Christopher Deming's Blog

He’s been called a “revolutionary thinker,” an “intellectual freedom fighter,” a “tireless advocate for freedom,” and “a giant in the world of ideas.” Others refer to him as an “old friend,” the “father” of school choice, the Nobel laureate economist, and of course, some know him only as “Uncle.”

Dr. Milton Friedman, who passed away in 2006, continues to live on in the hearts and minds of freedom-loving people both in the United States and around the world. Although this great visionary died almost four years ago, so many prove every year that his vision is not lost.

In celebration of that vision, Students for a Free Economy will be hosting in conjunction with the Foundation for Educational Choice the annual Friedman Legacy for Freedom Day. SFE will be holding Milton and Mummies at the Detroit Science Center on July 30.

America is in the midst of an economic and philosophical crisis with regard to the proper role of government and the role of the individual. Because of this, it is more important than ever to look back and celebrate the life and times of Milton Friedman, his contributions to the cause of freedom, and his opinions on government.

As Dr. Friedman once said so eloquently: “The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus… The record of history is absolutely crystal clear: That there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system.”

It is this clear moral framework for freedom and free enterprise that is missing in today’s debate: Individual freedom is better than government force. Free markets are better than monopolies. And parental school choice is better than bureaucrats’ school choice.

That is what led Milton, and his wife Rose, to found the Foundation for Educational Choice and to dedicate their remaining years to the cause of school choice, the success of which, they said, “requires…the cooperation of the many groups around the country.”

That is why, on July 30, Students for a Free Economy is joining with 64 groups around the country—and world—to celebrate school choice, Milton Friedman, and the cause of freedom. “Uncle” Milton, we hope, would be proud.

July 23-25, 2010-Liberty Summer Seminar in Orono, Ontario

SFE will be attending the Liberty Summer Seminar hosted by the Institute for Liberal Studies. This is a great camping adventure held in the woods of Orono, Ontario.  Attendees camp out, eat, drink and listen to some of the best minds in the liberty movement. The line up currently includes highly sought after speakers like John Carpay of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and Michael Moynihan, senior editor of Reason Magazine and reason.com. This event is always a great time. Registration can be done here.

Students are required to pay for their own registration, but SFE and ILS are working together to offer TWO full scholarship opportunities for students.  These scholarships are in memory of Sarah Grether, an active SFE student and LSS veteran who died early this year. (A memorial can be found here.) Simply write a brief essay about what you hope to accomplish during Liberty Summer Seminar and how you would like to apply it to the liberty movement in the future. Please email inquiries about these scholarships to sfe@mackinac.org or just click here.

TIME: Depart 10:00 am July 23, 2010
LOCATION: Carpool meetup in Swartz Creek (directions here) 
COST: Transportation is free, along with meals going to and from Orono. Meals are included in the registration for the seminar.
Facebook event: Here.

We look forward to having you there!

July 30, 2010-Milton Friedman Legacy Day
Come join SFE at the Detroit Science Center and the Union Street Restaurant during the afternoon and evening on July 30, 2010.  We will be checking out the newest exhibit at the DSC titled: The Accidental Mummies of Guanajuato. Afterwards, we'll grab food and drink around the corner at the Union. We'll talk about the exhibit and Friedman's contributions to economics. Please RSVP via Facebook or e-mail!

TIME: 2:00 pm begin exploring exhibit at the Detroit Science Center
LOCATION: Detroit Science Center (map) and the Union (map)
COST: Free!
Facebook event: Here.

SFE activist Robby Soave is spending some time with Reason. Check out his first blog post here!

Smoking Kills Puppies

Think anti-smoking scare tactics can't get any more ridiculous? Check out this commercial released by anti-smoking activist organization Ydouthink and the Barber Martin advertising agency in Virginia.

Setting aside the issue of whether this is a responsible way to educate people about the ill effects of smoking (SMOKERS ARE PUPPY-KILLERS!), let's take the message at face value. Technically speaking, yes, pets can choke to death from attempting to swallow cigarette butts. Then again, pets can choke on just about any appropriately-sized household item, including cotton balls, loose change, and dryer sheets. Indeed, chocolate is among the more poisonous substances for dogs, and owners should make sure not to leave chocolate within reach of their pets. But if a commercial depicted a puppy dying from chocolate ingestion, and the intended conclusion was that people shouldn't eat chocolate, such a commercial would be rightly mocked. Ydouthink's commercial doesn't prove you shouldn't smoke; it proves that anti-smoking zealots will do anything to scare people, particularly young people, away from cigarettes.

Ydouthink has an arguably worse commercial that features a cat choking on a cigarette butt. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see commercials asserting that cigarette butts will kill Santa Claus, summer vacation, and the Disney Channel in the near future.

Read Jacob Sullum on hypocrisy and the anti-smoking movement here.