I often watch Milton Friedman clips on YouTube for fun. His sense of humor and fun pervades every interview; the testier the interviewer gets, the more Friedman appears to be amused. Friedman’s clear, everyday language and simple examples make economic concepts easily understood. Here is one of my favorite clips, Friedman answering a Stanford student’s question about the best way for government to help the poor. He gets most of the audience to laugh in delighted surprise as they realize their mistaken assumptions.

Happy Birthday, Professor Friedman, and thank you for helping us understand the proper role of government and why limited government lifts more people out of poverty than any government program can ever do.

– Elizabeth Scott