Let me tell you a story.

A long long time ago - about two years - in a land far far away - Belgium, to be precise - there was a group of students. Hiring employees was very expensive due to the huge taxation levels, and very difficult because of all the red tape. As a result, a lot of people were unemployed, while others were stressed out due to work pressure. And that is without mentioning the tens of thousands of pages of new legislation and red tape passed by the parliament every year.
But then those students stumbled upon the writings of Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, Van Dun and many others. They learned that government intervention in the economy is actually unnecessary, and most of the time very harmful, even to the poorest members of society. Moreover, it is in fact immoral to force innocent, hard-working and peaceful people to hand over part of their income, or to enforce arbitrary rules upon them. Those students discovered that a society based on personal freedom and responsibility would not only be more prosperous and stable, but also more just.

Because, imagine a society without a central bank, with her paper money and printing press, creating permanent inflation, and causing economic crises with her cheap credit. Imagine a society without income taxes, and without a world empire to sustain. Imagine a society where people can work and live and teach and learn and start businesses without unnecessary burdens of taxation and regulation, without the insecurity of inflation and recession. Just imagine ...

And so those students decided to found the Rothbard institute, with a simple goal. To explain in the most clear and consistent way to as many people as possible why a society based on personal freedom and responsibility would be a more prosperous, more harmonious, and more just society. During the past two years, we have published two books and organised numerous lectures and seminars, and we are preparing a brimming program for the year to come.

Of course this different society we are talking about is not "politically feasible". But in politics, a week is already "long term". Four years is in politics nearly an eternity. But most people plan, work, save, and invest on a much longer term. They, and their children, will live and work in this society for many decades to come. It is those people who we ask to become part of this story. It is these people whom we want to ask to team up with us and and invest in this project, in a "happy end" for this story.

You can do that by becoming member, by donating, by contacting us at Dit e-mailadres is beschermd tegen spambots. U heeft Javascript nodig om het te kunnen zien. with valuable tips and suggestions, or by sharing the good word about this institute with friends and acquaintances. 

I look forward to meeting you in the next chapter of this story, in 2010! 

With my best wishes for the holidays and 2010,

Michaël Bauwens

President