Friday 8 October 2010

FRIDAY MORNING RAMBLE: The “don’t mention the war” edition

There will be no mention here of the war over a certain Breakfast TV host. With that curt introduction out of the way, on with this week’s guided tour around the net.

"To say that we can solve the problem of too much borrowing
and spending with more borrowing and spending, is like
saying that Tiger Woods can solve his problems
by getting another girlfriend."

- Jim Rogers

“As a method of economic analysis econometrics is a
childish play with figures that does not contribute
anything to the elucidation of the problems of
economic reality."

                                      - Ludwig Von Mises The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science

                      BUY YOUR'S HERE

There is a real possibility that in our lifetime we will
live through a depression worse than the 1930s and...the
world as we know it ending
. I think that is a real
possibility. And the debt...is the financial cause of that, unless
something is done
."
        --Yaron Brook,
Director of the Ayn Rand Institute
(Ford Hall Forum - May 20, 2010)

  • Yes, Virginia. America is on the brink of financial disaster.  Even Ben Bernanke gets that much.
    Bernanke Tells the Truth: The United States is on the Brink of Financial Disaster – ECONOMIC POLICY JOURNAL
  • Yes, Virginia. America really is on the brink of financial disaster.  Doug Casey explains why.
    No Way Out – CASEY RESEARCH
    Thoughts on the Greater Depression – Doug Casey, interviewed by the DAILY RECKONING
  • Oh yeah, it’s not just America.  Not that you’d know from NZ’s official stats. “Reality is beginning to show through the cracks in our current way of life. Standard statistical economic information is becoming more akin to propaganda.
        Unemployment figures do not include two sets of ‘jobless’ categories. The CPI figures are worked out on a continually shifting base which produces lower answers. This CPI is called ‘inflation,’ but the REAL inflation is in the money supply which has been expanding at 8% compounded for 20 years. Now it is declining at a rate of around 3.8% and we are starting to experience deflation even while the economists are still forecasting 2% or 3% growth. We are now pursuing GDP growth like it was REAL Wealth.
        We are lost in a sea of misinformation.”
    Thought for the Day  - NZ FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH [check out their latest newsletter. It’s a goody!]

  • “Don’t be confused by the claim that ‘the Kiwi dollar has increased in value, because it hasn’t. What has happened is that New Zealand’s currency is losing (or winning, depending on how you look at it) in the global race towards currency debasement.”
    Stop talking about the desirability for a weak Kiwi dollar. I am sick of hearing it.  - THE HUMAN ELEMENT

  • Read and compare…  [hat tip Scott Powell]
    Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire – Joseph Peden, MISES DAILY

  • Another timely blast from the past.
    The Twofold Roots of the Great Depression: Inflationism and Intervention – Lionel Robbins, MISES DAILY

  • David Gergen and Niall Ferguson discuss 'The Financial Crisis: Will It Lead to America's Decline?' [hat tip Scott Powell]

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  • Just heard the news that Ian Morris, founder member of Th’ Dudes,  has just died.  They did have one good song, you know. Pretty good for a B-side.
  • Here’s Jimmy Lunceford. Rhythm is his business.
  • Beautiful music in Dresden’s gloriously Baroque Frauenkirche. [Shamelessly stolen from Olivia]
  • And finally … Sex on Breakfast television. What would the Governor General say!
     

Thanks for reading,
and have a great weekend!
PC

3 comments:

Libertarian said...

Awesome. Gonna take me all day to get through this.

In the meantime, feel free to throw my piece up about the currency devaluation myth.

Anonymous said...

Doug Casey put up an excellent and quite convincing case of imminent financial collapse back in 1979. His "Crisis Investing" did not come to pass. James Dale Davidson with William Rees-Mogg also had world financial collapse in "The Sovereign Individual" (as well as several adverts by Agora Press, back in 90s) In the 1850's, yes ages ago, calamity/collapse was certain to follow because of huge debts

Mark Hubbard said...

From CNN this Saturday morning:

Dow closes above 11,000 for first time since May after a decline in jobs boosts hopes of stimulus measures from the Fed.

That's just crazy on so many levels.