August 2025 - Lpmo-info - Moellman Enterprises Email

Follow-up on voice message re: KOSA/App Store Accountability Act
by lane＠arenacampaigns.com 09 Sep '25

09 Sep '25

Dear Missouri Libertarian Party - I left you a message today, following up as promised with some information. I want to sound the alarm on new legislation called "the App Store Accountability Act," (KOSA Act<https://archive.ph/UEMdE> similar) a federal bill that would require age verification before downloading any app, even something as simple as a weather app. This means anyone who wants to download an app would be forced to turn over sensitive personal data just to access basic digital tools. Worse, it strips away a parent's right to decide when and how their children's data is shared. I believe the federal government should not be in the business of parenting our children or building a database of their personal information. I am asking for your help in stopping this massive attack on privacy, parental rights and the First Amendment. Please let me know if you are interested in engaging on this issue and letting Congressman Jason Smith know why this is a bad bill. I am happy to draft letters, letters to the editor and op-eds for you to edit, to make this process as easy as possible for you. Let me know what your preference is. I really feel a letter or op ed from a leader(s) from your party would be impactful. Thanks for your time! Best, Lane App Store Accountability Act What the Bill Does: The App Store Accountability Act<https://james.house.gov/uploadedfiles/james_app_store_accountability_act_fi…>, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would do the following: * Require all users to verify their age before allowing them to use app stores and download apps. * This age verification requirement would be implemented at the app store level and apply equally to all users and all apps, such that no one can download any apps without first verifying their age. * As age verification in most cases requires a government ID, app store users would be forced to surrender considerable amounts of personal information just to download apps. * Likewise, because the verification mandate applies universally, parents cannot decide for themselves which apps to share their children's age data with. o Parents can only approve or decline downloads for individual apps, but are not able to pick and choose who can view their children's age data because it will have already been shared with the app stores. Criticisms Against the App Store Accountability Act: A Privacy Nightmare: * The App Store Accountability Act is an over-the-top, one-size-fits all law that forces Americans, regardless of age, to hand over personal information to use all apps - not just those with potentially harmful content. o Every app, even those as harmless as the weather and flashlight apps, will be given sensitive personal information to verify a user's age before they can be used. o In reality, this bill makes children and adults less safe online by creating a treasure trove of sensitive online data for potential theft and abuse by cybercriminals. Violates Parental Rights: * The App Store Accountability Act takes decision making out of the hands of the parent. Parents would not be allowed to pick and choose which apps get their children's data because all age data is handed over to app developers by default just by accessing the app stores. o This is exactly the type of decision that should be the responsibility of each parent, not the federal government. Stripping parents of their right to choose what their children do is the definition of government overreach. Violates on the First Amendment: * The App Store Accountability Act would violate Americans' First Amendment Rights by forcing age verification. o Age verification has repeatedly been found unconstitutional for limiting Americans' access to protected speech, and other state laws that do the same have been struck down by courts time and time again. Waste of Taxpayer Money: * Congress should focus on other issues on President Trump's agenda, not unconstitutional bills like the App Store Accountability Act that will be fought in court and very likely struck down. o When laws are challenged in court, they cost taxpayers money. This bill would result in a huge waste of that money when it is inevitably challenged in court and very likely struck down. Flawed Solution: * This bill does not even solve the issue of children's online safety - it only applies to app stores and can be easily bypassed by children simply using a web browser. [cid:image001.png at 01DC1687.A9F4EFF0]

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GET YOUR TICKET- Langenberg Speaker Series featuring Steve Forbes!
by hammondinstitute＠lindenwood.edu 29 Aug '25

29 Aug '25

Email from Plaster College of Business You don't want to miss this... www.HammondInstitute.org ? Hello, We wanted to make you aware of an upcoming event happening in St. Charles, MO! For the first time in 18 years, The Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise at Lindenwood University, in partnership with Young America?s Foundation, will welcome Steve Forbes back to St. Louis for a presentation on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles. A renowned American publishing executive and public policy leader, Mr. Forbes serves as the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media. If possible, we would appreciate your assistance with sharing this with your membership. We look forward to this exciting evening, and hope to see you there! Thank you! ? RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET ? September 18, 2025 | 7:00 P.M. (CT) A Conversation with Steve Forbes: How Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Make America Great In-Person Event LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY J. SCHEIDEGGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2300 West Clay Street St. Charles, MO 63301 Campus Map Directions Doors Open ? 6:00 P.M. (CT) Event Starts ? 7:00 P.M. (CT) Event Ends ? 8:30 P.M. (CT) FREE GENERAL ADMISSION Join Lindenwood University?s Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise and Young America?s Foundation for an inspiring conversation with Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media. Hear Mr. Forbes share how free enterprise and entrepreneurship make America great. Discover how free markets and entrepreneurial determination drive innovation, prosperity, and opportunity in America. Mr. Forbes will explore principles that fuel economic success and individual freedom, offering insights for everyone eager to shape the nation?s economic future. The event will start promptly at 7:00 P.M. (CT) and will begin with a presentation by Mr. Forbes, followed by a Q&A session. Registered attendees will be able to submit questions prior to the event. Open discussion and audience participation are hallmarks of the Langenberg Speaker Series, so the Q&A session will make up a significant part of the program, which will end at 8:30 P.M. (CT). ?Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and expand your horizons. Reserve your spot today! The event is free and open to the general public. ? RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET ? ? ? ? ? Our mission is to foster free enterprise and civil and religious liberty through the examination of market-oriented approaches to economic and social issues. ? www.HammondInstitute.org ? Plaster College of Business | 209 South Kingshighway | St. Charles, MO 63301 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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News and Events from your friends at the Hammond Institute
by hammondinstitute＠lindenwood.edu 26 Aug '25

