This issue of The Freeman praises the spirit of liberty and warns against political forces that erode personal responsibility. It critiques protectionist trade policies that compel Americans to “pay more and get less,” examines how monetary manipulation fuels debt and high interest rates, and argues that only free-market wages can cure unemployment. Additional essays explain how prosperity grows through voluntary exchange with strangers, challenge the notion of a “right” to education, and trace the lingering effects of New Deal planning. The issue also explores moral hazards in government power, evaluates tax expenditures, celebrates Ludwig von Mises’s defense of capitalism, and shows how coercive redistribution undermines genuine charity.
