The price of gold has recently spurted to a new all-time high in terms of U.S. dollars. I’m neither an expert nor a market timer, but let me offer a few perspectives on this event. To most people, including gold … Continue reading
Economics & Political Systems
American Identity Crisis
“A uniquely American solution to covering the uninsured may, at long last, be within reach,”said Karen Ignagni, president of the insurance company association America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), last April. When Ignagni addressed the matter again last week, she sent … Continue reading
Honduras and the United States: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
As this is being written, Manuel Zelaya, the ousted and exiled ex-president of Honduras, is holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, having been smuggled there on Sept. 21. His followers acted like the anti-capitalist protesters … Continue reading
Ludwig von Mises: Economist for the Ages
It seems that when an economy goes bad, the temptation for intellectuals to go and do likewise is too much for them to resist. Public thinkers across the spectrum, from Paul Krugman to Richard Posner, are now calling for a … Continue reading
The Dollar at the Precipice
If you’ve seen the movie “Thelma and Louise,” you’ll never forget the ending: In the last scene, the two main characters head down a dirt road in their top-down convertible. The road dead-ends at a very high cliff. The last … Continue reading
Truth and Politics
Many of us are cynical about promises made by politicians. “Campaign promises are made to be broken” is a venerable truism of American politics. There are “truth-in-advertising” laws against misrepresentation by private businesses, but no such protections apply to political … Continue reading
Credit Cards and Predictable Unintended Consequences
Imagine being a contractor and regularly using your credit card to purchase building materials for your job. Without warning you receive a notice that effective immediately your credit limit has been cut in half. You face potential embarrassment with your … Continue reading
A Trillion Here, a Trillion There
About 50 years ago, Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-IL) uttered his famous quip, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” Today, we’re talking about a trillion here, a trillion there—a thousand-fold increase in the … Continue reading
“Healthcare Reform” America Can’t Afford
The healthcare reform bill pending in Congress is called “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.” It is supposed to provide “affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending.” Unfortunately, rather than reducing the growth … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, President Obama!
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at WORLDmag.com. Reprinted with permission of WORLDmag.com. To read more news and views from a Christian perspective, call 800-951-6397 or visit online. Let’s all wish our youthful president a happy birthday. Barack Obama turns … Continue reading
Desperate States and Decaying Federalism
In the past, I have written about poor governance at the city and national levels (“Detroit: A Glimpse into America’s Future?,” “We’re Broke,” “Into the Fiscal Abyss,” “The End Game,” et al.). But, of course, the “government disease” afflicts states … Continue reading
The Minimum Wage: Keeping Prosperity Around the Corner
The last thing we need in the midst of our current recession is what happened last Friday: the third increase in the minimum wage in only two years. Contemporary labor markets throughout the country are not a pretty picture. Last … Continue reading
The Next Great Depression, Updated
“There is nothing inevitable about another depression. We have a simple choice: We can repeat the errors of the past or we can avoid them.” Those were my words, Feb. 8, 2008. It’s time for a “depression watch” update. Unfortunately, it’s … Continue reading
Detroit: The Triumph of Progressive Public Policy
Guest Commentary Editor’s note: This article first appeared through the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Mich. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and … Continue reading
The Nuts and Bolts of Cap and Trade
The purpose of cap and trade (C&T) legislation is to reduce Americans’ consumption of fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—and to speed up the transition to alternate forms of energy, such as wind and solar power. The “cap” part would … Continue reading
Kind of Like Star Wars all Over Again
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at WORLDmag.com. Reprinted with permission of WORLDmag.com. To read more news and views from a Christian perspective, call 800-951-6397 or visit www.WORLDmag.com. Remember SDI? There’s a good chance you don’t because as soon as … Continue reading
No Laughing Matter
Who won the Cold War? That’s a no-brainer. The United States prevailed while the Soviet Union collapsed, and the People’s Republic of China dumped Marxism; capitalism (free markets and private property) triumphed over socialism (centrally planned markets and state-owned property); … Continue reading
Detroit: A Glimpse into America’s Future?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, like Ebenezer Scrooge, we could have a preview of the future so that we could change our course if necessary? This can happen in real life. Such a dispensation was granted to me 35 years … Continue reading
Team Obama’s Auto Coup
In assessing Team Obama’s semi-nationalization of the auto industry, a slight alteration of the famous verse by Elizabeth Barrett Browning encapsulates my reaction: “How do I [not] love thee? Let me count the ways.” 1) The government takeover is unconstitutional. … Continue reading
Buy American, but Exclude Farrell, Pa.
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at WORLDmag.com. Reprinted with permission of WORLDmag.com. To read more news and views from a Christian perspective, call 800-951-6397 or visit www.WORLDmag.com. “Buy American” legislation preserves American jobs. Or does it? Buy American legislation … Continue reading