Not So Free to Choose: The Political Economy of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan [Hardcover]

Elton Rayack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1986 | ISBN-10: 0275923630 | ISBN-13: 978-0275923631

This book is a critical and carefully documented study of the influence of the teachings of economist Milton Friedman on the current administration. Claiming that Friedman's popular writings have exerted a powerful influence on the policies, ideology, and rhetoric of the Reagan administration, the author examines some 300 columns Friedman has written for Newsweek along with his best-selling books, Capitalism and Freedom and Free to Choose. While conceding that President Reagan has sometimes opposed Friedman's recommendations, the author argues that by examining which Reagan proposals deviated from Friedman's laissez-faire line we can gain insight into the Presidet's real objectives as distinguished from the goals contained in his free-market rhetoric.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Since Milton Friedman's economic and social philosophy has been pretty much adopted by Ronald Reagan, an analysis of the former's validity--as is done in this book--throws much light on the latter. In an exceedingly readable form, Rayack (who received his PhD at the University of Chicago, where Friedman taught) dissects the various Friedman policies and usually shows them to be either shallow in reasoning or based on twisted facts, as well as cavalier in their treatment of history.... Critics of Reaganomics will find much to confirm their views; supporters would do well to ponder the implications. Academic and public library collections." -- Choice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (December 9, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275923630
• ISBN-13: 978-0275923631
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,506,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Dissapointed, June 11, 2000

By 

Erik A. Wilensky (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not So Free to Choose: The Political Economy of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan (Hardcover)

I was hoping for some interesting reading. Since Friedmans teachings are rooted in the most basic of economic fundementals, I expected a new and novel critisism of the free market to discover. Unfortunatly what I recieved in this book was a recap or index of anchient leftist elitist arguments against the free market, devoid of any objectivity or common sense whatsoever. If there was a selection for zero stars this book would be the perfect candidate

130 of 161 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Smacks of "Hired Gun" hatchet job, January 4, 2002

By 

J. Dickson "tolive" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not So Free to Choose: The Political Economy of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a decent critique of Friedman, that goes beyond a rehash of the leftist, elitist, collectivist nonsense that only plays in the ivory tower world of college campuses, as opposed to the real world, then don't look here. Not an original idea in the entire boring, poorly written, pathetically reasoned diatribe.

If you studied economics, or more importantly, critical reasoning in college, you will be very disappointed in this hackneyed effort.

Make no mistake, the Friedman statist economics is certainly not immune to criticism. This just isn't it. It's almost like you're in a time warp swept back to the age of Ricardo, Marx and other collectivists with absolutely no memory of the total discrediting of that theoretical nonsense by the real world over the past 50 years.

Am still trying to understand the critique of capitalism as "failure" in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea where the people are demonstrably freer, certainly better off economically, and with real prospects for steady improvement in their lives than most other people throughout the world.

I mean where do you knuckleheads see a better life, the state managed economic paradises like Nigeria, Kenya, Burundi, Argentina, or maybe Brazil? Get real. Friedman at least is right in that sense: freedom is the single most important factor in improving the quality, and importantly, the length of ones life. And capitalism is the only economic system consistent with individual freedom. But the free market does not mean that an imperial Federal Reserve must exist to "plan" (read: control) your economic life.

51 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not so good of a book, April 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Not So Free to Choose: The Political Economy of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan (Hardcover)

The analysis is weak. The criticism is unwarranted. The argument just does not add up. If you hate Friedman, you might like this book. It was written for a witch hunt.