Economics

Ron Paul: Bernanke’s Farewell Tour

"Last week Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered what may well be his last Congressional testimony before leaving the Federal Reserve in 2014. Unfortunately, his farewell performance was full of contradictory comments about the state of the economy and the effects of Fed policies on the market. One thing Bernanke inadvertently made clear was that the needs of Wall Street trump Main street, the economy, and sound money. Quantitative easing (QE) and effectively zero interest rates have created paper prosperity, but now the Fed must continuously assure Wall Street that the QE spigot will not be turned off." Continue reading →

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Daniel Hannan on Statism and Detroit: My Analysis

"In December 1991, one block from my home, a man twice my size tried to stuff me into the back of a Chrysler New Yorker that was occupied by three other co-crazies blanked out on dope. My husband and I packed our bags and left the city the following spring. After ten years, we were done with The Experiment. The Marxism, crime, anti-white racism, tax rates, and lack of stable neighborhoods chased us out of town. In reality, the city died in 1967, with the riot that changed the city for decades. The decomposition occurred immediately thereafter. My father, a firefighter, worked a 72+ hour shift during the riots, putting out fires while being shot at by rioting civilians." Continue reading →

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Public Sector Pensions Are a National Issue

"Paul Krugman and Dean Baker took the Washington Post editorial page to task yesterday for stating that unfunded state and local pension liabilities amounted to $3.8 trillion. They accuse the page of misquoting a study in which the total was cited as only $1 trillion. Currently, standard practice measures the funding status of public pensions in the US under the laughable assumption that every dollar in the pension funds will earn compound returns of 7.75% or 8% per year. That’s the basis for the $1 trillion in unfunded liabilities. If unfunded liabilities are $1.0 trillion under an 8% rate, then they are $3.4 trillion unfunded under a 4% rate." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPublic Sector Pensions Are a National Issue

Public Sector Pensions Are a National Issue

"Paul Krugman and Dean Baker took the Washington Post editorial page to task yesterday for stating that unfunded state and local pension liabilities amounted to $3.8 trillion. They accuse the page of misquoting a study in which the total was cited as only $1 trillion. Currently, standard practice measures the funding status of public pensions in the US under the laughable assumption that every dollar in the pension funds will earn compound returns of 7.75% or 8% per year. That’s the basis for the $1 trillion in unfunded liabilities. If unfunded liabilities are $1.0 trillion under an 8% rate, then they are $3.4 trillion unfunded under a 4% rate." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Can a credit system last in the modern world?

"When you have a system based on credit rather than bullion deals are never completely done. Instead, everything depends on the good faith and good judgment of counterparties - including everybody's Number One counterparty: the US government. Its bills, notes, and bonds are the foundation of the money system. But they are nothing more than promises. A credit system cannot last in the modern world. Because as the volume of credits rise the creditworthiness of the issuers declines. The more they owe the less able they are to pay. As time goes by, the web of credit spins out in all directions, entangling not just the present, but the future too." Continue reading →

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Inflation: Robbing You Since the 10th Century

"Humans have been screwing up money for centuries, beginning with China's printing of jiaozi in the 10th century. History is littered with episodes of hyperinflation, but my favorite is that of revolutionary France. France's hyperinflation began as all hyperinflations do: the state printed too many assignats (pictured below), and they rapidly lost their purchasing power. French citizens sought alternative stores of value and mediums of exchange, as any intelligent person would. The French government, correctly perceiving this as a threat to its financial hegemony, reacted violently." Continue reading →

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Gold exports in June slump 70% in India

"According to Vipul Shah, chairman of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, 'Exports declined drastically in June as there was a shortage of raw material for jewellery manufacturing. Our main demand is that we should be provided gold on easy terms.' He added that if the current situation prevailed, it would be disastrous for the entire industry and bring in large scale unemployment. According to M Ahamed of the Kerala Jewellery Federation, exporters had initially gained from the rupee depreciation in the country, as the value of their exports in rupee terms had gone up. However, that gain has now petered off, he added." Continue reading →

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And the Natural Result of “Planned Obsolescence” is… (Drumroll)… Bankruptcy!

"The strike lasted 44 days, until GM gave in. It marked the rise of the UAW and the slippery slope of capitulation that would kill the automaker’s competitiveness. GM started to decentralize its production process so it could never be hijacked again. Detroit’s population became decentralized along with it. As people left, the tax base shrunk. To keep revenue up, taxes were raised on things that couldn’t be moved out of the city limits, like property. Because of high property taxes, people stopped improving buildings. Eventually, it wasn’t worth it to pay the property taxes. So people just left for greener pastures in taxpayer-friendly jurisdictions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnd the Natural Result of “Planned Obsolescence” is… (Drumroll)… Bankruptcy!