Taking a Stand

“Robert Higgs begins Taking a Stand by thanking his students. But his list is much too short, for we are all his students. Often funny, and usually subversive of the conventional wisdom, this book spans a short period (2009-14) in Bob’s marvelously productive life. Chapters range from serious engagements with economic affairs to heartfelt eulogies—Bob’s ‘goodbye’ to Manuel Ayau cannot be read without tearing up—to parodies of the rock song ‘American Pie’ and the poem ‘The Raven.’ It is hard to convey the depth and value of this timely yet timeless book. But if Francis Bacon could be crossed with P.J. O’Rourke, that would come close.”

“More than anyone in our time, Robert Higgs wrestles with ‘James Madison’s Dilemma,’ that is, if we have created a government powerful enough to protect our rights and liberties, what is to prevent it from taking away those very rights and liberties? One may not agree with all of his recent musings in Taking a Stand, but they are invariably thought-provoking and admirable.”

“In his latest book Taking a Stand, Robert Higgs laments that his mother should not have let him become an economic historian. That’s the only error he makes in 99 pithy chapters that debug a virtual database of statist fallacies for government controls. For example, World War II is not proof that astronomical government spending fixed the economy after decades of New Deal spending failed—but it is proof that when one-fifth of the population is forced to fight in a war or to work to support the war effort, the statistical unemployment rate goes down. Everyone interested in freedom should read this book to understand clearly how economic reasoning and political realism apply to ongoing debates over the ever-increasing control that government exerts on our lives.”

“No voice today for peace and liberty is as clear, as consistent, as learned, as insightful, and—this is important—as passionate and resonant as that of Robert Higgs. The pages of Taking a Stand prove me correct.”

“Robert Higgs has been pounding Leviathan since before most of today’s libertarians were born. He has awakened new generations of students to the perils of unleashed politicians and lawless bureaucrats. In Taking a Stand, his passion and principles continue to fire folks up to stand up for their rights and liberties.”