A.S. Book Club: Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy, by Rothbard

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"Defenders of the free market are often stigmatized as uncritical apologists for big business. Nothing could be further from the truth, as readers of this book will at once discover. Written by one of the two greatest twentieth century champions of free-market capitalism, Murray Rothbard, it is nevertheless a searing indictment of the influence of investment bankers on twentieth-century American foreign policy.

But "nevertheless" is the wrong word. Rothbards criticism of certain big business interests directly follows from his free-market position. Like Franz Oppenheimer and Albert Jay Nock, Rothbard distinguished two means by which people can attain their ends. One of these, voluntary exchange, constitutes the basis of the free society to which he devoted his life. The other, the "political means" is inimical to freedom. For Rothbard, in an even more unqualified way than for St. Augustine, the state is "a great robbery." Its guiding principle is coercion, and its revenues are plunder extracted from producers."

-David Gordan, The Mises Review ( http://mises.org/misesreview_detail.aspx?control=141 )

On Friday, Dec. 16th @ 6:30 pm, the Austrian Scholar's Book Club will discuss Murray Rothbard's book, Wall Street, Banks and American Foreign Policy. We will meet at the Howard residence, located at 720 Bennett Rd., Fairbanks(north off Chena Hot Springs Rd.; first drive on rt.). This will surely be an interesting discussion, and timely, considering the present debates surrounding the Occupy Movement. Be sure to invite a friend!

Wall Street, Banks and American Foreign Policy is available free on-line, or for purchase at http://mises.org/resources/1223

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Due to popular demand, the Austrian Scholar's Book Club will not take a holiday break this year. For those wishing to read ahead, the AS Book Club's early-winter schedule is below. Readings and dates have changed from what was previously posted. Sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused!

Dec. 30: Man, Economy, & State, by Rothbard (chapters 7 & 8). Free on-line versions at http://mises.org/resources/1082/Man-Economy-and-State-with-Power-and-Market

Jan. 13: Trial by Jury, by Lysander Spooner. Free on-line PDF at http://www.lysanderspooner.org/tbj.pdf

Jan. 27: How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, by Harry Browne. Free on-line PDF at http://www.bazkhani.com/wp-content/uploads/freedom_in_an_unfree_world.pdf .