Sheldon Richman: His Beliefs and Contributions

An American writer, Sheldon Richman, is the vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF) as well as the editor of the monthly journal of the FFF, called Future of Freedom. This renowned writer was formerly the editor at The Freeman for close to 15 years and has written on a number of global and domestic issues, including international trade, federal disaster assistance, foreign policy, education, privacy, American history, computers, environment and the Middle East.

Over the years, his articles have appeared on a number of American newspapers, the likes of which include the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Counter Punch, American Scholar, Washington Times, Independent Review, Insight, Journal of Economic Development, Liberty and several others. He graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia and went on to becoming a newspaper reporter and senior editor at the Cato Institute, followed by the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Richman has released an award winning book called Your Money or Your Life: Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax and is an avid blogger at the Free Association.

The Future of Freedom Foundation

Based in Fairfax, Virginia, The Future of Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to help in the advancement of the liberation philosophy by presenting an uncompromising economic and moral case for private property, free markets and individual liberty. Through this platform, various scholars, including Richman himself, focus on limiting the role of the government and libertarianism in the context of domestic and foreign policy. The agency communicates with the general public through its monthly publication (Future of Freedom), via email in FFF Daily, and also by Op-Ed pieces in close to 800 Latin American and United States newspapers.

Capitalism, Corporatism and the Freed Market

In his article on The Free Online.org, titled Capitalism, Corporatism and the Freed Market, Richman talks about the necessity of a complete free market, without the intervention of government agencies so that the people can tap into their full potential. He goes on to criticize the establishment of the corporate state, the obscured notion of capitalism in the minds of the people and their complete lack of knowledge on socialism. He emphasizes that capitalism, as presented to us by the government, does not present a free market system, but in fact promotes the assumption that we are a free market. Capitalism is more like an anti-concept, since it confuses rather than enlightens. He talks about the work of various renowned authors, including Professor Edmund S Phelps, Saifedean Ammous, Roderick Long and even the President Barack Obama.

Your Money or Your Life

In his award winning book, Your Money or Your Life: Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax, published by the Future of Freedom Foundation in 1999, Sheldon Richman traces the beginning of the IRS and income tax, and recounts why they were initially introduced. He emphasizes that income tax never was and will never be integral to anything and can never contribute to helping the progress of a country.

The founders of the country did not have income tax on their minds when they were creating the design of the system. Sheldon goes on to expose the evils within the system and presents a unique analysis. He claims that the IRS and income tax are consciously robbing the people and a few reforms here and there can prove to beneficial not only to the people of the country but also the overall growth of the system and economy.

Putting the right people in charge can prove to be hugely beneficial and foster the establishment of transparent free markets. This 112 page book is a satire on income tax and showcases how the IRS is making the general population poorer.