Milton Friedman

Milton Friedman appeared on “The Open Mind” with host Richard Heffner in 1975 and 1977 to discuss the American economy. He gave his thoughts on social programs, government spending, and economic philosophies.

“I say thank God for government waste,” he said in his 1975 appearance. “If government is doing bad things, it’s only the waste that prevents the harm from being greater. And the waste of government has two very important elements. Number one, if government were now spending the amount it spends … if they were spending that efficiently, we’d be slaves now. And in the second place, the waste is so obvious that it arouses a counter­movement on the population at large, people are disillusioned with government and it increases the chance that they will recognize where this road is taking them and get off that train before it goes all the way.”

1975: “Living Within Our Means”
1977: “A Nobel Laureate on the American Economy”

Additional Interviews With Milton Friedman
Friedman spoke to the Academy of Achievement on Jan. 31, 1991, about his early life and how he became a successful economist.

Friedman appeared on C-Span’s “Booknotes” in 1994 to discuss F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom” and his introduction in the 50th anniversary edition of the book. He spoke about the book’s influence on capitalism and socialism in the 20th century.

Friedman was interviewed by Russ Roberts for the Library of Economics and Liberty’s “EconTalk” in 2006, just months before his death at the age of 94.

To learn more about Milton Friedman, read his profile on findingDulcinea.