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THEFREE IDEAS ON LIBERTY 324 Rethinkingthe Free Rider Problem James L. Payne Voluntaryproblem-solvingcan work,despitewhatsometheoristswouldhave us believe. 326 Decoratingthe WIIdemess John T. Wenders Concerningthe risksand rightsof hunters. 327 The Individualand the Community TiborR. Machan An individual'scommunityresponsibilitiescannotbe codifiedor coerced. 330 The Troublewith Education WilliamJ. McNicoll Somelessonsof basiceconomicsappliedto questionsof schoolspending. 333 The Case for BeingInsensitive WilliamB. Irvine Shouldmembersof a free societyattempt to suppresspoliticallyincorrect remarksand condemnthose who make them? 335 Government'sAssaulton Freedom to Work ThomasJ. DiLorenzo An analysisof economicfreedomin the labor market. 346 When Folk SayingsAre Ignored DanielR McInnis If you want to make silkpurses,it's a lot easierto start withsilk. 348 Corporate SocialResponsibility:A Dialogue T. FranklinHarris,Jr.

An evaluationof three theoriesconcerningthe role of businessin society. 353 How to Be an Individual DonaldG. Smith The purpose of individualityis excellence,not outlandishness. 355 Book Reviews John ChamberlainreviewsThe Stateofthe Union, a collectionof Albert J. Nock essaysedited by CharlesHamilton.Also featured:Bionomics:The Inevitability of Capitalismby MichaelRothschild;Bureaucracy:What GovernmentAgencies Do and Why They Do It by James Q. Wilson;The Idea Brokers:Think Tanks and the Riseofthe New PolicyEliteby JamesA. Smith. CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 1991 VOL. 41 NO.9 THEFREEMAN IDEASON LIBERTY Published by The Foundation for Economic Education Irvington-on-Hudson, NY 10533 President of The Board: Bruce M. Evans Vice-President: Robert G. Anderson Senior Editors: Beth A. Hoffman Brian Summers Contributing Editors: Bettina Bien Greaves Edmund A. Opitz Paul L. Poirot Copy Editor: Deane M. Brasfield The Freeman is the monthly publication of The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., Irvington-on-Hudson, NY 10533.FEE, established in 1946 by Leonard E. Read, is a nonpolitical educational champion of private property, the free market, and limited govern ment. FEE is classified as a 26 USC 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization. Other officers of FEE's Board of Trustees are: Thomas C.

Stevens, chairman; David H. Keyston, vice chairman; Paul L. Poirot, secretary; Don L. Foote, treasurer. The costs of Foundation projects and services are met through donations. Donations are in vited in any amount. Subscriptions to The Freemanare available to any interested per son in the United States for the asking. Addi tional single copies $1.00;10 or more, 50 cents each. For foreign delivery, a donation of $15.00 a year is required to cover direct mail ing costs. Copyright © 1991 by The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. Permission is granted to reprint any article in this issue except "The Individual and the Community," provided appropriate credit is given and two copies of the reprinted material are sent to The Foundation. Bound volumes of The Freemanare available from The Foundation for calendar years 1971 to date. Earlier volumes as well as current is sues are available on microfilm from Univer sity Microfilms, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

The Freemanconsiders unsolicited editorial submissions, but they must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Our author's guide is available on request. Phone: (914) 591-7230 FAX: (914) 591-8910 PERSPECTIVE On Movingthe World Every so often, an event occurs that stands as a monument to the continuing struggle for human freedom and serves as a reminder to all who work for liberty that even when success seems farthest from reach, they can make a difference. Whether it is the Boston Tea Party, the storming of the Bastille, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, or the as sault on the Berlin Wall, such events are a vivid reminder that man has an undying desire to be free. Of all these, however, there is one event that will stand alone as the simplest and yet most pro found reminder not only of the universal desire for liberty but also of the power of a single indi vidual. This event occurred on June 5, 1989, one day after the Chinese government massacred thousands of its own citizens in Tiananmen Square. As a column of tanks rolled down the ironically named Boulevard of Heavenly Peace, a lone man ran into the middle of the street and stood in front of the lead tank, preventing the en tire column from moving. For one brief moment, the age-old historical struggle between the indi vidual and the state was crystallized into the im age of this one man standing perfectly erect, star ing straight ahead, with the gun turret of a tank pointed at him. It is said that the quest for free dom is the struggle between the armed state with its ultimate resort to the power of a gun and the individual with often nothing more than his prin ciples to defend him. Never before has one event so perfectly represented this struggle before the world, and never before has the power of princi ple and the impotence of force been more per fectly communicated.

