Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life Reviews

• not so good

  
  By A2FTHCGH06O4Y5 on 2005-06-02
  This book, written by the son of a legendary economist, is an attempt to explain, in reader-friendly fashion, some basic principles of macro- and microeconomics.
  
  Well, there's something you should know up front: this book contains numerous unpleasant and confusing graphs and charts that the author uses in his explanations. There. I said it.
  
  Because of this, you really have to ask if this book is the wisest purchase for your needs.
  
  I'm one of those people who don't believe it is possible to teach economics meaningfully without resorting to unpleasant graphs and charts.
  
  But if you agree with me, what would you be doing with this book? It's not more engagingly written than your average college textbook; its examples are quite standard; and, because it is a paperback, many critical ideas are missing.
  
  If you're looking for a engaging and reader-friendly book that'll teach you about economics WITHOUT graphs and charts, well . . . I guess I would recommend either Buchholz's "From Here to Economy," or Wheelan's "Naked Economics," both well-known, helpful, and (as of this writing) reasonably current.
  
  However, if you need to learn some economics and have (quite sensibly) resigned yourself to the inevitability of charts and graphs, I would just go ahead with a solid freshman textbook: Slavin's "Economics" (8th Ed.) could not be more student-friendly, while Mankiw's highly-regarded "Principles of Macroeconomics" (3rd Ed.) is less so but superlative in every way.
  
  As it is, since Friedman's little book is not noticeably cleverer, better-written, or more innovative than other books of its kind, the only advantage it seems to offer is its convenient paperback size, which makes it more conducive for reading in the tub.
  
  

• Welcome to Chicago

  
  By ANQJQYB6PJ0IL on 2001-08-09
  On p. 174 and 175, David Friedman talks about misguided ways of "conserving" renewable resources, such as trees and elephants. He points out that if you ban the use of ivory, you reduce the incentive for people to raise elephants, and you could end up reducing the supply of elephants.

  I xeroxed those pages and gave them to my 5th-grader to give to her teacher. That teacher was happily indoctrinating her students into the politically correct view that banning the use of ivory is good policy.

  This is economics at its best--showing the fallacy of a common viewpoint with simple logic. There is much of that in this book.

  This book is "Chicago economics" through and through. You get the pragmatic justification for the assumption that people maximize their well being. You get the invasions of other territory, such as politics and marriage. And you get everything presented on diagrams with lines and curves.

  It's the diagrams that make me hesitant to recommend this book to a casual reader. I can see their usefulness in a classroom, where you draw them in front of a captive audience. But I think that Friedman should try a different approach if he wants to make the book accessible to someone who is not in an economics class.
  
  

• Buyer Be Wary

  
  By A35I21EQGD0VBD on 2003-09-01
  This is one of those books I thought I was really going to like. It has that attitude--you know--where you think you're going to end up knowing true stuff about interesting aspects of everyday economic life that ordinary people are always misinformed about. Not!

  I had to stop reading after three chapters, well four actually, as I skipped to Chapter 17 which was supposedly going to make the potato subsidy analysis more realistic (a promise unfulfilled as far as I could tell).

  This may be the worst book on economics, or the worst book period, I have attempted to read in a while. Why is it so bad? Let me count the ways.

  For starters, the writing is terrible. Try this "sentence": "SO if 10% more income is enough to let me buy what I bought last year, THEN 10% more income would make me better off than I was last year, SO some smaller increase in income would make me as well off as I was last year, SO prices have increased by less than 10%." [capitalizations not in original] If that resonates with you, you may like the book.

  Blatant errors come quickly: in the very first pair of graphs, one is wrong.

  Perhaps there is an clue early on that the reader should be wary of taking any of this book seriously. When discussing the economics of reselling textbooks in Chapter 2, Friedman says, "In more realistic cases the answer is more complicated." That should be a label tacked on every analysis I've looked at in the book.

  The analyses are often misleading at best and completely in error at worst. If you get this book, make sure you first understand indifference curves, as the book relies on them but does not explain them. One is tempted to think the lack of explanation is purposeful, as the measure they represent is an imaginary quantity: utils; and the difference between two sets of utils (i.e., two indifference curves) in any given analysis could be inconsequential (or not). Secondly, and very importantly, make sure you precisely label and put representative numbers on each graph's axes--again something that Friedman does not do (one wonders why). Finally, don't buy into any results unless you're pretty sure all relevant factors are considered.

