Aaron O'Brien called Tom Quinn of the PD to notify him -- we talked at length about the previous speaker. Because so many people probably have lingering concerns about Mr. Ferguson's presentation last month, maybe I could have Dr. Todd speak about the common law system and how it has been a better alternative to regulation for 1000s of years.
He could explain the property law, tort law and private rights system. He has spoken on the origins and methods of the common law several times before (in fact he's a hero out West; they read and love his anti-Federal Reserve writings)
Dr. Todd is a historian who not only could ace Ferguson's 32 question quiz, he could tweek the differences in philosophy among all the Enlightenment Thinkers, all of the Framers of the Constitution, etc.
It could be a much more precise and gratifying question and answer. It would help would-be or almost-libertarians (or even us) to better understand how civil society can solve our problems and big government cannot.
I am sure Dr. Todd would come back to give his Mexican Bailout speech-- he testified before Congress about the atrocities of sending billions of taxpayer dollars to Mexico, or anywhere, to bail out private interests. He'll probably analogize to the Gulf War - another bailout of private (mostly British) money. This will be a great speech, but should it wait until after we've cleared up the basics of freedom and civil.
Walker F. Todd is an attorney and economic consultant in private practice in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, an eastern suburb of Cleveland. Previously, from September 1994 through October 1995, he was of counsel to the Cleveland law firm of Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, in the Finance & Public Law Department.
From 1985 until September 1994, Mr. Todd was assistant general counsel and research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He has published extensively on banking, central banking, and monetary topics, especially those related to international debt and the regulation of the banking system and financial markets.
Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Todd was an attorney in the Legal Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 1974 until 1985, where he was an assistant counsel after 1980. His areas of specialization included the legal aspects of discount window and emergency lending, bankers acceptances, and letters of credit. In 1981, he was a member of the United States negotiating teams that obtained the release of 52 United States hostages from Iran and established a plan for an international tribunal at the Hague, Netherlands, for the adjudication of claims against Iran.
Mr. Todd grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. degree in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Ph.D. degree in French from Columbia University, and a J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law in 1974. He lived in Paris, France, during a dissertation research year in 1968-1969.
Mr. Todd has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, since 1988. He is a member of the bar in the states of Ohio and New York and is admitted to practice in the federal courts of Ohio and New York. He also is admitted to practice before the Second and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.