Here is the issue of the Liberator
Online that you requested. Please
note: If this is an older issue, some of the hyperlinks may not be
active. Enjoy! And please tell your friends about the Liberator
Online.
To be sure you get each new issue via email, subscribe
today. |
Liberator Online, Volume 6, Number 08
April 18, 2001
In This Issue:
Two new libertarian celebrities; man convicted
for not using
metric system; classic bad-attitude anti-tax verse; Advocates
"Seminar 1" makes front-page news; Michael Cloud tells the
misunderstood secret of Thomas Edison's success; Mary Ruwart
on plagiarism, immigration and crime, and "mandatory
volunteerism"...
All this and *much much more* in the world's
largest-circulation libertarian email newsletter...
THE LIBERATOR ONLINE
April 18, 2001
Vol. 6, No. 8
Circulation: 52,757 in 99 countries
Published by the Advocates for Self-Government.
Created and edited by Paul Schmidt, mailto:paul@self-gov.org
Co-edited by James W. Harris, mailto:james@self-gov.org
________________________________________________________
"I like the Advocates and I wish you
success."
-- Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas)
________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
* Bad-attitude classic anti-tax verse
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE ADVOCATES
* "Seminar 1" on the front page
* Upcoming Advocates speeches
* Get Your FREE COPY of our new magazine!
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
* Libertarian Celebrity: "South Park"
Creator Trey Parker
* Libertarian Celebrity: "The Real Kramer"
* Man Convicted for Defying Metric System
* Private Citizens Create Community Park
* Big Enough to Take It All Away...
ASK DR. RUWART
* Is mandatory "community service" a
good idea?
* Will open borders increase crime?
* Copyrights, plagiarism, and Dr. Ruwart
PERSUASION POWER POINT #103
* Thomas Edison's Lesson
by Michael Cloud
PRODUCT REVIEW
* Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the
Economy by
Thomas Sowell -- new and discounted!
________________________________________________________
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Dear friends,
It's April, and taxes are on our minds even more
than usual.
It's a grim subject -- so how about some comic relief?
I've had a lot of fun over the years reading
versions of the
following two anti-tax poems. The authors are unknown, but
some versions I've seen seem to date from at least the 1930s.
It's a good reminder that a lot of Americans have
always had
a "bad attitude" about taxes. (Just ask King George!)
I hope they'll give you a good laugh -- and I
hope you'll
keep working with the Advocates to create a movement that
will make taxes as much a thing of the past as slavery,
Prohibition, and the Divine Right of Kings!
* * *
The Tax Collector's Creed
Now he's a common, common man
So tax him, tax him, all you can.
Tax his house, Tax his bed;
Tax the bald spot on his head.
Tax his drink, Tax his meat,
Tax the shoes right off his feet.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat;
Tax his pants, Tax his coat;
Tax his crop, Tax his work;
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt;
Tax his chew, Tax his smoke,
Teach him taxing is no joke.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule;
Tell him: "Taxing is the rule!"
Tax his oil, Tax his gas,
Tax his notes, Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, Tax him more;
Tax him till he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he's laid.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove him to his doom."
Even when he's gone, we won't relax --
We'll still collect inheritance tax.
* * *
The Taxpayer's Lament
Sit down my friends and just relax,
It's time to pay your income tax.
For whether we are great or small,
They tax us one, they tax us all.
They tax the hobo and the queen,
They tax the bull and tax his ring.
They tax the gas that runs your car
And even tax the big cigar.
They tax your whiskey and home brew,
They tax the Bible and your pew.
They tax the wristwatch on your arm
And tax the rat trap on your farm.
They tax the baby in his crib, and
Tax his shirt and tax his bib.
They tax the crib that he sleeps in,
And don't consider that a sin.
Then they go from bad to worse
And tax the doctor and tax the nurse.
They tax the dentist and his drill
And he just adds it to your bill.
Whenever you leave this world behind
They will be there to steal you blind.
Before you reach the Golden Gate
They'll slap a tax on your estate.
They tax the hearse on your last ride,
And shed some tears because you died.
The reason for their deep distress?
You left them with no address.
* * *
Enjoy this issue of the Liberator Online.