  Chapter 3 begins the graphical analyses and muddled methodology is soon apparent as Friedman purports to prove changes in house prices in either direction always make you better off! Label the axes appropriately, assign representative numbers along each, apply a percentage for selling costs for the sell-and-buy-another-house option budget lines, draw everything correctly, and you will see that his analysis and conclusion are erroneous.

  This book is probably a good read for zealous adherents of conservative/libertarian economic philosophy who will find ammunition for preconceived notions and not care if the quality of analysis is good or bad--it sounds good. I don't know who else might want to slog through this. Instead, if you are somewhat literate in economic theory, try Keen's Debunking Economics for better logic, deeper insight, and more realistic economics.
  
  

• It is a lot better than Freakonomics.

  
  By A2PEVP36Y5A2EQ on 2006-01-04
  Economics for the laypersons has become the topic "du jour." This book written nearly a decade ago before economics became hot far surpasses its successors such as "Freakonomics." David Friedman does not dumb down economics like the others. Other reviewers who had at least a rudimentary interest in economics really enjoyed it. A few others who confused economics with their own political views predictably got frustrated with it. Economics is not always intuitive. As a result, several reviewers thought the author made mistakes regarding the graphs on page 29, or the example on housing on page 35. I reread these passages carefully. The author is accurate, it is just that these economics concepts are counter-intuitive. And, contrary to Steve Levitt in "Freakonomics" David Friedman did not shy away from tackling the inherent complexity in economics.
  
  The book gives you a good foundation in both macro and microeconomics. Very early in the book he introduces and graphs demand and supply curves, marginal costs and revenue curves, utility functions. His coverage of international trade, taxation, subsidies, rent control is excellent. Along the way, you will also learn about investment theory and corporate finance. Friedman explains how the Efficient Market Hypothesis applies not only to stocks but freeway traffic and supermarket lines.
  
  Friedman also gives full credit and fleshes out the ideas from the founders of modern economics, including Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Alfred Marshall. This is unlike Steve Levitt in "Freakonomics" who truly believed he was the first economist to tackle every day issues forgetting that economics is the science of understanding everyday behavior to begin with.
  
  For further reading, if you want to pursue an econ refresher I recommend an actual textbook: "Principles of Economics" by Gregory Mankiw. This is a textbook with a hip and humorous attitude. The Economist, the British magazine, raved about it when it came out. I also recommend Gary Becker's "The Economics of Life", and Steve Landsburg's "The Armchair Economist."
  
  

• Not Recommended

  
  By A3PBHUQKGSY12H on 2006-06-26
  Having read (and thoroughly enjoyed) Levitt's Freakonomics, I picked up "Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life" looking for more of the same. Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed.
  
  I get the impression the author intended to write a Freakonomics-type book, but was only able to come up with 40 pages of material (located at the end of the book). Facing an irate publisher, he then filled in the initial 290 pages with his old Economics lecture notes. As a result, readers who have taken an elementary economics course will find much of the material repetitive, while those who have not will most likely find the material too confusing to be of any real use. (Despite the glowing accolades on the cover, the author's explanations are no better than those available in a standard textbook.)
  
  The author also posits end-of-chapter questions for the reader to ruminate upon, but does not provide any answers. Aside from formal textbooks where such questions are intended to be assigned to students, such tactics are unconscionable. Of course, the author may be priming the pump for sales of a "Hidden Order Supplement".
  
  A final negative point is the author's tone, which is frequently condescending towards the reader (e.g. telling the reader they would not understand the math behind a given theory, so it will not even be presented). While this may be true for a layperson reading the book, being talked down to certainly does nothing to build their confidence or cultivate their interest in the subject matter.
  
  Overall, if you can borrow a copy from a friend or a library, the last 40 pages are worth reading. Otherwise, save your time and money.
  
  Reviewer's background:
  B.Sc. (Computing Science & Mathematics)
  M.B.A. (Finance & Marketing)
  Ph.D. (Finance)
  
  
  
• This book shows us just how important economics is to us all
  By A24A4I2FTQHEGY on 1998-07-01
  Whether a student, fan, or stranger to Dr. Friedman, we are all left to give him praise for his enlightening work. After completion of this book, the reader understands just how strongly our daily lives are governed by economics. Whether it be buying a used car, getting married, or voting, this book teaches us that we can not make a single decision in life without resorting to economic thought. As a student of Dr. Friedman, Hidden Order served to me as a great tool for understanding his way of thought and opened my mind to the practical applications of economics. Just as well, to a stranger of Dr. Friedman, this book will serve a full plate of refreshing thoughts. I would recommend this book to fellow economists as well as to anyone who has never even taken an economics class.
  
