CONK!
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In January 1776, Thomas Paine’s 47-page pamphlet, Common Sense, was published in Philadelphia and is credited with being the inspiration for not only the Declaration of Independence but also the spark for the American Revolution. Probably no other book since then except maybe The Communist Manifesto has had such a profound impact on the course of world history.
In the first three months of Paine’s call for seceding from Great Britain, at least 100,000 copies of Common Sense were sold at a time America had approximately 2.5 million inhabitants. In other words, 4 percent of Americans purchased Paine’s pamphlet, which would be equivalent to roughly 13.2 million copies today (4% x 330 million Americans). Hold that thought.
For nearly 250 years since the publication of Common Sense probably several thousand books and essays have been published criticizing the betrayal of the principles of the American Revolution. I have read several hundred books, pamphlets, monographs, essays, articles, etc., for the past 50+ years about the welfare-warfare state, which is also known as “democratic socialism.”
I have written six books and countless essays, letters to the editor, made countless presentations and have been interviewed on radio and cable shows and podcasts for the past 18 months about free market healthcare, the Federal Reserve, the boom/bust cycle and my journey from “moderate” liberal in the 1960s to advocate of libertarian solutions—limited government, free markets, noninterventionism–since 1971.
The purpose of this column is to “enlist” 20,000 of my fellow citizens in the spirit of Common Sense to “raise the consciousness” of the 330 million Americans about the evil, yes evil, welfare-warfare state. How? If 20,000 Americans purchase 5 copies of my memoir (at $6.99) and give one to a neighbor, relative, friend or colleague, then 100,000 copies would be sold on Amazon. Total cost, $34.95 for each of the 20,000 enlistees. The result, my book would be #1 on Amazon and probably The New York Times best seller list for weeks and possibly months. And if the 100,000 recipients of my book purchase 5 copies, then another 500,000 copies would be sold across the country.
(And if you can purchase 10, 20, 50, 100 copies or more of my memoir, that would be a huge boost to spreading the message of limited government to all 50 states.)
That would mean invites to TV morning and talk shows and invites to the top radio talk shows and then possibly, just possibly, moving the needle toward a free society, because tens of millions of Americans would learn the truth about how the WWS is undermining our liberty, prosperity, and peace, and demand a return to the principles Paine outlined in 1776.
We know what the problems are—entitlement spending, income taxes, payroll taxes, unnecessary regulations, money printing, medical authoritarianism, the military-industrial complex, assault on our civil liberties and endless wars. And the solutions are in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the free-market principles articulated by the Founders and those that followed them.
I have been speaking truth to power when I have been interviewed since the fall 2021 and all talk show hosts mention they want me back to further discuss medical care, taxes and spending, the Fed, and foreign policy.
Robert Wright wrote a magnificent review of my book recently. Please share this post with your network so tens of thousands of Americans will be informed about how we can restore the republic before it’s too late. And yes, the clock is ticking.
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/from-immigrant-to-public-intellectual/
Ludwig von Mises concluded his magnum opus, Human Action, with the following words, which are more profound today than when they appeared in 1949.
The body of economic knowledge is an essential element in the structure of human civilization; it is the foundation upon which modern industrialism and all the moral, intellectual, technological, and thera- peutical achievements of the last centuries have been built. It rests with men whether they will make the proper use of the rich treasure with which this knowledge provides them or whether they will leave it unused. But if they fail to take the best advantage of it and disregard its teachings and warnings, they will not annul economics; they will stamp out society and the human race.
The future of America is in our hands, and for a minuscule investment, maybe, just maybe, when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the publication of Common Sense in 2026, America will be on the road to liberty.
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On April 29th I will be speaking at the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus in Austin, TX, one stop in the Human Action Tour. See if there is an upcoming one in your area, https://lpmisescaucus.com/take-human-action-tour/.
My latest piece on the economy was published in Fortune, https://fortune.com/2023/03/27/recession-2023-layoffs-tech-finance-unemployment-outlook-fed-rates-murray-sabrin/ This is an update of my 2021 forecast, https://fortune.com/2021/12/09/next-recession-heres-everything-bubble-markets-2021-2022-covid-murray-sabrin/
Murray Sabrin, PhD, is emeritus professor of finance, Ramapo College of New Jersey. Dr. Sabrin is considered a “public intellectual” for writing about the economy in scholarly and popular publications. His new book, The Finance of Health Care: Wellness and Innovative Approaches to Employee Medical Insurance (Business Expert Press, Oct. 24, 2022), and his other BEP publication, Navigating the Boom/Bust Cycle: An Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide (October 2021), provides decision makers with tools needed to help manage their businesses during the business cycle. Sabrin’s autobiography, From Immigrant to Public Intellectual: An American Story, was published in November, 2022.
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