The Case for Free Trade and Open Immigration [Hardcover]

Richard M. Ebeling (Author, Editor), Jacob G. Hornberger (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995

This book presents the uncompromising moral and philosophical case for the right of individuals to freely trade and move wherever they desire without government restriction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Critics of international trade will not like this book at all. Hornberger and Ebeling have assembled a collection of articles that are easy to read and understand. These articles seek to introduce elements of truth and good sense into public policy debate that have been dominated by critics who have been selling their nonsense to industry interest groups with the highest bid for protection from market forces." -- Richard B. McKenzie, Walter B. Gerkin Professor of Enterprise and Society, University of California, Irvine

"Marvelously explained here: Trade enriches, and more immigration benefits the United States. Read it and cheer." -- Julian Simon, author of The Economic Consequences of Immigration

"This book explains some of the factors Peter Brimelow, a senior editor at Forbes, ignores or glosses over in his book Alien Nation. The contributors explain that free trade and open immigration are closely related, two aspects of what constitute a free society, two natural rights that government has no just reason to inhibit, and transactions that have promoted progress and prosperity to the extent that they have been permitted. The authors also note that talk of limiting immigration betrays an inherent collectivism toward human endeavors. If we don't think bureaucrats in Washington should be allowed to prescribe the precise design of filters on the emission systems of our cars or the exact formula of gasoline, why should they be allowed to dictate the precise composition of our neighborhoods?" -- Alan W. Bock, Columnist, The Orange County, Calif, Register

"With the consensus in favor of open borders perhaps under greater attack than ever before, this book should help convert Americans to the cause of a genuinely free world." -- Doug Bandow, senior fellow, Cato Institute

About the Author

Richard M. Ebeling (co-editor) is the Ludwig von Mises Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, and serves as vice president of academic affairs for The Future of Freedom Foundation, a libertarian foundation in Fairfax, Virginia. He is the co-editor (along with Jacob G. Hornberger)of the following books published by The Foundation: The Dangers of Socialized Medicine; The Failure of America's Foreign Wars; and The Tyranny of Gun Control.

Jacob G. Hornberger (co-editor) is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation and has written extensively on issues of immigration and open borders. His editorials have appeared in English and Spanish in such publications as the Washington Post, the Las Vegas Tribune Journal, el Nuevo Miami Herald, and La Prensa San Diego.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: Future of Freedom Foundation (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964044749
• ISBN-13: 978-0964044746
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,233,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF). FFF's mission is to advance freedom by providing an uncompromising moral and economic case for individual liberty, free markets, private property, and limited government.

Mr. Hornberger was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. in economics from Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, where he taught law and economics. In 1987, Mr. Hornberger left the practice of law to become director of programs at The Foundation for Economic Education, publisher of The Freeman.

In 1989, Mr. Hornberger established The Future of Freedom Foundation. He is a regular writer for FFF's monthly journal Freedom Daily, writes a daily blog, and other commentaries. His editorials have appeared in the Washington Post, Charlotte Observer, La Presna San Diego, El Nuevo Miami Herald, and many others, both in the United States and in Latin America.

Mr. Hornberger has delivered speeches and engaged in debates about free-market principles with groups all over the United States, as well as Canada, England, Europe, and Latin America, including Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Argentina.

He has also advanced freedom and free markets on talk-radio stations all across the country as well as on Fox News' Neil Cavuto and Greta van Susteren shows. Recently, he has regularly appeared as a commentator on Fox News' legal commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano's Internet-based show Freedom Watch.

Mr. Hornberger is co-editor of five books that have been published by The Future of Freedom Foundation (www.fff.org).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughts of an Ex-Isolationist, January 22, 2003

By 

jacob skousen (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case for Free Trade and Open Immigration (Paperback)

Like most Americans, I thought illegal aliens were destroying the country. For most of us, TV was the source for that opinion.

This book changed my mind.

Its a compliation of articles by a somewhat limited variety of modern-day authors about the history and consequences of tight borders. You don't need an economics or political science degree to enjoy and understand the book immensely.

The book covers arguments against immigration and free trade such as; the drains on Social Security and Welfare by "lazy" immigrants, the "stealing" of jobs within the borders and the export of jobs to foreign countries, the increases in crime supposedly associated with immigration, the consequences of import/export tariffs and quotas, and artifically high wages relative to the world. All are justifiably made in defense of the American way of life, but simply fail to comprehend the nature of free trade and immigration as presented in this book. No credible argument is left unturned. Each is dealt with fairly and persuasively. Where appropriate, numbers are introduced.

The true nature of international trade and its costs/benefits along with an accurate representation of immigration are concisely and beautifully presented. All that is left of the opposition is a pile of emotional isolationism.

The drafters of our so-far successful Constitution agreed with the principles in this book; others would do well to find out why.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The art of misquoting, February 22, 2006

By 

Arno Mong Daastl "arnomd" (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Case for Free Trade and Open Immigration (Paperback)

A grotesque misquote by Prof. Ebeling, (in the chapter "The Ghost of Protectionism Past: The Return of Friedrich List") is so completely out of context that one wonders what the rest of the book is like. The real context is that List explains the
actual effects of war (which may act like protection) and peace (when this reintroduces free trade). I lost my appetite for a book that uses dishonest methods to prove its point that (moderate and temporary) protection leads to war. I guess the next thing would be to claim that protectionists are really all nazis? Here is the quote in question:

"[A] war which promotes the transition from the purely agricultural to the mixed agricultural-manufacturing state is therefore a blessing for a nation. . . . Whereas a peace, which throws back into a purely agricultural condition a state destined to become industrialized, is a curse incomparably more harmful than a war."