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Anonymous
Posted August 11, 2007
I am an economist (Ph.D. U. of Chicago `74) and I have read and enjoyed John Lott, Jr.'s earlier books on guns and crime (More Guns Less Crime, and The Bias Against Guns). Those books acquainted me with Dr. Lott's masterful ability to use statistical theory to ferret out from the data how crime is reduced when individuals are allowed to provide for their own defense. In Freedomnomics Dr. Lott has expanded his horizons beyond guns and crime, and in doing so he has done a masterful job here as well. The book is an easy-to-read text in practical economics text chocked full of insights. Behind the insights, I can detect a great deal of research that went in to providing affirmation to those insights. The book covers a wide range of topics, a few of which are: the high cost of last-minute airline ticket purchases the higher cost of evening meals and drinks at restaurants the rapidly increasing cost of political campaigns the creation of advertising to pay for radio (and later) TV broadcasting crime and punishment abortion and crime rent control and best of all, how the 19th amendment (woman's suffrage) led to increased government spending. While the book is in part a rebuttal to Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics (which I have not read) it is enjoyable in its own right as a stand-alone text. It is a terrific read. I recommend it very highly.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 21, 2007
John Lott has made economics readable. As a J.D. candidate, understanding the world of money can be a bit challenging, but Dr. Lott has written in such a clear way that it is impossible to miss the point: the free market works. This is a must have for every law student or anybody else who wants to better understand our economy and the freedoms we enjoy.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 23, 2008
Lott has a firm grasp on the ideas of the free market. A ton of graphs and stats that support all of his ideas.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 8, 2007
John R. Lott, Jr's Freedomnomics was written, supposedly, as a response to the malicious slight written against Laissez-faire Capitalism otherwise known as Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. When I opened the book, I expected to see numerous examples of how much more effective the free market is in comparison to other economic systems and some discussion of the philosophic principles that made capitalism morally correct. I was, to say the least, disappointed. What I found, instead, was another book in the battle between the two ruling factions in America, conservatives vs. liberals (aka Democrats vs Republicans). Or, as I like to call them, the destroyers of our free society. The early chapters deal with real economic issues that seemed interesting, exploring questions such as why restaurants charge customers more for lunch than dinner, the damaging effect of job protectionist practices like licensing requirements, and why wealthy criminals often are punished more harshly when convicted of crimes than poor criminals despite the fact that they often get more lenient prison sentences. All are interesting topics concerning the free market and how it works. Unfortunately Lott then turns his book into another platform to talk about the evils of the Democrats and the virtues of the Republicans. The topics run the gamut from right-to-carry laws and capital punishment to the harmful effects of abortion on society and liberal media bias. He even states that convicted felons are almost exclusively democrats! Maybe the statistics prove that point but such an assertion begs the question 'What does this have to do with the free market?' As is often the case, instead of being a defender of capitalism from the moral, philosophic perspective as the only moral political-economic system for a free society, Lott was no more than an apologist for capitalism, attempting to defend capitalism with the old 'capitalism isn't nice but its better since it helps more people' argument. His defence of capitalism fails because he, like so many other apologists, assumes the moral basis of the statists and mystics altruism. This is borne out by the first sentence in his concluding chapter: 'Altruism is a noble quality-but in a large economy, it only goes so far.' If you're looking for a moral defence of capitalism, a clear argument for the moral principles behind capitalism, this is not the book to read.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DavidCA
Posted November 5, 2008
The countries with the highest standards of living have the highest tax rates. <BR/><BR/>Fact.<BR/><BR/>Sorry to burst your trickle down bubble, but you're wrong.
0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 9, 2009
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Posted June 3, 2009
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Posted June 3, 2009
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