26 Aug '25

Email from Plaster College of Business www.HammondInstitute.org ? QUARTERLY NEWS & UPDATES August 2025 The Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise saw no summer slump! We ended the spring semester with a flurry of activity that continued through the summer, with engaging activities for students, relevant research, and meaningful community outreach. In this quarterly update, check out highlights of what?s been happening and learn about upcoming free events that you won?t want to miss. Look for more updates throughout the year to learn about all the ways the Hammond Institute is making a difference. ? H. F. LANGENBERG MEMORIAL SPEAKER SERIES ? A Conversation with Steve Forbes: How Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Make America Great September 18, 2025 Doors Open ? 6:00 P.M. (CT) Event Starts ? 7:00 P.M. (CT) Event Ends ? 8:30 P.M. (CT) In-Person LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY J. SCHEIDEGGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2300 West Clay Street St. Charles, MO 63301 Directions FREE GENERAL ADMISSION Join Lindenwood University?s Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise and Young America?s Foundation for an inspiring conversation with Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media. Hear Mr. Forbes share how free enterprise and entrepreneurship make America great. Discover how free markets and entrepreneurial determination drive innovation, prosperity, and opportunity in America. Mr. Forbes will explore principles that fuel economic success and individual freedom, offering insights for everyone eager to shape the nation?s economic future. The event will start promptly at 7:00 P.M. (CT) and will begin with a presentation by Mr. Forbes, followed by a Q&A session. Registered attendees will be able to submit questions prior to the event. Open discussion and audience participation are hallmarks of the Langenberg Speaker Series, so the Q&A session will make up a significant part of the program, which will end at 8:30 P.M. (CT). Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and expand your horizons. Reserve your spot today! The event is free and open to the general public. ? RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET ? ?The H. F. Langenberg Memorial Speaker Series was established in 2017. Our goal is to provide members of the St. Louis area community with an opportunity to hear leading intellectuals and to engage in intellectual discussion and debate. ? LIBERTY & ETHICS CENTER ? SAVE THE DATE! _______ BUSINESS ETHICS PANEL November 6, 2025 Lunch Starts ? 11:00 A.M. (CT) Event Starts ? 11:30 A.M. (CT) Event Ends ? 12:45 P.M. (CT) LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall ?The Liberty & Ethics Center is focused on the humanistic aspects of the broader mission of the Hammond Institute. Its mission is to foster scholarship on the roles of free enterprise and liberty in advancing the virtues necessary for a society that is both prosperous and just. ? ECONOMIC EDUCATION CENTER ? GET MONEY SMART @ LINDENWOOD During the month of April, the Hammond Institute?s Economic Education Center hosted its fifth annual Get Money Smart @ Lindenwood financial education series. The four-week series provided practical information presented in a concise, easy-to-understand format that equipped Lindenwood students to improve their financial literacy and take actions that can help them achieve financial wellbeing. Presenters this year included speakers from Vantage Investment Services Group, Mission Financial, and Lindenwood University. Pictured above is Lindenwood student Katt Mossinghoff who presented on "Using Your Entrepreneurial Spirit to Get Started in Investing". Katt is a Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Major. MAD CITY MONEY In June, the Economic Education Center hosted 45 students from the TRIO Educational Talent Search program through the Higher Education Consortium of Metropolitan St. Louis to participate in the Mad City Money Financial Reality Simulation. Mad City Money is an experiential learning program designed to enhance students? financial knowledge and skills and empower them to be effective and responsible decision makers at both personal and professional levels. These activities were supported by the center?s partnerships with St. Louis Community Credit Union and local schools. The Economic Education Center will continue its outreach this fall with local high schools. TEACHER WORKSHOP In June, the Economic Education Center, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, offered a professional development workshop for local educators, pre-service teachers (Lindenwood education majors), and Lindenwood education faculty. Participants learned about free educational resources and creative teaching strategies that can be used in area classrooms to enhance students? economic and financial literacy. Participants also learned about continuing education opportunities at Lindenwood. ? EEC GIFT This summer, the Economic Education Center received a gift of $2,500 from RGA (Reinsurance Group of America) through the Council for Economic Education. RGA is a global leader in the reinsurance industry and is ranked #196 in the Fortune 500. RGA, whose world headquarters is in Chesterfield, is partnering to support the center?s financial education activities in 2025-2026 and will provide volunteers for events throughout the year, including the Mad City Money Financial Reality Simulations. The mission of the Economic Education Center includes the provision of services for K-16 educators, K-16 students, K-12 youth organizers, and K-12 parents. Through various activities the Center will increase economic and financial awareness and instill appreciation and value for using sound economic reasoning to make choices associated with comfortable and secure living. ? CENTER FOR APPLIED ECONOMICS ? ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH In August, the Center for Applied Economics ? in partnership with St. Louis Community College and TechSTL ? released a summary report, ?State of the St. Louis Metro Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.? The report highlights findings from a three-year research project funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that explored the experiences of startups and entrepreneurs in the region and the ecosystem that supports them. The research examined characteristics of local entrepreneurs and the experiences of their businesses. The report highlights challenges faced by entrepreneurs in starting and running their businesses, such as access to funds, cost of funds, customer payment issues, and lack of business training. It also notes how the local ecosystem has been strained in the past five years, undergoing considerable changes. ?The Center for Applied Economics (formerly the Center for Economics and the Environment) produces and disseminates policy-oriented research on state and local economies. It also provides resources and a forum for student and faculty training and research. ? GIVING Empower the Hammond Institute to continue to make a difference with your financial support. * Please select Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise from the dropdown ? SUPPORT US ? ? ? ? Our mission is to foster free enterprise and civil and religious liberty through the examination of market-oriented approaches to economic and social issues. ? www.HammondInstitute.org ? Plaster College of Business | 209 South Kingshighway | St. Charles, MO 63301 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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The Government is CRIMINAL | Anarcho-Capitalism with Walter E. Block
by walterblock＠substack.com 24 Aug '25

