I’m off tomorrow to Chicago to attend the dinner and presentation of the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar, a remarkable and inspiring figure.
I’m off tomorrow to Chicago to attend the dinner and presentation of the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to former Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar, a remarkable and inspiring figure.
Could you give us a recap of the dinner thursday and how Chicago was? Also, I read George Will is addressing everyone tommorow night, and was wondering if you could give us a summary of that.
Good Luck! Liberty is the Polestar, our sonnum bonnum of the polis, and it is truly encouraging to see such events. Milton Friedman, I’m sure, feels honored as well to see his name in connection with this event as well.
Cheers!
Just Ken
kgregglv@cox.net
http://classicalliberalism.blogspot.com/
It was a great event. Milton Friedman made a brief video appearance (he is rather advanced in age and doesn’t travel easily these days) that was well received. George Will gave a remarkably libertarian (or at least radically liberal, in the old-fashioned sense of the term) presentation on the follies of too much faith in the state and its powers to do good. I was really impressed with how he managed to weave together serious insight into political economy, a vivid description of the world scene (especially of American politics), and a sense of humor. (His damning treatment of the Bush Administration and the D.C. Republican establishment was especially welcome. He raked them over the coals for the foolish decision to invade Iraq, for their despicable assault on free speech (camaign finance restrictions, including the ban on “527”s, on the grounds that they tended to give money to Democrats), for their end-runs around the Constitution, for their penchant for spending money on every “good cause” they can find, and more. It was a great, rip-roaring speech. Finally, Mart Laar gave a moving and inspiring acceptance speech on the importance of freedom, without which is stripped of meaning. He showed why he deserved the prize for his dedication to freedom and his effectiveness in promoting it.