The Law

Excellent read. The realization that the same political turmoil we are going through now was going on in 19th century France is stunning and Bastiat has a way of laying out the truth unlike any of todays pundits.

Read this and give copies to your congressman and senators. This book was published in 1850 to describe the French socialists of Bastiats country, but those politicians arent that much different than ours today. Bastiat is one of the most quotable economists ever. The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else. When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will. Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone. These are just a few of Bastiats gems. Read this short book. The prose is excellent.

Its amazing that something written around 1850 would be so prophetic, with feelings of deja vu every other page. A must read for anyone interested in keeping the heavy hand of the state off our backs, and in preserving individual choice in our lives. The prose is, of course, mid-19th century, and the country he discusses is the France of that time, with the Socialists having come into view, but it is entirely relevant to America from about 1930 onwards, particularly now when the Socialists (still here in spite of their historic failures) are in charge.

The law perverted! Yes this books reveals what the law has been made to do. This is an old book but it is very relevant today, as it shows just how far the law has been perverted because of peoples ignorance of it. A must read!

A voice from the past eloquently presenting a rational inquiry, slightly dated, about what it means to have rational Law. A model of possible perfection that will unfortunately fail to impress the gullible and faint of heart. The only true Shield against the Iron Fist of mob rule and oppressive government. A must read for all who cherish Freedom. And be able to distinguish reality from fantasy.

If you have already read it, read it again. If you have not read it, please consider reading this timeless piece of literature. Though it was written well over 150 years ago, Bastiat’s philosophical and eloquent description of the purpose of the law has not changed with time; his sentiments remain completely on point. In fact many of the points eluded too regarding the concerns of Liberty have been exacerbated in America’s current system. Please read and share this classic piece of literature. Invite everyone you know to read and discus it. This is one of the most powerful and concise books on politics ever written. The way in which Mr. Bastiat illustrates his point are careful not to be inflammatory, while at the same time hard hitting. Regardless of one’s personal political persuasion, this is a must read.

I was introduced to this book by a friend of mine 15 or 20 years ago. At the time I was young and middle of the road politically. I thought some things the government endeavored to spend money at were good and others downright silly. After reading The Law my understanding of government in general crystallized to a large extent and has not changed much since. The author uses some examples from his time, but its not hard to follow his intent. This work stands the test of time and is still as relevant today as it was in the mid 1800s. I would also recommend his other works as well. They also are concise and to the point. I bought three copies of this book as I had lent my first copy out 10 years ago and it was never returned, which even though the original I had was sentimental to me, is OK since this book should be forwarded to as many people as possible. Legal Plunder is rampant in America today and will only be curbed by educating We the People about the cost of following these intolerable practices. Enjoy and then pass it on.

Though not light reading by any means, this essay is something that should be taught in all high school class rooms around America. His point (which is repeated candidly many times) is that Law is there for structure and protection, not to redistribute wealth among social classes. History has shown us that this idea is one that ultimately fails, and this essay by a 19th century Frenchman explains why in broad terms. No matter your personal political views, one should attempt a read of The Law. If nothing else, you can see the other sides perspective.

This classic commentary on European Law, especially in France, after the French Revolution had destroyed an oppressive monarchy and the country was faced with another oppressive regime. This little book is an acid commentary on law disguised as social and economic oppression, which in a few years produced another critic of law under royal and aristocratic rule: the founding handbook of Austrian Economics: Carl Mengers Principles of Economics. The mistaken impression is given by the advocates of Austrian Economics that Bastiets The Law is a protest against the State in any form, including the government of the United States and other forms of democratic government. But it is well known that Bastiet admired the government of the United States and praised it for its just laws (except for slavery) and its concern for human rights, including economic rights. The book offers nothing significant in economics, even though advocates of Austrian Economics claim that Bastiets critique of Law would apply to certain laws of the United States. His work is directed to laws under a monarchy, in which laws favor the aristocracy. There is every evidence that he would be quite comfortable in a government of the people, by the prople and for the people. The Foreward to the book by Thomas DiLorenzo is not only deceptive, but positively erroneous. The Foreward is really a diatribe against what the Dilorenzo calls statism, and it is clear that his words are directed at the Congress of the United States, which makes the laws of this country. He hints that the government of the United States is a collectivity, which is another name for Socialism. That certainly was not the view of Frederic Bastiet. Bastiets most virulent accusations are not directed at Thomas Jefferson, the Congress of the United States or the Attorney-General,but against Saint-Just, Robespierre, Lapellitier, all associated with the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution. These set up a system of legal plunder and an autocracy that sent ordinary citizens to the guillotine. DiLorenzo gives the impression that Bastiets The Law is directed at the government and laws of the United States. No one could really object to the book as it stands, but its publication by the Ludwig von Mises Institute makes clear the intent of its publication: it is part of a campaign on the part of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the Acton Institute and the devotees of Austrian Economics to place the economy of the United States solely in the hands of entrepreneurs, unmindful of the fact that it was Entrepreneurs who created slavery, child labor, and other social injustices in this country and were put out of business by Supreme Court decisions in Muller v. Oregon(workers rights), United States v. the Darby Lumber Company(child labor), and Brown v. Board of Education(segregation), and laws that followed upon those Supreme Court decisions - - like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bastiets descripion of Law in the last pages of the book is the finest part of the book and it captures in his virile prose what a free government should be. But the Ludwig von Mises Institute does not want the economy of any country regulated by just laws, - - - only by the action and interests of Entrepreneurs. It was to free the economy of the country from an economics decided by Entrpreneurs that this country was founded, and it has taken 200 years to undo the social, economic and political claims forged by several generations of Entrepreneurs, who either created economic monopolies or built their economic advantage on the economic disadvantages of others. The Enron scandal and the Bernie Madoff fiasco are two current examples of a certain kind of Entrepreneurship, but there are others less known that have not hit the headlines. The recent movie The Wolf of Wall Street highlights the methods and intent of entrepreneurship run wild, and how the just laws of a nation safeguard a just economy. The Law is a good book to read, if you ignore the Foreward, which gives the book a twist never intended by its author. One must consult Bastiets Economic Sophisms and his Economic Harmonies to capture his witty and insightful grasp upon the issue of a national economy. His admiration for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people indicates the direction in which his economic genius was going - and certainly not as one of the fathers and founders of a free market economy. Most of his blasts on economic matters came from his exile in England, far from the terror of the Republic of Louis Napolean. Father Clifford Stevens Archdiocese of Omaha

Im amazed when I read this type of material that mans inhumanity to man is nothing new. It may change its name or be less or more violent but as humans, we always seem to organize in one of two ways. Those that want to tell others how to live and those that prefer self-direction. Bastiat makes the case that socialism/communism/marxism/statism, whatever you want to call it, has been around well over 200 years now. It hits the same stumbling blocks now as it did then. If youre looking for something that supports the argument that social governance vs. free government is wrong from a historical perspective, youll find some support here.