Summing up the work of libertarian economist and historian Murray N. Rothbard (1926–1995) and noting its stunning range, philosopher David Gordon once wondered “if there are really three, four, or five geniuses writing under his name.” The lively essays collected in The Irrepressible Rothbard display one of those geniuses: Rothbard the journalist,
News Item: GOP Vice presidential pick Richard Cheney...from White House chief of staff for President Gerald R. Ford at age 34 through five terms in Congress to secretary of defense to his current tenure as chairman and chief executive officer of Halliburton Co. which is “working directly with nationalized oil companies around the world to develop
In many countries interventionism has so undermined the supremacy of the market that it is more advantageous for a businessman to rely upon the aid of those in political office than upon the best satisfaction of the needs of the consumers.” Ludwig von Mises, Human Action p. 310 (Scholar’s Edition) In a free market where property rights are
Bill Clinton’s unpaid legal bills now exceed his net assets by several million dollars. And now, just as the president is getting ready to pack his bags, Franette McCulloch has seen to it that he’ll have one more lawsuit to deal with, one more charge of sexual harassment, and one more demand for $1 million on his way out the door. It started in
Pollsters tell us that potential American voters see Al Gore as being “better” on the healthcare issue. I’m not sure what “better” means, but I think that voters believe that the Stiff Who Wants to be President will “give” us a better healthcare system than what currently exists. Al promises to provide less costly medical care. I have serious
Al Gore’s 190-page “economic plan,” as detailed as any of the former Soviet Union’s vaunted “Five-Year Plans,” demonstrates that the American Left still does not accept the worldwide collapse of socialism. As extreme as the Gore economic plan is, with its record spending increases, social engineering through the tax system, environmental
The hordes of lawyers that Al Gore has employed to help him try to overturn the presidential election through voter fraud are the latest example of how the rule of law is being destroyed. Florida election laws are clear as a bell in disallowing hand recounts unless there is fraud or machine failure, which Gore is not claiming is the case. The
The state needs to invent an endless series of myths about its powers and importance in order to exist, and there is no bigger myth than the notion that democratic governments are mere expressions of “the will of the people.” No matter how heinous the deeds performed by democratic governments, no matter how much property they steal or people they
The only good tax is no tax. Why? How would we fund government without taxes? Those are good questions to ask. But first let’s understand what taxes are. Throughout most of history, governments--usually monarchies headed by kings, emperors, pharaohs and other major or minor tyrants--actually owned everything under their rule, including, believe it
Back in 1980, I applied to become a Congressional Fellow under a program that would place a philosopher or two into some Representative’s office and be in on brainstorming various public policy proposals. I made it to the final list and was invited to go to John Hopkins University in Baltimore where we were interviewed by a selection panel. When
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.