Sharon Harris, President mailto:sharon@self-gov.org
PS: Thomas Sowell is truly one of liberty's
giants! His
numerous books, articles and newspaper columns have proven
him one of the world's great champions of freedom.
I've been eagerly awaiting his latest book: Basic
Economics:
A Citizen's Guide to the Economy. It promises to teach you
the essentials of economics -- without the graphs, math,
jargon and other yucky stuff that keeps too many smart people
away from this topic. And it delivers!
In Sowell's masterful hands, economics becomes
what it really
is: an essential tool for understanding the way the world
works. If you've avoided learning about the economics of
liberty, don't deprive yourself of this great new book.
You'll never read a newspaper, or look at the world, the same
way again!
We're offering Basic Economics at a big discount
in our
Product Review section below. If you love Sowell, or if you
want to quickly and painlessly understand economics, check it
out!
Thank you.
________________________________________________________
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE
ADVOCATES
Seminar 1 on Front Page: Congratulations to Vicki
Pate of
Alaska! She made front-page news in the Peninsula Clarion
(Kenai, Alaska) newspaper April 2 with a story about her
"Seminar 1" study group. Seminar 1 is an older Advocates
program in which several non-libertarians join with a
libertarian host to read the book "Libertarianism in One
Lesson" by David Bergland and explore the ideas of liberty.
The newspaper story began:
Finding solutions for today's pressing questions
that
don't result in additional layers of government is the
goal of a five-week seminar sponsored by Advocates for
Self-Government that begins Thursday evening.
"A lot of people are upset about the way
they see things
going in today's world," said Vicki Pate of Nikiski,
organizer of the evening discussion group. "They feel that
there is way too much government, but don't really have
any positive ideas to replace the government that they
have. So we'll be talking about things like education,
drug problems, high taxes and what you can do to replace
high taxes and still do the job."
Great article! And Vicki says plans are underway
for more
Seminar 1s in her area soon. Way to go!
UPCOMING: Advocates and Liberator Online
contributors
speaking:
ALABAMA, April 28, 2001: Advocates President
Sharon Harris
will be speaking at the Alabama Libertarian Party state
convention. For more information, email Scott Kjar at:
mailto:70402.3124@compuserve.com.
GEORGIA, April 29-30, 2001: Advocates President
Sharon
Harris, Advocates Board Chair Carole Ann Rand and Liberator
Online columnist Michael Cloud will be speaking at the
Georgia Libertarian Party state convention, Atlanta. For more
information, email Mark Mosley at: lpga@mindspring.com.
WASHINGTON STATE, April 21, 2001: Advocates
President Sharon
Harris will be keynote speaker at the Washington State
Libertarian Party convention in Seattle. She joins Carla
Howell, Tim Slagle and other speakers. For more information
visit http://www.lpwa.org/convention.htm.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
* FREE Copy of New Libertarian magazine: We'd
like to send
you a FREE copy of the first issue of our long-awaited new
print magazine, The Libertarian Communicator. As the name
suggests, the purpose of The Libertarian Communicator is to
help libertarians become more powerful, more effective, more
successful communicators of the ideas of liberty. This first
issue includes articles by some of the finest communicators
in the libertarian movement: Harry Browne, Nathaniel Branden,
Michael Cloud, Wendy McElroy, Mary Ruwart, Sharon Harris...
as well as additional articles, columns, and more! For more
details -- and to get your FREE copy of this first issue
(while supplies last) -- just click here:
http://www.self-gov.org/newmag.html
* FREE "Libertarian Clips":
"Libertarian Clips" is a daily
(or weekly, if you prefer) clipping service that brings you
news stories from around the world that use the words
"libertarian" or "libertarianism." See what libertarians are
doing, and see how the media is using those words. It's FREE,
and subscribing is a snap. Just click here:
http://www.self-gov.org/clips/
* FREE Year 2000 Lights of Liberty Awards: You
can win
certificates, public recognition, prizes and more for your
vital activism for liberty. Awards are given for: 3
libertarian letters to the editor; OR 3 sessions working at
an OPH booth; OR 3 libertarian-oriented public speeches.
Click here http://www.self-gov.org/lights/ to learn more.