24 Aug '25

View this post on the web at https://walterblock.substack.com/p/the-government-is-criminal-anarcho The Government is CRIMINAL | Anarcho-Capitalism with Walter E. Block [ https://substack.com/redirect/b043451b-3df6-494b-ba38-b37d98727d71?j=eyJ1Ij… ] ChatGPT & New Orleans Event 1. https://chatgpt.com/share/68ab4b6c-0408-8001-ac6a-489693ec36f5 [ https://substack.com/redirect/1fe03c67-167f-42d8-bb4a-c58380cf9f4c?j=eyJ1Ij… ] 2. I full well realize that very few of you live in New Orleans. But, some of you may live within an hours? travel of the Big Easy. Others, may visit from time to time, and may be able to arrange your stays in NO so as to be able to attend this seminar. Here are the upcoming dates for the HA seminar (so named, because the first book we studied was Mises? Human Action) for the fall semester, 2025 at Loyola University New Orleans: 8/22/25, 9/12/25, new date: 10/3/25, cancel: 10/10/25, 11/7/25, 12/5/25. All the seminars go from 5:30 to 7:00 pm and are held in room 324 Miller Hall, Northwest Corner of Loyola and Calhoun Streets. Free dinner afterward. We will be studying and discussing this book: Rothbard, Murray N. 1973. For a New Liberty, Macmillan, New York; http://mises.org/rothbard/newlibertywhole.asp [ https://substack.com/redirect/9b554751-4f4e-4b50-aa45-2bd0cad6945c?j=eyJ1Ij… ] In our last session, we got as far as page 180, so we?ll start there in September. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93YWx0ZXJibG9jay5zdWJzdGF…

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With Major Disdain for Tariffs, a Partial Case for Trump's Tariffs
by walterblock＠substack.com 24 Aug '25

