Where's The Good Doctor When We Need Him?!
Yesterday, July Thirty-First would have been Dr Milton Friedman's 100th birthday but sadly, he passed away in November, 2006. Dr Friedman passed away long before he could have taken "Clown Prince" obama 'to school' on economic theory; on economic principles; on economic practice; on economic freedom!! The good doctor was arguably the greatest American economic mind--nay, WORLDWIDE economic mind--of all time!! But--in a positive light--there's much to be learned just by reading and adhering to the principles cited in Dr Friedman's quotes.
This, as it applies to federal bailouts, federal ownership of car companies, federal 'rewards' to on-going bankruptcies of 'green' energy companies:
"So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear. That there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleased by a free enterprise system."
....or this, on the over-reaching federal control over the private citizen: "The greatest advances of civilization, whether in architecture or painint, in science and literature, in industry or agriculture, have never come from centraized government."
....or this, on the causes and affects of "The Roosevelt Depression:"
"The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the priveate economy."
....or this, on individual freedom:
"The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market. And that's why it's so essential to preserving individual freedom."
....and this:
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."
....and this:
"Every friend of freedom must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed camp, by the vision of jails filled with casual drug useres and of an army of enforcers empowered to invade the liberty of citizens on slight evidence."
....or this, on the inept, complete failure of government political, market and economic controls:
"Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it."
....and this:
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand."
....and this:
"Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government."
....and this:
"Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless."
....and on, and on ad infinitum!!
As is illustrated by the aforementioned quotes, Doctor Milton Friedman was certainly a premier economist, and wasn't afraid to demonstrate the correctness of his thinking! The November election will be THE MOST IMPORTANT election in terms of how the majority of Americans want to live: in personal and economic freedom or in tyrannical dependency!!Til Nex'Time....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/milton_friedman_2.html
[PBS video miniseries] http://miltonfriedman.blogspot.com/
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