[A selection from an interview by Brian Doherty which appeared in the May 12, 1999 issue of SpintechMag.com as “Libertarianism and the Old Right.” Re-published in 2003 as part of Speaking of Liberty, a collection of interviews and speeches by Lew Rockwell.]
Brian Doherty: What was the genesis of the Mises Institute? How difficult was it to get off the ground?
The chief root of our present monetary troubles is, of course, the sanction of scientific authority which Lord Keynes and his disciples have given to the age-old superstition that by increasing the aggregate of money expenditure we can lastingly ensure prosperity and full employment.
“You just follow the money. What happens is that you’re faced with a situation of shooting somewhere you want to shoot, versus somewhere you’d less rather shoot — and you get an extra three weeks of filming. It comes down to the fact that you have x amount of money to make your movie in a business where margins are really thin.” — Ben Affleck, on making films in Georgia over Hollywood, CA.
Many moons ago, I wrote a piece for mises.org introducing Westley’s Law, which was my theory for government growth based on its being held to lower expectations, relative to the market. It struck a nerve, of sorts. Many emailed me to say the idea required expansion into a book.
Monetary calculation is the guiding star of action under the social system of division of labor.
As Independence Day comes around again we should spend a few moments between barbecue and fireworks to think about the meaning of independence. The colonists who rebelled against the British Crown were, among other things, unhappy about taxation. Yet, as economist Gary North points out, the total burden of British imperial taxation was about one-to-two percent of national income.
[First published by Rare, July 1, 2017]
Speaking in London, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen Tuesday predicted that the “the system is much safer and much sounder” and explained that the Federal Reserve is prepared to deal with numerous enormous shocks to the economy.
It’s difficult to say what most Americans commemorate or celebrate on Independence Day nowadays. Many appear to focus on some vague notion of “America.” Others even take to jingoism equating the United States government with the very notion of “freedom.”
Lost in all of this is the fact that the Declaration of Independence — the document we’re supposed to remember today — is a document that promotes secession, rebellion, and what the British at the time regarded as treason.
The Declaration of Independence, and the Revolution it helped inspire, have long been subjects of commentary here at mises.org. Here is just a small portion of some of what our archives have to offer.
1) The Causes of the Revolution of 1776 by Albert Jay Nock
[First published by Rare, July 1, 2017]
Speaking in London, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen Tuesday predicted that the “the system is much safer and much sounder” and explained that the Federal Reserve is prepared to deal with numerous enormous shocks to the economy.
