A key factor that constrains people’s ability to generate goods and services is the scarcity of funding. Contrary to popular thinking, funding for consumption and production is not about money as such, but about real savings.

Note that various tools and machinery or infrastructure that people have created is for one purpose. That purpose is to be able to produce final consumer goods that are required to maintain and promote life and well-being.

December 5 is Walt Disney’s birthday, and more than fifty years after his death, Disney’s reputation is well-deserved. After all, he was the creator of Mickey Mouse and a score of lovable animated characters; was a pioneer in adding sound and color to movies; created the game-changing full-length animated feature; invented the concept of children’s programming for television with The Mickey Mouse Club; and built the world’s first theme park with the creation of Disneyland.

But he never lost sight of the importance of serving the consumers.

Faculty, Associated Scholars, and More

• In July, the Mises Institute hosted Mises University in Auburn, Alabama.
• Mises U featured 167 attendees from 94 colleges and universities, 25 countries, and 26 US states.
• Mises U faculty also featured several first-time members, including Shawn Ritenour (Grove City College), Lukasz Dominiak (Nicolas Copernicus University), Jason Jewell (Faulkner University), and Ryan

As the decline of the Rust Belt became increasingly obvious during the 1980s, protectionists attempted to blame the malaise on too little government protection from foreign competition.

Listening to recent commentaries about the repo failures in New York leads one to suppose there is insufficient money in the system. This is not the real issue, as the chart below of the fiat money quantity for the dollar clearly shows.

The idea that governments can’t lower taxes because there is a deficit, but are free to raise all expenses even if there is a deficit can be found in many political manifestos these days. Central planners always see the economic challenges as a problem of demand, and as such cringe at the idea of prudent investment and saving.

It has become almost generally accepted that politicians break their promises. Whether it is to balance the budget or achieve an ambitious goal outlined in their campaign platforms, the electorate already anticipates that they will always fall short of their pledges. By now, we don’t even get angry about it – we’re immune to disappointment.

In Why Not Socialism?, G. A. Cohen presents the scenario of a camping trip to highlight the desirability of socialism as the best form of social organization.

The Productivity Commission (PC) of the Australian federal government has produced a number of reports in recent (and past) years on higher education. These well-researched and well-resourced studies provide an ideal foundation for exploring and explaining the history of, issues in and likely drivers for the “Disaster Down Under” … with possible lessons for the USA.