* Communication Bargain of the Century: You can
get the great
3-tape audio course "The Essence of Political Persuasion"
from us at the GIVE-AWAY price of only $7.50 - that price
includes handling and First Class mail so you'll get it right
away! 170ertarian Party Political Director Ron Crickenberger
says this Advocates offer is "... the greatest gift the
libertarian movement has received in years." Thanks to
"Persuasion" creator Michael Cloud for making this offer
possible. We've put over 5,000 sets into the hands of
libertarian activists in the past year and a half!
To order, see:
http://www.reliablehost.com/self-gov/persuasion.html
This is a secure site, so you can order via
credit card with
confidence. You can also call us or mail $7.50 to the
Advocates. Our phone number and address are at the end of
this issue.
* New Quiz FAQ: Who created the World's Smallest
Political
Quiz? When and where? What does your Quiz score mean? The
Advocates has created a huge new FAQ ("Frequently Answered
Questions") to answer many of the most common questions about
the history and theory of the Quiz. You can get to the FAQ by
clicking here: http://www.self-gov.org/wspq.html.
________________________________________________________
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS,
UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
by James W. Harris
Libertarian Celebrity: "South Park"
Creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker is co-creator of the smash cable TV
hit "South
Park" and the new satirical sitcom "That's My Bush!" He's
also a libertarian and a member of the Libertarian Party,
according to a profile in the April 4, 2001 Los Angeles
Times.
Trey Parker and his partner Matt Stone created
"South Park"
together, and in 1997 Comedy Central began airing it. The
show quickly became one of cable TV's hottest items,
averaging 2.3 million viewers. "South Park" was also the
basis for a recent hit feature film. Many libertarians say
they've observed libertarian elements in various episodes of
the show.
"That's My Bush!" is the latest from
Parker and Stone. They
say they intend the show to be more a satire on sitcoms than
political satire, though it does have obvious political
elements -- President George W. Bush is the central
character.
While discussing politics, Parker told the Times
that he is a
registered Libertarian. Stone said: "I don't think I'm
registered to vote."
(Source: "Fitting Square Pegs in an Oval
Office," Los Angeles
Times, April 4, 2001. Thanks to Mark Hilgenberg, Doug
Scribner, and Aaron Biterman,.)
Libertarian Celebrity: "The Real
Kramer"
The Seinfeld Show was one of TV's biggest-ever
hits. And one
of its most famous characters was Cosmo Kramer.
Which brings us to Kenny Kramer, aka "The
Real Kramer."
According to Richard Cooper, State Chair of the
New York
Libertarian Party, ex-comedian Kenny Kramer is "a New York
icon, who served as inspiration for the Seinfeld show's Cosmo
Kramer after living across the hall from the show's
co-creator Larry David."
Kenny Kramer has announced he will seek the
party's
nomination for mayor of New York City at their state
convention, to be held in the Big Apple on April 28. (For
more info on that event, email nylibertarian@hotmail.com).
"Kenny realized we were the anti-political
party for New
Yorkers and joined us," Cooper says.
Kenny Kramer has run for mayor before, as, he
says, "kind of
a publicity stunt." Now, however, having discovered the
Libertarian Party, he's running a serious campaign of ideas.
His campaign slogan is "KRAMER FOR MAYOR.... THIS TIME I'M
NOT KIDDING."
Kramer says he will campaign on the solidly
libertarian
message that "...the government in NYC needs to be much less
oppressive and allow consenting adults the freedom to do
whatever they like, as long as they don't hurt anyone."
Upon learning of Kramer's campaign, Carl
Limbacher of
NewsMax.com noted: "In a city where people voted
overwhelmingly to elect carpetbagger Hillary Clinton to the
U.S. Senate, where a poll indicated people wanted Bill
Clinton the Impeached to run for mayor, Kramer is looking
like the Big Apple's best bet."
(Sources: New York Libertarian Party /
NewsMax.com. Thanks to
Jim Cox, Roy Lieberman and Aaron Biterman.)
Man Convicted for Defying Metric System
Steven Thoburn is a fruit-and-vegetable vendor in
Sunderland,
England, a small city north of London.
