This week, the civil trial begins for the Aurora, Colorado movie theater where James Holmes murdered 12 people and injured 70 others. 

[This article first ran in the June 1992 issue of Chronicles (pp. 49–52)]

Last week Donald Trump set the financial punditry class aflame with his suggestion that the United States may end up asking lenders to take a haircut on its debt obligations.

When was the last time you used a government “service”? Maybe you went to the DMV to get a new driver’s license, or maybe you signed up for new healthcare plan using Healthcare.gov (you’d better — or else!). Whatever transaction it was, there was a government employee on the other end — or as some like to call them, a public servant. 

Donald Trump wrapped up the Republican nomination this week after Ted Cruz and John Kasich suspended their campaigns following the Indiana primary.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has made headlines with comments he made to CNBC on monetary policy and the debt.

Yesterday I had written an article praising Trump for past statements on the dangers of the Fed’s current low interest rate policy. Unfortunately, The Donald then went on to make a strong endorsement of the monetary status quo, indicating that his main criticism of Fed Chairman Janet Yellen was her political party:

US presidential candidate Donald Trump made more waves yesterday by suggesting he might attempt to reduce the US national debt by renegotiating with creditors. “Such remarks by a major presidential candidate,” intoned the New York Times solemnly, “have no modern precedent.

From the beginning of history sincere reformers as well as demagogues have sought to abolish or at least to alleviate poverty through state action. In most cases their proposed remedies have only served to make the problem worse.