Economics

The Great Monetary Debate

Feb 7th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured
Gary's Note: What is the connection between monetary policy, the falling dollar and hope? Jeffrey Tucker explains below in today's feature article. 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 ...read more


Ninety-Nine Years of Evil

Feb 3rd, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured
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


The Revolution of 1913

Feb 2nd, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Politics
Readers will scarcely have given any thought to the fact that they have never lived in the system of government argued for by Madison, Jay, and Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. "It may come as a shock ..." wrote John Flynn, "to be told that[you] have never experienced that kind of society ...read more


Zero Percent Uber Alles

Jan 26th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Macro Economics
We are getting a sense of what life is like with the new Fed policy of openness. It means that the chairman tries to beat the world record for the longest, most-boring press conference in modern history. Ben Bernanke is getting even better at that crucial skill of repeatedly saying ...read more


The Fed’s Men Behind the Curtain

Jan 25th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Macro Economics
The debate about the Fed is under way, and thank goodness. But as with many policy debates, there really shouldn't be a debate at all. That's because, if you think about it, the idea of central banking makes no sense. We don't have a government-created central repository that plans and manages ...read more


Hooray for the Rich Who Don’t Pay Taxes

Jan 24th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Politics
First, a correction. A Bar regular writes... "Joe Lieberman is not a Democrat. He is an independent, as he resigned from the Democratic Party. Don't you ever check things out before stating them as facts? "Wish you the best with your paranoia," "-- Steve K" This comes from one of our most-faithful, unswerving, persistent ...read more


Buffett Puts His Loose Change Where His Government-Kissing Mouth Is

Jan 19th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Politics
Enthusiastic tax shill Warren Buffett has put his money where his mouth is. He's ponied up $49,000 to help pay down the national debt. He's simultaneously matching voluntary contributions already made by Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia. Yes, $49,000 to Mr. Buffett is the equivalent of 49 pennies to the rest of ...read more


Capitalism or Money in Crisis?

Jan 11th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured
When the Financial Times started its series on "Capitalism in Crisis," I winced. Here we go yet again, an attempt to blame private enterprise for what are actually the failures of the state and paper money. And some writers -- but not all -- in the series have done exactly ...read more


Why Federal Deficits May Not Be the Ones That Matter Most to You

Jan 10th, 2012 | By | Category: Economics, Featured, Politics
Yesterday we pointed out that lending money to national governments may not be the best use of one's money. Concerning national government debt, Detlev Schlechter said, "Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole." And who could blame him? Just a couple of days ago, the debt of the U.S. government reached a symbolic ...read more


The Monetary Metal That Won’t Die

Jan 6th, 2012 | By | Category: Currencies, Economics, Featured, Gold, Politics
For more than one hundred years, governments have been trying to kill gold's role in the monetary system. They've dreamed of a day when the cursed metal would vanish completely except as jewelry and luxurious adornment. And yet its monetary properties won't go away. Central banks still hold it, and ...read more