| |
Harry
Browne:
One
of my very favorite
political thinkers
BY
JIM COX
I
believe my first knowledge of Harry Browne was in 1972. My older brother
was interested in all of this libertarian and market economics stuff
and attended some hard-money conferences in Atlanta. (He made good money
for a 24-year-old from the advice to buy Swiss francs, gold, and silver
at the time.)
Soon, I too, developed similar political interests. During my junior
year at the University of Georgia I read Browne's very readable How
You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation. Convinced that Harry
Browne was truly ahead of most of the world in seeing the truth of the
free market/Austrian/libertarian views, I had my roommate photograph
me holding the paperback, so marking my early alignment with this great
political writer.
That same academic year I can proudly say I wrote a review of Browne's
next book, You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis for the college
newspaper, The Red and Black. The review was a bit garbled
in the printing process, but I was doing what little I could to make
these views better known (and to get in a dig at the professors teaching
Keynesian economics in my classes).
Harry was interviewed by Playboy or some similar magazine about
this time and again I found his views instructive and was happy to see
the attention he was getting. I remember as well that I heard him on
some national radio show as one of a number of guests discussing who-knows-what
exactly. But what stayed with me was his comment along the lines that
the problem was things being done by committee which necessarily results
in a messy compromise that would never solve the problem under discussion.
He was the only dissenter as I recall from the statist attitude of the
other panelists.
Later I read his How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World receiving
a good deal of benefit from it. Harry pretty much dropped out of my
field of vision for the next number of years until in 1994 and to my
shock I heard he was seeking the Libertarian Party presidential nomination.
Everybody knew he was a shoe-in for the job and was very excited to
have such a well-spoken, accomplished and knowledgeable man for our
standard bearer.
The next year I saw Harry for the first time in person at the 1995 Advocates
Summit in Atlanta, though I didn't know who he was when I first noticed
him in the room. (My memory of Harry's appearance was from that earlier
magazine interview's accompanying photo -- he looked heavy set with
a bushy beard. I had no idea he was so tall.)
I was actively involved in supporting Harry's two presidential campaigns
(at the local level, that is). His two books were masterful -- Why
Government Doesn't Work and The Great Libertarian Offer.
And I had the pleasure of sitting at Harry's table during the Georgia
Libertarian Party's banquet in 2000.
The next year Harry was at the Advocates 15th anniversary summit and
while I was unable to attend the entire event, I did make a point of
being sure that I was there during one of Harry's speeches.
Later when the Advocates were working on his Liberty A-Z book,
I was delighted to be asked to proof the copy before printing. I did
so with pure pleasure, making my own little contribution to a Harry
Browne book!
At the 2004 Libertarian Party convention in Atlanta I met him again
briefly, sharing book display honors at the Advocates' booth.
Now with his untimely death, I am even more pleased that I had my photo
taken with Harry at the Advocates 2005 Summit, my hand on his shoulder
as he sat in his wheelchair. He was such a decent guy as well as one
of my very favorite political thinkers. It's a sad thing, his death
from this peculiar disease. He is sorely missed.
Jim Cox is an Associate Professor of Economics and
Political Science at Georgia Perimeter College in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
He is the author of Minimum Wage, Maximum Damage (published
by the Advocates for Self-Government). He also wrote The Concise
Guide to Economics.
|
Return
to the
Harry
Browne
Memorial
Page |