24 Aug '25

View this post on the web at https://walterblock.substack.com/p/with-major-disdain-for-tariffs-a Let us take up the limited government point of view according to which some small amount of taxation is justified and economically important. At present, relative to tariffs, income taxes reach into the stratosphere. The former is estimated as bringing about 2.5% of all government revenues. There is the eminently reasonable point to be made that our country?s GDP would be higher if the former were lowered and the latter raised. This has to do with the diminishing returns of pretty much everything in economics, at least eventually. But this is not at all Mr. Trump?s tariff plan. Yes, he has been in effect balancing tax by lowering those in income, on corporations, etc. However, in his view, tariffs are per se a good thing. Indeed, that word is the most beautiful in the entire English language according to him. No economist worthy of his salt would go along with any such claim, to say the least. However, to defend out president, ?actions speak louder than words.? Given that we must have taxation at all (some extremists argue against this), it is not at all clear that The Donald?s actions, as opposed to his mere rhetoric, are at all ineffective. Yes, he would be well advised to have a love affair with some other word than ?tariffs.? Then, too, many objections to Trump?s tariffs are far too general. They apply to all taxes. Therefore, the denigration of these levies completely miss the mark, given our assumption that at least some taxation is justified. However, it does not logically follow that many of the critics of Trump?s tariffs are misbegotten that his plan is valid. Some of the criticisms of the flat earth hypothesis may well be wrong, but that hardly supports this viewpoint. Showing the errors of flat earth criticism does indeed, somewhat, vaguely, indirectly, buttress flat-earthism. Anyone contenting himself with this sort of argument shows how weak is his support for Trump?s policy. Is there any sort of economic case for some type sort of tariff? According to some economists, there is. It would depend upon the existence of monopoly power on the part of the home country, and then being able to extract monopoly profits on the basis of it from other countries; through tariffs. In my view this is wrong per se, since in the first place the monopoly theory at the basis of this initiative is itself faulty. As I see matters, there is not, there cannot be, any such thing as monopoly under full free enterprise. These theoreticians rely upon concentration ratios to establish monopoly, and the two are very different incompatible phenomenon. Real monopoly depends solely upon special privileges which can only emanate from government (the Post Office, taxi cab medallions, some licensing arrangements), and has nothing at all to do with business concentration. This is a ?beggar my neighbor? policy. This erroneous theory at best implies that under very limited circumstances the domestic country can have its economic welfare improved, but only at the cost of impoverishing the rest of the world. However, even this monopolistic justification for tariffs only claims benefits on the part of the home country given the unlikely case that they do not bring in their wake retaliatory tariffs from other nations. Is there an argument for tariffs on a non-economic basis? Yes, from the perspective of politics, but not economics. Stipulate, arguendo, that some country engages in slave labor against a minority of its population. We do not have to go too far out on the proverbial limb to posit, also, that this is a bad thing. We have to reach further to assume it is any business of the US government to stop this moral outrage, but we go there too. Then, there are two types of activities our country could take. One, bomb them back into the stone age. Two, engage in very punitive tariffs against them. Surely, the latter has great advantages over the former. At the very least, we should try trade restrictions which will hurt the both of us, first, before getting into the deep water of a military battle. By the way, did Bernie Sanders ever support tariffs? He most certainly did; he is on record for so doing. He insisted though that while his own type of tariffs would be justified, none of the present ones pass this test. However, he fails, utterly, to offer any criterion on the basis of which disinterested parties can discern the difference. Therefore, it comes from him with little grace to inveigh against Trumpian tariffs. Originally published here. [ https://substack.com/redirect/fc768987-d9cc-4abf-9866-9967cf1d0af3?j=eyJ1Ij… ] Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93YWx0ZXJibG9jay5zdWJzdGF…

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News and Events from your friends at the Hammond Institute
by hammondinstitute＠lindenwood.edu 22 Aug '25