On Monday April 9, he was found guilty of the
crime of
selling bananas weighed in pounds and ounces, instead of the
metric measures that are now mandatory under European law. It
is illegal in Britain to sell loose products -- such as
vegetables, fruit or meat -- in pounds and ounces. This was
the first prosecution of this kind in Britain.
For his heinous crime, Thoburn was hit with a
maximum fine of
$1,500 on each of two offences, and court costs up to
$90,000.
Thoburn -- dubbed the "Metric Martyr -- had
challenged what
he considered an outrageous law. And many people agreed.
Sympathizers flocked to Sunderland to show their support and
sent him thousands of letters. Even the sentencing judge
expressed sympathy.
However, Judge Bruce Morgan didn't let his
sympathy get in
the way of his duty to the Leviathan state, declaring that
"...it would destroy the concept of a [European] union if
member states could go off on legislative frolics of their
own."
Nicely put, Judge. But the 1920 platform of the
National
Socialist Party -- the Nazis -- said it even better:
"The activities of the individual must not
be allowed to
clash with the interests of the community, but must take
place within its confines and be for the good of all... The
Common Good Before the Individual Good."
(Sources: Atlanta Constitution April 10, 2001 /
UK Electronic
Telegraph, April 10, 2001)
Private Citizens Create Community Park
Some Georgians have discovered that you don't
need taxes or
the government to create a park.
Many citizens in east Cobb County, Georgia -- a
booming
community of 200,000 residents just north of Atlanta -- had
hoped the county government would purchase a 13-acre
privately-owned former horse farm and turn it into a public
park. They formed "Friends for the East Cobb Park" to support
a tax increase to accomplish this.
But when voters rejected a sales tax for parks
last fall, the
group didn't give up. Instead, they turned to private,
voluntary means.
More than 1,000 families pledged $40 each. Civic
groups
raised additional dollars. One third grader stood outside a
golf course, asking golfers for spare change -- and raised
$162. Three large companies joined the effort, donating
$50,000 each.
By such diverse means, the group raised a
whopping $750,000
to purchase the 13 acres of grass and tall trees. The city
government agreed to advance them $350,000 to cover pledges
not yet collected -- a loan the group will pay back.
The land -- which many people had predicted would
become a
mall -- will instead become a community park with a gazebo
and picnic and walking areas.
And "Friends for the East Cobb Park"
have created a model for
getting things done that other communities would be smart to
adopt.
(Source: Atlanta Constitution, April 11, 2001)
* * *
Big Enough to Take It All Away
"A government that is big enough to give you
all you want
is big enough to take it all away."
--Senator Barry Goldwater, US senator and 1964
candidate
for president.
* * *
"Good News, Bad News, Unbelievable
News" writer James W.
Harris is co-editor of the Liberator Online. His articles
have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including
The Nation, Reason, The Freeman, the National Taxpayers
Union's Dollars and Sense, the Atlanta Constitution, and many
more. He has been a Finalist in the Mencken Awards, given by
the Free Press Association for "Outstanding Journalism in
Support of Liberty."
________________________________________________________
ASK DR. RUWART
How can you answer difficult questions about
libertarianism
-- in short, positive, persuasive soundbite-sized responses?
It's a challenge every libertarian communicator faces.
Dr. Mary Ruwart is a leading expert in
libertarian
communication and author of the international bestseller
"Healing Our World." Her new book is "Short Answers to the
Tough Questions." In this column she provides Liberator
Online readers with "Short Answers to the Tough Questions"
that libertarians are frequently asked.
If you'd like Dr. Ruwart to provide effective
answers for
YOUR "tough questions" on libertarian issues, just email the
questions to her at: mailto:ruwart@self-gov.org . *Due to
volume, Dr. Ruwart can't personally answer or acknowledge all
email queries.* But we'll run the best questions -- and Dr.
Ruwart's answers -- in upcoming issues.
Extra Tip: Dr. Ruwart suggests that answers are
often best
preceded by a "Ransberger Pivot" statement, to establish
common ground with the questioner. (Example: "Like you, I too
want to live in a world where the environment is clean...
Like you, I too want to see greater abundance for all
people... ") For more on the Ransberger Pivot communication
technique, see previous issues, or contact the Advocates.
Dr. Ruwart's past answers are archived in
searchable form at
http://www.self-gov.org/ruwart/
* * *
Is mandatory "community service" a good
idea?
