“I can only imagine that those in charge of monetary policy, following Woodford and the precedent set by Bernanke, see stable implementation of a fixed monetary rule as being an antiquated idea, obviously inferior to their more flexible interpretation of rule-based policy. Their perspective, now widely shared among monetary theorists and policymakers, risks leaving us sleepwalking toward a state of fiscal insolvency.” ~ James L. Caton
READ MORE“When combined with the empirically verified reality that increased trade between nations decreases the likelihood of those nations getting into shooting wars with each other, what is left of the national-security exception to the case for unilateral free trade is very narrow indeed.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux
READ MORE“Personal liberty and political self-government have been rare things in the broad sweep of human history. They have been difficult to establish, often hard to preserve once possessed, and far too easily taken away under the pressures of fear, demagogy, and despotic ideologies. We should remember and appreciate episodes in history like those in Lithuania in January 1991, in which a people oppressed by socialist tyranny said, ‘No,’ and insisted upon regaining their freedom.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling
READ MORE“I have looked at other groupings of business; e.g., surveys of people in finance, and surveys of people in production. The other groupings don’t show meaningful differences. But, between small business versus big business, there are real differences.” ~ Clifford F. Thies
READ MORE“Jones’ discussions are interesting and many of his proposals should definitely be introduced, but they don’t go far enough. Instead, we could do with much less democracy and much more individual liberty.” ~ Joakim Book
READ MORE“We have agency and reason and can see that the current cascade of retaliation and retribution is ‘unsustainable.’ A great statesman focusing on first principles could, perhaps, cut the chain of retaliation and restore widespread cooperation. I don’t know if such an American exists, but I know it isn’t Donald Trump or Joe Biden.” ~ Robert E. Wright
READ MORE“I doubt we would be in this mess if we had left vaccine production and distribution to Walmart, Amazon, Grubhub, and Chick-fil-A. In the middle of a global pandemic, it’s too important not to.” ~ Art Carden
READ MORE“Despite the severe disruptions and ‘creative destruction’ that occur from time to time, the returns to capital that fuel innovation and prosperity remain strong. The market is always efficient and fairly priced relative to what is known, but the market can also be above or below its long-term enduring norms for good and rational reasons. In the end the historical norms prevail.” ~ Gregory van Kipnis
READ MORE“A more significant stash of dry tinder lurks in the Federal Reserve computers (hat tip: Cathie Wood). I refer to the reserves that commercial banks hold in their accounts at the Fed. At one time, they were required to hold balances equal to 10% of their demand deposit liabilities and were free to hold more—excess reserves. As banks chose to hold reserves far in excess of requirements, the Fed removed the nonbinding requirement. Bank reserves have risen above $3 trillion, nearly double the year-ago level.” ~ Warren Gibson
READ MORE“Carl Menger remains a towering figure, not only for the development of his variation on the ‘marginalist’ theme, but for originating a still unique and distinct and highly relevant approach to economic and social analysis that still rightly bears the name, the ‘Austrian School.'” ~ Richard M. Ebeling
READ MORE“In an economic sense, similarities between the U.S. and China are greater than some want to believe. Thank goodness they are. Unlike when China was poor, nowadays its people have a rooting interest in our success. And our people benefit from their success.” ~ John Tamny
READ MORE“There appears to be a groundswell of economic ignorance and stupidity facing us, and even more than usual. What this means for friends of freedom and practitioners of sound, free market economics, however, is a need to redouble our efforts, and not wallow in despair and disappointment. Bad policies inescapably bring about undesirable and counterproductive effects. But their very failures can serve as openings to more reasonable and rational policies looking to the future.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling
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