[Introduction to Liberty Defined (2011). An MP3 audio file of this article, read by Steven Ng, is available for download .] America’s history and political ethos are all about liberty. The Declaration of Independence declares that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights — but notice how both life and the pursuit of
[ Gold, Peace, and Prosperity (1981)] In Marco Polo’s great book of travels, he talks about a coin called the bezant circulating in Kublai Khan’s Mongol Chinese empire. The emperor, like the vast majority of politicians, found the lure of paper money irresistible. In his case, however, it was money printed on pieces of mulberry tree bark. The same
[ Freedom Under Siege (1987; 2007)] The Federal Reserve cartelizes the banking industry, allowing individual banks to inflate together, earning them and the government enormous profits, while making sure that they are never held accountable for their fraudulent practices. The Federal Reserve Cartelizes the Banking Industry Here’s how we got
[A speech before the House of Representatives, March 25, 1999.] Mr. Speaker, today I rise with gratitude to Edmund Burke and paraphrase words he first spoke 224 years ago this week. It is presently true that to restore liberty and dignity to a nation so great and distracted as ours is indeed a significant undertaking. For, judging of what we are
Specific Reforms Required The growth of the American government in the late 19th and 20th centuries is reflected in its increasing presence and finally monopolization of the monetary system. Any attempt at restoring monetary freedom must be part of a comprehensive plan to roll back government and once again confine it within the limits of the
[Excerpted from Ron Paul’s historic farewell speech to Congress, which is available in our new publication, Pursue the Cause of Liberty: A Farewell to Congress , in both pocketbook and ebook editions, with an introduction by Lew Rockwell.] How Much Did I Accomplish? In many ways, according to conventional wisdom, my off-and-on career in Congress,
[Excerpted from Ron Paul’s historic farewell speech to Congress, which is available in our new publication, Pursue the Cause of Liberty: A Farewell to Congress , in both pocketbook and ebook editions, with an introduction by Lew Rockwell.] Trust Yourself, Not the Government Too many people have for too long placed too much confidence and trust
[Excerpted from Ron Paul’s historic farewell speech to Congress, which is available in our new publication, Pursue the Cause of Liberty: A Farewell to Congress , in both pocketbook and ebook editions, with an introduction by Lew Rockwell.] Limiting Government Excesses vs. A Virtuous Moral People Our Constitution, which was intended to limit
Editor’s Note: Ron Paul, Distinguished Counselor to the Mises Institute, and a founding member, celebrated his 78th birthday this week. In this selection from a speech in the House of Representatives in 1999, Ron Paul outlines why private property and privacy are essential to the preservation of civil liberties. It is perhaps noteworthy that this
Editor’s Note: This selection is taken from Chapter 5 of Ron Paul’s new book, The School Revolution: A New Answer for Our Broken Education System . The free-market principle of open entry is challenged by governmental restrictions on access to consumer markets. There are many official justifications for these restrictions, but the main one is
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.