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Quote of the Day — Milton Friedman

June 30, 2026

A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both. — Milton Friedman

1912–2006

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Milton Friedman

1912–2006

Milton Friedman (1912-2006) was the twentieth century’s most influential economist and the greatest intellectual defender of free-market capitalism and individual economic liberty. A professor at the University of Chicago, Friedman developed rigorous economic arguments demonstrating the superiority of market solutions to government intervention. His “Monetary History of the United States” transformed understanding of the Great Depression, showing how Federal Reserve policy had deepened rather than ameliorated the crisis. His consumption function rewrote macroeconomic theory. Beyond technical economics, Friedman proved that arguments for capitalism need not rely on narrow self-interest but could be grounded in human freedom and individual liberty. Friedman’s…

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From the Show

Jay Davidson invoked Milton Friedman during his second-hour conversation about money and government, and Kim Monson chose Friedman’s words to close the Independence Week broadcast on housing, heroes, and liberty. Friedman’s warning about ranking equality ahead of freedom echoed Davidson’s argument that a government bent on equalizing outcomes ends up taking from the citizens it claims to help.

From the Same Day

June 30, 2026

Word of the Day

Altruistic

Showing an unselfish concern for the welfare of others; acting to benefit others rather than oneself.

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Today’s Episode

An Ugly Housing Market, the Heroes of the West, and the Meaning of Independence

Jay Davidson on what an ugly housing market reveals, plus novelist Casey Nash on the heroes of the West. Broadcast for June 30, 2026.

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