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View Full Version : The Law (full text) - Frederick Bastiat's Masterpiece




yongrel
06-28-2008, 08:40 PM
Preface:

"When a reviewer wishes to give special recognition to a book, he predicts that it will still be read "a hundred years from now." The Law, first published as a pamphlet in June, 1850, is already more than a hundred years old. And because its truths are eternal, it will still be read when another century has passed.

Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) was a French economist, statesman, and author. He did most of his writing during the years just before - and immediately following -- the Revolution of February 1848. This was the period when France was rapidly turning to complete socialism. As a Deputy to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Bastiat was studying and explaining each socialist fallacy as it appeared. And he explained how socialism must inevitably degenerate into communism. But most of his countrymen chose to ignore his logic.

The Law is here presented again because the same situation exists in America today as in the France of 1848. The same socialist-communist ideas and plans that were then adopted in France are now sweeping America. The explanations and arguments then advanced against socialism by Mr. Bastiat are -- word for word -- equally valid today. His ideas deserve a serious hearing. "

Read the Law, by Frederick Bastiat (click here) (http://www.constitution.org/law/bastiat.htm)

demolama
06-29-2008, 04:11 AM
its definitely a good read. I do love all the digital copies floating around the net... but I'm still one of these people that still have to own a printed copy. Which I do have. The digital, however, makes referencing for papers and other things much easier though :)

bucfish
06-29-2008, 04:59 AM
Great book indeed and it has those truths which to a man of reason and logic are self evident!

yongrel
07-02-2008, 04:53 PM
bump

Knightskye
07-02-2008, 07:00 PM
Why are they prevented? Because they are presumed to be incapable. And why is incapacity a motive for exclusion? Because it is not the voter alone who suffers the consequences of his vote; because each vote touches and affects everyone in the entire community; because the people in the community have a right to demand some safeguards concerning the acts upon which their welfare and existence depend.

By that logic, it's okay to ban mentally ill people from possessing firearms.

RSLudlum
07-02-2008, 07:03 PM
here's an audiobook version: http://freeaudio.org/fbastiat/thelaw.html