To those who fight the daily battle for liberty on even the smallest, most inconspicuous, and some times apparently the most meaningless level, the actions of this man in Beijing should serve as an inspiration and a reminder that, though a single individual may seem powerless to change any thing, the greatest success must always begin with someone who is willing to stand up and fight for what he believes. Where, after all, would the world be today were it not for the first American patriot who resisted British rule, the first French man who stood up against the ancien regime, the 322 first person who refused to comply with the Nazis' plan to murder every Jew in Europe, or the first East European who demanded his freedom in the worst days of Communist tyranny? At the time, it may have seemed to all of these people that they were engaged in a hopeless exer cise, that the resistance of one man is nothing compared with the military and political power of a state. They acted not because they knew that they would wil1, for victory was far from certain, and not as part of a mass struggle against tyranny, for they were, at least initially, quite alone. They acted because they knew they were right, because they wanted to be free, and because they hoped that by taking a stand they would inspire others to do the same. History, of course, proved them cor rect in the long run-acting alone they not only in spired others but eventually proved victorious.

The undeniable lesson of history is this: One per son, backed only by the strength of his convic tions, can make a difference; one man can change the world. -DOUGLAS MATACONIS George Mason University School of Law BalanceofTrade Imagine applying mercantilism to our everyday economic affairs. When our employer gave us our weekly paycheck, we would have to say that this was a favorable balance of trade since it ended up with us having more money at our disposal. On the other hand, we would have to speak of being vic timized by an unfavorable balance of trade when we shopped at the supermarket. This is because money left our hands and went to the grocer. But anyone who has ever shopped realizes that gains are made by such activities. Who would patronize the local supermarket unless what they get is worth more to them than what they pay for it? It is the same with nations. If we buy more this month from Japan than we sell to them, this doesn't mean we are exploited by them any more than gro cery stores victimize us when we shop there. More to the point, the purpose of trade is to import-just as the purpose of working is to be able to afford to buy or import the groceries. So the next time you hear that we have a negative balance in merchanPERSPECTIVE dise trade, remember that means we are consuming more goods and services provided by foreigners than they are getting from us.

-WALTER BLOCK,writing for The Fraser Institute Vancouver, Canada "No Problem" "You want to go para-sailing?" the pilot of the snorkeling boat asked as we pulled ashore near Montego Bay. "No problem." And there was no problem. He hailed a cab, the driver took us a few miles down the sandy Ja maican beach, we paid cash, signed a one paragraph release, and we were up in the air. It was as simple as that. It's about the same if you want to take your first scuba dive in Aruba. Yousign a release, they sit you down to explain the basics, you practice in a pool, and an hour later you are diving off the side of a boat. Again, "No problem." Unfortunately, it isn't so easy if you want to take some risks in the United States. If you can even find someone to take you scuba diving, para-sailing, mountain climbing, or whatever, the release forms are a lot longer than a paragraph or two, and the ba sic message is: "Don't sue me."

Americans have always been risk-takers. But if we have to go overseas to take our chances, that says a lot about our future as a people and as a nation. -BRIAN SUMMERS Mises'LastWord Whatever reversals lie ahead, the day when pro fessors of Marxism could make the case for their man over the market is over. The Austrian economist Ludwigvon Miseshad the last word back in 1947,when the Red Army was imposing central planning from the Baltic to the Mediterranean and socialists everywhere were dreaming that they had the key to a better world: "A socialist management of production ... will squander the scarce factors of production, both material and human. Chaos and poverty for all will unavoidably result." -ROB NORTON,writing in the January 14, 1991,issue of Fortune 323 324 THEFREEMAN IDEASON UBERTY Rethinking the Free Rider Problem by James L. Payne O n the Bottle Bay Road, in North Idaho's Bonner County, they've confounded the professors. In the academic world, volun tarism is generally considered a hopeless way of approaching public problems. The reason is "free riders": in a voluntary system of donating to a wor thy project, people can get the benefit of the pro ject without having to pay for it. Therefore-the theory goes-everyone will be selfish and wait for others to give, and nothing will get done. No, say the academics, the only way to accomplish public projects is to use government and its tax system to force everyone to contribute.