Herbert Stein's writing on
politics and the U.S.
economy has long been noted for its objectivity, clarity, and wit. Mr. Stein, however, writes frequently on other topics as well. This volume contains thirty-four of his recent essays, divided into six sections, with one devoted to general reflections and others to history, the state of the economy, the U.S. budget and taxes, politics, and observations about daily life. This summary contains excerpts from the lead
essay.
Herbert Stein is a senior fellow at AEI. His previous books include Presidential Economics: The Making of Economic Policy from Roosevelt to Clinton (third revised
edition, AEI Press, 1994), The Illustrated Guide to the American Economy (with Murray Foss, AEI Press, third edition forthcoming), and Washington Bedtime Stories (Free Press, 1986).
The title essay in this collection is a tribute to Henry Simons, with whom I had only one course at the University of Chicago, in 1936, but whom I regarded as a model and a mentor despite that small personal connection. When he collected his published essays in a volume, Economic Policy for a Free Society, he prefaced them with a new essay entitled "Credo."
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