Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Glenn Beck's Best Show Ever

Yesterday, Glenn Beck had Thomas Woods and Yuri Maltsev on his show to discuss F.A. Hayek's book, The Road to Serfdom. The book is a must read.

It is one of the greatest books ever written.

It was initially written for a British audience and published in the U.S. in 1944. It originally had a press run in the U.S. of only 2,000 copies. According to Amazon, it has now sold over 400,000 copies.

Woods during the Beck piece even brings up what I think is one of the most important chapters in the book, Why the Worst Get On Top--where Hayek discusses why the worst become leaders in government.

Also fascinating about the show was Maltsev's discussion of what it was like living in the old Soviet Union. It was bad. And, unfortunately, that is he direction we are heading in.

Judging from some emails I receive and some comments in the posts, I don't think many people realize how seriously dangerous the direction is that we are headed.  We are far beyond the days of discussing why minimum wage laws increase unemployment among the least skilled.We are very near the point where the standard of living drops for almost everyone (except the ruthless and the very clever). It will get very ugly, with big brother watching around every corner. That's why it is important for people like Maltsev to tell us how bad it really was---and how bad it could get here.


The video and transcript of the show are here.

2 comments:

  1. Another book which would make a great companion piece to this is, once it gets republished in July 2010:

    When Money Dies: The Nightmare of the Weimar Collapse, written by Adam Fergusson.

    One reader wrote: This is a frightening account of the German, Austrian and Hungarian hyperinflations of the early 1920's. It includes blow-by-blow accounts by diplomats, bankers, and ordinary folk who survived the total annihilation of their currencies. Fergusson has done an outstanding job of documentation and must have spent thousands of hours in archives.

    The book sold for a few dollars as recently as the 1980's, according to one reviewer. With delicious irony, Amazon is now selling 3 used hardcover copies for $800 each. If you want to see the possible real life results of hyperinflation, which we are certainly on a possible road towards, this book will show you.

    Currently out of print, you can get an a bridged pdf version by subscribing to The American Conservative (I don't subscribe myself):

    http://www.amconmag.com/issue/2009/feb/09/

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  2. Glenn Beck? Is this the same Glenn Beck that derailed Debra Medina’s campaign with the 9-11 conspiracy inquisition?

    What a poser.

    Discusses Road to Serfdom on his show and thereby purports to care.

    BUT when it comes time to walk the walk and actually help ELECT someone who will attempt to reinvent government with fiscal and operational sanity in mind, he sabotages her f-in campaign.

    Scratch poser; he’s a dangerous hack who sees dollars in his pocket by keeping the problems going, not by solving them.

    All at the expense of creating better government (for and of you and me).

    Scratch dangerous hack; he’s a reprehensible hypocrite.

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