Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt — the latter continued and amplified the former’s policies in a kind of one-two punch, as revealed in Murray Rothbard’s “The Great Depression” — did all the wrong things from 1930 to 1938. In an environment of surplus labor but collapsing capital and credit, free-market entrepreneurs put people back to […]
As our modern gladiators chase a pigskin down the field in Dallas or Detroit, we settle into our living rooms, loosen our belts and remind the little ones this is the day we echo the thanks of the Pilgrims, who gathered in the autumn of 1621 to celebrate the first bountiful harvest in a new […]
Medical doctor Tim Ryan responds to my recent column on medical costs: “I have just such a medical practice in Cartersville, GA. I have the nicest office, most up-to-date EMR, digital EKG, next-day turnaround for any lab known to man and my prices are the lowest around. Office visit: $50. EKG, Labs, Injections, are all […]
Even as Detroit’s Big Three automakers teeter on the brink of on collapse — General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are seeking $25 billion from the government to get them through the worst sales slump in 25 years, with GM particularly short on cash and reporting an inability to borrow more — […]
It’s hard to write about politics of any kind in a “straddler” column — one keyboarded in early October to appear on most newsstands the week AFTER a national election. As I write this, the autumn 2008 global stock and financial swoop is well underway. The problem was caused, first, by reckless expansion of credit […]
Once begun, it was clear the “bailout train” would keep running through Washington, with one industry after another demanding, “You helped the banks, now it’s OUR turn.” Thursday Nov. 6 it was Detroit’s automakers, battered by the economic crisis and appealing to congressional leaders for an additional $25 billion in federal loans to make required […]
You’re a doctor. You need to bring in $3,000 apiece for your most common procedure. But Medicare and Medicaid — which pay for about half your patients — have just told you they’re only going to pay you one-third of what they’re billed. What do you do? You don’t need to be a CPA to […]
The impact of tacking the generally common-sense Sarah Palin onto the bottom of the GOP ticket has clearly not been enough to rescue John McCain from himself. First, the Alaska governor has been muzzled when it comes to debunking the idiot contention that we need to cripple our industrial economy to prevent “man-made global warming” […]
Two interesting stories on facing pages of the Review-Journal today. On page 9A, Kevin G. Hall of McClatchy Newspapers reminds us “Stock prices reflect future expectations about the U.S. economy, so the continuing avalanche on Wall Street signals tough times ahead. … The Federal Reserve has shoveled bout $800 billion in short-term loans into banks […]
“Quite a coincidence that you’re interested in this one,” the salesman says. “Another lady was just in here wanting it and she ran home for her checkbook. I can’t guarantee it’ll still be here in half an hour.” Eleven days ago, the entire government of the United States — OK, no one invited the Supreme […]