AboutDaniel McLaughlin, Author at Affluent Christian Investor
Follow The Science To Sweden
Governor Cuomo is imposing renewed Covid-19-related restrictions in New York based on the mantra, “Follow the science,” as have many others of the political class. That begs the question of which science that you follow, because science is a … Read More
Society Is Better When Assumptions Match Reality
It is amazing to me to contemplate that there are seven and a half billion people in the world, and yet none of them are identical. Even identical twins, though they may share genetic material, cannot live in same … Read More
Taking Risks With Other People’s Money
There is an old financial term called OPM, Other People’s Money. It describes the way that business owners and managers obtain funds from other people to leverage the capital that they put into a business. It is a legitimate way … Read More
This Is The Big Lie
If you tell a big enough lie, and tell it often and loud enough, people will believe it is true. The Nazis and Soviets had it down to a science, with their propaganda ministers, like most totalitarian states. Modern day … Read More
2020 Can End Up As A Year Of Unity
The year 2020 has been a year of disruptions, disunity, and violence. The virus has done some damage, but worse by far is the economic pain and dislocation perpetrated by our own governments, as well as the ongoing riots that … Read More
Innovation Springs From Liberty
Deirdre McCloskey, professor of economics and history, has offered powerful insights for several decades, culminating in her multi-volume work with the theme of “bourgeois dignity.” She explains why, for most of history, poverty was so pervasive, and why the standards … Read More
Things Are More Dangerous Than People Think
COVID-19 has been making its way through populations around the world, including the United States. While it can be deadly, it is not nearly the biggest danger we face in America at the moment. Radical leftism has come out … Read More
Social Justice Warriors Must Address Core Problems
Justice is a theme in every religious and moral tradition, a part of the human experience, and an ideal in every society, but what is justice? The Bible gives examples, but they are similar to other traditions: do not … Read More
Far Left And Far Right Are Not Very Far Apart
The political divide is typically envisioned as left versus right, with the Democrats on the left and the far left being socialism, and Republicans on the right, with the far right being fascism. While there are obvious and significant … Read More
Why Black Lives Matter To Me
Black lives matter to me, a lot. I have many friends whose skin color is different from mine, and each one matters to me. “Black Lives Matter,” the organized movement, also matters, but for a different reason. I have … Read More
Antifa: The Left-Wing Version Of Fascism
Antifa, the group that fancies itself as the face of modern anti-fascism, has a handbook. Really. It is named, appropriately enough, Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook. The author, Mark Bray, also wrote Translating Anarchy: The Anarchism of Occupy Wall Street, and co-edited Anarchist Education … Read More
Systemic Racism Is Not What You Think It Is
News media, politicians, and others who earn their living by inciting division and hatred are trying to capitalize on the recent protests and riots. Race is on the front burner everywhere, and “systemic racism” is the purported problem. These … Read More
Burning Cities Could Unify America
Cities around the country have been burning from rioting, resulting, ostensibly, from the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer. The lesson to be learned, however, is not one you’ve been presented with.
After … Read More
Beset By Bezos Billions
Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, even after giving his ex-wife 36 billion dollars in a divorce settlement. He must have big stacks of large bills filling his living room. Actually, no, he doesn’t. Most of his … Read More
If Trump Were A Fascist He Would Have…
A large swath of the political left seems to consider Donald Trump to be a Hitler or Mussolini in the making, and maybe they are right. He does have that Mussolini chin sometimes. In many ways, though, he doesn’t quite … Read More
Simple Principles Are Better Than Complex Models
Modern mainstream economics tends to involve complex mathematical models that purport to forecast the future from past results, in close enough detail for politicians to make decisions that affect the economic well-being of an entire nation and even the … Read More
The Socialistic Future Always Sounds So Good
Eugen Richter, a German liberal politician and journalist at the turn of the previous century, published “Pictures of the Socialistic Future” in 1893. As a work in the public domain, the ebook version can be downloaded for free. The novel … Read More
China Experience Doesn’t Negate Gains From Trade
The coronavirus has brought many things to light that might not have been obvious before if you weren’t looking. One of them is that the Chinese Communist Party is still a dictatorial communist regime with its eye on world economic … Read More
2.2 Trillion Dollars Of Non-Stimulus
Your representatives in Washington have decided to spend an extra 2.2 trillion dollars of your money. Since many millions of people are pretty much forced to stay home and businesses shuttered, some portion of it actually makes sense. If … Read More
We’ll Get Through This Despite, Not Because Of, Government Spending
Coronavirus is the biggest story in the world. We, in the United States, are likely going to have a hard time in the near future, as shut-downs and restrictions strangle the economy. We, however, are starting off from a fairly … Read More
Panic Doesn’t Suspend Economic Laws
Considering recent panic buying, it’s worthwhile considering, again, the phenomenon of rising prices in times of scarcity. The best analogy I have seen is from Professor Antony Davies: “Trying to battle a shortage by prohibiting prices from rising is … Read More
Taking The Emotion Out Of The Immigration Debate
The reality of the immigration debate is often swamped by emotion. The biggest problem, it seems to me, is that the topic is treated like one clear-cut, monolithic pronouncement: you are either for it or against it. That creates confusion … Read More
Starting At The Right End Of The Climate Debate
Climate politics has been ratcheting up again recently, accompanying yet another international climate hysteria fest, so it is worth revisiting. In most cases, discussions begin and end with arguments about what the science does or does not say. That is … Read More
Business Success Comes From Skin In The Game
Strict central planning for a nation has been a disaster, whenever and wherever it has been imposed. Central planning, however, is not necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. Certain industries, such as airlines, utilities, or ground transportation, may be socialized, being owned … Read More