James D. Gwartney is Professor of Economics and holds the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University, where he directs the Gus A. Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education. He served as Chief Economist at the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress during 1999/2000. He is the co-author of a leading textbook, Economics: Private and Public Choice , and a recently published primer, Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity (St.Martin's Press, 2005). His professional publications have appeared in the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Cato Journal, and Southern Economic Journal. His doctoral degree in economics is from the University of Washington and he is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.