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I don’t intend for The Stateless Man show or blog to get tied up in politics, since partisan battles tend to divide us and distract us from getting on with living the lives we want. So recently when I interviewed Walter “The Moderate” Block—a libertarian heavyweight and economics professor—I requested that we stick to the planned topics: the problems with economics in academia and how people can better educate themselves independently. The Overseas Radio Network has broadcast that interview, and it appears as a part of this article, “Educating Yourself in Economics.”

With hindsight, however, I’ve decided to make an exception and encourage people to read his new book, Ron Paul for President in 2012. The Ron Paul candidacy for the United States presidency is unique in that it has tremendous educational value. It has brought so many issues to the table that previously were unmentioned within the GOP-Democratic discourse; the Federal Reserve and Austrian economics are just two examples. In fact, until Ron Paul’s 2007-2008 campaign, I’d never heard of the Austrian school of economics, despite graduating in economics from Boston University.

Fortunately, on the same day as my interview with Walter on how to best educate oneself in economics, he also gave an interview on his book with one of my favorite radio shows—Jeff Crouere’s Ringside Politics. It is based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and I’ve been his guest on many occasions. Here is Walter’s interview, in which he does an excellent job handling a few confrontational callers (11 minutes).

[audio:http://thestatelessman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Block-with-Crouere.mp3|titles=Ringside Politics WGSO]

Walter (pictured left) and I got to know each other while I worked with the Pelican Institute in New Orleans, when I would quote him frequently in my articles. I highly recommend people familiarize themselves with his work. He is a prolific, engaging, and uncompromising writer and advocate for liberty—and perhaps the best place to start, along with his latest book, would be his many articles posted on LewRockwell.com.