Hope and Change in Memphis

I spoke to the local Campaign for Liberty group last night and wanted to thank everyone who made it an excellent event. It was everything a speaker could want: a large and enthusiastic crowd (they said they counted 72 people, I think), great conversation, and excellent questions peppered with healthy skepticism. My long-run optimism is, perhaps, a bit schizophrenic. We’ve made a mess of things recently, and I don’t think we’re making very good policy right now. At the same time, however, there are a lot of ideas on the table that weren’t seriously considered even a few years ago. I had a fantastic time, I enjoyed meeting people I had previously only met via email or blog comments, and I learned a lot. It’s hard not to be at least a little optimistic when that many people are willing to give up a Monday evening to talk about economics and public policy. Here’s a list of reading recommendations and links to articles, podcasts, and videos that you might find interesting; I assembled it for a “Think Globally, Act Locally” panel at Rhodes a few weeks ago and it’s sort of a Beta version of an economics education clearinghouse I hope to put together at some point.