  
• Clever and fun
  By on 2001-03-04
  David Friedman has done remarkable job in writing an intellectually challenging yet very readable and enjoyable exposee of modern economics.

  What sets his book apart from the rest is the use of realistic examples and not the usual textbook apples-to-oranges consumer preferences. Friedman discusses e.g. why is popcorn expensive in movie theaters, is it worth driving to a neighboring town for a bargain sale, who benefits from export duties on japanese cars and economic consequences of divorce.

  All of this is rigorous but without mathematics. All of this sounds convincing: rationality assumption of consumers (or economic agents in general) is shown to produce miracles in economics. David Friedman, son of Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman, takes his axiomatic economics sometimes too far: for example, he believes, like his father, that destabilizing speculation does not exist. Reading Kindleberger's Manias, Panics and Crashes will cure anybody of this folly.

  Friedmans text is lucid, the reading experience is exhilarating. If there had been economics books like in my youth, I would have become an economist (and not a physisct like David Friedman !)
  
  

• Excellent second-stage primer
  By on 2002-08-13
  Like Steven Landsburg's "Armchair Economist," David Friedman's "Hidden Order" is an excellent primer in basic economics. Any book that helps bring real economics (as opposed to pseudo talk-show/pundit/political speech "economics") to an understandable level is good in my book, even if occasionally flawed.

  "Armchair" did a good-to-excellent job of boiling down complex economic questions and answers. "Hidden Order" does so as well, but note that it's not for the light-hearted; plenty of graphs are available, and one not versed in Econ 101 may become temporarily lost. Thankfully, Friedman shores up his chapters by proving the theory with graphs, then stating "Here it is in English..." This allows readers who are not graphically inclined to skip over it without losing much understanding, while readers more interested in finding the proof behind the claim can peruse the mathematics at their leisure.

  Still, it's not all perfect. There's some issues that he goes into great length, but others are touched on and left hanging. In part this is to reduce the down time for an already-sluggish topic, but the length for each issue varies quite a bit. And I have no idea why a parking meter is on the cover.
  
  

• Common-Sense Economics
  By A37IH65E7CTXRS on 2000-08-04
  David Friedman's brilliance runs in the family I guess. This book shines light on the dismal science of economics, while refuting economic myths and fallacies. Good for the laymen as well as economics guru.
  
  
• Shaped my life (not kidding)
  By AEAPGAG8DXQLT on 2006-02-06
  This book shaped my life since i picked it up in 1999 while browsing. I found it fascinating and adept - see the other reviews. I did an MBA, changed careers, worked in strategy consulting, and now have a VP-level job in a $6B enterprise. (Well, besides reading this book, the MBA helped...) This book is really eye-opening and you'll see the world around you differently, and how all kinds of people, organizations, and forces respond to incentives that can be subtle to figure out. For example, I'd known since junior high the Brits wore Red Coats in the Revolutionary War, and that made them easy to shoot at. It had never dawned on me, the British management felt the risk of Brit infantry fleeing AWOL was greater than the risk of the same, getting shot. They took the risk of getting shot, to avoid the risk of their troops fleeing (too obvious in bright red coats). Fascinating. Their are apparently some typos in the book which you can correct via the author's website, but I hadn't known that and was impressed by the book anyway, as is.
  
  
• Must Read For the Economics Student
  By A3IQD2BJG501BW on 2001-11-05
  As the title indicates, David Friedman's Hidden Order is a great supplement to any microeconomics course. Although many of the books' analogies will amuse most readers, a casual reader who does not understand microeconomics will be lost by Friedman's indifference curves and budget constraints. It seems that he has taken a typical microeconomics book and tried to make it more exciting with fun and interesting examples.

