Posted on 09/20/2009 11:11:52 AM PDT by jla
Speaking w/a pal and coworker who actually stated that communism might not be a bad idea for our country. I asked if that I gave him a book if he'd read it - he agreed - and the book I opted for is Human Action by L v Mises. Do you Freepers think this a good choice on my part?
you could start by just printing #20.....but here are some Friedman videos:
In honor of Milton Friedman, we are streaming the ground-breaking Free to Choose series as it originally aired in 1980 as well as an updated 1990 version. http://www.ideachannel.tv/
Please post longer threads. This one is to short.
Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler
HA....at least I didn’t also post the individualdescriptions of the Friedman episodes.....they take a foot or more, LOL
I agree, Witness would be a great choice.
Yes that is an excellent choice.
Also “Capitalism and Freedom” by Milton Friedman. Written in 1962 it is still an excellent book to read.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, preferably the John Gardener, translation. DO NOT under any circumstances give them anything by Ayn Rand.
parsy, who says there is reason behind his madness
The Gulag Archipelago is a great choice, as is The Black Book of Communism. These are all pretty meaty volumes, though. Depending on how sincere your friend was about finishing your offering they might be a bit much. You might consider Reflections on a Ravaged Century by the brilliant Robert Conquest. It encapsulates the issues revolving around both of the 20th Century's great totalitarianisms rather nicely. Best of luck.
The story of the Little Red Hen: Even a child can understand it. Hen does all the work, moochers demand the fruit of her labor.
I read “The Road to Serfdom” this summer. It is short but a very tough slog with lots of mid 20th century language like the term liberal used for classical liberals.
I think “Liberal Fascism” might be a good choice. I also think “Capitalism and Freedom” might be good but I wonder if it would seem dated now too.
For modern reading, I recommend Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. ...or anything by Thomas Sowell.
My first instinct would have been the shorter “A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” — that really captured what the reality of Communism was all about. If this person wants something closer to home, how about “Witness”?
Is this from the Readers Digest version of The Road to Serfdom? I once bought on EBay the entire year of Readers Digest (1945) in order to get that copy of that original piece but I gave it to my son. There is a PDF version available online.
yes....I un-pdf’d it and post it here when I see a chance....
http://www.iea.org.uk/files/upld-publication43pdf?.pdf
You can read about the different versions of "The Little Red Hen" here
Rush Limbaugh The Way Things Ought to Be (though dated).
P.J. O'Rourke, Parliament of Whores OR All The Troubles In The World.
Mark Levin Liberty and Tyranny
Ann Coulter Treason
Mark Stein America Alone
Jonah Goldberg Liberal Fascism
Joseph Ratzinger Values in a Time of Upheaval -- give this book to the guy incognito, then *after* he's read it, explain the author is the Pope, and watch his head explode.
Cheers!
Yeah, I did not mean to suggest “Human Action” is any easy read. I do like your modern picks.
No, because I don’t think you can appreciate such a book until you have a grounding in basic positive econ. A good book is Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. Park econ primer, part polemic against bad economics (protectionism, central planning, price controls, etc.), it’s written for the layperson.
Economics for Dummies is good too.
Too often right-wingers try to attack communism the same way communists tried to attack capitalism—politically. But people can’t always agree on politics. Communists and socialists tend to shy away from economics because that’s where they’ll lose. Economic principles, economic facts, and economic history show that it wouldn’t work. You can argue til you’re blue in the face about communism’s death toll, about the rights of individuals in a free market, etc., but a stubborn communist or socialist will hold their ground.
What they can’t argue with is the economic calculation problem, they’ve tried, and failed. That debate is settled, and the Hayeks and Friedmans and Mises won. So, attack communism at its weak point—economics. It fails *as an economic system* while it may triumph politically.
There’s also Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt.
Begin with economics, then move onto politics. I’d save things like Mises or The Road to Serfdom for later, as you really need an economic background to appreciate them.
The problem with attacking communism politically is that people are stubborn. They will always have wiggle room to say “well, that was just the Soviet Union, if the right people had been in charge blah blah blah.”
Communism began as economics. As economics showed that communism wouldn’t work, it became a purely political movement. Attack communism from an economic angle—the calculation problem. Communism could have the kindest, wisest, and most well-intentioned people in charge and it would still fail *for economic reasons*. Begin with basic econ so they can understand, then bring on Hayekian price theory to deliver the crushing blow.
Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt.
Basic Economics by Sowell
Economics for Dummies
Naked Economics (not my fave but it is easy for laypeople to read and get started with)
Then move onto Capitalism and Freedom and the Road to Serfdom.
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