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

Exceptionalism In Economic Terms

A valid question is, “What does American Exceptionalism look like in economic terms?” Or better yet, let us define exactly what American Exceptionalism is in economic terms. There is no better reference than the great Austrian Economist, Ludwig von … Read More

A Primer On Bubbles

Who would have guessed that at the one-year mark of the worst market drop since the Great Financial Crisis, one of the hottest topics in financial markets is whether or not we are in a “bubble.” Am I the … Read More

Biden Spending Leak Triggers Inflation Trade

On Monday, the New York Times ran a piece reporting that unnamed sources were indicating the Biden administration was about to release a gigantic spending proposal, one costing at least 3 trillion dollars.

“President Biden’s economic advisers are preparing to recommend spending as … Read More

Why The Left Is Attacking The First Amendment

The light of freedom is endangered across America, as totalitarianism takes increasing hold of the nation’s major institutions, under the guise of “Democratic socialism.”

The assault has been going on for some time. William Kilpatrick, writing in the Catholic World … Read More

A Risk No One Thinks About Until It Matters

I had fun writing this week’s Dividend Cafe because I got to jump all over the place, just covering so many topics that I love, love, love, and not worrying at all about how it all weaved together.  If you … Read More

Solomon On Strength

A recent study in South Korea showed that suicidal thoughts correlated with weak grip strength (which is widely believed to be a measure of overall general strength). According to Psychology Today,

Regression models showed lower hand grip strength correlated significantly … Read More

The Result Of The Pies And Divine Light

In my previous two articles (see The Zero Sum Lie and Pies for Everyone and the Divine Light It Brings), I discuss how the United States, with its unique structure and practices, builds unprecedented prosperity and liberty. How has this shining Light from … Read More

Oil Rises

Remember early last year when oil prices ‘went negative’?

Well, despite scary headlines, the actual prices themselves didn’t go negative, but there certainly was a major drop in the value of oil. Markets often get the direction of the economy … Read More

The Ultimate Cosmic Gamble

The Covid Circus of late has prompted many to ponder death and what comes after.

Fear of dying and the unknown of the hereafter have moved many to masking and making many other changes to their lives that they … Read More