22 Aug '25

Email from Plaster College of Business www.HammondInstitute.org ? QUARTERLY NEWS & UPDATES August 2025 The Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise saw no summer slump! We ended the spring semester with a flurry of activity that continued through the summer, with engaging activities for students, relevant research, and meaningful community outreach. In this quarterly update, check out highlights of what?s been happening and learn about upcoming free events that you won?t want to miss. Look for more updates throughout the year to learn about all the ways the Hammond Institute is making a difference. ? H. F. LANGENBERG MEMORIAL SPEAKER SERIES ? A Conversation with Steve Forbes: How Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Make America Great September 18, 2025 Doors Open ? 6:00 P.M. (CT) Event Starts ? 7:00 P.M. (CT) Event Ends ? 8:30 P.M. (CT) In-Person LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY J. SCHEIDEGGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2300 West Clay Street St. Charles, MO 63301 Directions FREE GENERAL ADMISSION Join Lindenwood University?s Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise and Young America?s Foundation for an inspiring conversation with Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media. Hear Mr. Forbes share how free enterprise and entrepreneurship make America great. Discover how free markets and entrepreneurial determination drive innovation, prosperity, and opportunity in America. Mr. Forbes will explore principles that fuel economic success and individual freedom, offering insights for everyone eager to shape the nation?s economic future. The event will start promptly at 7:00 P.M. (CT) and will begin with a presentation by Mr. Forbes, followed by a Q&A session. Registered attendees will be able to submit questions prior to the event. Open discussion and audience participation are hallmarks of the Langenberg Speaker Series, so the Q&A session will make up a significant part of the program, which will end at 8:30 P.M. (CT). Don't miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and expand your horizons. Reserve your spot today! The event is free and open to the general public. ? RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET ? ?The H. F. Langenberg Memorial Speaker Series was established in 2017. Our goal is to provide members of the St. Louis area community with an opportunity to hear leading intellectuals and to engage in intellectual discussion and debate. ? LIBERTY & ETHICS CENTER ? SAVE THE DATE! _______ BUSINESS ETHICS PANEL November 6, 2025 Lunch Starts ? 11:00 A.M. (CT) Event Starts ? 11:30 A.M. (CT) Event Ends ? 12:45 P.M. (CT) LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall ?The Liberty & Ethics Center is focused on the humanistic aspects of the broader mission of the Hammond Institute. Its mission is to foster scholarship on the roles of free enterprise and liberty in advancing the virtues necessary for a society that is both prosperous and just. ? ECONOMIC EDUCATION CENTER ? GET MONEY SMART @ LINDENWOOD During the month of April, the Hammond Institute?s Economic Education Center hosted its fifth annual Get Money Smart @ Lindenwood financial education series. The four-week series provided practical information presented in a concise, easy-to-understand format that equipped Lindenwood students to improve their financial literacy and take actions that can help them achieve financial wellbeing. Presenters this year included speakers from Vantage Investment Services Group, Mission Financial, and Lindenwood University. Pictured above is Lindenwood student Katt Mossinghoff who presented on "Using Your Entrepreneurial Spirit to Get Started in Investing". Katt is a Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Major. MAD CITY MONEY In June, the Economic Education Center hosted 45 students from the TRIO Educational Talent Search program through the Higher Education Consortium of Metropolitan St. Louis to participate in the Mad City Money Financial Reality Simulation. Mad City Money is an experiential learning program designed to enhance students? financial knowledge and skills and empower them to be effective and responsible decision makers at both personal and professional levels. These activities were supported by the center?s partnerships with St. Louis Community Credit Union and local schools. The Economic Education Center will continue its outreach this fall with local high schools. TEACHER WORKSHOP In June, the Economic Education Center, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, offered a professional development workshop for local educators, pre-service teachers (Lindenwood education majors), and Lindenwood education faculty. Participants learned about free educational resources and creative teaching strategies that can be used in area classrooms to enhance students? economic and financial literacy. Participants also learned about continuing education opportunities at Lindenwood. ? EEC GIFT This summer, the Economic Education Center received a gift of $2,500 from RGA (Reinsurance Group of America) through the Council for Economic Education. RGA is a global leader in the reinsurance industry and is ranked #196 in the Fortune 500. RGA, whose world headquarters is in Chesterfield, is partnering to support the center?s financial education activities in 2025-2026 and will provide volunteers for events throughout the year, including the Mad City Money Financial Reality Simulations. The mission of the Economic Education Center includes the provision of services for K-16 educators, K-16 students, K-12 youth organizers, and K-12 parents. Through various activities the Center will increase economic and financial awareness and instill appreciation and value for using sound economic reasoning to make choices associated with comfortable and secure living. ? CENTER FOR APPLIED ECONOMICS ? ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH In August, the Center for Applied Economics ? in partnership with St. Louis Community College and TechSTL ? released a summary report, ?State of the St. Louis Metro Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.? The report highlights findings from a three-year research project funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that explored the experiences of startups and entrepreneurs in the region and the ecosystem that supports them. The research examined characteristics of local entrepreneurs and the experiences of their businesses. The report highlights challenges faced by entrepreneurs in starting and running their businesses, such as access to funds, cost of funds, customer payment issues, and lack of business training. It also notes how the local ecosystem has been strained in the past five years, undergoing considerable changes. ?The Center for Applied Economics (formerly the Center for Economics and the Environment) produces and disseminates policy-oriented research on state and local economies. It also provides resources and a forum for student and faculty training and research. ? GIVING Empower the Hammond Institute to continue to make a difference with your financial support. * Please select Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise from the dropdown ? SUPPORT US ? ? ? ? Our mission is to foster free enterprise and civil and religious liberty through the examination of market-oriented approaches to economic and social issues. ? www.HammondInstitute.org ? Plaster College of Business | 209 South Kingshighway | St. Charles, MO 63301 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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21 Aug '25

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The 10 Books That Have Most Influenced Walter Block
by walterblock＠substack.com 17 Aug '25

