In 2012, a man named Peter Turchin predicted that by 2020 the US would reach “peak instability” marked by violent unrest and major social upheaval. Turchin is one of those “cycle guys.” That means he looks for patterns in history to help predict the future. He’s an ecologist, evolutionary biologist, and mathematician at the University […]
In today’s online version of the paper, WSJ writer Jon Hilsenrath blames you for the poor “recovery.” Here’s a brief excerpt of the story headlined “A Letter to Stingy American Consumers,” edited only for brevity: Dear American Consumer, This is The Wall Street Journal. We’re writing to ask if something is bothering you. The sun shined […]
Poland recently announced that it was nationalizing the country’s private retirement accounts, their equivallent of 401(k)s. While residents will continue to have access to the funds just as they normally would, the move places private assets on the country’s public balance sheet. While this maneuver was in the works for sometime, of course, the devil […]
Geopolitics since World War II has increasingly been defined by global trade and by extension, multinational corporations. As they have escaped national boundaries, governments have become acquiescent to their desires with “Free” trade agreements, favorable regulations and protective laws. More recently, the arrogance of these institutions has been to take on the role of government […]
This article is a reprint, posted here with permission and for posterity. It’s by an anonymous author using the name Monty Pelerin. It is originally available at EconomicNoise.com. Hope is dying in the US. The performance of financial markets affects everyone. For savers and investors, these markets represent the means to an improved life, at least […]
The Department of Homeland Security regularly warns us to be aware of our surroundings and to watch for suspicious activity. They also warn us to watch for actions that may look harmless, but might also be a symptom of a more serious threat. Some of us wonder if being so suspicious of our fellow citizens […]
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act or JOBS Act was passed last Thursday to no great fanfair, but we wonder if it may yet go down in history alongside Gramm-Leach-Bliley as a law which helped set the stage for ‘pump and dump‘ bubble schemes and financial fraud. To put it another way, its a bad law, one […]
We’ve already discussed at some length how increased spending, especially in medical entitlements, will ultimately lead to a serious budget and currency crisis. While no one knows exactly how or when the crisis will unfold, we can make certain predictions about the US government’s response. It’s reasonable to suggest they will act similarly (although not […]
