James Madison advised a “refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union” as a way for people and states to push back against unconstitutional or unpopular federal acts. READ IT: http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2014/04/21/federalist-46-influence-of-state-and-federal-governments/
"There could be a 15-day cooling off period… which could be extended by the Fed, in the interest of market stability. Economists don’t know what will work because no one can know what the future will bring. But we all know what won’t work: central financial planning. Likewise, investors can’t consistently choose good investments; because they don’t really know the future. All they can know is what isn’t true and, knowing that, avoid bad investments. That’s why investing is often called a 'loser’s game.' You don’t win by choosing winning investments; you win by not losing. You don’t win by pretending to know what is true; you win by knowing what is false." Continue reading →
"One of the most terrible things about the globalization of finance, money and industry is that it homogenizes booms and busts. There is literally nowhere to go. As economic centralization continues, these cycles will only worsen. These days in the West – and certainly in Washington – Republicans are sure they can mandate a technocratic interest-rate rule that will restrain the Fed from doing inordinate damage to the economy. Ironically, Democrats argue for more flexibility and less government interference regarding money. This would be admirable from a free-market standpoint except that they are arguing on behalf of a MONOPOLY facility. As usual, both parties get it wrong." Continue reading →
"Federal Reserve officials have discussed whether regulators should impose exit fees on bond funds to avert a potential run by investors, underlining concern about the vulnerability of the $10 trillion corporate bond market. US retail investors have pumped more than $1 trillion into bond funds since early 2009. This has created a boom environment for fixed income money managers, but raises the prospect of a massive disorganized flight of money out of the industry should interest rates rise sharply in the coming years. Exit fees would seek to discourage retail investors from withdrawing funds, thereby making their claims less liquid and making a fire sale of the assets more unlikely." Continue reading →
For those Americans angry with President Barack Obama for authorizing the National Security Agency’s (NSA) dragnet collection of citizens’ data, a recent disclosure should cause them to be even more upset with a former Oval Office occupant — Ronald Reagan. In an op-ed published July 18 in the Washington Post,former State Department section chief John Napier…
"Federal regulators’ recent move to change the criteria used to calculate regulated utilities’ allowed returns may be a small victory for income investors. Over the past few years, regulators pared utility profits in response to ultra-low Treasury rates. But investors and energy executives have long argued that these historically low rates are a market distortion created by Federal Reserve stimulus and, therefore, do not accurately reflect utilities’ actual operating environment. The order in late June by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity in interstate commerce, finally acknowledged this reality." Continue reading →
"Paul Volcker took over as Chair of the Fed in August 1979. A recession officially began five months later. This was the worst recession since the Great Depression. In August 1987 Alan Greenspan took over the Fed. Two months later 'Black Monday' occurred on October 19, 1987, when the Dow dropped 22.6% that day alone–the worst one-day crash in history. In February 2006 Ben Bernanke became Fed chair. The worst recession since the Great Depression officially began in December 2007, and you may recall there was some trouble in the financial markets in September 2008… In January 2014 Janet Yellen became Fed chair." Continue reading →
"Debt is always and everywhere a worry and a threat. It must be repaid. The more of it there is outstanding, the more cause for worry. Who won’t be able to pay? And if he doesn’t pay, will his creditors still be solvent? What if the currency goes down? What if inflation goes up? Debt raises questions… and makes the financial system fragile. As the quantity of debt increases, in other words, the quality should go the opposite direction. It doesn’t make sense for the amount of debt to increase as the price of it increases, too. It is contrary to the most basic law of supply and demand. And yet, yesterday, the price of debt went up… even as the supply of debt worldwide reaches epochal levels." Continue reading →
"A trio of inflation hawks at the Federal Reserve — Richard Fisher, Esther George and Charles Plosser — believe it's about time to take the punch bowl away. The three regional Fed bank presidents are on a mission to urge their colleagues to take a tougher monetary policy stance, CNNMoney reported. If they are successful, Americans would be hit with higher rates on mortgages, small business loans and credit cards, and many on Wall Street fear bonds and stocks would also suffer. But the Fed hawks believe the alternative to tighter policy could be high inflation and more dangerous asset bubbles." Continue reading →
Speed equals distance, and 60 MPH = 88 fps (feet per second) (where fps=1.467 * MPH). Stopping distance is dependent on the size of the vehicle in motion, among other factors like tire wear, brake system design, surface conditions, the age of … Continue reading →