The government shutdown wasn’t long enough to delay the nomination hearing for an economist who could be considered to be one of the “worst Fed nominees of all time.” While most of the headlines generated from Marvin Goodfriend’s testimony before the Senate today focused on the grilling he received from Senate Dems, there is one curious part of his testimony that has been largely overlooked:
Although gold prices hit a new high in mid-January, Americans, by and large, are still reluctant about gold. They don’t quite “get it.” This incomprehension is different than that of Americans not “getting,” for example, bitcoin (as few seem to). They may understand gold as a safe haven that has always stood the test of time, war, crises, inflation, etc.
“Patients dying in hospital corridors.” So went the headline which appeared on the BBC’s website last week, detailing the newest outrages which have emerged from Britain’s crisis-beset healthcare system. This most recent revelation came as a result of an open letter sent to the prime minister by 68 senior doctors, offering details of the inhuman conditions which have become common in the National Health Service’s hospitals.
Last Friday, Jeff Deist and I discussed the difficulty of really comparing the current standard of living to those of the past. During the interview, I mentioned Jeffrey Herbener’s discussion with Tom Woods about the CPI, the use of hedonic adjustments, and changes in the standard of living overall. Anyone who enjoyed Friday’s interview may also like Herbener’s detailed discussion of price inflation estimates and related issues.
The Chinese state’s “news” service Xinhua on Sunday mocked the United States for the current federal-government non-shutdown, called a “shutdown.” The Chinese agency claimed the current legislative stalemate — which has hardly “shut down” the federal government — demonstrates “chronic flaws” in the US federal political system.
[Editor’s note: As we face another so-called government shutdown, some may recall that we’ve been down this road before. In this 1996 article, Lew Rockwell explains that government “shutdowns” are neither as unpopular, or as troublesome, as the media and Washington politicians assume.]
Facebook continues to tinker with its News Feed options. It’s unclear if this will affect how often you see Mises Institute articles in your feed, but if you want to make sure we keep coming through, here’s how.