17 Aug '25

View this post on the web at https://walterblock.substack.com/p/the-10-books-that-have-most-influenced My Top Ten List of Books That Have Influenced Me Here, with a few comments on each, are the top ten books which have influenced me in my career as an Austro-libertarian economist. I will not make substantive comments about each. Rather, I intend to personalize my impressions of each, and indicate what they have meant to me. 1. Ludwig von Mises? Human Action [ https://substack.com/redirect/87ef2ea9-9c90-4289-92a3-2429e49b3bb9?j=eyJ1Ij… ] heads up my list. I remember, fondly, well, in an embarrassed sort of way, one of my earliest days in the movement. I was in Murray Rothbard?s house, who had recently converted me to the anarchist position, and I saw a picture of Mises on his wall. I challenged Murray: "Why do you have a picture of Mises on your wall; he?s not an anarchist, he?s a statist?" Murray just smiled gently at me and said that I would understand one of these days. I feel so embarrassed now, that I was such an idiot then, but, I suppose, confession is good for the soul. One of the great benefits of being associated with the Mises Institute is that I get to go to a week long seminar where a bunch of us, old timers and young new scholars, chew over this book. It is a very exhilarating experience to say the least. As a result of these seminars, plus reading on my own, I must have gone through Human Action, oh, maybe, a dozen times in my life. I haven?t read it through each time, but, boy oh boy, do I get something from it every time I look at it. I don?t like to brag, but, I actually met Mises. I attended the very last seminar he gave at New York University. He was very weak then, couldn?t speak up, could hardly hear the questions put to him; but, what an honor to have actually been in the same room with this giant of liberty and rational economics. The Mises Institute also organizes a week long seminar during the summer devoted to the study of this book [ https://substack.com/redirect/02374174-aa65-4bcf-8488-c2df13fbb52a?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. 2. Murray N. Rothbard?s Man, Economy and State [ https://substack.com/redirect/2efdb06f-966e-4879-adb2-23f1eaf5a6be?j=eyJ1Ij… ] is a close second for me. Indeed, the decision as to which one comes first, and which one comes second, HA or MES, was an exceedingly difficult one for me to make. It is similar for me to the choice between Bach and Mozart, my two favorite composers. To me, there are few greater pleasures than reading either of these two books, while listening to the music of these two composers. I first started reading MES in the early days of my association with Murray, in about 1966. It was a schizophrenic experience. During the day I would read this book, and at night I would go over to his house to play Risk, to gossip, to cackle (ONE of the u201Cproblemsu201D we his followers had with him was stomach cramps from hour and hour of laughing) and to seriously discuss economics, politics, history, philosophy, pretty much everything under the sun. My weirdness manifested itself in the following way: I couldn?t understand why this great man would condescend to have anything to do with young worthless me. I was a student for goodness sakes, never having accomplished anything; he was to Austro-libertarianism what Bach and Mozart are to music. So, I resolved I would try to become worthy of being in his august presence. How? By being hypercritical of him. (Don?t ask; I was a weirdo. I still am in some ways, although at least some of my rough edges have been knocked off through time.) I am amazed that he had so much patience with me. Looking back on this experience, I now see that all he wanted to do was, amazingly, be friends with me. I guess I just wasn?t ready for that in those years. Happily, later on, I was able to accept his friendship. I can?t fully explain what it meant to me to be an actual friend of Murray Rothbard?s for decades. It doesn?t get much better than that. 3 and 4. Rothbard?s For a New Liberty [ https://substack.com/redirect/002ea78a-df97-417a-8658-a86967ac2db2?j=eyJ1Ij… ] and The Ethics of Liberty [ https://substack.com/redirect/f40ef5d7-e93d-4017-9a5a-ff6a3d2700af?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. I don?t know why, but I always viewed these two books as part of a larger one volume set (similar to the amalgamation of Man, Economy and State with Power and Market). One explains what liberty is all about in a philosophical way, the other how it would work from a practical point of view. I was especially taken with Murray?s evisceration, at the end of The Ethics, of the views of Isaiah Berlin, F.A. Hayek and Robert Nozick. Probably, if I were to be accurate, I would mention three or four others of Murray?s books in my top ten. But, I am nothing if not a believer in affirmative action, in this case for other scholars who have influenced me. Obviously, my own career is modeled, to the best of my ability at least, on Murray?s example. I have been sometimes called "a pale carbon copy of Rothbard." It was meant as an insult, but I take this as the highest form of praise possible. 5. Ayn Rand?s Atlas Shrugged [ https://substack.com/redirect/dc906d15-b756-49b2-b506-0767631f2ed5?j=eyJ1Ij… ] is my fifth most influential book, but she is by far my favorite novelist (my second favorite is Chaim Potok). This book was first published in 1957, and more than 50 years later is still selling like hot cakes. Atlas is to be credited with converting more people to libertarianism than any other book. Heck, more than any other ten, twenty and maybe one hundred books. Random House-Modern Library once surveyed [ https://substack.com/redirect/b928a099-6afa-4489-9739-e90176056bb8?j=eyJ1Ij… ] their customers to ascertain their favorite books, and, you guessed it, Atlas took the very first place out of the hundred mentioned on their list; astoundingly, three others of her publications also made the top ten. They also polled their employees, but nothing written by Ayn Rand appeared anywhere on that top hundred list. (I thank Mike Peinovich for directing me to this url.) I first read Atlas in 1963, when I was 22 years old. I read it straight through (except for that horrid Galt speech); I simply couldn?t put it down. Since then, I have read it every 10 years or so, at a more moderate rate; but I still get a lot out of it every time. Some people, libertarians, even, criticize Atlas as simplistic, one-dimensional, poorly written. As far as I?m concerned, the words she wrote fairly leap off the page at the reader, grab him by the throat, and never ever let go. This is a magnificent novel. 