The Myth of the Robber Barons with Burt Folsom

[PermanentWater]

I wish Obama and Gordon brown could have seen this lecture before bailing out the Banks.



[MaxxTheMerciless]

Burt Folsom makes all that time I spent at Yale and U of Oregon a waste of time. I would've loved to have him as a professor.

[ikid77]

Government exists for the purpose of creating wars and protecting economic interests abroad. If not for war like the british, the U.S would not be an economic power in the world. The only way to become an economic power in the world is to have control of trade routes and plundering wealth. That's why the U.S does business with some of the most oppressive regimes on earth. Competition is a fallacy, its about crushing competition before it even matures.

[moderatecanuck]

@ikid77 Not sure if sarcastic

[niklasbastholmhansen]

Folsom is the man! Best professor I have ever had. A shame you cant hit that "like" button twice.

[hartforest]

Professor Folsom rocks! Great lecture delivered with vigor and humor. Thanks FEE!

[gliberty42]

It's really incredible to me that a lecturer can begin a lecture on the history of America by saying that everyone was so much freer then - completely ignoring slavery and the unequal rights of many non-slaves - and use this as his premise for the rest of the lecture. Worse, when I point this out my comment is down-voted and every other comment defends him. Have we no historical perspective as a nation? I never said this means big government is good. I just want recognition of actual history.

[AlexanderEBott]

The most entertaining and educational college lectures I have seen in a while.

[WarVideo]

I have this book, its a great book, eveybody should buy it.

[gliberty42]

I did not say whether it was government's fault or not. Carefully read my comment. 

[ExquisiteDoom]

@gliberty42 doesn't matter, living standards increased, if you want to dispute that, then fine but don't just argue that people were slaves in a vacuum, life was tough no shit, but reductions in prices helped a lot. your conception of rights is also very presumptuous, are you suggesting a form of boost of rights by government would've increased living standards? If so, you're pretty much arguing for the subsidization of rights, perhaps you should look at the impacts of that?

[kc7591]

You all might like to read Andrew Mellon's book "Taxation: The People's Business"

[xit1254]

@gliberty42 nice try, but you’re comment is using a straw-man fallacy. The lecture is about what free people can accomplish when they’re NOT oppressed or robbed by the government to subsidize inefficient projects for “the common good”.

[gliberty42]

It's difficult to take the arguments seriously when the speaker keeps referring to the freedom of the American people in the early days of the republic. Those Americans who were bought and sold and had no rights at all might disagree with this premise. And those whose land was stolen might also object. Finally, those who were not allowed to buy property would find it problematic as well. Is his premise that the tiny majority who had greater freedom than today are all that matter?

[s0beit]

@gliberty42 Property can only be legally stolen by government through eminent domain, people being bought and sold, I'm assuming you mean slaves, were also a government issue. People not "allowed" to buy property, also a government issue. I don't know what premise of this video you're attacking exactly.

Even still a lot of those things still exist today, people aren't allowed to buy or use some property, eminent domain laws still in effect, we work for months out of the year for the government.

[utubehayter]

@gliberty42

Yes, because all lectures should start with .."I am against slavery" and always bear that cross, regardless of what your topic is. Right? How dare he forget it? He must mean that black people do not matter.. right?

If you behave like a moron, don't be surprised that you are voted down.