Topic: Crisis

Crisis, Government, International, War and Peace

Punish the Russian Government, Not the Russian People

– March 8, 2022

“Instead of thinking of new ways to punish Russians, Americans and others of goodwill should look for ways to help Ukrainians. Aiding refugees and allowing them into America would be good places to start.” ~ Doug Bandow

Crisis, Fiscal Policy, Government, History

Government Greed

– March 7, 2022

“Perhaps the biggest fail of them all is that many Americans whose real incomes are declining but whose nominal incomes have increased will be forced on 15 April to pay higher real taxes. Come to think of it, government isn’t greedy. It’s rapacious.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Crisis, Gold, International, Monetary Policy

Are Gold Rubles Gold or Rubles?

– March 7, 2022

“The loss of citizens’ purchasing power over decades was scarcely enough to drive states to introduce monetary reforms. It is not surprising that a newly-cast pariah state is embracing gold in a desperate bid to recapture some semblance of normalcy.” ~ Peter C. Earle

Crisis, Monetary Policy, War and Peace

How Will Russia Respond to Financial Sanctions?

– March 7, 2022

“The sanctions are intended to increase the cost of war for the Russian government. Russia currently finds itself outside of the global financial system. Over time, however, the burden of financial sanctions will weaken.” ~ James L. Caton

Crisis, Government, Science

Return to Normal Driven by Politics, Not “The Science”

– March 6, 2022

“While a return to normal is welcome, if the driving force behind it is political polling and stakes for reelection, we should all pause and reflect on whether these people should be making such monumental decisions about our lives.” ~ David Waugh

Crisis, Government, Science

Critique of “What Economics Can Tell Us About Mandating Vaccines”

– March 6, 2022

“The CDC and our public health agencies have now spent the better part of two years orchestrating a campaign of fear and paranoia that ignores the known properties of this disease.” ~ Robert Stewart

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government, Science

How Threat-Free Are Americans from Covid-19? Late February 2022 Update

– March 2, 2022

“Due respect for the virus doesn’t require treating your family, friends, and neighbors as the dire threats that media, public health officials, and the fearful are making them seem to be, either now or in the future.” ~ Jon Sanders

Art and Culture, Crisis, Media

Discovering Masculinity in a Woke World

– March 2, 2022

“The White Lotus, a new HBO series, throws bright sunlight on the dark mores of America’s elite. In the show, a debased, solitary, fake masculinity is transformed into one rooted in friendship forged by shared undertaking.” ~ Natalie Taylor

Crisis, Government, Science

Life, Death, and Insurance

– March 2, 2022

“Perhaps the fact that life insurance actuaries are highly qualified independent analysts of mortality and regulated primarily at the state, not the national, level has made America’s PHOs reticent to encourage actuarial analysis.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Crisis, Economic Education, Government

The Real Problem with PPP Loans

– March 1, 2022

“If you love jobs you can’t hate the individuals whose ideas and capital commitments make work possible. If the PPP money had to go somewhere, it was best that it went to those who paid the taxes in the first place.” ~ John Tamny

Crisis, Inflation, Monetary Policy

Inflation Rips Ahead of March FOMC Meeting

– March 1, 2022

“The Fed should acknowledge that the inflation problem is much worse than it thought when it sets its course of action and adjust course accordingly. More likely, it will stay the course—and inflation will continue to outpace its projections.” ~ William J. Luther

Crisis, Government, Science

Duck, Cover, and Mask Up.

– March 1, 2022

“If you happen to be among the lucky few not vaporized in a nuclear strike launched by unknown perpetrators, you should immediately reestablish your fear of Covid-19, the virus of unknown origin. In the words of David Byrne, ‘Same as it ever was.'” ~ James R. Harrigan