  If you are an economic's student, the book will help to add to the learning involved in thinking about economic issues since it uses an "economic naturalist" approach. Economic naturalism attempts to help students to "see" the principles of economics at work in every day life. Friedman uses numerous examples like babies, dating and rush hour traffic to help explain human behavior through the lens of economic thought. His analogies are often humorous and well-supported by basic theory learned in micro 101, but I found myself bored with many of the graphs that he uses to support his examples (and I have taught economics for two years to college sophomores). The book would have been much more fun if Friedman dispensed with the charts and micro jargon, assuming that the reader understands the theory. If you don't understand it, don't waste your time with this book. The analogies will be interesting, but the supporting theory will seem tedious.

  But, if you are a student of economics or a professor looking for a compendium of great examples to use in class (or a supplement to the text you are using), this book holds much potential. If you have never taken an economics course, I would look for another book.
  
  

• Admirable (And Limited) In Its Simplicity
  By A3RP99B2IZJEI4 on 2002-07-01
  David Friedman's gift is making some of the more complicated concepts of economics simple. In _Hidden Order_, he does this with his trademark wit and ingenuity. The most esoteric yet essential aspects of modern economic thought - marginal utility, indifference curves, opportunity costs, Nash equilibria, rent-seeking, etc - all come to life in this modest paperback.

  Unfortunately, it is Friedman's penchant for simple explanations that leads to some of his odder conclusions (for instance, check out his explanation on why movie theatres charge so much for popcorn). This is a nagging trend in "Chicago school" economics: reasoning outwards from a textbook principle in order to rationalize the evidence, rather than collecting evidence and reasoning backwards.

  Even with that aside, Friedman's _Hidden Order_ is an introductory primer of rare quality.

  PRO:
  + Clear, concise, and clever.
  + Graphs and charts to illustrate the trickier points.
  + Bibliography at the end of each chapter. Further reading for a more detailed look into each topic.
  + Assumes almost no knowledge of economics; starts from the beginning (the motivation for action) and continues from there.

  CON:
  + Friedman's odder theories about behavior may strike the reader as "quaint."
  + Tends to give examples rather than definitions. For instance, he never comes out and says, "Rent-seeking is any kind of behavior X ...", but he gives very thorough examples of what rent-seeking is.
  
  

• Definitely not for the layman
  By A1VKCMOWYX2OEB on 2005-12-20
  I've never taken an economics class in my life. I'd always heard that economists spoke a different language than everyone else, and in some instances, lived on a different planet than everyone else. After reading the very enjoyable "Freakonomics," I decided I might be wrong, because if "Freakonomics" was an example of what Economics is all about, then it was fascinating. So I went in search of a book on Economics that would also be accessible to the layman, and came across "Hidden Order," which only reinforced my earlier stereotypes. Despite a great opening chapter or two, I put the book down after 5 chapters, as each one became more incomprehensible than the last. I have no doubt there is some very good information in this book. Unfortunately, it's written in a mixture of English and "Economics-ese" -- just when you think you're close to understanding what Friedman is trying to get across, he throws in a chart and some terminology that makes everything incoherent. On top of this, many of the examples and explanations he uses make absolutely no sense...at least no sense to anyone who lives in the real world. Perhaps this book would be useful to someone who has taken an Econ class or two, but if you haven't, you'll simply find this book frustrating. Thank goodness I checked it out of library and didn't have to pay for it!
  
  
• U of Chicago economics theory meets the real world, mostly succeeds
  By A11A0XD48NAQPR on 2006-01-05
  Despite what I am about to say about the downsides of Friedman's approach, this is a book well worth reading. It's just a bit too sure that it has revealed all we need to know about motivations behind behaviors. On that point, I'm unconvinced. More on that in a moment.
  
  As noted by most reviewers, he does a credible job in the first part of the book explaining the basics of economics. The graphs are a bit difficult if it is the reader's first exposure to economics, but I found his verbal explanations to be clear and compelling.
  
  He then goes on to apply this knowledge to a panoply of real world situations. His discussions on taxation, pollution, and product liability are quite thought provoking. If the reader isn't rethinking some cherished beliefs by this point, then he is either is already a U of C economics diehard or didn't pay enough attention. Capital stuff!
  
  I wish he had left out the very last section of the book. There he applies the same rationalistic approach to behaviors such as gift giving or punishing drug users. He fails to satisfy in both cases.
  
  He's largely puzzled why people choose to give gifts to people they like rather than money. He offers 'paternalism' as a possible explanation, but since paternalism's rewards seemingly can't be measured in terms of value, he gives up the topic, moves on, and leaves the reader hanging. Well developed theories of the basis of social power from psychology offer more well developed and satisfying explanations of gift giving and are also borne out in well run experiments.
  
