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Champions of Freedom (The Ludwig von Mises Lecture Series, Volume 5)

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CHAMPIONS OF FREEDOM
LUDWIG VON MISES LECTURE SERIES VOL. 5 (1979)

This small book documents a very interesting time period in the American limited government movement. Most of the chapters deal with free market economics and the influence of economist Ludwig von Mises's theories. The book was published during the Carter presidency and collects transcripts of a speaking series made at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Former agriculture secretary Earl Butz's speech on food production could be contrasted with Gramm's speech in that they are both about the failure of price control economics, but Butz's is short and to the point whereas Gramm's has more statistics and reactions to specific policies. I will be honest and say that the Hayek speech included here is not one of his best. I don't disagree with what he's saying, but it simply isn't as engaging as his writings on the same subject.

Some of the people in this book went on to play much greater roles in American politics. Reagan's contribution is especially interesting because he had recently lost the Republican nomination to the more moderate Gerald Ford. Truth be told, the speech in this book is more radical than the economic policies he implemented during his presidency. Phil Gramm was a Democrat at the time this volume was published, but would become known as a reliable part of Reagan's economics allies in the U.S. senate. Jack Kemp had already been in congress for seven or eight years in 1979! Roger MacBride's chapter is of interest to "movement libertarians" as it deals with his 1976 campaign for president on the Libertarian party ticket. It is a great speech, but I do wish he would've mentioned some of the reactions to his role as a "faithless elector" for the Republicans in 1972.

Earl L. Butz:
"The American Food Machine and Private Entrepreneurship"

F.A. Hayek:
"Coping with Ignorance"

Ronald Reagan:
"What ever happened to free enterprise?"

Phil Gramm
"The Energy Crisis in Perspective"

Jack Kemp
"the Political Relevance of Ludwig von Mises"

Roger MacBride
"the Politics of Ideas"

For further reading, I would suggest Mises' Two Essays as a stepping stone to his more advanced theories!