The paper by Larry Reed reprinted here was originally commissioned for the inaugural conference of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College in April 2005. The conference was titled "The Road From Poverty to Freedom: A Look Backward and Forward at the War on Poverty," and it was natural to include Larry, a 1975 graduate of the college who majored in economics and studied under the renowned Austrian economist Hans Sennholz.

We are grateful for the guidance Larry gave us as we developed the poverty conference, but we are also grateful for this paper, which had a significant impact on our students. One student said, "Reed’s paper was excellent, giving tremendous insight into a correct view of government aid according to respected men of history." Another commented, "Reed’s piece provided a historical comparison I had never seen made before." In addition to being published as the document you are holding, this valuable paper is a permanent contribution to the collection of distinguished resources that we will use to teach students and interested readers about poverty.

Following the conference, we asked Larry to become a charter member of our new advisory board. We are thankful that he accepted another assignment from his alma mater. We are thankful, too, for the significant impact on the cause of liberty that he and the Mackinac Center have had in Michigan and around the world.

— Lee S. Wishing
Grove City, Penn.