Economics
This course is intended to be a study of economic systems, markets, how markets work, and a comparison of the various types of economic systems.
Class Hours: Tuesday, 6:00 – 8:00 PM – Beginning August 12, 2025
Location: The Freedom Library, 2035 S. Arizona Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85365
Facilitator: Howard Blitz
E-mail: info@thefreedomlibrary.org
Phone: 928-246-2327
Course Goals
- Individuals will read, discuss, and understand Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.
- Individuals will read, discuss, and understand Excuse Me, Professor by Lawrence Reed.
- Individuals will read, discuss, and understand How to Think About the Economy, A Primer by Per Bylund
- Individuals will learn the basic principles of a Free Enterprise system of economics.
- Individuals will be introduced to other forms of economic systems.
Methods of Instruction
- Instructional objectives will be met through the use of lectures, reading, discussion, and videotapes/DVD’s.
Competencies
Upon satisfactory completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Become familiar with the major economic systems in use in the world.
- Understand the foundational principles of a Free Enterprise system.
- Be able to discuss the concepts of microeconomics and macroeconomics.
Individual Responsibilities
Individuals are expected to:
- Bring paper, a pen, pencil, and eraser to each class session and attend every class session.
- Not to participate in acts of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, copying the work of other individuals using unauthorized “crib notes”, plagiarism, stealing tests, or forging an instructor’s signature.
- Attend class missing no more than three.
- Attend Constitution Forum November 18, 2025
Learning Objectives
- Write a paper – Four to six typewritten pages, double-spaced, using 12 font Arial or Times New Roman submitted in a WORD document. The paper is to discuss the topic given to the participant during the twelve-week class using the principles discussed in class. The paper must be e-mailed to info@thefreedomlibrary.org no later than Midnight, November 4, 2025. The paper may also be mailed or delivered to the address below and postmarked no later than November 4, 2025 in order to be considered for a possible scholarship.
The Freedom Library, Inc.
c/o The Sun
2055 S. Arizona Avenue
Yuma, AZ 85365
- Scholarship – To be eligible for a scholarship, a student must complete the class with no more than 3 absences. All individuals seeking a scholarship are expected to attend the Constitution Forum November 18, 2025.
There is no charge for participants to attend and participants are highly encouraged to invite their parents, other family members, and friends to attend.
The Freedom Library Scholarship Committee awards scholarships based on the quality of the paper. There is no guarantee a scholarship will be awarded.
Session 1: Tues Aug 12
Review the Laws of Supply and Demand
Session 2: Tues Aug 19
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
1 The Lesson
2 The Broken Window
3 The Blessings of Destruction
4 Public Works Mean Taxes
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
1 Income Inequality Arises from Market Forces and Requires Government Intervention
2 Because We’re Running Out of Resources, Government Must Manage Them
3 Equality Serves the Common Good
4 The More Complex the Society, the More Government Control We Need
5 Income Inequality Is the Great Economic and Moral Crisis of Our Time
6 Capitalism Fosters Greed and Government Policy Must Temper It
7 The Free Market Ignores the Poor
Session 3: Tues Aug 26
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
5 Taxes Discourage Production
6 Credit Diverts Production
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
9 Human Rights Are More Important Than Property Rights
10 I Have a Right
11 Rich People Have an Obligation to Give Back
12 I Prefer Security to Freedom
How to Think about the Economy – Chapters by Per L. Bylund
Chapters 1 – 3
Session 4: Tues Sept 2
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
7 The Curse of Machinery
8 Spread-the-Work Schemes
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
13 Cooperation, Not Competition
14 Healthcare Is a Right
15 We Are Destroying the Earth and Government Must Do Something
16 Ownership Must Be Tempered by Sharing
Session 5: Tues Sept 9
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
9 Disbanding Troops and Bureaucrats
10 The Fetish of Full Employment
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
17 All We Need Is the Right People to Run the Government
18 Humanity Can Be Best Understood in a Collective Context
19 Big Government Is a Check on Big Business
20 Government Can be a Compassionate Alternative to the Harshness of the Marketplace
Session 6: Tues Sept 16
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
11 Who’s “Protected” by Tariffs?
12 The Drive for Exports
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
21 Capitalism’s Sweatshops and Child Labor Cry Out for Government Intervention
22 Voluntary, Market-Based Arrangements ‘Use’ People
23 The Balance of Trade Deficit Requires Government Action
24 Americans Squander Their Incomes on Themselves While Public Needs Are Neglected
Session 7: Tues Sept 23
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
13 “Parity” Prices
14 Saving the X Industry
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
25 If Government Doesn’t Relieve Distress, Who Will?
26 Historical Preservation Won’t Happen Unless the Government Takes Charge
27 Government Must Have the Power to Make People Take Better Care of Themselves
28 Government Spending Brings Jobs and Prosperity
Session 8: Tues Sept 30
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
15 How the Price System Works
16 “Stabilizing” Commodities
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
29 Upton’s Sinclair’s The Jungle Proved Regulation Was Required
30 Capitalism’s Industrial Revolution Caused the World with the Horror of Child Labor
31 Labor Unions Raise Wages and the Standard of Living
32 FDR Was Elected in 1932 on a Progressive Platform to Plan the Economy
How to Think about the Economy – Chapters by Per L. Bylund
Chapters 4 – 5
Session 9: Tues Oct 7
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
17 Government Price-Fixing
18 What Rent Control Does
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
33 The Great Depression Was a Calamity of Unfettered Capitalism
34 Government Must Subsidize the Arts
35 Government Is an Inflation Fighter
36 Outsourcing Is Bad for the Economy
37 If FDR’s New Deal Didn’t End the Depression, Then World War II Did
How to Think about the Economy – Chapters by Per L. Bylund
Chapter 9
Session 10: Tues Oct 14
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
19 Minimum Wage Laws
20 Do Unions Really Raise Wages?
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
38 The Minimum Wage Helps the Poor
39 Free Markets Exploit Women
40 The Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor Are Getting Poorer
41 Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company Proved We Needed Antitrust Laws to Fight Market Monopolies
42 Jesus Christ Was a Progressive Because He Advocated Income Redistribution not Help the Poor
Session 11: Tues Oct 21
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
21 “Enough to Buy Back the Product”
22 The Function of Profits
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
43 The Free Market Cannot Provide Public Education
44 Warren Buffett’s Tax Rate Is Less Than His Secretary’s
45 Profit Is Evidence of Suspicious Behavior
46 Robots and Computerization Cause Unemployment
47 Statistical Disparities Between Races Prove Discrimination
How to Think about the Economy – Chapters by Per L. Bylund
Chapter 7
Session 12: Tues Oct 28
Reading
Economics in One Lesson – Chapters by Henry Hazlitt
23 The Mirage of Inflation
24 The Assault on Savings
25 The Lesson Restated
Excuse Me, PROFESSOR Challenging the Myths of Progressivism – Chapters by Lawrence Reed
48 The Solution to Over-Population Is Population Control
49 Resource-Poor Countries Need Strong Central Planning to Develop
50 People Love the Robin Hood Story Because He Took From the Rich to Give to the Poor
51 Greedy Capitalists Take Advantage of People in Natural Disasters; Price Controls Are the Answer
52 Progressives Have Good Intentions, So What Else Is Required?
How to Think about the Economy – Chapters by Per L. Bylund
Chapter 6, 8, and Conclusion
Session 13: Tues Nov 4
Paper Due
Session 14: Tues Nov 18
Constitution Forum
Economics Class Enrollment Form
Beginning January 22, 2026 6 – 8 pm at The Freedom Library, 2035 S. Arizona Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85365