The Long-Term Economic Issue We Should Worry About

First, I ended up flying back to California from New York late Thursday night for a Friday matter that came up (I was supposed to fly to California on Sunday).  This substantially altered my reading and writing plans for … Read More

Baseball’s Self-Destruction, And Ours

“America’s Pastime” has lost its way, and forgotten the vital role it has played in the life of the nation.

During times of great upheaval, the sport has been a means that brought together those of different ideologies, faiths, … Read More

Why The Economic Situation In 1920 Was Grim

“The economic situation in 1920 was grim. By that year unemployment had jumped from 4 percent to nearly 12 percent, and GNP declined 17 percent.”[1] Federal income tax rates were massively and oppressively increased from a maximum rate of 15 percent … Read More

Start Worrying: The Case Against The Case Against Inflation

Ramesh Ponnuru and David Beckworth recently took to the New York Times op/ed page to clip the wings of inflation hawks. I certainly have no problem with ruffling the feathers of the perma-hawks — I’ve spent much of the past two decades … Read More

Quibbling Over The Quarantine Quandary

Talking with people it has become apparent that most really don’t know much about quarantine laws and their history.  Many people seem to take it for granted that the healthy being quarantined during Covid-time is a perfectly natural response.  … Read More

Rejection Of Christianity Leads To Peculiar Ethical Choices

The avoidance of western moral standards has led to peculiar ethical choices.

Much of this is seen through the prism of progressive politics and “woke” concepts that have, as its guiding principle, a rejection of values seen as emblematic of … Read More

The Forgotten Depression

Of course everyone is aware of the Great Depression of 1920 – no wait, virtually no one knows of it. Why would virtually no American know about the worst recession of the 20th century? The answer is certainly speculation. … Read More

Not-So-Great Expectations: Why Treasuries Don’t Tell The Whole Inflation Story

Ramesh Ponnuru recently took up the case against inflation… well, more like the case against predictions of inflation. If I’m reading him correctly, he is making the case for policies in pursuit of higher inflation. To his credit, he does not … Read More

Partying Like It’s 2019

I have done my very best to herald the virtues of normalization as much as I can since the pandemic struck a year ago.  There was a period of time last spring where clearly normalization was not possible or … Read More

Gold As A Hedge Against Government Irresponsibility

This week’s Dividend Cafe is inspired by one of my favorite quotes, ever.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.  It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

~ Mark Twain

(I attribute … Read More

How Americans Resisted Tyranny And Won

Very few Americans will recall that last month commemorated the 246th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, an event that transformed not just one nation but an entire world’s concept of personal rights.

The British had been moving steadily … Read More

CBO: Our New Debt Projections Are Already Obsolete

In March, the Congressional Budget Office released its Long-Term Budget Outlook. In a recent presentation, the CBO director warned that the report did not take into account the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act, and that things will very likely be worse than the … Read More

Killers Of The Flower Moon: Government Failure, Not Market Failure

Tulsa TV news recently captured footage of trucks hauling antique cars to Pawhuska, Oklahoma to feature in the motion picture based on the non-fiction best seller, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Time magazine listed Killers … Read More

Media Malpractice

There is a strong possibility that many of you reading Dividend Cafe this week will be completely unaware of the subject I have chosen for this week’s topic.  I do not mean you will be unfamiliar with the concept or … Read More

Persecution Of Christians: The 21st Century Crisis Which Is Not Making Headlines

Christians throughout the world will be celebrating Easter this week. For many, that observance must be done in silence and secrecy.

There are no spectacles in the Roman Coliseum featuring martyrs torn apart by lions, but the observance of the … Read More

Audit The Fed? We Just Did

Paulists have long demanded that we “Audit the Fed!” By Paulists, I mean the acolytes of former congressman Ron Paul, not the saint, though I suspect that he too might have been skeptical of quasi-public entities with enormous wealth and … Read More

Individualism Is The Critical Key

Individualism is the critical key to economic success. Since we are sovereign beings — that is, children of God — our individuality is absolutely critical to our existence. In fact, God demands our individualism, just as He desires an … Read More

The Next Crises: Debt And Debasement

We’re getting a little tired of using the word “unprecedented,” but no other word captures the recent trends in both deficit spending and money supply expansion. Also unprecedented are the stratospheric prices for cryptocurrencies. And there are good reasons to … Read More

Socialism Can’t Solve Poverty, Only Christianity Can

Why do we have more poor people after decades of socialism?

In 1959, the U.S. poverty rate was 22.4% according to the Census Bureau. It fell to 10.5% in 2019. Democrats will attribute that decline to government redistribution of income, … Read More

What The Fed Really Said

The Fed recently released its regularly scheduled statement following its regularly scheduled meeting. While it was possible to read the entrails as being those of either a dove or a hawk, the markets came down squarely on the side of … Read More

What’s Tearing America Apart?

Why is America so close to being ripped apart, with differences that appear to be irreconcilable?

The United States, with its vast diversity in ethnic and religious groups as well as political perspectives, has not — with the exception of … Read More

Solomon On Anger Addiction And The Atlanta Shooter

Often, it seems, our media culture sees murder and violence as a matter of wrong ideas.

The Secret Service police arrest a man for bringing a rifle and ammunition near the vice president’s home and a suspect accused of killing women whom … Read More

EM Capitulation Was A Foreseeable Investor Error

Last spring we wrote a lot about the history of Emerging Market (EM) overperformance. That historically it tends to overperform developed markets; that it does not always overperform; the conditions under which it does overperform.

First, the tendency towards overperformance:

This chart … Read More

Freedom Fatality Of The Fed

In a recent interview, I referred to the Fed as a disgusting institution. I want to explain why I believe that to be the case, as I do not like to disparage anyone or any entity indiscriminately or capriciously—only when … Read More