Question:
"What is the libertarian response to those
who state that
mandatory `community service' in elementary and high schools
is an excellent idea?
"Some students defend this policy in these
ways:
1. It helps to decide a career path.
2. It expands their horizons.
3. It does not smack of socialism because this program is
simply an aid for students.
4. These programs give the community a chance to see the
good side of teenagers.
5. It does not affect learning standards.
6. Learning, by performing charity work, can be an
out-of-class, hands-on experience.
7. It teaches cooperation, teamwork and involvement.
8. The community should be pleased that youth is getting
involved.
9. It teaches students with lessons like team effort,
patience and compassion, that cannot be acquired by other
means, e.g. textbooks and lectures.
"What's a libertarian response?"
My short answer:
"'Mandatory' means forced -- at gunpoint, if
necessary. When
we force people to do things, for their own good or the good
of others, we violate their right of self-determination.
"Libertarians respect the rights of others
to choose their
own path -- that's what liberty is all about. If community
service is such a good deal, we should have no trouble
persuading people to do it voluntarily. If we can't convince
others that our way is best, maybe we should humbly consider
the possibility that it isn't!"
* * *
Will open borders increase crime?
Question:
"My sister and I are in a homeschooling
debate club and this
year the topic is immigration reform. We are taking the
libertarian position that the borders should be opened, but I
do have one problem. I can't seem to find anything anywhere
that addresses what will assuredly be a disadvantage found by
the other team: under an open border policy, criminals will
be allowed in the country. Could you please help?"
My short answer:
"Most immigrant `criminals' are political
refugees, rather
than murderers and rapists. As documented in Joel Millman's
book The Other Americans, most immigrants work long, hard
hours to make their dreams materialize. On pp.52-53, he
presents evidence that immigration does not result in an
increase in crime. His supporting data is indirect, but
enough for him to conclude: `What is certain is that crime
didn't increase (in New York City) because of immigration.
Throughout the peak years of immigration, arrests for rape,
robbery, murder, and theft kept trending, stubbornly, down.'"
"For the most part, thieves and violent
criminals are looking
for an easy way out. Immigration, which often involves a
considerable amount of culture shock and even a new language,
hardly falls into that category. Most immigrants come to the
US to work, not to plunder. For anyone, immigrant or not, who
turns to a life of crime, the solution is to stop him or her,
not punish thousands of innocents who simply want to work
hard."
* * *
Copyrights, plagiarism, and Dr. Ruwart
Question:
"What would happen in a libertarian society
to people who
plagiarize Dr. Mary Ruwart's answers to tough questions? Not
that I am admitting to anything! :)"
My short answer:
"In today's society, copyright law allow you
to publish
excerpts from another person's writing as long as you cite
the source. Written material is considered intellectual
'property,' that is rented (not sold) to the reader. Most
computer software is marketed this way as well.
"Many libertarians believe that copyrights
would function
similarly in a free society. The copyright notice would act
as contract between the author and the reader.
"In regards to my 'Short Answers,' please
feel free to
'plagiarize' them in your discussions and campaigns -- that's
what they're for! In your writings, just give credit where
credit is due."
* * *
Dr. Ruwart's book "Healing Our World"
features persuasive
arguments for liberty, backed with *over 500 references*
showing how liberty works. You can browse the entire book
online at: http://www.ruwart.com/Healing/
You can order it at a special reduced price of
only $12.95
(plus shipping) from the Advocates. Check out our online
catalog at: http://www.reliablehost.com/self-gov/opp.html
Dr. Ruwart's newest book is "Short Answers
to the Tough
Questions," also available from the Advocates for $12.00
(plus shipping).
________________________________________________________
PERSUASION POWER POINT #103
Thomas Edison's Lesson
by Michael Cloud
Thomas Edison is reputed to have tried 10,000
experiments
before he found a filament for the light bulb.
A shining example of persistence?
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try
again." Is that the
lesson of Thomas Edison?
No.
Thomas Edison was asked how it felt to have
failed 10,000
times.
"I didn't fail," said the inventor.
"I found 10,000 ways NOT
to make a light bulb."
Edison did not "try, try again."
