4.

Dupes of a Politically Managed Glossary

American political electioneering has become unbelievably nasty and irrational. Campaigns are often reduced to name-calling and denigrating opponents. Ad hominem arguments and imputing guilt for association with an “ism” (e.g., dismissing someone for leaning conservative or libertarian or even for being supported by others with those sympathies) seem to be everywhere. Political epithets often almost completely crowd out logic in political discussion.

5.

The Problem with “Left versus Right”

As a libertarian, I have long objected to being characterized on a political spectrum of left and right (there are studies, for example, that group libertarians with Republicans or conservatives on the right). In response to inquiries over the years about where I fit in that framework, I have taken to saying that my views are orthogonal (at right angles or perpendicular) to the spectrum. Since almost no one knows what “orthogonal” means, using it gives me a chance to explain why I fit in neither category.

6.

The Genesis of Extremism

In the last few years, Americans have seen an explosion of attempts to assign to “right-wing extremism” almost every problem and every person who objects to the policies of those now in power, including people who demand serious reasons for wearing masks, far-from-right-wing groups who riot, and members of Congress with a siege mentality in the “post-insurrection” period. But one of the most cogent explanations for the popularity of “extremism” is from almost six decades ago.

7.

Good Government

Well before Leonard Read founded America’s first libertarian think tank in 1946, he had already thought deeply and carefully about the role of government in relation to individuals—a crucial question that, when ignored, leads to massive amounts of government-imposed damage on society. In “The Promotive Effects of a Good Government,” from his first book, The Romance of Reality (Read 1937), you can find Read’s central ideas about the few things a government could conceivably do well.

8.

How Collectivism Makes Us
Look Stupid

9.

Libertarian Socialism

In “I Don’t Know,” an essay from his 1965 book The Free Market and Its Enemy (Read 1965b), Leonard Read comments on how socialistic ideas can bribe or intimidate would-be libertarians or free-market advocates into silence or acquiescence. “In the absence of skilled spokesmen, freedom disappears.”

10.

Thanksgiving and the Essence
of Americanism

Thanksgiving plays an important role in the views Americans have of themselves and their heritage. The mere fact that it comes with time off from work and school cannot by itself explain the great number who travel to celebrate with those they care about. But our understanding is not very deep unless we recognize that the Pilgrims started from a communal or communist system and then moved to a system based on the right to private property because they were starving, something we celebrate even in this woke time.

11.

Freedom and the Fate of Nations

Most people who have been exposed to economics in an academic setting have heard of Adam Smith’s invisible hand, but few really grasp its importance. Smith uses the image to explain how people who only intend their own gain are led to benefit others through the need for voluntary agreement in market arrangements.

12.

Liberation on the Subject of Freedom

There are many phrases one could use to describe Leonard Read’s positions, which he adhered to consistently. But one accurate description is that he was adamantly devoted to the liberation of people from their misunderstandings on the subject of freedom. One of the best examples of this comes from his essay “Liberated!” (Read 1962d), from the March 1962 issue of Notes from FEE.

13.

Freedom: A New Vision, Not Old Hat

The media is constantly promoting “new and improved” ideas to replace “old hat” ones about freedom and open competition. But the visions held by their protagonists are not in touch with reality.

Leonard Read wrote about this decades ago in “Freedom: A New Vision,” from his 1975 book Castles in the Air (Read 1975a). The trend was not as pronounced then as it is today, but Read’s vision—clearer and more promising than the usual authoritarianism disguised as utopianism—is still worth serious reflection.