Writes Emily:

I get solicitors at my door seeking donations for so many things (and so frequently), but I rarely give them any money. I don’t have any “extra” money these days. But, as soon as I saw the donation drive article this week, I clicked through to add my small contribution.

When I think of what LRC is truly worth to me, I would give $25,000—for last year alone. It is worth at least a semester at a decent college. Unfortunately, my budget says zero. So I stretched it to $50, promising myself to give more when the house sells.

This last year of daily LRC contact, and all my additional self-imposed reading assignments, has been (to say the least) transformational. Currently midway through reading The Road to Serfdom, and feeling so inspired by Hayek’s master mind (Walter Block said Hazlitt was so “him,” well Hayek is so “me”), I wish I could thank the great masters directly: Hayek, Mises, Hazlitt, Rothbard…

I decided instead to share my gratitude with the great masters of today who carry on, and continually expand upon, the great instructors from the past—and without whose guidance I would never have discovered any of these classic (or modern) great works of knowledge.

I continually feel excited to share my learnings—even with those who I know will not necessarily agree with me. I partly feel so enthusiastic because this new knowledge doesn’t rely on the media-hype, agitprop, or other techniques (B.S.) I have come to know and hate (and which don’t even count as knowledge anyway). I love to read LRC and think, “but of course…” (although I never actually thought of it that way before).

So, thank you Lew. You are the epitome of a gracious host. I always go straight to your articles whenever they appear on the site. Their brevity and clarity are at the top of my list and often go into my own little archive. I also appreciate the variety you give to the site. I have greatly enjoyed passing on pieces, such as the painful running shoes one, or the tip about chilling red wine in the summer. (Eight dollar Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages has become one of our household favorites served this way.)

These additional articles you post are not only interesting, but provide an excellent means to subtly pass on the LewRockwell site to friends and family that wouldn’t appreciate a direct approach.

Thank you also for the incredible backlog of articles and information which are an amazing resource in and of themselves. (Just the other day I was looking for the Austrian perspective on Monopoly and Capitalism, and a quick search gave me the perfect article from Mises himself.)

Also, thank you for including all of the economic and invesment gurus that I want to read anyway like Jim Rogers, Gerald Celente, Peter Schiff, and Marc Faber. It’s a one-stop shop at LewRockwell.com.

Thanks also to Jeffrey Tucker for his beautiful intelligence and eloquence. Articles such as the series on Intellectual Monopoly, Neither Brown nor Red, our traffic cops making bank on courtroom overtime, and even Learn to Link or Die, are just a few of his memorable contributions. I also appreciate the various book reviews and recommendations.

Thanks to Walter Block for his contrarian style. Just like his book, Defending the Undefendable, which I think of often, I appreciate the articles of the same ilk and his admirable ability to stand alone. I must also thank him for the dedication list (in Defending…), which is where I first saw the name Nathaniel Branden (crazy, I know). I have gained so much for my own life from reading all of his books on psychology and personal responsibility.

Thanks to Donald Miller and Bill Sardi for the excellent health information. I sent my mother (a medical-establishment entrenched nurse practitioner) this article on flu shot and, because it was so thorough and well-researched, she actually took it to heart.

(Looking now at the list of columnists, I realize I could write for pages. So, just a few more…)

Thanks to Bob Higgs for all of his contributions, the most recent being the flag waving article which brought a tear to my avoiding-the-4th-of-July-flag-waving eye.

More thanks:

Mark Thornton, who seems to me the embodiment of Austrian Economics.

Karen DeCoster, a real free-thinking human. (I appreciate the recent change in bio which balances the glamour photo image!)

Mike Rozeff, who introduced me to the concept of panarchy—which very much appeals to me.

Charley Reese for his penetrating and heartfelt insights.

Floy Lilley for debunking so well.

Wilton Alston, who doesn’t contribute all the time, but I’m always glad when he does. This is one article I particularly remember: The Black Libertarian’s Greatest Fear.

Fred Reed, too smart (and sensitive) for his own good, I’m sure.

Lila Rajiva, who sort of reminds me of me…only smarter.

Richard Daughty, always good for a laugh. Hahaha.

And last, but of course not least, Ron Paul. At the risk of sounding trite, I will tell you that the first time I saw him on television—knowing nothing yet about inflation, or sound money, or libertarianism—I cried. Here was a real person, an actual Representative, who could truly represent me. Plus, I only found LRC.com (and Mises.org) after reading his book The Revolution.

Not to discount Gary North, Tom Woods, Laurence Vance, or any of the other writers. I read nearly all of the articles every single day.

I have now totally given up on reading rubbish: There are far too many important topics to cover to waste a minute of my free time. Every chance I get, I’m catching up on LRC articles or working though my extensive must-read booklist.

My deep gratitude to all of you. I fully realize how much time and energy goes into your contributions, and that you generally are not doing it for the money

The Best of Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.