Hyde, Becker Freedom Medalists

Freedom's champions in Chicago win recognition, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian award. Tribune:

In naming Hyde, a lion of the Republican Party who served in Congress for 32 years and retired at the end of his term in 2006, the president is honoring a political leader widely known for his fight against abortion, including limits on federal funding. That had placed Hyde foursquare with the platform of his party. Hyde served on the House Judiciary Committee, heading it from 1995 to 2001, and managed President Bill Clinton's impeachment in the House. Bush said he is honoring Hyde as "a powerful defender of life and a leading advocate for a strong national defense and for freedom around the world."

And the University of Chicago again contributes once again:

In naming Becker, a 1992 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, the president said the professor has "broadened the spectrum of economics and social sciences through his analysis of the interaction between economics ... education, demography and family organization." Becker's work, Bush said, "has helped improve the standard of living for people around the world." Becker, a Princeton graduate with master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago, has taught at the U. of C. since 1970 as an economics professor and also became a sociology professor in 1983. He started teaching at the Graduate School of Business in 2001. His research has covered price theory, human capital and the family, and the application of economic analysis, as well as areas outside the traditional discipline. His books include "The Economics of Discrimination," "A Treatise on the Family" and "The Economics of Life." "It's a very different type of honor than the Nobel Prize," Becker said. "This might be as a recognition for my work in a more general way. I'm very pleased that I've got it. Very few economists have. ... It's really an elite group to be in."

His web page is here, and the good professor also blogs at Becker-Posner Blog--latest entry, "Rising Food Prices and What That Means". (Hint, government actions are often counterproductive. Posner--ethanol part of the problem, on global warming as well.)

And in one final note, I was especially pleased at Harper Lee receiving the award for "To Kill a Mockingbird", one of the finest books I read growing up. (And this time of year, for its enduring character, Boo Radley and his spooky house. If children didn't have a spooky house, they would invent one.)