Federal Reserve technocrats like to use a variety of slogans and buzzwords designed to make the Federal Reserve look like it’s an apolitical, “scientific” institution guided only by a quest for sound management of the economy.

On his podcast Wealth Formula, Buck Joffrey recently covered, together with his guest Richard Duncan, the Austrian School of Economics. Despite being only 42 minutes long, the episode is packed full of errors and fallacies. Superficially, there is no reason for anyone to watch the episode, let alone for someone to write a response correcting the many misconceptions therein contained.

In the final stretch of any presidential campaign, the goal is to attract any remaining undecided voters. This usually means that candidates moderate and soften their messaging, especially in comparison to the proposals and rhetoric used to attain the nomination of their respective parties earlier in the campaign. This was on full display in last night’s vice-presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz.

Known as a “symbol of human wisdom,” Albert Einstein is undoubtedly one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, he gained fame not only for his scientific achievements but also for his call for peace, freedom, and justice. Humility, kindness, and compassionate humanity all added much to his personal charm. However, no one is perfect, and Einstein was no exception.

I occasionally read a writer and podcaster known as a conspiracy researcher who writes on a variety of subjects. Donald Jeffries is all over the map politically (reformer, idealist, libertarian, classical liberal, populist, and cultural conservative), has published several books, and has written a Substack column since 2021. His name is not important because it is his ideas, which are shared by a growing number of people, that I want to address.

Entitlements

I think the first thing I read of his that put him on my radar was his defense of Social Security:

Last month, Donald Trump announced that he intends to set up a government efficiency commission if he wins a second term. The commission would be led by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who would audit the entire federal government to find and eliminate inefficiencies that needlessly cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.

The videos coming out of western North Carolina, of entire towns wiped off the map by flood waters of Hurricane Helene, are both tragic and shocking. Lesser, but serious, impacts have been felt across the entire region. The residents of much of southern Appalachia, Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas are facing temporary shortages in terms of access to clear water, power, and fuel. 

For some social-media bomb throwers, however, the floods are an excellent opportunity to attack both private property and immigrant business owners.