Milton Friedman--his views SO close to ours
Milton died about a year ago at the age of 94. He had won the Nobel Peace Prize for Economics,and was on many talk shows and interviews in his life. I just watched 2 videos where he talked about being totally against the war on drugs, and unbelieveably against gov't interference in free trade. We should quote him more, as he was such a reknowned, and soft-spoken expert, who said many of the things Ron Paul is saying. I do not know much about him, but I do know this.
This was a quote from cnnmoney when he died..there are many utube videos....
Current Fed chief Ben Bernanke said Friedman had "no peer" among economic scholars.
"The direct and indirect influences of his thinking on contemporary monetary economics would be difficult to overstate," Bernanke said in a statement. "Milton conveyed to millions an understanding of the economic benefits of free, competitive markets, as well as the close connection that economic freedoms bear to other types of liberty. He will be sorely missed."
Edward Crane, founder and president of the libertarian Cato Institute, said, "Milton was in my mind the greatest champion of freedom in the 20th century. He was a warm, intelligent, wonderful human being and will be deeply missed."
"Milton changed the direction of the world," observed Crane, who recalled attending a conference with Friedman in China in 1988 where Friedman was received "like a rock star" for his reputation as champion of free markets and a free society. "His first policy concern was freeing people from government influence in their lives," said Crane.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement: "Milton was one of the great thinkers and economists of the 20th century, and when I was first exposed to his powerful writings about money, free markets and individual freedom, it was like getting hit by a thunderbolt."
Ron Paul article on Milton
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul352.html
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Google Video: The Great Global Warming Swindle
Free to Choose
www.ideachannel.tv
I've watched the whole 1980's series for free at that link. It really helped progress my thinking on economic issues. Plus it was really entertaining to watch Milton debate the socialists in the latter half of each episode!
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Ron Paul is only the beginning
Money Mischief
was Friedman's final assesment and proof that inflation is caused by central banks printing unbacked currency. Milton was able to show in graphic detail that the effect of price inflation comes exactly two years after the currency is debased. That means that the inflation that we are seeing now is exactly corespondent to the money created in December 2005 and that the 2007 war spending will be seen in 2009.
Further more he shows in this book on money and banking how U.S. central banking policy has spread to the world in a six year time frame. For example, when the U.S. went off the gold standard in 1933, all of the major countries were forced off the gold standard sequencially by 1939.
It's time to turn this process around......it has already begun.
Milton Was A Great American
And a champion of freedom. So is Ron Paul.
Milton, a great beacon of freedom
Milton Friedman's Free to Choose was one of my earliest introduction to the literature of Freedom.
Wait! That's amazing! I was 20+ college grad and I hadn't been exposed to the concept of Freedom????? Talk about the government controlling discourse.
Anyway...
I spend most of my time trying to empower parents to take control of tehir children's education -- away from the government politicians and bureaucrats who promise so much and who deliver so little, but who charge so much. So I cite Milton all the time, and dream of a future where parents really will have control over the education -- and the indoctrination -- of their own children.
What amazes me is that the parents with whom I speak:
- Are all highly educated
- Are committed to education
- Believe that their government (my word) schools are not serving their child
- Are frustrated that the school is deaf to their pleas
and yet they quake in fear when I talk about changing the rules so that parents are in charge of their own children, and not the government. They have been so indoctrinated by their own education that they can't imagine parents caring enough for their own children that they invest as much interest in selection of education as they do in the selection of cars.
Not soon enough for these children and parents can come the...
re[love]ution,
Dennis
"The best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in nursery." - Disraeli
Don't Vote For Ron Paul for anything less than
Re[love]ution & Renaissance
Dennis
I know what you mean.
My friend is a teacher and agrees but is totally 'socialist' thinking... as if there is no other option. "The current reality sucks but it would suck more if we were to change how it was structured" -- kind of thinking.
Some differences
There are many similarities between Ron and Milton, but one issue they disagreed on was the Fed. Although towards the end of Milton's life he supposedly came to believe that the Fed would never do things right, and recanted is beliefs against the gold standard.
If you really want to look into economists that influenced Ron Paul, look no further than Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and Hans Sennholz over at mises.org
I second that
Yes, Dr. Paul's views on monetary policy are more in line with Ludwig von Mises than Milton Friedman. Several books by Dr. Paul concering freedom and the gold standard can be purchased at mises.org.