  Similarly, it would seem that his beliefs applied to the question of drugs would make legalization the most rationale path. Surprisingly, he only wants to discuss the punishment alternatives for hard drug usage because he assumes that all hard drug users steal to support their habits. This then enables him to analyze the cost to society which then enables him to examine a range of punishment alternatives. That's fine as far as it goes, but it begs the discussion for the vast majority of illegal drug users who stick to so-called soft drugs. It also leaves unspoken whether all illegal drugs ought to be legal for people wealthy enough not have to steal to support their illegal purchases.
  
  There's a whole range of widespread human behaviors which cannot be explained satisfactorily by this type of analysis. Using hard drugs, participating in extremely dangerous sports, and masochism come to mind.
  
  So the 'uber-explanation' of all human behaviors in the last section of the book takes away substantively from the rest of the book. Since this train of thought in the first 80% of the book has lept from economics to the theory of law over the last 25 years via scholars such as Posner and Coase, it now influences much public policy discussion and judicial thinking today. For that reason alone, this book is worth reading. This is not 'just about economics' just as it is not 'all you need to know about what motivates human behavior'.
  
  
• Well written text for beginners
  By A1JFLR4GBBZ0TB on 2002-07-19
  This book can best be summarized as "An Introductory MicroEconomics class, explained simply, without much math."
  The cover picture and subtitle greatly enticed me into reading this book. As I look back, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, something along the lines of, "Here's what happens in our world today, and here's why it's wrong (or right) from an economics point of view. Isn't it funny that noone realizes that?" From one angle, that is sort of what this book is. However, I took a Microeconomics class in college. Because of that, I would more accurately describe it using my summary statement above.
  There are some very interesting parts of the book, but they're only interesting if you don't already know anything about economics. I had a bit of a hard time enjoying the book because most everything I had learned before; I knew where the author was going with his explanations. Keep in mind though that that was my personal drawback -- if you haven't taken (or understood) economics, you probably won't have that problem.
  Otherwise, this book could be quite enjoyable and engaging for anyone without economics experience who is willing to think. You cannot simply fly through this book -- there are diagrams, and logical verbal proofs. However, it is light on the math, so that shouldn't scare you away.
  
  
• Hidden Order: An AP Microeconomics Student's Perspective
  By AN0FGV29VTOEY on 2004-01-21
  This book was easy to read, helpful, and gave interesting and unique examples for common economic theories. This is a great book to use in an AP class! Paired with our economics textbook, this reading explained the phenomena that we read about in the textbook.
  
  
• A Useful Tool
  By on 2004-04-23
  The title of this book alone sparked intrigue for me. I am not a business savvy student and sometimes I fail to remain interested in what we read in our textbooks. So when I saw that a book could explain the relevance to everyday life, I was ready to read.
  The great thing about this book is that every idea, every thought, every lesson is backed up by an example. The examples are not fabricated situations that seem impossible in real life. They are applicable to our daily lives. David Friedman uses everything from the grocery store lines to traffic jams to help explain concepts such as economic equilibrium. By using real examples that pertain to my life, I am able to see economics more clearly.
  Reading this book along with an economic textbook is a great idea. It gives a different perspective on important lessons to help give complete understanding. It's not a particularly easy read, but if it is taken seriously, it is a great tool to help understand economics. I would recommend it to anyone striving to learn more.
  
  
• A must book for all college students
  By on 1996-12-28
  Hidden Order has finally placed economics and freedom into one definition. Dr. Friedman's clear logic is a bright light. The everyday American can now view our society as it really is.
  
  
• Superb stuff
  By A3USINSQE7S1WT on 2005-11-17
  It's arrogant. It doesn't know whether it's a popular economics book or a price theory textbook. None of that matters. It's so clever, so funny and so well-written that it's a must-read for anyone vaguely interested in economics. Friedman's analysis of trade alone is worth the price of the book.
  
  
• Should be required reading in every high school.
  By on 1997-04-01
  A great overview of economic theory. Everyone should be exposed to these basic ideas about how the econom works and why it works that way. Free copies should be sent to all legislators and journalists as a public service
  
  
• Good micro-economics primer, but not of the "popular" genre as it claims...
  By ATN1SSKTJD8Z8 on 2007-01-31
  What David Friedman has written here is a good, but very serious, micro-economics book in a relatively conversational tone. In a number of places on the back cover and in the early text, the book makes the claim that it is a "popular" economics book along the lines of Freakonomics; it isn't. It is a far deeper dive into the nuts and bolts of the tools of micro-economics rather than a light read about fascinating applications of those tools.
  
