<description>&lt;p&gt;Walter Block and Tom DiLorenzo have looked at Constitutional Economics, and determined that politics are not just another market. There is only a curious analogy to the public choice approach. Social contract theory has been used as an excuse for all types of state intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just because we do not all commit mass suicide does not demonstrate that we have all consented to some social contract. The origin of commonwealth was force and violence. The state is economic exploitation of the majority tax-payers by one ruling tax-eating group within government. Government is force. Submission to force is hardly voluntary.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lecture 10 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Walter Block and Tom DiLorenzo have looked at Constitutional Economics, and determined that politics are not just another market. There is only a curious analogy to the public choice approach. Social contract theory has been used as an excuse for all types of state intervention.

10. Is Voluntary Government Possible?

<description>&lt;p&gt;There are labor market myths and there are labor union myths. The biggest myth is that capitalists always exploit the working class. Basic economics about marginal productivity theory contradicts this. Examples abound in all areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lecture 8 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

There are labor market myths and there are labor union myths. The biggest myth is that capitalists always exploit the working class. Basic economics about marginal productivity theory contradicts this. Examples abound in all areas.

8. Labor Market Superstitions

<description>&lt;p&gt;The interventionist myth is that Federal meddling in domestic or foreign economics can make anything better. Instead, meddling produced the American Great Depression. Doing nothing with a depression in 1920 produced resolution within eighteen months. Nobody hears of the depression of 1920-21.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Herbert Hoover put into place almost all of the New Deal policies that are blamed on FDR. FDR continued and deepened Hoover&amp;rsquo;s disastrous programs. They thought the depression was caused by low prices and believed that high prices would cure it. So, they raised prices. They raised tariffs. The Great Depression did not end until the Federal budget in absolute dollars was reduced by two-thirds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Decades of high pork barrel spending were answering to ordinary politics, not to concern for alleviating any poverty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lecture 9 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The interventionist myth is that Federal meddling in domestic or foreign economics can make anything better. Instead, meddling produced the American Great Depression. Doing nothing with a depression in 1920 produced resolution within eighteen months. Nobody hears of the depression of 1920-21.

9. The Truth about the Great Depression

<description>&lt;p&gt;The myth of antitrust, the myth of the New Deal and labor union myths are three economic fallacies. All three declare that government must save capitalism from itself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed to fight supposed rampant cartelization practices in the 1880s. Despite bold statements, there existed no evidence of rampant monopolies. The so called antitrust law was a fig-leaf. The real monopoly had been created by tariffs. Antitrust is a protection racket.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lecture 6 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The myth of antitrust, the myth of the New Deal and labor union myths are three economic fallacies. All three declare that government must save capitalism from itself.

6. Protectionist Origins of Antitrust

<description>&lt;p&gt;This second myth about market failure is again a call for interventionism and support for bigger government. Natural monopolies don&amp;rsquo;t exist. The theory was made up after the fact. The only monopolies existing are those propped up by government privilege.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It took the economics profession about sixty years to look closely at the facts behind regulated monopolies like AT&amp;amp;T and competition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lecture 7 of 10 from the Steven Berger Seminar: Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

This second myth about market failure is again a call for interventionism and support for bigger government. Natural monopolies don&rsquo;t exist. The theory was made up after the fact. The only monopolies existing are those propped up by government privilege.

7. The Myth of Natural Monopoly

Sponsored by Steven Berger, this ten-lecture course features Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who presents an examination of key events in American History through the lens of classical liberalism.
Download the complete audio of this event (ZIP) here.

Liberty and American Civilization

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