Milton Friedman has got to be the best economist and author, at least to the extent of the ability to convey his message.

It’s too bad that Free to Choose is not required reading in high school and for anyone who is running for any office. It seems that all democrats, and most republicans are ashamed of the capitalist system.

Thank you Eric for reminding me of this great put down of Phil Donahue. It’s too bad that Phil was not smart enough to understand how foolish he looked.

a nation needs another one like you.

Listen to him talk about wealth and success like it was something stolen from the poor while he sits on the set of his T.V. show as if he isn’t wealthy.
Liberals never change.
His wealth is benevolent and harmless. He is free from guilt because he advocates for the poor people he will never meet and so his contribution has been made.
He wants to save those wretched souls. Just not with his money.
He wants other people to do it while he directs them from his mansion in Bel Air as he sits by the pool.
He thinks he is helping the poor by tipping the busboy at an expensive restaurant or by giving his old clothes to his house staff.

” Esmerelda…this is silk. Can you say… silk ”

Mother Teresa he ain’t.
What a jerk.

He was on Donahue twice… both were a hoot. If only they would teach Friedman in High School (of course, the teachers would need to learn him first!)

A brilliant man and champion of the greatest system in the world…Free Market Capitalism.

I was lucky enough to see him speak many years ago. I remember that he talked about many aspects of economics but there were three things that he said that I always remembered.

The person interviewing him asked him to share some down to earth advice regarding personal finance and beyond. He said something like (paraphrasing)

1. If you don’t have any money…don’t spend any.
2. If you don’t have any money, EARN more, don’t borrow any.
3. If you are a Government, follow the exact same two rules only multiply the importance by a thousand fold.

it violates their ethics of spending other people’s money to make themselves look good and feel good about themselves. How mean can he be to want to take that away from them.

It’s crystal clear but the Left continues to argue against Capitalism. Go figure.

Love Milton. His birthday is probably getting tattooed on me at some point (someplace inconspicuous)

That man’s ideas did more to expand freedom than anyone else in the 20th century. Think of youths in communist nations hiding contraband copies of Capitalisim and Freedom, while digesting it’s grand ideas.

And the man was an atheist who also believed in strong families. he knew that nanny state government solved no problems while strong communities could offer much. Some of the more ardent culture warriors of today should note his approach. No matter your end desire, using the heavy hand of government to get there rarely yields the desired result and the loss of freedom that goes hand in hand with it leaves you with a net negative every time.

I say this having lost loved ones to drug abuse. I have suffered deeply and personally from addiction. But I will continue to make the ethical argument the state has no place in the matters substance abuse. And the monster that prohibition has created (the cartels) is far worse than the original problem. 28,000 dead in four years in Mexico. And drug use continues to rise.

Anyway I’ll step down from the pulpit. But this is a powerful issue to myself and many.

back in the mid-90s. Very nice guy! It was a pretty impromptu thing. Our Republican Party organization and, specifically our muscle, the Capital City Republican Women, rented a room at The Baranof and hustled up some Alaska specialties like salmon, halibut, and king crab and just invited the NR people to our reception when their ship was in Juneau. Had a great turnout and all were very friendly and accepting toward people they didn’t know from Adam. Only downside was Gov. Knowles crashed the party because he and Wm. Buckley were fellow Yalies, at least that was his excuse, but Knowles was always good at getting in front of something happening that looked important whether he had anything to do with it or not.