  That doesn't preclude this from being a good book; for the most part it is, but a lot of people are likely to feel like a victim of a bait-and-switch if they read this book expecting another Freakonomics.
  
  Hidden Order lays out the micro-economic theories of the Chicago School, a n approach to economics originated largely by David Friedman's legendary father Milton Friedman. The economics of the Chicago School are proving to have far more validity over time than the main rival, Keynesian economics which makes reading a book like this very worthwhile for someone willing to invest the time to understand economics better.
  
  This book can make you a better thinker, voter and judge of information from the media. Recommended for anyone who values such things.
  
  
• It's an excellent book!
  By A30GFHS62L038B on 2007-07-28
  It's an excellent book. Although I enjoyed reading Freakonomics, "Hidden Order" is a much deeper and broader book in terms of issues discussed.
  What I really like about it that in additional of covering existing issues, it helps to learn how to approach new problems.
  
  The sad thing is although the book was written in 1996, we(and politicians, and TV/Radio talk heads) are still using the same uninformed reasoning during the discussions.
  
  It would be great if the book became a required reading in the high schools and colleges.
  
  After getting it from a library, I bought it for my friends.
  
  
  
• Deeply Flawed Analysis
  By A3T6DBPQKKIWJV on 2008-03-09
  I have to say I didn't read too much of this book before being turned off by it. I will give you a few examples of what immediately caught my eye in the beginning of the book. He claimed that getting rid of the practice of buying used textbooks would not increase sales and then basically said that if you disagree it is because you are stupid. His argument was that the price of selling the book after being used factored in to the cost the consumer would pay. As anyone who has ever attended college knows, you don't get to choose whether or not you will a text book. You have to buy it for the course and the people dictating what book you must buy do not feel the costs themselves and often do not even have much interaction with those that do. This is why my statistics textbook cost over a hundred dollars despite being of far lessing quality than Statistics for Dummies.
  
  In another one of poorly hatched ideas, he claims that poor people do not want universal health care because they are choosing not to buy it; better to have food than antibiotics. And being that government health care would be paid with taxes, we would be forcing those people to forgo basic shelter for medicine. He would have us believe that a person could somehow afford something that costs more money than that person has in the bank or that insurance companies would even insure the dirt poor (and therefor prone to illness) with unreliable, low income workers. And in the whole analysis he seems to forget that virtually every modern country in the world has a progressive tax system.
  
  That's enough of that I suppose. I just wanted you to get an idea of what kinds of things you will be coming across in this book.
  
  
• An economics books that's not for "sissies"
  By AGZC5UBHOIRIG on 2000-01-22
  Be prepared to think as you read this book, it is not just a tirade as so many books with an economic ax to grind are! But the effort you must put into understanding this book will be well rewarded. I paticularly liked the concepts of buyers surplus and sellers surplus, they have enriched my views as to what happens when exchanges take place.

  The mainstream media still does not understand international trade in even the most basic way. This is amazing and distressing to me. I was glad to see the author compare this to still accepting the ancient Ptolemiac view of astronomy. Please folks, read ANY economist about foreign trade, what is NOT true is the imports=bad, exports=good notion despite the claims of bumper stickers (Buy American) and politicians (Pat Buchannon). Journalists, please research this issure a bit before you speak!
  
  

• Hidden Agenda
  By on 2003-12-01
  I was really excited to read this book. I particularly liked the idea of applying economic theory to everyday problems. However, someplace into chapter three I began to realize that there were major flaws with many of the examples, not to mention the poor, often quite opaque writing style. As I continued, a pattern emerged of sloppy logic that always resulted in unsubstantiated libertarian conclusions about gun control, taxes, public policing, marriage, etc. In fact, the writing is so outrageous that I quite enjoyed finishing the book as an exercise in political satire. This book is perfect for every militia-man's bunker book shelf, or for anyone who is just curious how ill-conceived and ridiculous the right-wing economic dogma really is. This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
  
  

• Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life
• Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
• Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
• The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor--and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!
• The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor--and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!