Media Review: Free to Choose

It's been a while since I've used the Media Review tag but I think it's time to bring the feature back. I'm always curious as to what the authors of the blogs I frequent are reading and so it doesn't seem to be to far a leap of assumption to guess my eclectic reading habits might interest a few of you. Anyhow, moving on to the review...

A few minutes ago I completed Milton and Rose Friedmans' Free to Choose. As many of you probably know Milton Friedman was a Nobel prize winning American economist famous for dissenting against the Keynsian school of economic thought which was nearly universally excepted in the United States in the years following the Great Depression and the Second World War.

In this book, the Friedmans advocate for individual responsibility and a reduction in the governments interference in the market system. They clearly and concisely illustrate the folly of the wide range of government programs and numerous areas of mismanagement, ranging from schools to the trucking industry. In addition to diagnosing problems, they offer simple, practical solutions that if enacted would likely lead to greater prosperity for our country.

The writing is excellent, giving readers, even those unversed in economic terminology and concepts, a good understanding of the issues. Because it was written in 1980 some of the references to current events are dated, however the bulk of the material and all of the concepts in the book are still completely relevant. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about American economics.