Cycles of Change

Foreign military battles often increase spending and reduce choice. In theory, committing domestic funds to foreign lines creates big risks. Expressing this view, Murray Rothbard strongly opposed defending distant lands like Taiwan from foreign, external attack. By avoiding wars, a nation protects [...]

Growing state offices often block trade and hurt choice. In classical theory, big agencies and complex, strict rules burden local markets. Under these difficult historical conditions, Frederic Bastiat argued that growing state actions always violate individual rights and free choices. Agreeing with [...]

Classical ideas support small government and free trade. Writing from nineteenth-century France, Frederic Bastiat vigorously defended free markets and competition. According to his famous text, the state must confine its sole action to protecting private property. When state power grows too large, [...]

During a final speech in 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower warned about the military-industrial complex. This term describes the alliance between weapon builders, the army, and politicians. By lobbying for federal budgets, firms shape policy. By fighting wars in Vietnam and Iraq, firms kept battles [...]