Lawrence Reed
Author
Policy Expert
Candidate
Media/Journalist
Newnan, GA
Lawrence Reed is President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, economist, author, and recipient of Poland's Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for his work with anti-communist dissidents.
Biography
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Lawrence W. Reed is President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), one of America's oldest free-market think tanks. He also serves as Humphreys Family Senior Fellow and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty at FEE. Reed led the organization as president from 2008 to 2019, overseeing its renaissance, and served a second interim term from October 2023 to March 2024.
Prior to FEE, Reed founded and led the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan for 21 years, building it into one of the most influential state-level policy institutes in the United States. He also taught economics full-time at Northwood University from 1977 to 1984, where he chaired the economics department and founded the university's Freedom Seminar.
Reed is the author or co-author of eight books, including "Was Jesus a Socialist?" and "Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character and Conviction." He has written nearly 2,000 articles and columns for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, and USA Today. As a freelance journalist, he has traveled to 92 countries and delivered over 1,000 speeches on economics and liberty.
In 2022, the President of Poland honored Reed with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his work with anti-communist dissidents in 1986, an honor shared with former President Ronald Reagan.
Reed has appeared on the Kim Monson Show since 2020, discussing free-market economics, the moral case for capitalism, and the principles of liberty and individual responsibility.
Books by Lawrence Reed
Episodes
9 appearancesJune 29, 2026
The Ideas, Faith, and Courage That Forged America
Culture, Community & Civil Society
Lawrence W. Reed and Scott Powell explore the ideas, faith, and courage behind America's founding. Broadcast for June 29, 2026.
“We are not exceptional in America because we had slavery. We are exceptional because of the lengths to which we went to get rid of it.”
April 10, 2026
Zoning Battles, Cherry Creek Dysfunction, and Founding Wisdom on Power
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Helen Raleigh on zoning and Spain, Molly Lamar on Cherry Creek, Teddy Collins on the budget, Lawrence Reed on the Founders. April 10, 2026.
“I am more and more convinced that man is a dangerous creature and that power, whether vested in many or a few, is ever grasping and, like the grave, cries, give, give.”
“Thou shalt not steal ends right there with a period. It doesn't say thou shalt not steal unless you really need it, or thou shalt not steal unless you can hire a politician to do it on your behalf.”
November 1, 2024
Federal Land Grabs, Election Integrity, and the Character of Self-Governance
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Brad Beck guest hosts, exploring eminent domain with Greg Walcher, election security with Stephanie Luck, and character with Lawrence Reed. November 1, 2024.
“character and liberty are two sides of the same coin.”
August 22, 2024
Coolidge’s Economic Legacy and Colorado’s Property Tax Crisis
Ballot Measures & TABOR
Lawrence Reed examines Calvin Coolidge's fiscal legacy while Toby Damisch analyzes Colorado's property tax crisis on The Kim Monson Show, August 22, 2024.
“But people like Kamala Harris seem to think that they can make something that has never worked suddenly work for them.”
August 3, 2022
A Good Guy With a Gun and the Dangers of Power
Eric Odlin, Lawrence Reed, and Derek Kennison discuss self-defense, power, and January 6th. August 3, 2022.
“Evil can come in all kinds of packages. And don't ever assume that if it comes calling that it would be stupid enough to advertise itself as such.”
June 17, 2022
America in Crisis: Election Integrity, Economic Freedom, and the Fight Against Socialism
Tina Peters on election integrity, Rick Turnquist on economic crisis, Lawrence Reed on Poland's freedom fight. June 17, 2022.
“The whole idea that a handful of so-called smart people with political power can plan an entire economy. They can't even make a pencil.”
March 9, 2021
Socialism, Small Business Recovery, and the Real Meaning of Compassion
Lawrence Reed explains why Jesus was not a socialist and Chris Cantwell updates on small business conditions. March 9, 2021.
“Socialism has no theory of wealth creation. Socialists just sort of assume that wealth is just there for them to come along and take and redistribute. But in the process of doing that, of course, they kill the goose that lays the golden eggs in the first place.”
“If it's voluntary, it's not socialism. Because if it's voluntary, you can do that under capitalism. What makes socialism socialism is the fact that the people who run it are telling other people, this is the plan, you will conform to it, you don't get to say no thanks, and our plans are more important than any that you might have.”
“Jesus never said to any audience, the way to help the poor is to send your money first to Washington or to Rome or to wherever the central government is, have it laundered there by the bureaucracy and the politicians, and then let them decide who gets what's left.”
September 11, 2020
The Tenets of Capitalism and Why Liberty Makes Life Worth Living
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Lawrence Reed explains why capitalism creates prosperity through property rights and the rule of law on Friday, September 11, 2020.
“I believe very strongly that America is the productive powerhouse that it's been, in great measure because we've respected property rights, We've allowed people the freedom to be creative, to be entrepreneurs, and we are, by virtue of our background and our history, great wealth creators.”
“It is a scheme, or different schemes, to simply grab wealth that somebody else has created and then redistribute it.”
“What makes life worth living is a situation or environment where you can be who you were intended to be, where you can make choices and they stick, where you're free to go about your business in peace so long as you leave others alone.”
July 15, 2020
Was Jesus a Socialist? Debunking the Myth of Biblical Collectivism
Civic Engagement & Grassroots
Lawrence Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education examines whether Jesus endorsed socialism, while Matt Durkin discusses rising crime in the Denver metro area. July 15, 2020.
“There's nothing in the New Testament anywhere, nothing in any of the words of Jesus himself, that suggests he would advocate the use of force, political force, to achieve any of the objectives that socialists advocate.”
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About Lawrence Reed
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