Reason Foundation

Recent Research and Commentary

Gun-Control Laws Fail to Prevent Gun Crimes in England; Ayn Rand on Self-Defense

November 5, 2009, 7:17pm

Adam Summers

Ayn Rand: "The necessary consequence of man's right to life is his right to self-defense. In a civilized society, force may be used only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use. All the reasons which make the initiation of physical force an evil, make the retaliatory use of physical force a moral imperative."

Re-Examining Rand

November 4, 2009, 3:16pm

Shikha Dalmia

In Honor of Ayn Rand: Alan Greenspan on the Gold Standard and Economic Freedom (1966)

November 2, 2009, 2:12pm

Adam Summers

Alan Greenspan (1966): "In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. If there were, the government would have to make its holding illegal, as was done in the case of gold. . . . Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the "hidden" confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights. If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in understanding the statists' antagonism toward the gold standard."

Rep. Ron Paul's Bill to Audit the Federal Reserve 'Gutted' in Committee

November 2, 2009, 2:03pm

Adam Summers

The veil of secrecy that shrouds the Fed has only made it more mysterious, and monetary policy that much more complex and obscure, to the average American taxpayer. Political discourse over subjects like deficits and inflation tends to focus on fiscal policy, but this is only one half of the equation. It is time for more people to ask why the Fed should have a government-granted monopoly for the creation of money and what it does with its powers to alter the value of money and interest.

The Lowdown on Payday Loans

October 3, 2009, 8:37pm

Adrian Moore

The Free Market, Not Government Net Neutrality Mandates, Will Best Serve Consumers

October 1, 2009, 7:29pm

Adam Summers

In the free market, competition ensures that customers receive the services they demand. Government control, by contrast, ensures that they receive whatever services the politicians and bureaucrats in power at the time deem appropriate.

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