Gene Epstein: Murray Rothbard's Mixed Legacy

"The last thing government should be involved in is money," says Gene Epstein, who writes about economics for Barron's. He's also the author of Econospinning, a searing, book-length critique of media coverage of markets.

Epstein spoke with Reason's Nick Gillespie about why he's a devotee of the renegade Austrian School economist, Murray Rothbard. Epstein says Rothbard made him understand how government is an actor in the economy, not an objective overseer, but an entity with its own interests.

He also talked about how Rothbard's combative personality made him ill-suited for the political arena, and lamented Rothbard's late 1980s infatuation with Southern populism, Pat Buchanan, and even Klansman-turned-Republican David Duke.

Even with this baggage, Epstein believes Rothbard's legacy is redeemed by the intellectual stature of his writing and prolific output of books and articles, especially For a New Liberty and Man, Economy, and State.

The interview took place at this summer's Freedom Fest. Held each July in Las Vegas, Freedom Fest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians. ReasonTV spoke with over two dozen speakers and attendees and will be releasing interviews over the coming weeks.

About 6 minutes.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher. Camera by Paul Detrick and Tracy Oppenheimer.

Go to http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/08/30/gene-epstein-at-freedomfest for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notification when new material goes live.