Gary Gibson, Introduction... Do Americans have to temper their expectations of leisure and comfort in general...and in particular their dreams of the good life in retirement? "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Paula Symons joined the U.S. workforce in 1972, typewriters in her office clacked nonstop, people answered the telephones and the hot ...read more

Gary Gibson, Introduction... Last chance, Whiskey Shooters. Gather ye nickels while ye may... Fellow Agora Financial editor Matt Insley of the Daily Resource Hunter sent us this tidbit: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The U.S. Mint is facing a problem -- especially during these penny-pinching times. It turns out it costs more to make ...read more

Gary Gibson, Introduction... "The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell to the lowest point in almost four years last week," says the Associated Press this morning, "the latest signal that the job market is steadily improving," An improving job market? We're not so sure about that. We suppose it depends on ...read more

Most people think of the capitalist marketplace as the venue for the unleashing of the human ego. Selfishness reigns as those with financial means buy and build whatever they want, acquiring and amassing with no concern for the fate of anyone but themselves. Bah! I can't even imagine a more inaccurate ...read more

Wherever intelligent people gather to discuss current trends in government, we wonder what it is about freedom that people don't like. Why do we let the police power of the state take over and inevitably wreck so many aspects of our life? Why do we tolerate the invasions of our ...read more

This year, Facebook will reach 1 billion users -- or one-seventh of the human population. It has elicited more participation than any single government in the world other than India and China, and it will probably surpass them in a year or two. And whereas many people are fleeing their ...read more

When National Public Radio airs a segment on the gold standard, you know that the debate over the quality of money has reached the point where it can no longer be ignored. Another sign came last month when Newt Gingrich, who has never shown the slightest interest in the cause ...read more

My brother is teaching a semester in London, and he casually video Skyped me last week to show me around his apartment, which is small but charming. I reciprocated by hauling up the cover of the e-book I am reading, and shared my desktop to show a YouTube performance of ...read more

Today is the 99th anniversary of the signing of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. It enshrined into law an idea that stands in total contradiction to the driving force behind the American Revolution and the whole idea of freedom itself. The great "old right" commentator Frank Chodorov once described the ...read more

There is a scene in the Parable of the Talents in which the returned master berates the shabbiest of his three servants. Discovering that he had buried his seed capital in the ground, the master says: "You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when ...read more