Category: U.S. economy

Government Spending Threatens Americans’ High Standard of Living

Commentary The average American home is almost 2,200 square feet. An average home in the United Kingdom is a minuscule 818 square feet, in Finland 880 square feet, and in Germany under 1,200 square feet. Cramped. Americans have bigger houses and a higher material standard of living—more appliances, clothing, and cars—largely because they can keep…


The Fed and the Great Pillaging

Commentary There are many ways to measure the amount of dollars that exist today but let’s choose M2 because it seems most reliable for now. There are now 21.3 trillion dollars extant. That’s $6 trillion more than existed just three years ago. For perspective, the entire USD money stock just ten years ago was $6…


How Inflation Is Wrecking Your Diet and Health

Commentary The restaurant smelled like the Texas barbecue of my youth, so of course I was ready for a thrill. I ordered the beef brisket for $20, which is pretty expensive but these are inflationary times. The plate came. A third of the plate was a giant pile of fried potatoes, cheap food and carbohydrates…


The State of the US Economy Becomes Clear Now That the Election Is Over

Commentary The election is over, and the political dust in Washington, DC, is settling somewhat as the slim Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives captures the headlines. The election outcome exceeded the expectations of the media, as all indications beforehand forecast a large Red wave that somehow didn’t materialize. Sky-high inflation, the flood…


Your Living Standards Have Declined Dramatically

Commentary In the old days, shopping for groceries used to be a joy. By old days, I mean two years ago. Now, it is shocking and miserable. You look at these prices and wonder if you can even afford normal foods we took for granted. Everyone knows about the egg problem, which is being chalked…


Do Chinese Donations Explain Biden’s Energy Policies?

Commentary With reports that classified documents were found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania, questions arise about the potential connection between the university’s receipt of $54 million in Chinese donations and President Joe Biden’s promotion of energy policies that are strengthening China’s economy at the expense…


Biden Admin Finally Admits Its Mistake in Canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline

Commentary At long last, the Biden administration is admitting what experts have always known: reckless energy policies have disastrous consequences. This time, the Department of Energy quietly released a report highlighting the positive economic benefits of developing the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, an energy project canceled by President Biden in the hours following his inauguration. But the…


To Say That Inflation Is Fine Is an Illusion

Commentary It’s CPI day today, with all the predictable blather and nonsense about how what you absolutely know to be true is certainly not true because the experts say otherwise. This keeps happening these days: we know one thing—in this case that our purchasing power is being slammed—but regime spokesmen keep saying we are wrong….


The White-Collar Recession

Commentary Finally we seem to be hitting on a phrase to describe, at least in part, a feature of the current economic environment. The phrase is white-collar recession. It points to a reality these pages have covered in detail over the last year. The professional/managerial sectors of the U.S. economy were inflated beyond anything sustainable….


How the End of Negative Interest Rates Affects Your Life

Commentary Most people under the age of 40 have no financial experience in a world of positive interest rates for most dates of maturity. Maybe that sounds geeky and like it doesn’t matter much. It’s actually a huge thing. The financial situation that emerged after 2008—the Fed chairman from back then got a Nobel Prize…