July 31, 2012 is the 100th anniversary of Milton Friedman's birth. On this occasion we should celebrate the legacy that he has bestowed upon us. Milton was a champion of limited government and free markets. His ability to clearly explain the economic principles advocating personal freedom was unrivaled.
His audience was expanded dramatically when he was asked to host a television series “Free to Choose”. This 10 part series reached millions of viewers and exposed them to the fundamental concepts of a free society. Rose Friedman (Milton’s wife) described the decision to air the TV series in their memoirs (Two Lucky People, U. of Chicago Press, 1998), "Milton and I have spent much of our life trying to persuade our fellow men and women of the dangers of an intrusive government and the key role that a free competitive economy plays in making a free society possible. Bringing these ideas to the large audience that a TV documentary could attract excited us."
Thankfully Milton’s ideas were not isolated to the USA. Czech President Vaclav Klaus has this to say: “For us, who lived in the communist world, Milton Friedman was the greatest champion of freedom, of limited and unobtrusive government and of free markets. Because of him I became a true believer in the unrestricted market economy.” Milton’s books and essays along with the “Free to Choose” documentary were smuggled into totalitarian countries around the world and became a source of inspiration for a generation of freedom fighters.
I consider myself very fortunate to have met Milton and Rose in 2005. It gave me a great feeling of satisfaction to personally thank both of them for all that they have done to advance our personal freedom. I hope that you will take some time to visit the websites linked in this post. Read his words, watch his videos, and most importantly spread his message that we must all be free to choose.
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