Archive for George Leef
Greatest Emancipations: How the West Abolished Slavery
From time immemorial until the eighteenth century, slavery was an accepted fact of life in most of the world. It was hardly ever questioned, and there were no mass movements calling for its abolition. That finally changed as a result of the success of capitalism. Once people no longer had to labor unceasingly just to [...]
23Sep2009 | George Leef | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Complete Idiot’s Guide to Economics
For years the series of Complete Idiot’s Guide books has been a great commercial success, dealing mostly with “practical” topics as varied as dog training and wedding planning. Useful to be sure, but not exactly intellectually stimulating. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Global Economics, by economist Craig Hovey and former FEE staff member Gregory Rehmke, [...]
19Aug2009 | George Leef | 1 comment | ContinuedVermeer’s Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World
Timothy Brook has written a fascinating work on the pivotal seventeenth century, one that defies neat categorization. It isn’t a history per se, although it is about a crucial period of history. It isn’t really about economics, but it conveys a considerable amount of economic understanding. Nor is it a work on philosophy, even though [...]
11Jun2009 | George Leef | 0 comments | ContinuedAre the Rich Necessary? Great Economic Arguments and How They Reflect Our Personal Values
George Leef is book review editor of The Freeman.
In my high school days I had a friend who had been thoroughly imbued with the socialist mindset. He was willing to concede there might be some adverse consequences if the government went too far toward equality and economic control, but was adamantly in favor of the [...]
Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink its Borders and Immigration Law
In recent years there have been numerous highly publicized federal raids against companies that had violated the law by employing illegal aliens. The hapless people were deported and the companies slapped with stiff penalties. Generally, the reaction has been, “Well, it’s about time the government got tough!”
For the most part, the strident voices of the [...]
The Four Mistakes of Nonlibertarians
George Leef is book review editor of The Freeman.
In Libertarianism: For and Against (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), two philosophers debate the merits of libertarianism. Arguing in favor is Professor Tibor Machan, a contributing editor to The Freeman. His opponent is Professor Craig Duncan, who attempts a refutation of libertarianism and seeks to persuade readers that [...]
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The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy–If We Let it Happen
By Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Peter J. Tanous
