"I read Milton Freedman - I find him a moron and an intellectual fraud."
Er, that is *Freidman*.
I'm so glad you managed to expose that Nobel-Prize-winning economist for what he is - someone who threatens protectionists so much, they resort to empty name-calling.
Still, his "Free to Choose" book is great and accessible to
the 'lay person'. If you want to start simple, though, try:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0517548232/002-9496711-3252046
Either that or stick with the nationalistic socialistic protectionist myth-economics.
Friedman.