"Middle-class families shouldn't pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires," repeatedly proclaims President Obama, arguing for his proposed $1.5 trillion tax increase over the next 10 years. "That's pretty straightforward. It's hard to argue against that."
In fact, Mr. Obama's statement is anything but straightforward.
Seeking to reverse his declining poll numbers, especially among his increasingly disillusioned base, Obama is attempting to give the impres... (more)
If you’re looking for a safe place to put your investments, Chad Venzke has a suggestion: Dig a hole in the ground four feet deep, pack gold and silver in a piece of plastic PVC pipe, seal it, and bury it.
The 30-year-old central Wisconsin resident trusts no one but himself to store and protect his gold and silver—not banks, not investment funds, and certainly not the government. It’s precisely because of this suspicion of institutions that he invests in those me... (more)
The U.S. economy is dying and most American voters have no idea why it is happening. Unfortunately, the mainstream media and most of our politicians are not telling the truth about the collapse of the economy. This generation was handed the keys to the greatest economic machine that the world has ever seen, and we have completely wrecked it. Decades of incredibly foolish decisions have left us drowning in an ocean of corruption, greed and bad debt. Thousands of businesses... (more)
Jeffrey Tucker interviews Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Distinguished Fellow with the Ludwig von Mises Institute and Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Recorded at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 28 July 2011.
With unemployment in his state at 8.5 percent and visa requirements for seasonal workers becoming more frustrating, Colorado farmer John Harold decided to hire fewer migrant farm workers for his harvest this summer and supplement his smaller-than-usual team with locals.
And so it begins. The first major European bank bailout of 2011 has now happened. French/Belgian banking giant Dexia has failed and both governments have pledged to participate in a rescue plan. But Dexia will not be the last major European bank to fail. Even now, governments all over Europe are feverishly developing plans to bail out major national banks in the event that the current financial crisis goes from bad to worse. Instead of learning the lessons of 2008, ... (more)
Dr. Walter Block, an Austrian school economist and anarcho-libertarian philosopher, is Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Chair in Economics and professor of economics at Loyola University New Orleans and senior fellow with the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He is the author of the books Defending the Undefendable, Labor Economics From A Free Market Perspective, Economics an... (more)
Confirming that one has to be a billionaire or at least a multi-millionaire to be an applicant for the Tax Czar position under the Teleprompted Wealth Readjuster, is the latest sheer class warfare idiocy out of tax expert du jour Harry Reid, who has proposed an overhaul of the Obama tax bill with one in which millionaires end up paying a 5% surtax.
National Journal reports: “Senate Democrats will replace tax increases proposed by President Obama to pay for hi... (more)
The "Occupy Wall Street" movement is spreading. Protests have appeared in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The drama has become palpable, featuring a march on LA's city hall, confrontations with police, and mass arrests.
In light of such a spectacle, those who highly value the role of ideas in social change are tempted to root for one side or the other. They wish to see their own ideology reflected in prominent people and institutions, and in any clash it is tempting to seek a hero... (more)
The official OWS website posted the "demands" of a supporter a few days ago. It is not certain if the demands posted below represent the agreed upon consensus of the movement, but if they do we can dismiss it out of hand as another blockheaded attempt to impose socialism.
Interestingly, a few of the demands parallel those of the globalists. This should not come as a surprise since soci... (more)
US lawmakers are going after China and accusing the country of manipulating currency. A bill recently cleared a hurdle in the Senate to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. Is this a political ploy or does Washington have a legitimate case? Could this turn into a trade war? Jim Rogers, investor and author, helps us sort through these issues.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The federal government has found a new weapon in its war on marijuana -- the tax man.
A San Francisco Bay area medical marijuana dispensary that promotes itself as the world's largest has been hit with a $2.4 million tax bill following an audit by the Internal Revenue Service, the dispensary founder said Tuesday.
The back taxes, penalties and interest levied against Harborside Health Center came after the IRS examined its returns for 2007 and 20... (more)
Fifth-generation farmer Kenny Watkins ran afoul of the U.S. clean-water police in 2009. His infraction: Planting hay in a pasture.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ordered Watkins to stop cultivating a 160-acre (65-hectare) tract in central California because he might destroy seasonal ponds and harm the San Joaquin River. Watkins has defied the decision and the federal government’s control over what he can grow on his farm.
The fund is seeking to invest in a range of natural resources, but gaining access to physical gold is its top strategic priority.
On Sunday, Qatar Holdings, which controls the wealth of the Middle East state's royal family, confirmed it would invest about $1bn in European Goldfields, a London-listed miner currently developing the largest gold-mining project in Greece.
"Qatar Holdings have done a systematic and detailed study of the gold sector," said Ken Costa, who ... (more)
We are getting so close to a financial collapse in Europe that you can almost hear the debt bubbles popping. All across the western world, governments and major banks are rapidly becoming insolvent. So far, the powers that be are keeping all of the balls in the air by throwing around lots of bailout money. But now the political will for more bailouts is drying up and the number of troubled entities seems to grow by the day. Right now the western world is facing a debt cri... (more)
"Roads, Education, and Waterways: The Case Against Public Services"
Lecture by Walter Block presented at the Mises Circle in Houston: "Great Economic Myths," Saturday 29 January 2008; Sponsored by Jeremy S. Davis. http://mises.org
Walter Block, an Austrian school economist and anarcho-libertarian philosopher, is Harold E. Wirth Eminent S... (more)
EMERGING market countries are continuing to top up their gold reserves, with Russia, Thailand and Bolivia among those to add to their holdings in August as developing economies continue to diversify away from traditional reserve currencies.
Recently, emerging market central banks have bought gold in reaction to the sovereign debt crises affecting the US dollar and the euro, analysts say. Demand has also risen strongly in recent quarters as some seek to diversify foreign exchange ... (more)
Rare-earth prices are set to extend their decline from records this year as buyers including Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and General Electric Co. (GE) scale back using the materials in their cars and windmills.
Prices for cerium and lanthanum, the most abundant rare- earth elements, will drop by 50 percent in 12 months, Christopher Ecclestone, an analyst at Hallgarten & Co. in New York, has forecast. Neodymium and praseodymium, metals used in permanent rare-earth magnets, may fall a... (more)
This is a perfect example of how the market rations scarce resources. You don't have to give some socialist dictator total power like the fake-green cult says, you just let the market function and people solve problems on their own. - Chris
Where’s this coming from? Well, anyone paying attention to the Durbin Amendment (which came out of the Dodd-Frank Act) as it was moving through Congress would have seen this fee coming. The Durbin Amendment essentially limits the amount ... (more)