Or, more accurately, he didn't try the same thing
again and
again and again.
He tried 10,000 DIFFERENT ways to make a light
bulb.
But that's not the lesson we're taught.
Here's what we're taught:
If something doesn't work, do it again.
If something doesn't work, do it repeatedly.
If something doesn't work, do it harder.
If something doesn't work, do it longer.
If yelling doesn't work, yell again. Yell
repeatedly. Yell
harder. Yell longer. Yell louder.
It's not working, so do it again.
This approach misses Thomas Edison's lesson.
Thomas Edison's experimental approach tells us:
If what you're doing doesn't work, stop doing it.
If what you're doing doesn't work, do something
else.
If that something else doesn't work, do a
different something
else.
Keep doing different things until you find what
does work.
Then do what works.
There's your filament. There's your light bulb.
That's Thomas Edison's lesson.
We all make this mistake. We get stuck.
We repeat what doesn't work.
Again and again and again.
As Edna St. Vincent Millay said, "It is not
true that life is
one damn thing after another -- it's one damn thing over and
over." So is repeating what does not work.
Perhaps you've discussed separating school and
state with
friends.
Maybe they can't even imagine an alternative to
government-run public schools.
"What if some parents didn't send their kids
to school?"
"What about poor children? Who would pay for their
education?" "How would we make sure we have qualified
teachers?" "What if the religious right tried to brainwash
children into believing that the Bible is literally true?"
"What if the ultra-liberals encourage children to experiment
with drugs or sex?"
So you discuss and debate the issue with your
friends.
They're not buying. So you give them more evidence and
arguments. You discuss and debate the issue with your friends
again. And again. Longer. Harder. Louder.
What you're doing doesn't work. And yet you
repeat it again
and again.
It's an easy trap to fall into.
We've all been there.
And we're likely to find ourselves there again.
And again and
again.
Unless we learn Thomas Edison's lesson.
For example, maybe your friends are not open to
our approach
on Education. But perhaps they're open to our position on the
War on Drugs. Or Gun Freedom. Or small government.
If Education discussions don't work, discuss
something else.
If your approach to Education doesn't work,
approach
Education differently.
Perhaps from the direction of parental authority.
Or that of
diversity. Or free enterprise virtues and values.
If what you're doing doesn't work, do something
else.
If what you're talking about doesn't work, talk
about
something else.
If how you're talking about it doesn't work, talk
about it in
a different way.
If who you're talking to isn't working out, talk
to someone
else.
Some people succeed by reinventing the wheel.
Most people
fail by reinventing the flat tire.
Some people fail repeatedly when they fail to
change the flat
tire. Or try to sell flat tires to friends.
If your persuasion approach doesn't work, stop
doing it.
If your persuasion approach doesn't work, try
something
different.
If your second persuasion approach doesn't work,
try a third
approach.
Keep trying different approaches until you find
one that
works.
Then do what works.
There's your filament. There's your light bulb.
That's Thomas Edison's lesson for those who want
to persuade.
********************
Michael Cloud is the Persuasion columnist for the
Liberator
Online and The Libertarian Communicator. In July 2000, at the
Libertarian Party national convention, Cloud was voted the
Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America and
honored with the Thomas Paine Award.
Michael Cloud is creator of "The Essence of
Political
Persuasion," the classic 3-tape libertarian communication
course, also available exclusively from the Advocates at the
*give-away* price of only $7.50 postpaid (includes First
Class postage!). For more information, or to order, click
here: http://www.reliablehost.com/self-gov/persuasion.html
________________________________________________________
PRODUCT REVIEW
Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy
by Thomas Sowell.
Handsome hardcover book, 366 pages, 2001. Great new book by this
renowned thinker!
At last! One of the world's greatest libertarian
thinkers
makes economics understandable -- and delightful!
Why are homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks
in New York
in the winter, when the abandoned apartment buildings in the
city have four times as many dwelling units as there are
homeless people in the city?
Why are people hungry in Moscow when there are
vast amounts
of some of the richest farmland on the continent of Europe
within easy driving distance?
Why did unemployment reach 25 percent and
American
corporations as a whole operate in the red for two years in a
row during the Great Depression of the 1930s?
