Over at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), James Pethokoukis wrote a fascinating piece, "America'…
CFIF on X CFIF on YouTube
Patents Critical to America's "Special Century" of Growth

Over at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), James Pethokoukis wrote a fascinating piece, "America's Forgotten Prelude to Its Special Century," in which he explains what led to the century during which America became the most prosperous, powerful and innovative nation in human history between 1870 and 1970.  "Yet America's special century," Pethokoukis notes, "did not emerge ex nihilo.  The pro-growth groundwork was laid in the less glamorous decades between 1790 and 1870."

Critically, Pethokoukis notes the importance of intellectual property (IP), and patents in particular:

Equally important was an innovation culture, according to Rosenbloom.  Patents grew almost five times as fast as the population between the years 1790 and 1850.  Ordinary mechanics drove a culture of…[more]

September 15, 2025 • 11:44 AM

Liberty Update

CFIFs latest news, commentary and alerts delivered to your inbox.
Biden VP Search Underscores Fact He's Too Old To Be President
By Byron York
Wednesday, July 29 2020
An article in Politico got a lot of buzz in Washington, D.C., by reporting that Sen. Kamala Harris might not be a very strong front-runner, or even a front-runner at all, in the Democratic vice presidential selection race. Politico reported that 76-year-old former Sen. Chris Dodd, a member of 77-year-old former Sen. Joe Biden's VP selection committee, was unhappy that Harris showed "no remorse" for her rough attacks on Biden during the Democratic presidential primary season. But the report revealed something else which should have gotten more attention. An unnamed Biden adviser told…
 
CFIF Opposes White House Executive Order Importing Foreign Nations’ Socialized Medicine and Drug Price Controls
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Regrettably, the White House today announced an executive order that effectively…
Read more...
The Problem in Portland Isn't the Law – It's the Lawlessness
Despite the occasional looting, chaos, property damage, trespassing, rioting, graffiti, assaults, arson…
Read more...
 
Roll the Tape: Biden Supported “Defunding the Police”
This week, a new Rasmussen Reports survey confirms that a lopsided majority of Americans “see media…
Read more...
Why This Revolution Isn't Like the '60s
In the 1960s and early '70s, the U.S. was convulsed by massive protests calling for radical changes in…
Read more...
 
The Many Dangers of Voting By Mail
President Trump has said many times that voting by mail – which will play a big role…
Read more...
Biden Will Destroy the Suburbs
If you live in the suburbs, or you're a city-dweller eyeing a move to a quiet cul-de-sac where your kids…
Read more...
 
Don't Fall for Cuomo's Gaslighting on Coronavirus
On March 25, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made one of deadliest mistakes of the coronavirus crisis…
Read more...
New York Times Purge Offers Ominous Warning
The political left’s increasingly emboldened “cancel culture” marches apace, and if…
Read more...
 
The NFL Is On the Brink
The National Football League celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. This should be a time of self-congratulation…
Read more...
There's Nothing New About Roger Stone Clemency
Many Democrats, along with some in the press and a few Republicans, have expressed outrage at President…
Read more...
Notable Quote   
 
"President Trump wanted an excuse to send National Guard troops to Chicago, and now he's got one.The Windy City in recent days has done its best imitation of Los Angeles, where resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations created the justification for a Guard deployment a couple months ago.Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hate the notion of the National Guard…[more]
 
 
— Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review
 
Liberty Poll   

How long do you believe the federal government shutdown will last?