It Didn’t Start with Trump

“What do you expect when you sue the president?” Hearing that comment, some people may guess the comment was made by someone addressing one of President Trump’s political opponents who has been targeted for federal prosecution. That quote, though, is much older. It is from an IRS agent addressing officials of a conservative organization that was being audited during Bill Clinton’s presidency. This illustrates that the use of federal agencies to punish presidents’ enemies did not start with President Trump.

What Will the Next Gold Bust Look Like?

There have been four gold busts under the fiat dollar money regimes since the “freeing” of the gold price in March 1968. If the past is any guide to the future the trigger to the fifth bust will include a key component - optimism on reform, replacement or just sounder management of the contemporary US fiat money regime. Hope is measured relative is relative to prior desperation. Suffice to say, all these previous episodes of supposed fiat dollar monetary renaissance proved to be false dawns, albeit of highly variable length.

How Progressives Broke the Constitution and Praised Themselves for It

In his article “Is the Constitution Broken beyond Repair?” David Gordon draws attention to a phenomenon that is often overlooked, namely, the great rejoicing among some constitutional lawyers over the fact that “to establish the new Constitution, Lincoln overthrew the first one… he replaced the old, immoral Constitution with a new one based on equality.” This is indeed one reason why some of Lincoln’s admirers still celebrate the burning of the South by the Union Army—the devastation and destruction

Steve Bakalis is a former Visiting Professor of Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing-China

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Cole Adams is a researcher and author focused on practical applications of Austrian economics and sound money theory

Does a Fall in Unemployment Lead to Stronger Economic Growth?

For most economists and commentators, a strong labor market is the key driver of economic growth. The reduction in the number of unemployed people supposedly means that more individuals can afford to increase their spending on goods and services. As a result, according to such thinking, economic growth is likely to follow. This is based on the view that an increase in the demand and spending will trigger an increase in the supply.