Help us Celebrate Milton Friedman's Birthday on Thursday, July 31st!
The Minnesota Free Market Institute will hold its 2nd annual event commemorating Milton Friedman's birthday on July 31, 2008 from 5:30-7:00 pm at Santorini's in Saint Louis Park. (Cash Bar but there is such a thing as a free nosh--appetizers on us!) RSVP to Jordan Mason
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1) Liberals on government interference in the economy: The Answer is always Yes.
2) The David Strom Show
3) Pocket Constitution Promotion
4) In case you missed it: Recent commentary from the Minnesota Free Market Institute
5) Conservatives Debate the Future of Conservativism
1) Liberals on government interference in the economy: the Answer is Always Yes.
I have always had great respect for (Hamline Political Science and Law Professor) David Schultz's ability to analyze the political future. Unfortunately, that respect does not extend to his ability to understand or diagnose economic realities.
Schultz's recent opinion piece in The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reveals why I have such little faith in his understanding of economics. Both his diagnosis of the current state of the economy and his recommendations for healing what ails it are not just wrong, but exactly backwards.
Schultz argues that the current economic climate demonstrates that the era of Reaganite policies-by this he means laissez faire policies (would that it were so)-has passed us by. According to his diagnosis the economic challenges we face in 2008 are so complicated and internally contradictory that the only possible solutions are carefully calibrated government interventions to repair damage caused by runaway free markets.
Schultz could not be more wrong.
To the extent that we face economic challenges in 2008 and beyond-and we do-those challenges have mostly been caused by excessive and ill-thought-out government interventions in the economy; and to the extent that government policies need to be updated for the economy of today, those updates should be in the direction of unwinding rather than increasing government regulation and interference in the market.
The solution to our economic woes, in short, is less government interference and more freedom in the marketplace. In short, we need to go well beyond Reagan's modest moves (the best that could be accomplished at the time, admittedly) to open up the free market.
All in all you have to give Schultz credit for being a great indicator of what the government should do to address the current economic problems we face. A good rule of thumb seems to be read Schultz's suggestions and do precisely the opposite.
A longer version of this commentary has been sent to the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a response to Shultz's piece.
2) The David Strom Show
The David Strom Show sponsored by the Minnesota Free Market Institute is broadcast weekly on AM 1280 The Patriot Saturdays 9-11 A.M. For commercial-free show podcast downloads visit the show page at townhall.com or subscribe via iTunes. (See our radio show page for details).
To find out ahead of time who the guests on the show will be, sign up for our action eList and check the RADIO box. (one email per week).
Audio highlights of this show are available here.
This week's guests: Don Corace, Author of Government Pirates and Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women's Forum
3)Pocket Constitution Promotion
Our Pocket Constitution/Declaration of Independence giveaway proved so popular, we're ordering more! If you sign up on our website with your mailing address, we'll send you a free copy. If you donate $25, we'll send a copy to your favorite liberal.
If you sign up, you can join one of our email lists:
- Updates: Get the weekly update on what's going on with new publications and events sponsored by the Institute. If you receive this email directly, you are already on this list.
- Columns: Get columns and essays from MNFMI fellows and President David Strom in your email box.
- Radio:Find out ahead of time who will be a guest on the David Strom Show this weekend.
- Media:Get the latest MNFMI press releases.
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4) In Case you Missed it: Recent Commentary from the Minnesota Free Market Institute .
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David Strom's Latest Townhall column: "Do Conservatives Hate Their Children?" The debate over global warming is not an argument about the future of the environment, it's about the future of the economy.
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Craig Westover and Dane Smith (Growth and Justice) had a multi-part a dialogue last month about Government restraint in the pages of the Pioneer Press. You can read all of it now at the Minnesota Free Market Institute website here.
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5) Conservatives Debate the Future of Conservativism
This Thursday, July 24th, America's Future Foundation, a D.C. based conservative & libertarian organization, will host "The Pre-Convention Debate: Has the GOP Gotten the Message" in downtown Minneapolis at the Solera Restaurant (3rd Floor) 900 Hennepin Ave. There is a reception at 6:00 PM and the roundtable begins at 7:00 PM. Panelists include Jeff Larson, CEO and chair of the Republican Convention Committee, Ryan Sager, author of Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party; David Freddoso, National Review Online; Moderator: Annette Meeks, Freedom Foundation
Help a good cause and get a tax deduction at the same time when you donate your laptop to the Free Market Institute! If you've got a laptop you'd like to donate, reply to this email or call 651 294 3590.
Previous issues of the weekly update are archived at the Minnesota Free Market Institute website here.
The Minnesota Free Market Institute conducts research and advocates for policy that limits government involvement in individual affairs and promotes competition and consumer choice. By analyzing the actions of the past and applying the enduring lessons of the free market, the Minnesota Free Market Institute creates policy options for the future. The Minnesota Free Market Institute accepts PayPal! To donate click here. Contributions are Tax Deductible!
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