Ed. note: Milton Friedman was born on this day 114 years ago. MasterResource celebrates his ideas and legacy each July 31st. This post presents an example that countless others with open minds can emulate in a time of political polarization.
“Instead of blaming bad leaders, we should first reflect on what we have done—or failed to fulfill our CITIZENSHIP—that allowed these people to gain power. Starting with reviewing Dr. Friedman’s concepts of ‘free enterprise’, could be a good first step of a thousand miles to go.” (Ruby Kamm, below)
On social media several years ago, Ruby Kamm described her ascent from Marxist indoctrination to understanding free-market capitalism. Coming to see the distinction between freedom and opportunity and crony political capitalism was important. Milton Friedman stands as the most influential economist and public advocate of economic freedom in the second half of the 20th century.…
Editor Note: Glen Lyons and Travis Fisher have expanded the public policy debate concerning electricity with Advocates for Consumer Regulated Electricity (CRE), an offshoot of which is Bring Your Own Power (BYOP). Their initiative proposes privately funded, “islanded” off-grid utilities that bypass public-utility regulation. CRE’s latest quarterly report is provided below.
“CRE/BYOP is no longer just a theoretical reform. It is now connected to federal legislation, FERC action, Texas data center policy, state affordability debates, nuclear innovation, and public concern about rising utility bills.”
Second Quarter 2026 Highlights
Consumer Regulated Electricity (CRE) and Bring Your Own Power (BYOP, aka the Texas version of CRE) are moving from policy concept to active legislative, regulatory, and public advocacy. This past quarter the case for CRE/BYOP has appeared in national policy reports, state testimony, media coverage, federal legislation, and state-specific commentary.…
“The key to sustainable resource development is private property rights to the subsoil, not monopoly government deciding what public projects to undertake. The history of government and petroleum is clear on this.”
In a Council on Foreign Relations study, “Venezuela: The Rise and Fall of a Petrostate” (2024), authors Diana Roy and Amelia Cheatham wrote:
Venezuela’s ongoing descent into economic and political chaos is a cautionary tale of the dangerous influence that resource wealth can have on developing countries.
Calling Guillermo Yeatts and his case for privatizing the subsoil for mass wealth creation and democratization! But the authors work within the socialist, nationalist paradigm. Their Summary follows (verbatim):