Milton Friedman’s contribution to 20th century economics is indisputable. But economics isn’t the only area where he had a vested interest. Friedman had a vision for transforming education through free market principles. In a 1983 article for Newsweek, Friedman wrote, Schools are now run by professional bureaucrats. Monopoly and uniformity have replaced competition and diversity… Control by producers has replaced
Economist, Nobel Prize winner, author and vigorous defender of the free market, Milton Friedman, who passed away in late 2006, would have celebrated his 99th birthday this Sunday. In his honor, the Reason Foundation has put together this short but great video to commemorate the life of a man whose ideas and ideals remain worth fighting for. Also, check out
Of all of Dr. Milton Friedman’s works, my favorite is not his efforts in economic theory, for which he won his Nobel Prize in Economics, nor any of the many other scholarly tomes he produced. It’s not even “Free To Choose”, his successful TV series and book that proved that economics could be a hit with American popular culture. My
Looking back at the lessons Milton Friedman was teaching decades ago, it’s hard not to be amazed by how closely they mirror the disputes of today, and saddened that such self-evident truths must still be argued all over again today. Warnings of the excessive growth of government, with too many regulations, too much taxation, too much spending, and too much
I have a bumper sticker on my desk that reads “I’m an environmentalist, but NOT the anti-human, collectivist kind.” In Washington state, too many believe that to be one you must be the other. In fact, however, wherever we look, we see people working in a free market doing more for environmental sustainability than politicians and government programs. Unfortunately, much
Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces the area over which political power is exercised. In addition, by dispersing power, the free market provides an offset to whatever concentration of political power may arise. The combination of economic and political power in the
Dr. Milton Friedman was one of the greatest champions of freedom in my lifetime and one of the greatest economists of all time. On this day – what would have been his 99th birthday – we are inspired to preserve his memory and the wisdom of his free market philosophy. Dr. Friedman’s philosophy can be summed up with his simple
This year is being coined a “Season of Growth” for the dramatic gains that have been made in school choice. And, indeed, it has been, with school choice programs being enacted or expanded in more than a dozen states across the county. But as we celebrate those fruits and those who cultivated them, we also must recognize their original “Johnny
