Free To Choose Network

04/24/2025

“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.”

-Thomas Sowell

04/23/2025

Tariffs might sound patriotic, but they're actually the ultimate hidden tax. Our latest blog post explains why these trade barriers undermine the prosperity that capitalism creates. While the "benefits" of tariffs are visible and concentrated, the costs are spread across everybody, hiding their full impact. And the truth of the matter is, comparative advantage and free trade actually create more wealth for everyone. Read more here:

Why Tariffs Are the Ultimate Hidden Tax April 23rd, 2025FreeToChooseNetwork0 Comments In our last post, we explored the differences between capitalism and mercantilism, touching briefly on how tariffs are one of mercantilism’s most enduring policy tools. Today, let’s dig deeper into these import...

04/23/2025

Books have the power to challenge, inspire, and transform us, but only when we're free to write and read them without fear. On World Book Day, we're reminded that the freedom to express unpopular ideas isn't just about protecting authors—it's about preserving our ability to encounter new perspectives that might change our world.

Our Free To Speak episode "The Speech We Hate" explores how censorship threatens art, scholarship, and the marketplace of ideas. Because when we start banning books we disagree with, we're often burning bridges to understanding we didn't know we needed.

Watch now and join the conversation about why defending the freedom to read is essential for a thriving society. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDQ9VSeOnPY&list=PLTplBPPoWdX0Zq-ZxdUc5MKMBIFrWeTVj&index=4

04/22/2025

This Earth Day, let's consider a surprising environmentalist: the market itself. When individuals own resources, they tend to protect them far better than distant bureaucracies. As Milton Friedman noted, "Nobody uses somebody else's resources as carefully as he uses his own." The most sustainable solutions often come not from regulation, but from innovation, property rights, and the power of choice. What environmental challenges could entrepreneurs solve if given the freedom to create?

04/21/2025

“I am a liberal; I believe in freedom. Liberalism means ‘of and pertaining to freedom.’ Those people who now call themselves liberal have misappropriated the term, because for them it simply means that they are liberal with other people’s money.”
-Milton Friedman

04/20/2025

Happy Easter from everyone at Free To Choose Network!

04/18/2025

Milton Friedman perfectly explains why protectionist trade policies persist despite economists almost universally opposing them. The answer? Concentrated special interests win over diffused public benefit. As Friedman wryly notes, tariffs do "protect" consumers quite effectively—from low prices! Watch this classic Friedman moment that remains just as relevant today as when he first said it.

04/17/2025

"Congress can vote to lower tax rates when in fact taxes are going up.”
Milton Friedman explains how inflation creates a stealth tax increase. When your income rises 10% with inflation, your taxes jump 15%.

04/16/2025

What does it take to build a $2 trillion company? NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang didn't just follow markets—he created them.

In our latest blog, discover how Huang's unconventional leadership approach helped him navigate economic downturns and transform a graphics chip startup into the company powering today's AI revolution. Read his story here: https://blog.freetochoosenetwork.org/2025/04/jensen-huang-on-why-vision-beats-conventional-wisdom/

04/15/2025

Hopefully, you're not scrambling to file your taxes by tonight's deadline, but regardless, it's hard to ignore the presence of taxes today, of all days.

So here's a reminder that Milton Friedman didn't like taxes—any taxes—either.

04/14/2025

Friedman asks: Why do welfare programs with “noble objectives” produce “disappointing results?” His answer: “You cannot do good with someone else's money unless you first take it away.” Even with good intentions,”'force and coercion” become inevitable when government tries to solve social problems.

04/11/2025

The 91% tax rate of the 1950s is often cited as proof that high taxes don't hurt the economy. But there's more to the story than just that headline number.

In this episode of "Dead Wrong," Johan Norberg explains that this rate applied to very few households and only on income above a very high threshold. The actual effective tax rate for the top 1% was only around 17%—far lower than what many assume.

Watch as Norberg breaks down the numbers and explains why proposals to "tax the rich" may not generate the revenue many expect.

04/10/2025

Today’s podcast is titled “Is Capitalism the Cause or the Solution to the Financial Crisis?”

Recorded in 2009, Dennis McCuistion, former Clinical Professor of Corporate Governance and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas, Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Forbes Magazine, and Tom Woods, author and Senior Fellow with the Mises Institute examine whether capitalism was the cause of the 2008 financial crisis or if it could be the solution to the economic problems.

Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates each week for the Free To Choose Media Podcast. https://blog.freetochoosenetwork.org/podcast/episode-238-is-capitalism-the-cause-or-the-solution-to-the-financial-crisis-podcast/

04/10/2025

“If there is a legitimate function of government it is to protect you and I from international (and domestic) thugs who would confiscate our property.”
-Walter Williams

04/09/2025

Mercantilism. That's a term you probably haven't heard since 9th grade World History class—until recently, that is. But what is it, and how is it different from capitalism?

Fortunately for you, our newest blog post is here to explain. https://blog.freetochoosenetwork.org/2025/04/whats-the-difference-between-capitalism-and-mercantilism/

04/08/2025

"Identity is one of the most important economic decisions one can make."

What role do your various identities play in your economic choices and life decisions? Roland Fryer explores how the way we see ourselves shapes everything from our career paths to our social interactions.

Identity isn't just personal—it's economic. Watch how understanding this connection can unlock insights into human behavior and economic decision-making. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMzxVHaV1Qo&list=PLTplBPPoWdX3g8GyHHnKdNrPLvGDQkH9v&index=5

04/07/2025

Today is Public Television Day! On April 7, 1927, AT&T transmitted the first successful long-distance public television broadcast—an image of Herbert Hoover from Washington, D.C. to New York City.

Public television has been instrumental in bringing educational programming to millions, including our own groundbreaking series "Free To Choose" featuring Milton Friedman, which first aired in 1980 and changed how Americans think about economics and freedom.

From Milton Friedman to Thomas Sowell, from "A More or Less Perfect Union" to "Free To Speak," public television has given us a platform to share stories of liberty, free markets, and individual choice that might otherwise go untold.

As we celebrate this day, we're grateful for the opportunity to continue this tradition of bringing thoughtful, engaging content to audiences across America.

04/07/2025

Milton Friedman explains how welfare systems eventually reach a point where “100% of people are paying taxes to provide benefits to 100% of people.” As Bastiat noted, it becomes “that fiction whereby everybody believes he can live at the expense of everybody else.”