Anything that government can do, private enterprise can do for half the cost.
MILTON FRIEDMANAnything that government can do, private enterprise can do for half the cost.
MILTON FRIEDMANUnderlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
MILTON FRIEDMANThere are severe limits to the good that the government can do for the economy, but there are almost no limits to the harm it can do.
MILTON FRIEDMANEvery economist knows that minimum wages either do nothing or cause inflation and unemployment. That’s not a statement, it’s a definition.
MILTON FRIEDMANThe great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus.
MILTON FRIEDMANThe growing role that the government has played in financing and administering schooling has led not only the enormous waste of taxpayers money but also to a far poorer educational system.
MILTON FRIEDMANI am favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it’s possible.
MILTON FRIEDMANEconomic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces the area over which political power is exercised.
MILTON FRIEDMANThere’s no such thing as a free lunch.
MILTON FRIEDMANThe excuse for the destruction of liberty is always the plea of necessary ‘ that there is no alternative.
MILTON FRIEDMANHigher taxes never reduce the deficit. Governments spend whatever they take in and then whatever they can get away with.
MILTON FRIEDMANThe unions might be good for the people who are in the unions but it doesn’t do a thing for the people who are unemployed. Because the union keeps down the number of jobs, it doesn’t do a thing for them.
MILTON FRIEDMANThere’s no doubt in my mind that Ronald Reagan was by far the greatest. Because he had real principles and he stuck by them. He made clear what he was going to do, and he did it. He didn’t back down.
MILTON FRIEDMANIf you pay people not to work and tax them when they do, don’t be surprised if you get unemployment.
MILTON FRIEDMANOne of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.
MILTON FRIEDMANWhen everybody owns something, nobody owns it, and nobody has a direct interest in maintaining or improving its condition. That is why buildings in the Soviet Union – like public housing in the United States – look decrepit within a year or two of their construction.
MILTON FRIEDMAN