By Steven Greenhut
Columnist, The Orange County Register

A day hardly passes when some critic of this newspaper's editorial philosophy doesn't contact me and express some glaring misunderstanding of what it is we believe. To many critics, libertarianism is nothing more than a philosophy of selfishness and greed, a way for the "haves" to justify their exploitation of the "have-nots."

Some overheated critics suspect I am like Scrooge, indifferent to human suffering, because I believe that government poverty programs make people worse off rather than better off. They think I would like to see Yosemite paved with concrete because I believe private property owners - rather than government planners - should make most development decisions.

They prefer the government to the market.

I scratch my head at such thinking. Everything government does, it does poorly. By contrast, the market is a place where individuals strive to provide better goods at better prices - if they don't, they will quickly go out of business. Some limited government is needed, to uphold individual rights and provide a handful of services, as the founders intended, but why do so many people love the government and show such hostility to the market?

In part, it has to do with motives. Academics, in particular, love the noble goals of government, compared to the base motives of business, even if government good intentions often go awry, and themarket's selfish intentions usually work out well.

As an antidote to such thinking, I like to read about economics. Not those economists who try to predict business cycles, or who make the dismal science as dismal as possible. I prefer to read those who understand that the rules of the market are as ironclad as the rules of gravity, and that dismissing either set of rules ensures disaster.

One of the clearest writers on economic matters, Lew Rockwell, president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and editor of the LewRockwell.com Web site, has collected his speeches in a book, "Speaking of Liberty," which puts economics in much-needed perspective.

"It is important that we think of economic life as an intricate global system of exchange, one that works without any central direction, and which generates prosperity and its own form of order within the framework of liberty," he writes. "We are not just talking about the earnings in people's stock portfolio. We are talking about whether mothers can afford to buy milk for their children, and whether the businesses that deliver milk have the freedom to be entrepreneurial and find the least costly methods to make such deliveries possible."

Because of the market, the average lifespan has tripled, the standard of living has soared. Rockwell recounts all the obvious advances any of us can think of, from refrigeration to the World Wide Web. But instead of marveling at it, celebrating it and defending it, "The intellectual world often appears to be a conspiracy against market economics, and the media routinely ridicule capitalism. Statesmen spend every waking minute trying to curb, regulate, hamper, or otherwise loot the capitalist system."

So many readers I hear from zealously embrace the power of government, and constantly denigrate freedom, markets and anything that holds back the power of government. Rockwell, however, is an optimist. "Speaking of Liberty" is an inspiring read that makes one want to go out and champion freedom, rather than hole up and get depressed about certain trends.

A less philosophical, more practical guide to free-market economics, "Common Sense Economics," by James Gwartney, Richard Stroup and Dwight Lee lays out the case for a market-based system in a straightforward yet compelling manner.

Among the book's lessons are that "incentives matter; there is no such thing as a free lunch; decisions are made at the margin; trade promotes economic progress; ... people earn income by helping others; the 'invisible hand' of market prices directs buyers and sellers toward activities that promote the general welfare; too often long-term consequences, or the secondary effects, of an action are ignored."

Music to my ears.

In the chapter on the role of government, the book makes these two crucial points: "Government promotes economic progress by protecting the rights of individuals and supplying goods that cannot be provided through markets." And ... "Government is not a corrective device." Repeat that last line over and over until it sinks in.

"Common Sense Economics" even includes a chapter on personal finances that applies the market's lessons to an individual's life. It reminds readers that the market is indeed like gravity. Follow its lessons carefully, because there are direct personal consequences for those who defy Mother Nature.

And now for something completely different.

"Molvania: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry," by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch is one of the funniest things I've read all year. The book, which mimics the style of a travel guide, provides tips for visiting a fictional former Soviet-bloc nation described as a "delightful blend of Renaissance charm and Balkan sleaze."

It's filled with practical ideas for the visitor, such as this one for getting around: "Buses run frequently and can be hailed by simply waving your hand or, during peak periods, a small handgun." It offerspageafter page ofwonderful, silly fun, and a humorous reminder of what happens when governments defy the market (I have to have some justification for including it in this review!).