How Economics Became Ideology

The late Milton Friedman is arguably the high priest of ‘libertarian economics’ – which is also called ‘neo-liberal economics’ – or more commonly ‘neoclassical economics’. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Friedman’s influence has been massive and it continues today. My own library of audiobooks contains 2 of his titles: First, Capitalism and Freedom, Fortieth Anniversary Edition:

…….. “How can we benefit from the promise of government while avoiding the threat it poses to individual freedom? In this classic book, Milton Friedman provides the definitive statement of his immensely influential economic philosophy – one in which competitive capitalism serves as both a device for achieving economic freedom and a necessary condition for political freedom. The result is an accessible text that has sold well over half a million copies in English, has been translated into 18 languages, and shows every sign of becoming more and more influential as time goes on.” ……..

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Milton Friedman – Why Government Is the Problem

The major social problems of the United States—deteriorating education, lawlessness and crime, homelessness, the collapse of family
values, the crisis in medical care—have been produced by wellintended actions of government. That is easy to document. The difficult task is understanding why government is the problem. The
power of special interests arising from the concentrated benefits of most government actions and their dispersed costs is only part of the answer. A more fundamental part is the difference between the
self-interest of individuals when they are engaged in the private sector and the self-interest of the same individuals when they are engaged in the government sector. The result is a government system
that is no longer controlled by “we, the people.” Instead of Lincoln’s government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” we now have a government “of the people, by the bureaucrats, for the
bureaucrats,” including the elected representatives who have become bureaucrats. At the moment, term limits appear to be the reform that promises to be most effective in curbing Leviathan.

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Launch – June 16th, 2023

The MAIN STREET JOURNAL was launched online in 2023, as a kind of Canadian, small business counterpoint to the venerable WALL STREET JOURNAL (WSJ), established in New York City in 1889.

Canada’s small businesses are smaller than most people think.  

This is true for people that work in small businesses, for policymakers, business schools, and the business press. The self-employed and other small business owners don’t ‘get no respect’ and yet about 73% of private sector employment in Canada is made up of the 2.85 million self-employed individuals, and 1.3 million small employer businesses which average less than 7 employees. 

We believe it’s time that these workers, and the small business owner-managers that employ them, got some respect. What’s more, we believe that business schools and policymakers should get out of their ivory towers and take a walk on Main Street! 

73.2 % of private sector employment is provided by small business