Like virtually all of the work of Ludwig von Mises, these two essays, his 1958 Liberty and Property and his 1950 Middle-of-the-Road Policy Leads to Socialism are timeless. They are as important now as they have ever been and will increase in relevance as the growth of government continues almost unabated.
In "Liberty and Property" Mises explains how and why private property is essential to protecting our freedoms and minimizing our exposure to counterproductive social engineering schemes.
In "Middle-of-the-Road Policy Leads to Socialism" Mises pinpoints the essential problem with all forms of interventionism. Whether it is called communism, socialism, planning, state capitalism, or industrial policy, interventionism always signifies the same thing: "No longer should the consumers ... determine what should be produced, in what quantity and of what quality. Henceforth a central authority alone should direct all production activities."
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Thomas DiLorenzo is a former professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland and a member of the senior faculty of the Mises Institute. He is the author of The Real Lincoln; How Capitalism Saved America; Lincoln Unmasked; Hamilton's Curse; Organized Crime: The Unvarnished Truth About Government; and The Problem with Socialism.