation are among the essential functions of government. The notion has always been that without government control and regulation of the economy and money, there would be economic and monetary chaos and disorder that would cause suffering for ...

How World War I Still Haunts America

by James Bovard July 1, 2017

This year is the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s pulling America into World War I. Many people celebrate this centenary of America’s emergence as a world power. But at a time when the Trump administration is bombing or rattling sabers at half a dozen nations and many Democrats are clamoring to bloody Russia, it is worth reviewing how World ...

How Not to Cut Welfare Spending

by Laurence M. Vance July 1, 2017

The U.S. federal budget is now in the neighborhood of $4 trillion. Just ten years ago it wasn’t even $3 trillion. It was “only” $2 trillion in 2002, and didn’t reach the trillion dollar mark until 1987. The greatest component of the federal budget is spending on the welfare state. Welfare programs There are in the United States about 80 means-tested ...

The Invisible Hand of the State

by Will Tippens July 1, 2017

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. — Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations As Adam Smith observed in 1776, when people seek to benefit themselves through voluntary trade, they unwittingly benefit society at large. This phenomenon is often ...

The Exit Strategy of Empire

by Wendy McElroy July 1, 2017

The Roman Empire never doubted that it was the defender of civilization. Its good intentions were peace, law and order. The Spanish Empire added salvation. The British Empire added the noble myth of the white man’s burden. We have added freedom and democracy. — Garet Garrett, Rise of Empire The first step in creating Empire is to morally justify ...

Come You Masters of War

by Matthew Harwood July 1, 2017

America’s War for the Greater Middle East by Andrew J. Bacevich (New York: Random House, 2016; 480 pages) America’s military involvement in the Middle East began in classic imperial fashion, according to military historian and retired Army colonel Andrew J. Bacevich. They had something we needed, and we made sure we had access to it. “Oil has ...

If JFK Were Alive Today

by Oliver Stone June 30, 2017

The Future of Freedom Foundation hosted one of the most fascinating, important, and relevant conferences in our 27-year history. Entitled “The National Security State and JFK,” the conference was held on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the Dulles Airport Marriott in Northern Virginia. Oliver Stone, the noted Hollywood producer and director, received ...