6. Henry Hazlitt?s Economics in One Lesson [ https://substack.com/redirect/92c7d398-3502-4065-b9b6-b275041e632f?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. I simply love this book. I based my own Defending [ https://substack.com/redirect/157f2339-c99c-451e-8529-b16208a977c1?j=eyJ1Ij… ] on it: each of them have one basic "lesson," followed by several dozen chapters illustrating it. Apart from that, my pitiful effort does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as his. One of the greatest honors I have had was to be asked to prepare an introduction for the Mises Institute?s publication of Economics in One Lesson. Writing it was truly a labor of love. I use this book, and Atlas, as supplementary readings whenever I teach introductory economics. The two of them, together, were the most instrumental in converting me to laissez faire capitalism; why not run them both by my students? Let me tell you how I came to read both of these books at about the same time. I was a senior in Brooklyn College in 1963, when Ayn Rand lectured there. I came to boo and hiss her, since she favored free enterprise, and everyone I have ever come into contact with up to that time knew full well that competitive markets were responsible for starvation, unemployment, depressions, inflations and sweat shops (disease and body odor, too). I was a Brooklyn Jewish Pinko Commie type (this is a redundancy; the big debate in my family was between the out-and-out card-carrying Communists, and the left liberal socialists). Anyway, after her lecture, the Ayn Rand study group that had invited her to campus announced there would be a luncheon in her honor. Anyone could attend, even if you didn?t agree with her, we were told. I hadn?t had my fill of booing and hissing, so I went. When I arrived, I found a long table with about 25 people per side, with Ayn Rand sitting at the head of it, and her chief lieutenants (Leonard Peikoff, Alan Greenspan, Nathaniel Branden, Barbara Branden) ranged alongside. I was relegated to the foot of the table. I turned to my neighbor, and tried to debate him, but he said the people who knew about all this stuff were sitting at the other end of the table. So, young chutspanick that I was at the time (I?m now an old chutspanick), I stuck my head between Nathan?s and Ayn?s, and said there was someone who wanted to engage in a debate over socialism versus capitalism. They asked Who was this person? I said it was me. Branden was very gracious to this impertinent behavior of mine. He said he would come to the other end of the table to talk to me about this, under two conditions. First, we would not allow our debate to lapse after this one session; we would continue until we felt it was settled between us. And second, I would read two books he would recommend to me. Well, I read the Rand and Hazlitt books, went to his apartment some half dozen times, and was converted by him, with an assist from these other Objectivists I mentioned above. My impression of Ayn Rand up close was one of great passion. She had the sparkliest eyes I have ever seen. She radiated energy. 7. Carl Menger, Principles [ https://substack.com/redirect/d0a2502c-dccf-4c6f-bcc0-3ed1e3f6f030?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. This is a carefully organized and inspirational book. Menger is the father of Austrian economics, and what a start he made. Principles is written beautifully, and simply, and packs a powerful message. Menger?s detailed analysis of the horse market is alone worth the entire price of admission. I had expected my graduate education at Columbia to be something along the lines of this book plus Human Action, Man, Economy and State, and the books to be mentioned below by Hayek and B?hm-Bawerk. Boy, was I ever disappointed. It was nothing like that. Instead, it was a tortured experience of mathematics, statistics, econometrics, with a bit of socialism and mainstream neoclassical analysis thrown in for good measure. I was bored to tears. But, my alternative was going off to fight someplace in Southeast Asia I had not much heard about, so I stuck it out. 8. Lysander Spooner, No Treason [ https://substack.com/redirect/d229e8e3-de9b-4b6b-b0cd-7df0f16edfe5?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. Back to libertarian theory from Austrianism. No anarcho-capitalist should give this book as pass. It furnishes a magnificent perspective on the state. No one will ever look at government in quite the same way as they did before reading this book. It makes you sit up, take notice, and start cheering and applauding. Are taxes justified? Is the state? What about the fact that we vote? Pay taxes? No one deals with these sorts of questions better than Lysander Spooner. If you are not inspired by this book, you probably don?t have a pulse. 9. Hayek, Prices and Production [ https://substack.com/redirect/5de3be2b-3f05-487d-9dc5-2709b37dab83?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. This slim volume, in my opinion, is Hayek?s best work. I imagine its "triangle" analysis of the structure of production influenced the chapter in Man, Economy and State on the Austrian Business Cycle Theory. That diagram, in any case, is not to be found in Mises. Although I have more recently become a critic [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2c40c9a-80ea-427a-87a0-fb073370979a?j=eyJ1Ij… ] of this way of presenting ABCT, full disclosure, I have a confession to make: I still think in terms of the triangle for macro questions. And when I do, I think nice thoughts about Hayek. 10. Eugen von B?hm-Bawerk, Capital and Interest [ https://substack.com/redirect/439a02d4-2a23-499f-8fa5-9c4f4a2f430d?