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Edwin Clarence Riegel (June 18, 1879 – 1953), generally known as E.C. Riegel, was an American author, consumer advocate and independent scholar who campaigned against restrictions on free markets that harmed consumers and promoted an alternative monetary theory and an early private enterprise currency alternative. Best selling libertarian author Harry Browne, in the introduction to his 1974 book ''You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis'' described Riegel's book ''The New Approach to Freedom'' as “The best explanation of the free market I've seen."〔Harry Browne, ''You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis,'' New York, MacMillan, 1974.〕 Author David Boyle, devotes a chapter of his book ''The Money Changers: Currency Reform from Aristotle to e-cash'' to E.C. Riegel.〔David Boyle, ''The Money Changers: Currency Reform from Aristotle to e-cash'', London, EarthScan Publications, 2003.〕 Riegel is referenced on alternative currency, commercial barter and investment strategy sites.〔A few examples of references to E.C. Riegel include: (Barter News, June 12, 2007 ), Editorial “The Freedom Of Exchange Is The Foundation Of All Freedoms”; Christopher M. Quigley, (Monetary Theory Of E.C. Riegel ), March 6, 2007; (Economic Means to Freedom - Part V (Appendix 3 - Riegel vs. Gold) ); (Complementary Currency and Exchange, The Movement to Reinvent Money ); Chris Cook, (If Not Global Capitalism - then What? ); Mary Lehmann, (Opposing Globalization Could Justify Resource-Based Basic Income ); (Market Oracle article on E.C. Riegel Monetary Theory ).〕 ==Life and work== Riegel was born in Cannelton, Indiana and left home in 1894 at age 15 with a vision of social justice for the common person. Self-educated, without academic degrees or distinctions, when speaking for groups he labeled himself a "non-academic student of money and credit." He supported himself working intermittently in sales at upscale department stores. He was married in 1905 to Blanche Ellis Beach; the marriage lasted seven years.〔E.C. Riegel, (''The New Approach to Freedom'' ), Editorial preface by Spencer MacCallum, San Pedro, CA, The Heather Foundation, 1976 edition.〕 Riegel associated and corresponded with libertarians, individualist anarchists, mutualists and diverse progressives such as Laurence Labadie,〔(Pamphlet entitled "Laurance Labadie: Selected Essays" ), from the Libertarian Broadsides Series.〕 anarcho-capitalist Spencer Heath〔E.C. Riegel, (''The New Approach to Freedom'' ), Editorial preface by Spencer MacCallum, San Pedro, CA, The Heather Foundation, 1979 edition.〕 and libertarian and free thinker (Charles T. Sprading ). Riegel established the Consumer Guild of America in 1928 to campaign against restrictive consumer credit practices. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and during the Great Depression he published articles and books exposing big business, trade associations, the Better Business Bureau and “blue sky law” manipulation of investment markets which impoverished small investors.〔 He began to question whether it was the government controlled monetary system which was the problem. He prepared questions about the nature of money and sent them to a list of eighteen “world authorities” on the meaning of money he had solicited from famed economist Irving Fisher. Six replied, but shared no of consensus on the subject, as he illustrated in his 1936 book ''Irving Fisher's World Authorities on The Meaning of Money.''〔E.C. Riegel, (''Flight from Inflation: The Monetary Alternative'' ), Los Angeles, The Heather Foundation, 1978, 21.〕 Over the next few years in consultation with friends and students, Riegel constructed his own theory of money.〔E.C. Riegel, (Acknowledgements, ''Private Enterprise Money: A non-political money system )'', New York, Harbinger House, 1944.〕 In the 1940s he established The Valun Institute for Monetary Research to promote his monetary theories. In 1944 Harbinger press published his most successful book ''Private Enterprise Money.''〔 After Riegel's death, Spencer H. MacCallum, who had met Riegel through his grandfather Spencer Heath, obtained all Riegel's papers, which now reside with the Heather Foundation, of which MacCallum is director.〔(The Phoenix Forum sponsors list )〕 In 1976 the Heather Foundation edited and published Riegel's book, “The New Approach to Freedom” (formerly published as a pamphlet) and in 1978 his "Flight from Inflation: The Monetary Alternative," augmenting both with material from his unpublished papers.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「E.C. Riegel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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