PROSPERITY THROUGH FREEDOM
By
Lawrence Fertig, arch defender of the Capitalist faith and economic analyst for the Scripps-Howard newspapers, here mulls over all the leftist nays and marshals all the Rightist eyes for a journalistically vigorous, slightly vituperative, rather predictable investigation and exoneration of the free market system. To get to the point: when the author has as his target Soviet planning, Chinese regimentation and the systematic distortion of facts, figures and over-all production in the interest of world proselytizing, he is an expert shot and his pages crackle with hard-hitting, angry fire. When on the other hand, he summarily Krynesian tactics, New Deal benefits, liberal thinking and welfare state issues all under the old NAM bugaboo of collectivism, then his case and his voice become strident, hortatory and as illogical as a non-sequitur. Too many of the carts blanche demmociations relating to government interference, bureaucratic controls and social spending boys as their basis half-truths, while his solutions for overpopulation, nationalism and equalitarian strivings are doused with 19th century libertarian pieties. Von Misses, Hayek and other economists of the Fertig persuasion have made sounder, more in-depth contributions to the cause; Fertig should reread them. Good as a guide to Old Guard reasoning and industry prejudices, especially the ethos of the independent business man, Prosperity Through . ironically enough, gets in its best licks when detailing the past, present and future Marxian machinations around the globe.