The Law by Frédéric Bastiat (i.e., my 2018 Tax Day celebration)
Radical Personal Finance
Joshua J. Sheats, MSFS, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CASL, RHU, REBC, CAP
4.2 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2018
⏱️ 126 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today on Radical Personal Finance, we celebrate Tax Day in the United States (April 17, 2018).
As we all reflect on the actions of the government we US Americans have just supported with our tax money, I thought it would be a good day to read to you a very helpful essay called, The Law.
The Law was written in 1850 by Frédéric Bastiat, a French economist.
If you haven't previously read this essay, be fo
rewarned that the first third is fast-moving and the last third is fast-moving, but the middle drags a little.Hear it through, though. You'll be glad you did.
Joshua
- Please support RPF on Patreon: www.radicalpersonalfinance.com/patron
- Written version of The Law: http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Up until about five minutes ago I had planned to record a show for you here right now |
| 0:06.2 | on part two of my How to lease a car series talking about the finances of how car leases work. I was also going to record a back-to-back show |
| 0:15.7 | on how to provide for your family when you can't get life insurance. But, given that today |
| 0:21.6 | is April 17, 2018, which is this year's version of Tax Day in the United States of America. |
| 0:30.0 | And given the fact that I generally spend April rolling around in my head |
| 0:35.2 | wondering how on earth did we get to this point where I fund on a daily basis |
| 0:39.8 | evil immorality and tyranny especially as I write a check to the IRS, I thought I would engage in my |
| 0:46.4 | small bit of annual political activism by sharing with you one of the most important essays ever written on the subject of the law entitled |
| 0:57.0 | appropriately enough the law by Frederick Bastiat or to pronounce his name in the French way, |
| 1:04.8 | Claude Fradrique Bastia, something like that. |
| 1:08.0 | So I hope that you'll sit back and enjoy. |
| 1:09.5 | I've received good feedback from many of you |
| 1:11.8 | when I share these types of essays. You tell me |
| 1:14.4 | that you enjoy it, they make you think and I try to choose good ones that will be |
| 1:18.6 | a value to you. So enjoy this recording of The Law by Frederick Bastia. By way of background, this essay was first |
| 1:28.6 | published in the year 1850, originally published in French, and I of course am reading to you an English |
| 1:36.6 | translation. |
| 1:37.7 | This one is done by a man named Dean Russell. |
| 1:44.0 | The Law by Fradwick Bastia. |
| 1:47.8 | The Law perverted. |
| 1:49.7 | The Law and in its wake all the collective forces of the nation the law I say not only diverted from its proper direction but made to pursue one entirely contrary |
| 2:00.5 | the law become the tool of every kind of avarice instead of being its check |
... |
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