Friedman Facts.com » university of chicago

C-SPAN: Klein on Friedman again

catallaxia — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:39:25 +0000

FriedmanFacts.com has spent some time discussing Naomi Klein. Partly, this is because although Klein’s ideas are neither rigorous nor historically accurate, and are easily falsified, they certainly are persuasive to large amounts of people who don’t have the time or resources to do their own research.

So, we bring to you a new tidbit from Klein. Econ Job Market Rumors, a forum for economics graduate students which often delves into other topics, has a quite interesting post relating to Milton Friedman and Naomi Klein. The OP (original poster) links to a new (to us) gem from Klein, an interview with C-SPAN. Klein herself, in general as well as specifically in this interview, does more than her opponents have ever done to discredit her. Enjoy!

In particular, catch her response when asked to define Friedman vs. Keynes at the 6:30 mark. Brilliant.

Milton Friedman and subjective truths

catallaxia — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:02:48 +0000

At the The Fronhausen Review, there is an excellent post on the Friedman Institute controversy. The post features a report and commentary on a round table between the institute’s committee and its detractors. There is interesting discussion of the question of what an “open” process means for electing a new institute to a university. Who decides? Must it be democratic? Other interesting tidbits include the anthropological codswallop that Friedman’s innocence is irrelevant:

Heckman [MFI supporter] also approached what should probably be called the Friedman myth, for instance as articulated by Amit and Rothenberg [MFI detractors]. This is the myth that Friedman was an authoritarian liberal. Sahlins made a classic anthropological observation that symbols are indeed false — and that their falsehood is irrelevant. So the Friedman myth may be a myth, a false story, but it is still subjectively true for the people who believe it.

The post goes on to discuss Friedman’s legacy as relates to his association with authoritarian regimes, noting that:

Assuming for the sake of argument that Friedman was not culpable as an abettor of oppressive government, what is the response to the symbolic-mythical argument? The latter argument is that inasmuch as Friedman is a symbol of authoritarian liberalism, and this has bad associations for many, many people in the world, is this itself a strong or decisive argument for not naming the Institute after him? It seems to me that the answer is No: If there is a myth that you think is wrong, and you (i.e. the University) do not have yourself to fear repercussions of opposing that myth, then you should oppose that myth. By taking the name of the Milton Friedman Institute, the University can say, we do not support the further propagation of this basically wrong story about one of our highly acclaimed scholars.

Check it out here.

Obama’s stimulus plan, Friedman, and shock

catallaxia — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:05:15 +0000

In David Boaz’s new article this week in The Guardian, he argues that the reality of government behavior under crisis is miles from Klein’s claim. The new administration is using the current economic “shock” to increase the size and power of the government, and Bush’s administration did just the same thing. An excerpt:

And what happened? Did the Republican administration summon up the spirit of Milton Friedman and cut government spending? Did it deregulate and privatise?

No.

It did what governments actually do in a crisis – it seized new powers over the economy.

Obama’s plan to do the same thing, his shiny new stimulus plan, was discussed by University of Chicago economists last month . The video is available here. It’s a fascinating and occasionally humorous look at the real economics of the stimulus plan, and in particular our audience may be interested in Robert Lucas’s mentions of Milton Friedman at approx. 33:00 and 37:30.

Sen. Bernie Sanders to lay financial crisis blame at Friedman’s feet

rocket — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:28:55 +0000

In the latest of a series of anti-Friedman events at the University of Chicago, CORES, Students for CORES and some other statist groups are hosting independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for a lecture on how the lack of regulation contributed so heavily to the current financial situation. Check out the details below, and print out flyers (“Who Was Milton Friedman?” and “Defaming Milton Friedman”) to hand out if you end up going to the event. They were received well at the Klein event in October.

A coalition of student and faculty groups at the University of Chicago proudly announces:

“Milton Friedman’s Legacies: On the U.S. Economic Crisis.” featuring Senator Bernie Sanders

Tuesday, December 2 at 7:30 PM, at Kent Hall, 107

Senator Sanders (I-VT), a 1964 graduate of the College, will address questions about the contemporary economy, such as: is the current economic crisis part of Milton Friedman’s legacy? Will ongoing revelations about the failure of the market to regulate itself–to protect the goods it holds and the people it serves–change how the public and the government think about what constitutes a strong economy and a strong society?

Senator Sanders’ talk is the third in a series of events responding to the creation of the Milton Friedman Institute for Research in Economics: the first having been Naomi Klein’s October 1 lecture, “Disaster Capitalism: Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys”; the second, the October 14 roundtable discussion featuring supporters and opponents of the Institute. This event is sponsored by The Committee for Open Research on Economy and Society (CORES), Students for CORES, Chicago Society, Students for a Democratic Society, and Stand-Up for Progress. It is funded in part by Student Government.

People with disabilities who think they may need assistance should contact Luis Brennan (631-664-5779). Further inquiries about this event may be addressed to Lauren Berlant (773-493-6202) and Andrew Yale (773-288-9006).

To be fair, Sen. Sanders opposed the Wall Street bailout (both times). This is good (although he may have voted for some of the wrong reasons). A question to ask Sen. Sanders when he comes to Chicago: What financial regulations have actually been lifted in the past few years?

And if he admits that none were lifted and gives the “asleep at the switch” answer, kindly ask him if any government or bureaucracy can truly ever be aware of all of the intricacies of a complex, “free” economy such as ours.

Naomi Klein to speak against Friedman

catallaxia — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:50:48 +0000

A group of University of Chicago faculty, along with the Platypus Society, are hosting polemicist Naomi Klein to speak out against the Friedman Institute. Klein is well-suited to this task. Her new book, Shock Doctrine, falsely condemns Friedman as, among other things, a supporter of Pinochet’s murderous rule in Chile.

What: Naomi Klein Speaks Against Friedman Institute
When: Wednesday Oct. 1, 7pm
Where: University of Chicago, International House

For more on Naomi Klein’s serious allegations against both Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics, please read this 20-page report, or the shorter piece in reason magazine. You can also watch Johan Norberg clear up the record on Friedman on Youtube. Also, check out Klein debates Friedman onYouTube.