All these very different -- but equally puzzling
and needless
-- tragedies grew out of a failure to understand and apply
basic economic principles.
Explaining these principles for the general
public in plain
English, with neither graphs nor equations nor jargon, is the
goal and achievement of "Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide
to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell. Sowell uses his years of
research and experience to bring economics to light in a way
that is easy to absorb -- and hard to forget.
"Basic Economics" is filled with lively
examples drawn from
around the world and from centuries of history, because the
basic principles of economics are not limited to modern
capitalist societies and apply even to situation where no
money changes hands, such as caring for wounded soldiers on
the battlefield.
The focus of "Basic Economics" is not
on how individuals make
money but on how whole societies create prosperity or poverty
for their peoples by the way they organize their economies.
Prosperous countries with few natural resources, such as
Japan and Switzerland, are as common as poor countries with
rich resources, such as Russia or Mexico.
Sowell is a giant in his field, and has the rare
gift for
making complex economic ideas easy to learn and understand.
This book is your ticket to a life-changing adventure!
"Voters by the millions want to know basic
economics, not for
passing tests but for grading politicians, and for
understanding how the world works. They do not need the
equations, graphs, and jargon of textbooks, but the guts of
the basic issues. They have waited a long time for this book,
by one of the nation's best and most trenchant minds."
-- Michael Novak, American Enterprise Institute
*****HOW TO GET THIS GREAT BOOK AT A BIG
DISCOUNT*****
We are pleased to offer "Basic Economics: A
Citizen's Guide
to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell for only $24.00 (plus
shipping). That's a whopping $6.00 off the list price of
$30.00. YOU SAVE 20%!
And please note: shipping is FREE if you order
over $100 of
books from the site below!
HOW TO ORDER ON THE WEB:
To order on the Web, via credit card, simply
click here:
http://www.lfb.org/product.cfm?op=view&pid=TS8288&aid=SG
This will take you to a site at the Laissez Faire
Books
online catalog. Laissez Faire Books is the world's largest
seller of books on liberty, and we are pleased to be able to
offer this book in partnership with them.
While placing your order for "Basic
Economics: A Citizen's
Guide to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell, be sure to browse
Laissez-Faire's wonderful selection of other essential
libertarian books.
Fast shipping -- most orders sent within 24 hours
of receipt.
And FREE SHIPPING on orders of $100 or more.
The site is credit-card secure -- you can order
with the same
confidence you'd feel at your local department store.
HOW TO ORDER BY PHONE, MAIL, OR FAX:
You can also, of course, place your order to the
Advocates by
phone, mail or fax. Call us at 1-800-932-1776, or see below
for further contact information.
This offer is good through Wednesday, May 2,
2001.
Thank you!
________________________________________________________
See you in two weeks! You can contact the
Advocates at:
Snail Mail:
Advocates for Self Government
5 South Public Square, Suite 304
Cartersville, GA 30120
Phone: 770-386-8372; for orders, 800-932-1776
Fax: 770-386-8373
Email: mailto:advocates@self-gov.org
WWW: http://www.self-gov.org/
If you wish to subscribe, unsubscribe, or change
your address
for receiving the Liberator OnLine, visit:
http://www.self-gov.org/liberator/maintain.html
You can see back issues of the Liberator OnLine
on the
Advocates' web site: http://www.self-gov.org/liberator/
The Advocates for Self-Government is a non-profit
educational
organization. Our purpose is to: (1) present the freedom
philosophy honestly and persuasively to opinion-makers and
the public so that they can encounter, evaluate, and when
ready, embrace the ideals of self-government; (2) help
libertarians become effective and powerful communicators of
the ideas of liberty; and (3) change the political map from
the inaccurate and exclusionary 'left-right/liberal
conservative' line to a more accurate and inclusive model
(like that on our World's Smallest Political Quiz) that
includes libertarians and others.
******************************************
PLEASE NOTE: Contributions to the Advocates are
tax
deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. If you
would like to support the vital, world-changing work of the
Advocates, we *welcome* your donation. To support the
Advocates' work, see http://www.self-gov.org/donate.html --
or give us a call at 1-800-932-1776.
******************************************
"May it be to the world... to assume the
blessings and
security of self-government." -- Thomas Jefferson
|
