Economics: August 2008

Friday, August 29, 2008

If the Economy’s so Bad, Why Is the Unemployment Rate so Low?

The following article is a good discussion about the current economy and the misleading unemployment numbers:

"In short, by expanding the prison population, we have removed more and more young men from our labor market count. This reduces aggregate unemployment rates and raises employment shares, since these are often persons who would have difficulty finding jobs if they were not in prison."

http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_testimony_blank2

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Bankruptcy filings surge to 1 million - up 29%

Another bad indicator for the U.S. economy:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/27/news/economy/bankruptcy/index.htm?cnn=yes

N'il-flation Strikes The Dow - Earnings Plummet Into The Red

Is this cause for alarm?

http://caseyresearch.com/displayCcs.php?e=true

Monday, August 11, 2008

UK Cashless Society

Do you still think that the cashless society is a conspiracy theory? The banks would like it very much if you would give up your cash:

A History of Fractional Reserve Banking

Good discussion at Digg about the Federal Reserve:

http://digg.com/educational/A_History_of_Fractional_Reserve_Banking_and_Why_Monetary_Policy_Matters

Lewis vs. US

If you're still not convinced that the Federal Reserve is private, then take a look at this court case and you'll understand. The Court of Appeals, Poole, Circuit Judge, held that federal reserve banks are not federal instrumentalities for purposes of the Act, but are independent, privately owned and locally controlled corporations:

http://www.geocities.com/chrisforliberty/lewis.html

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Texas Governor 2010 - Federal Reserve is private

More discussions about the Federal Reserve from a candidate for governor in Texas:

JFK, Executive Order 11110, And The Federal Reserve

There are some people that still believe that the Fed is federal like a government corporation. What are your thoughts?

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Federal Reserve - A Private Corporation

Our economic woes center on the actions of the Federal Reserve. Here's a good history lesson on the Federal Reserve:

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Law of Property

A good video discussion of property rights:

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Zeitgeist - The Movie: Federal Reserve

What are you thoughts on this controversial movie?

Major Retailers Closing Lots of Stores

More signs of bad economic times:

http://phillyfreedom.blogspot.com/2008/08/major-retailers-closing-lots-of-stores.html

The Inflation Calculator

Here's a good inflation calculator as a reference for the value of the dollar:

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

Casey's Charts

Re-inflating the Debt Balloon

Once again, America owes far more than it produces. With the debt balloon re-inflated to new extremes, how much greater will the next depression need to be to fulfill this business supercycle? For the answer, we need to take a long look back at the last time the debt-to-GDP ratio spiked, and the consequences that followed...

http://caseyresearch.com/displayCcs.php?e=true

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Milton Friedman on Libertarianism

Milton Friedman explains what it means to be a Libertarian:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PaN9M4WwHw&feature=related

The Role of Gold and the Depression

Milton Friedman explains the causes of the depression:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7pnjzCuSv8&NR=1

Saturday, August 2, 2008

The Ultimate American Dollar Collapse

This is a pretty good explanation of the decline in the value of the dollar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RhnHo3RDfg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvTbOnuBHiQ&NR=1

Friday, August 1, 2008

Schwarzenegger orders pay cuts, layoffs for state workers

California is forced to take drastic action:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10065147?source=most_viewed

Federal Reserve: Illegal or Legal per the US Constitution

This is an interesting website as it relates to the Federal Reserve:

http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/BIGGESTSCAMINHISTORY.HTML

Critical Thinking

"When buying and selling are controlled by the legislature; the FIRST thing that will be bought and sold IS the legislature..."

"To cause high prices, all the Federal Reserve Board will do will be to lower the rediscount rate..., producing an expansion of credit and a rising stock market; then when ... business men are adjusted to these conditions, it can check ... prosperity in mid career by arbitrarily raising the rate of interest. It can cause the pendulum of a rising and falling market to swing gently back and forth by slight changes in the discount rate, or cause violent fluctuations by a greater rate variation and in either case it will possess inside information as to financial conditions and advance knowledge of the coming change, either up or down. This is the strangest, most dangerous advantage ever placed in the hands of a special privilege class by any Government that ever existed. The system is private, conducted for the sole purpose of obtaining the greatest possible profits from the use of other people's money. They know in advance when to create panics to their advantage, They also know when to stop panic. Inflation and deflation work equally well for them when they control finance." (Charles Lindbergh)

"The colonies would gladly have borne the little tax on tea and other matters had it not been that England took away from the colonies their money, which created unemployment and dissatisfaction. The inability of colonists to get power to issue their own money permanently out of the hands of George the III and the international bankers was the PRIME reason for the Revolutionary War." (Benjamin Franklin)

“Banking was conceived in iniquity and born in sin. Bankers own the earth; take it away from them but leave them with the power to create credit, and, with a flick of the pen, they will create enough money to buy it all back again. Take this power away from them and all great fortunes like mine will disappear, and they ought to disappear, for then this world would be a happier and better world to live in. But if you want to be slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the bankers control money and control credit.” (Lord Stamp, Director of the Bank of England, 1940)

In 1797, John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects of the Constitution or Confederation; not from any want of honor or virtue, as much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation."

“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” (Thomas Jefferson)

“I sincerely believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a money aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.” (Thomas Jefferson)

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