R.I.P. Milton Friedman

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 2:01 am

INDIANAPOLIS—Today, upon news of the death of Nobel Laureate economist Dr. Milton Friedman, Gordon St. Angelo, president and CEO of the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, offered the following statement:

America has lost a true visionary and advocate for human freedom. And I have lost a great friend.

Milton’s passion for freedom and liberty has influenced more lives than he ever could possibly know. His writings and ideas have transformed the minds of U.S. Presidents, world leaders, entrepreneurs and freshmen economic majors alike. The loss of his passion, incisive mind and dedication to freedom are all national treasures that we mourn for today.

Milton never chose to slow down; even at 94 he kept fighting to bring educational equality to all of America’s children. And it’s this vision, this drive for educational liberty that the Friedman Foundation will continue to bring to families throughout America.

His impact on my life over the last 33 years was significant. His impact on the world was momentous. Without a doubt, few people have done more to advance civil and economic liberties throughout the world during their lifetime than Dr. Milton Friedman.

http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/index.html

http://www.freetochoose.net/media.html

Resident Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 377

I announced this in news and events. He had great influence, which I think exceeded the intellectual validity of his ideology. Of course, most of us atheists well know about ideologies having more influence than they deserve.

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 7:01 am

I think his influence was appropriate. He was one of the greatest thinkers of economics.

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 8:39 am

Just the fact that libertarian economics is often referred to as the "Chicago School" by economists due to his long tenure at the University of Chicago speaks to his preeminence in the field. Years ago he was often on talk shows such as Firing Line and he was a very compelling guest who articulated libertarian economics vigorously. Regardless of what one thinks of his economic stance,and I largely agree with it, he was a giant in the field -at least when I studied economics in the 1980's.

Resident Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 377

Saitou wrote:

I think his influence was appropriate. He was one of the greatest thinkers of economics.

I don't try to take anything from his contributions to monetary theory. He deserves that. I didn't study his political philosophy, because the times I started reading his books I felt I was wasting my time with someone's strident advocacy. I don't feel I've missed a lot under the circumstances because I may yet learn from people more taken in by his style.

Resident Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 377

Oh yeah. he also wrote an article about the method of economics. A subject of some interest to me at one time.

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:50 am

Resident Joined: Jul 12, 2004 Posts: 377

"Underlying most arguments against a free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself"

We can change a few words and get an equally meaningful statement. "Underlying most arguments against goodness is a lack of belief in God Himself."

Unlike the cleric, Milton's priority may not have been making people believe in his fetish object. Belief in the virtue of believing in freedom is taken as a given. Of course, he intends to deride arguments against "a free market" by saying that such arguements usually come from unbelievers in freedom.

The rhetoric's simple.

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 10:50 pm

He was an inspiration to we who love studying economics.

Graduate Thinker Joined: Oct 24, 2005 Posts: 666

The Chicago School is the second best school of economics, after the Austrian School.

Friedman did so much good, yet also did so much harm vis fiat currency and income tax withholding.

Post Noob Joined: Oct 31, 2006 Posts: 57

Friedman was no libertarian he supported the dictator Pinochet.
Friedman was a hypocrate.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm

Confident Learner Joined: Nov 18, 2006 Posts: 67

Machiavelli wrote:

Friedman was no libertarian he supported the dictator Pinochet.
Friedman was a hypocrate.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm

damned hyper crates

Post Noob Joined: Oct 31, 2006 Posts: 57

more evidence of Friedman's complicity with a totalitarian goverment

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11491
http://www.counterpunch.org/grandin11172006.html

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:29 pm

Machiavelli wrote:

Friedman was no libertarian he supported the dictator Pinochet.
Friedman was a hypocrate.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm

A - Friedman didn't "support" Pinochet, he offered economic advice, from which the Chilean people have benefited enormously.

B - What would have been accomplished had he not advised the Chilean Junta and let hyperinflation and wage and price controls continue to destroy the economy?

C - You do know that Friedman and the Chicago Boys, along with the Junta, were the target of a KGB disinformation campaign , right?

D - That page you linked is one of the most economically ignorant works I've ever seen. Aside from your posts, of course.

Post Noob Joined: Oct 31, 2006 Posts: 57

1.economic support is still support. if he truly belived dicatorship were bad he would not have helped in any way, recognizing that liberty is required for progress.

2. according to the link above, the health of the country was destroyed despite of friedman.

3. you know that Pinochet was a CIA puppet right?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._intervention_in_Chile#Support_for_Pinochet

4. fuck your kind of economics


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