Charles Adams is a rare tax historian who leads us back to Greeks and Romans and the history of liberty. The Battle of Marathon was critical for Greek civilization to seize control of Western Civilization. The Greeks had no direct taxation, just indirect. This is what fostered liberty.
Presented at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on February 28, 2003.
Natural law does not depend directly on God’s will. Natural law goes back to at least the scholastics and perhaps Thomas Aquinas. Modern Natural Rights theory began in 1625. Modern theory recognizes the institution the state. Natural law is thought to produce inalienable natural rights. They speak to the dignity of the individual and life and property. The close connection between liberty and property is part of this tradition.
Free markets shift resources from where they are less valued to where they are most valued, benefiting consumers. When private property and free markets are allowed to operate, a natural conservation of resources occurs. Nothing is a resource unless it is useful to man.
Recorded at the Reassessing the Presidency seminar; March 2004. (25:41)
Recorded at the 2003 Supporters Summit: Prosperty, War, and Depression.
(39:25)
Recorded at the Reassessing the Presidency seminar; March 2004. (30:32)
