Absolutely required reading for everyone. Simple and compelling arguments for why NO step should be taken down the road to socialism, because the endpoint of forcible tyranny is inevitable.

Background information from Wikipedia: The Road to Serfdom was to be the popular edition of the second volume of Hayek’s treatise entitled “The Abuse and Decline of Reason”,[4] and the title was inspired by the writings of the 19th century French classical liberal thinker Alexis de Tocqueville on the “road to servitude”.[5] The book was first published in Britain by Routledge in March 1944, during World War II, and was quite popular,.... At the arrangement of editor Max Eastman, the American magazine Reader's Digest published an abridged version in April 1945, enabling The Road to Serfdom to reach a wider popular audience beyond academics. ( )

The Road to Serfdom (Abridged Version, 1944, Heritage Foundation), Friedrich A. Hayek

Theme: centralized planning/socialism/state control of property (versus protection of individual freedom/property ownership) is the road to slavery; examining freedom economically.

People of good will prepare the way for institutions (i.e., policies, laws, governments) which will destroy what they love. 2
Private property is the most important guarantee of liberty. 5
Individualism flows out of Christianity. 6
Democratic socialism is utopian. 9
Competition is best system for coordinating activity. 10
“Safety-net” is appropriate function of good government. 11, 38-39
Centralized planning is what totalitarianism is. xi, 17, 26, 44
Moral values which produce freedom are listed. 25
Rule-based society is free—“rule of law.” (“Flexible,” other-serving people produce within givens.) 26-28
Organized labor/organized capitol is totalitarian (“centralized government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion”). 31
Economic motive is desirable for general opportunity (that is, freedom). 33
Is it better to employ 100 or to command 100? 41
List economic principles students should know. 46