Excuse Me, Professor: Challenging the Myths of Progressivism

259 Pages·2015·2.16 MB·English

by  Lawrence W. Reed

PRAISE FOR
EXCUSE ME, PROFESSOR
“In an era of economic stagnation for the vast majority of Americans, and at a
time when opportunities for upward social mobility are disappearing, careful,
critical thinking about economic reality and economic policy are indispensable.
It is long past time to dismiss the clichés and restore economic literacy. That is
why I welcome this collection of essays.”
—Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Department of
Politics, Princeton University “An indispensable guide to confronting the
socialists among us who disguise themselves as ‘liberals’ and
‘progressives.’”
—David Horowitz, President, David Horowitz Freedom Center “This is just
the book today’s college students need to understand the world in which
they live and will, soon enough, lead. I encourage every parent,
grandparent, and concerned citizen who cares deeply about America’s
future to give copies to all of the young people they know. It may be the
only time these students ever learn the truth about the way the world
works.”
—Christopher Long, President, Intercollegiate Studies Institute “Larry
Reed is one of the sharpest thinkers and clearest communicators in the
free-market movement. His well-organized book refutes the widespread
collectivist mythology that chomps away daily at America’s liberty and
prosperity. Reed and his co-authors lead us through the socialists’ rubble
and then chart a common-sense path to good times. I learned plenty from
this book, and so will you.”
—Deroy Murdock, Fox News Contributor, Senior Fellow, Atlas Network
EXCUSE ME, PROFESSOR

Copyright © 2015 by Foundation for Economic Education All rights reserved. No part of this publication
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Regnery® is a registered trademark of Salem Communications Holding Corporation First e-book edition
2015: 978-1-62157-466-8
The Library of Congress has cataloged the paperback edition as follows: Excuse me, professor: challenging
the myths of progressivism / edited by Lawrence W. Reed ; introduction by Ron Robinson.
pages cm 1. Free enterprise--United States. 2. Progressivism (United States politics) 3. Capitalism--
Political aspects--United States. 4. United States--Politics and government--21st century. I. Reed, Lawrence
W., editor of compilation.
HB95.E968 2015
330.973--dc23
2015021727
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CONTENTS
Introduction
#1 “Income Inequality Arises from Market Forces and Requires Government
Intervention”
#2 “Because We’re Running Out of Resources, Government Must Manage
Them”
#3 “Equality Serves the Common Good”
#4 “The More Complex the Society, the More Government Control We Need”
#5 “Income Inequality Is the Great Economic and Moral Crisis of Our Time”
#6 “Capitalism Fosters Greed and Government Policy Must Temper It”
#7 “The Free Market Ignores the Poor”
#8 “The Economy Needs More Planning—Central Planning, That Is”
#9 “Human Rights Are More Important Than Property Rights”
#10 “I Have a Right!”
#11 “Rich People Have an Obligation to Give Back”
#12 “I Prefer Security to Freedom”
#13 “Cooperation, Not Competition!”
#14 “Healthcare Is a Right”
#15 “We Are Destroying the Earth and Government Must Do Something”
#16 “Ownership Must Be Tempered by Sharing”
#17 “All We Need Is the Right People to Run the Government”
#18 “Humanity Can Be Best Understood in a Collective Context”
#19 “Big Government Is a Check on Big Business”
#20 “Government Can Be a Compassionate Alternative to the Harshness of the
Marketplace”
#21 “Capitalism’s Sweatshops and Child Labor Cry Out for Government
Intervention”
#22 “Voluntary, Market-Based Arrangements ‘Use’ People”
#23 “The Balance of Trade Deficit Requires Government Action”
#24 “Americans Squander Their Incomes on Themselves While Public Needs
Are Neglected”
#25 “If Government Doesn’t Relieve Distress, Who Will?”
#26 “Historical Preservation Won’t Happen Unless the Government Takes
Charge”
#27 “Government Must Have the Power to Make People Take Better Care of
Themselves”
#28 “Government Spending Brings Jobs and Prosperity”
#29 “Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle Proved Regulation Was Required”
#30 “Capitalism’s Industrial Revolution Cursed the World with the Horror of
Child Labor”
#31 “Labor Unions Raise Wages and the Standard of Living”
#32 “FDR Was Elected in 1932 on a Progressive Platform to Plan the Economy”
#33 “The Great Depression Was a Calamity of Unfettered Capitalism”
#34 “Government Must Subsidize the Arts”
#35 “Government Is an Inflation Fighter”
#36 “Outsourcing Is Bad for the Economy”
#37 “If FDR’s New Deal Didn’t End the Depression, Then World War II Did”
#38 “The Minimum Wage Helps the Poor”
#39 “Free Markets Exploit Women”
#40 “The Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor Are Getting Poorer”
#41 “Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company Proved We Needed Antitrust Laws to
Fight Market Monopolies”
#42 “Jesus Christ Was a Progressive Because He Advocated Income
Redistribution to Help the Poor”
#43 “The Free Market Cannot Provide Public Education”
#44 “Warren Buffett’s Federal Tax Rate Is Less Than His Secretary’s”
#45 “Profit Is Evidence of Suspicious Behavior”
#46 “Robots and Computerization Cause Unemployment”
#47 “Statistical Disparities between Races Prove Discrimination”
#48 “The Solution to Over-Population Is Population Control”
#49 “Resource-Poor Countries Need Strong Central Planning to Develop”
#50 “People Love the Robin Hood Story Because He Took From the Rich to
Give to the Poor”
#51 “Greedy Capitalists Take Advantage of People in Natural Disasters; Price
Controls Are the Answer”
#52 “Progressives Have Good Intentions, So What Else Is Required?”
About the Editor and Co-Author
Contributing Authors
Suggested Reading List
Index