Do-it-yourself service–weren’t we just talking about this?
(Slate) A Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup called E La Carte is hoping to ensure that no family has to endure such a nightmare again. It has produced a kind of…
Radically rethinking the way we fight poverty
The authors of Poor Economics have a point: Ideology drives a lot of policies, and even the most well-intentioned ideas can get bogged down by ignorance of ground-level realities and…
Economist soundtracks–Keynes
In this and subsequent “economist soundtracks”, we will feature a playlist of songs that highlight each economist’s life and work. To kick things off, I have chosen the economist that…
Inventing a frontier
On his Cafe Hayek blog, esteemed economist Don Boudreaux has recently ignited a fascinating conversation on the concept of limited land, inspired by the FLOWidealism listserve. In it, the idea…
Death of the Dollar?
(Money Morning) At 12:15 p.m. April 27, at the conclusion of a two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, we’ll find out whether U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke…
A government of Hottentots
(Washington Post) It was billed as President Obama’s big speech on reducing the federal budget deficit. But the Wednesday afternoon address sounded at times like the speech he did not…
Intervention affects the economy even more when the intervention stops
(New York Times) Among the people anxiously waiting to hear if Congress can reach a budget deal are front desk clerks at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, manufacturing…
Perspective on the proposed budget cuts
(Reuters) – Congressional negotiators on Wednesday raced against a looming deadline to craft a budget deal that would cut billions of dollars in spending and keep the government operating beyond…
Is BitCoin the currency of the future?
In this podcast from EconTalk and the Library of Economics and Liberty, Gavin Andresen, Principal of the BitCoin Virtual Currency Project, talks with host Russ Roberts about BitCoin, an innovative…
How does adding debt prevent us from default?
Geithner’s suggestion is to raise the amount of debt the borrower can take in. But that only allows the borrower to get further in the hole, and end up owing more every year. If the borrower can’t pay off the debt as it stands, what is to say that he will be able to do so when the debt is more than his income?
A kindred spirit in effort to slay the Juggernaut
Released in 2009, Chris Martenson’s video seminar ‘Crash Course’ provides an excellent analysis of our predicament. Expanding the talk into what he calls “the Three ‘E’s”, this seminar is comprehensive…
Is self-rule so far-fetched?
Here is a concise explanation of the difference between state government and self governance. As described by the creator: It is a brief video “Looking at the concept of governmental…
Is there a difference between economics and politics?
On the surface, the question might seem beside the point. Economics is the study of economic transactions between people and groups and politics is the practice of governing. But with…
Juggernaut book trailer released
Catch all the excitement on YouTube: Juggernaut Trailer Transcript: Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff at the time: You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Text:…
A Marxist’s explanation of the 2007-08 crisis
In this short RSA Animate, radical sociologist David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism, towards a new social order that would allow us to live within…
Lessons from the Bushmen
One of the central themes of Juggernaut is that of the closed economy, where alternatives have been eliminated and a people are forced to make do with the social constructs…
The unrecognizable future
With a predicted population of 9 billion, food production and competition for resources could change the face of our planet. http://news.discovery.com/earth/earth-unrecognizable-2050-resources-110220.html While there can be no doubt that the future…
Would you opt out?
February 17, 2011 – Congressman Ron Paul joins the discussion on “Stossel” to address a point made during his CPAC 2011 speech regarding taxation. Additional topics include the media’s criticism…