Ode To Paper Money

I thought it would be interesting to reprint some of the articles I wrote in the eighties for a hard-copy newsletter I published at the time, The Tortoise Report. And I’d like to begin with a poem that I first presented live at the NCMR Conference in New Orleans in 1984. If you change out [...]

Stimulus Packages vs. Wealth Creation, Part II

In Part I of this article, I discussed how the creation of surplus wealth leads to an increase in manufacturing plants and equipment, which in turn leads to the creation of both new jobs and new products. This stimulates economic growth and, in general, improves the well being of people who work for a living.
But [...]

Stimulus Packages vs. Wealth Creation, Part I

Compared to the cast of characters being appointed to high-level posts in Washington, Rod Blagojevich is starting to look appealing. The guy reeks with vintage Chicago chutzpah, he’s got style (What can you say about a spandex jogging outfit?), and he’s entertaining.
In fact, had B.O. appointed him Secretary of the Treasury, I think he would [...]

Bailout Economy explained on South Park…

The current economic recession hits South Park hard.  Under some financial stress Stan tries to return his margarita maker.  This incredibly convoluted episode was as bizarre as the current financial mess.
Stan makes it all the way to the Treasury only to find that the rules for getting a bailout from America is less than orthodox [...]

Go With What’s Working – More Bailout Fun!

Well, it’s been an interesting week. Since the big bailout of our banking industry has proven to be so successful congress is now considering supplying an influx of taxpayer cash to the ‘poor US automakers’.
Speaking of success, let’s recap a bit. Here’s an interview with Senator Ron Paul from August – before the [...]

The $700 Giveaway Begins – Companies Lining Up For Handouts

Now that the federal government is eager to pass out $700 billion of Americans’ hard-earned money, a long line of companies are in fierce competition for their share… unfortunately it’s not just the banking industry that wants a handout.
The congress approved bailout fiasco gave Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson a broad range of lattitude in where [...]

Can Your Business Survive An Economic Downturn?

Our economy could be on the verge of several months (or years) of economic trouble. Is your business ready? Most people realize that in any recession there are many businesses that fail along with resulting job losses. Did you also know that during those same periods (and even during the great depression) [...]

Recession is NOT a Bad Word!

Heresy you say? How could a recession ever be a good thing? Especially given that our government seems to want to bankrupt itself just to prevent one. I will show several specific reasons but in a general sense it helps to focus us on what’s truly important, forces us to become mentally tough in order [...]

Idiot Mortgage Lenders

Here’s a great video from January of 2008 with a comical (yet sad in retrospect) rendition of the kinds of activities that caused this current ‘crisis’

The 700 Billion Dollar Wake-Up Call

I am so frustrated with individuals who don’t want to be held accountable for their actions, businesses that don’t want to be held accountable for their actions and now a government that refuses to be held accountable for it’s actions and now wants to bail out the businesses and individuals who gave in to greed.
Those [...]