Tag Archives: newsletter

In the previous two articles in this three-part series on bipartisan comprehensive political reform, we dealt with the excuses for extortion and evasion such claims for reform provide and with the fact that such claims often lead to more comprehensive ignorance being applied to social problems. Now, we turn to the question of comprehensive reform versus piecemeal reform. When it comes to bipartisan comprehensive political reform, beyond its rhetorical use to enable...

Overview: The market sentiment remains fragile. Equities are mostly lower. Japan was a notable exception, and concerns about China's economy after a sharp decline in imports took mainland and Hong Kong listed companies sharply lower. Europe's Stoxx 600 is giving back yesterday's 0.35% gain plus more. Bank shares are off 0.65% after rallying 4.20% over the past two sessions. US equity futures are heavier. Benchmark 10-year yields are mostly a couple basis points...

Seit Sommer 2020 erklärt die Bundesversammlung wieder vermehrt Bundesgesetze als «dringlich», um diese sofort in Kraft zu setzen. Gegen einige dieser Gesetze wurde ein fakultatives Referendum ergriffen, doch war vielen Stimmberechtigten nicht immer klar, worüber abgestimmt wurde. Die «GIACOMETTI-Initiative» verlangt die Bestätigung von dringlich erlassenen Bundesgesetzen durch Volk und Stände innert 100 Tagen ab Inkraftsetzung, vereinfacht die Bundesverfassung und stärkt das...

Behind closed doors, the report is already making the rounds in expert circles: if you follow the rules of sound commercial accounting, the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) has lost its equity and is, as common language would have it, bankrupt. What happened? During spring 2020 (i.e., in a period of extremely low interest rates), the Fed purchased large amounts of government bonds and mortgage bonds to support the economy and financial markets during the covid...

The passage of an income tax in the early twentieth century was an enormous shift toward a far more centralized and powerful US state. Original Article: "The Income Tax: Lessons from the Sixteenth Amendment" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

To prevent rail accidents like the one in East Palestine, dial back government regulation and allow the tort system to work. Original Article: "Prevent Future Losses Like East Palestine by Reducing Regulation and Empowering Torts" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

Mainstream historians attribute the postwar economic success of South Korea and Taiwan to the legacy of Japanese colonialism. The Japanese are credited with providing new technologies, critical infrastructure, and an efficient state that enabled industrial progress in South Korea and Taiwan. Both Taiwan and Korea benefitted from the successful adoption of Japanese technologies and recorded industrial growth under imperial rule. Moreover, during 1913–38, Taiwan and...

Overview: There is a nervousness that hangs over the capital markets. Although US banks shares recovered at the end of last week, many continue to see the sector’s challenges as the harbinger of a dramatic reversal in the Fed’s stance. America’s debt ceiling looms large and could be a few weeks away. China led Asia Pacific bourses higher, and, ironically, its bank shares extended their rally. Japan, returning from last week’s holiday was notable exception. Relative...

Federal laws with acronyms are usually bad news. (Think the USA PATRIOT Act.) The RESTRICT Act is yet another Orwellian proposal in which the federal government assumes ignorance is strength. Original Article: "Disinformation and the State: The Aptly Named RESTRICT Act" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

Once the Southern states accepted the Thirteenth Amendment, Lincoln was entirely content for the old Southern elites to resume their positions of power and for many blacks to continue in a condition little better than bondage. Original Article: "Lincoln's Main Target Was "Anarchy" and Secession, Not Slavery" [embedded content]...