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. The thing that struck me most about this book was its intensity and attention to detail. This author went through, seemingly, every theory of interest ever propounded by anyone. And, he subjected each one to such excruciating and detailed refutation it left me breathless. I confess this struck a chord in me, and I have adopted this style in my own work. I am proud and honored to be a member of the same school of thought as B?hm-Bawerk. Don?t ask me why, but having discussed my favorite books, the ones that have influenced me the most, I feel compelled to at least list, but not discuss, my favorite composers, some of whom I have mentioned above. So, here goes: Mozart Bach Handel Vivaldi Beethoven Rossini Haydn Scarlatti Corelli Donizetti Albinoni Telemann Rimsky-Korsakov Boccherini Dittersdorf Schubert Tchaikovsky Respighi (but only for Ancient Airs and Dances) Pachelbel Here is a bit of full disclosure coming up. I was inspired to write about the ten books that have influenced me the most by Tyler Cowen; here [ https://substack.com/redirect/2e90682a-aa75-434a-9424-728038679bb9?j=eyJ1Ij… ] is his list. He calls on others to follow his lead in this regard, and I am happy to do so. I must say, that although we are both Austro-libertarian economists, our understanding of this concept must be very different, as there is very little overlap between our two lists. Well, none, that is. There is no one single book that appears on the top ten hit parade of the both of us. However, there are a few of his selections that I might have included on my honorable mentions, had I chosen to highlight them. For example, I very much like his second, third and fourth choices: The Incredible Bread Machine [ https://substack.com/redirect/460f0f8b-2077-4a31-9f5c-d2c39f37157d?j=eyJ1Ij… ], by Susan Love Brown, et al., Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal [ https://substack.com/redirect/c3e9478b-065d-4566-8122-88a9eb2df98c?j=eyJ1Ij… ], by Ayn Rand, and Friedrich A. Hayek?s, Individualism and Economic Order [ https://substack.com/redirect/3b8a3d95-d695-49d4-ac9a-35053ab21f03?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. These three, in my opinion, certainly belong on the book shelves of those of us who support laissez faire capitalism. But I am puzzled, shocked, and frankly appalled by his fifth-ranked book, John Maynard Keynes? The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money [ https://substack.com/redirect/efd43d57-ccd6-40c0-b9f3-77b35eb9e77f?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. Well, maybe, just barely, it is important "to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer yet." So, I?ll concede it is important to study the contributions of our intellectual enemies, perhaps, even more carefully than those of our mentors. This isn?t quite the way I look at the matter, but, what the heck, different strokes for different Austro-libertarian folks. This, however, is not at all what Professor Cowen has in mind. Instead, he says of this author "Keynes is one of the greatest thinkers of economics and there are new ideas on virtually every page." Well, I admit there are some new ideas, but, I would challenge Cowen to specify any that were true. On the other hand, perhaps I should have seen this coming. I am, after all, the co-author of an article which takes this George Mason University professor to task for his views on macroeconomics: Barnett, William II and Walter Block. 2006. "Tyler Cowen on Austrian Business Cycle Theory: A Critique." New Perspectives on Political Economy, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 26?84; see here [ https://substack.com/redirect/675c6deb-f1f6-4e8c-88b6-544251413eee?j=eyJ1Ij… ] or here [ https://substack.com/redirect/3d1e3ecf-9b9b-4a1a-97c5-0853a7d69f41?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. In view of this, perhaps I ought to rethink my characterization of Cowen as an "Austro-libertarian." (I sent Professor Cowen this article twice, asking him to consider writing a reply. The first time I did so it was out of collegial consideration; I certainly appreciate being made aware of criticisms of my own publications, and being offered the possibility of writing a rejoinder. So, I thought he would appreciate being notified of the existence of my critique of his book on ABCT. The second time I did so because I plain, plumb forgot that I had already done so. Hey, I publish many critiques, and at almost 70 years of age, Alzheimer?s is quickly creeping up on me; I?m just happy I?m not quite yet at the drooling stage. Cowen never did bestir himself to write a rejoinder to my and Bill Barnett?s critique of his work, although he never tires of reminding people that I sent him this article twice [ https://substack.com/redirect/76f0775b-ac9b-4258-b43b-053252d64e30?j=eyJ1Ij… ].) When he was a young lad, an enfente terrible, Tyler Cowen was a solid Austro-libertarian. He showed great promise of being one of the leaders of his generation of the movement supporting this economic political philosophy. This has not been true for a while now, unfortunately. Perhaps Cowen has been reading too much of his sixth most influential book, John Stuart Mill?s, Autobiography [ https://substack.com/redirect/9d5b56c5-ca58-42e9-b448-b30f39d317f1?j=eyJ1Ij… ]. Of which he says: "This (book) got me thinking about how one?s ideas change, and should change, over the course of a lifetime." I think we would all have been better off, far better off, without quite so much "change." Originally published here. 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Can Left-Libertarianism Be Considered a Real Libertarianism?
by walterblock＠substack.com 17 Aug '25

17 Aug '25

View this post on the web at https://walterblock.substack.com/p/can-left-libertarianism-be-considered Can Left-Libertarianism Be Considered a Real Libertarianism? [ https://substack.com/redirect/6c183bdb-2e3e-40c7-a5cd-63904ac5397f?j=eyJ1Ij… ] Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93YWx0ZXJibG9jay5zdWJzdGF…

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