tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:37:12 +0000economygovernmentpoliticscitizencreditdebtcurrencyhousingloanproductionquoteFederal ReserveIOUSARon PaulSchilleramericabailoutblack swancommon sensecompetitioncramercrisisdeficiteducationelectionempirefiat currencyficogbgunhayekhealth carehomesinterviewinvestinglawliteraturemanufacturingnntpaulsonrandomnessreal estateresponsibilitystewarttalebtrustvideowarhttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)Blogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-2546038535163106031Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:14:00 +00002010-09-16T21:19:25.840-07:00Perhaps we should rewrite the preamble to the United States Constitution to better fit the condition of our "democracy."We the government of the United States, in Order to deform what was once a perfect Union, circumvent Justice, insure global unrest, provide for the profit of defense contractors, promote mass Welfare, and secure the illusion of liberty for our citizens and their Posterity, do http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2010/09/preamble-redux.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-5197744008592228145Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:35:00 +00002014-12-05T16:49:31.513-08:00citizencrediteconomyeducationfiat currencyI'm reading a lot about how the free markets have failed and how we need to change this or that. In order to arrive at that conclusion you'd have to be either intellectually dishonest, ignorant, or possibly both. It's convenient to blame the current economic struggle on the failure of the "free market", however the market we have is neither free nor would it be a failure for a truly free markethttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/11/failure-of-free-market-system.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-5543667848180772522Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:32:00 +00002009-10-01T19:42:54.317-07:00currencyFederal ReservegovernmenthayekBrian sent out an email with a link to this video, I wanted to post it here so that everyone could join in on the discussion that started brewing. I've integrated the disqus commenting system so hopefully it will add the the quality of our discussions.-Joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/10/end-fedand-related-discussion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-3780256194835925356Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:43:00 +00002009-09-25T20:44:31.529-07:00The cost of consumerism is more than just the money wasted on unnecessary gadgets, trinkets, and toys. Perhaps the most egregious cost to bear is the misplaced capital, research, engineering, and production that would otherwise be dedicated to more meaningful products. By consuming "junk" we are signaling to manufacturers (both domestically and abroad) to allocate their production capacity as http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/09/unseen-cost-of-consumerism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-3183838326946843868Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:41:00 +00002009-09-10T09:53:34.950-07:00governmenthealth careIt appears to be fashionable these days to complain about the status and cost of health care in America. At the risk of being labeled an apologist for the insurance industry (yes I despise them too, but I'll save that for a future post) a few inconsistencies struck me as odd. Primarily, I'd like to know how it is that people are unable afford health insurance yet are able to afford some or all http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-pay-for-health-care.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-8939266843152697385Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:42:00 +00002009-08-02T12:06:41.195-07:00citizengovernmentliteraturepoliticswarIn an effort to pare down my library of books and make room for new volumes I have been listing duplicates, previously read, and books I no longer want for sale on Amazon. Interestingly enough I came across this passage from a 1st edition 1947 printing of Kenneth Roberts book "Lydia Bailey." Needless to say, it is no longer on the Amazon sell list. "I'm not over-enthusiastic about books that http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/08/consistent-men.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-7251721475118792652Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:40:00 +00002009-07-24T23:55:17.719-07:00economygovernmenthousingloanproductionquoteExcellent insight into the housing/financial crisis, remarkably so given that is was first published in 1946, excerpted from the book "Economics in One Lesson," by Henry Hazlitt "The Case against government-guaranteed loans and mortgages to private businesses and persons is almost as strong as, though less obvious than, the case against direct government loans and mortgages. The advocates of http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/07/words-of-wisdom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-231602341294890097Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:59:00 +00002009-07-17T23:59:52.565-07:00We are barely seven generations removed from what I consider to be the "greatest generation." The founding fathers, brothers, and sons who suffered immeasurably; sacrificing their lives, comfort, and wealth to make possible the freedoms that we, their spoiled and ignorant posterity now freely discard. I cringe each time I hear someone state "I don't get involved in politics" or other similar http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/07/do-you-deserve-liberty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-2381763723129891219Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:17:00 +00002009-03-20T09:41:22.128-07:00cramereconomygovernmentinvestingstewartmy comments are below the video. for anyone who listened to cramer in the past, his candid 2006 comments should come as no surprise. the guy ran a hedge fund managing billions of dollars for institutions, pensions, and the very wealthy. he did not (and should not) serve the average investor. stewart presents himself as a man of the people, yet it concerns me how he's directing his anger; at a http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/03/cramer-vs-stewart.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-252247485628182382Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:13:00 +00002009-03-20T09:42:12.150-07:00citizengovernmenttrusttrust. dictionary.com defines trust as the "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence". should we trust our government? if you examine and study the intentions of our nation's founding fathers i believe you will find they encouraged the opposite. why? perhaps because trust relaxes our natural defense mechanisms. if you trust someone or something http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/03/healthy-skepticism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-6913336735731689830Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:21:00 +00002009-03-12T19:27:08.315-07:00common senseeconomygovernmentpoliticswhat's your take on john stossel's comments? -joe http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/03/some-more-video.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-3374222644846987724Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:41:00 +00002009-03-20T09:42:26.807-07:00debteconomygovernmentpoliticswhat could be wrong with a government stimulus designed to employ people, build infrastructure, and get the economy out of a recession? well just as there are two sides to a coin, there is also a flip side to any money a government proposes to spend, that's what. clearly for those in a direct line to receive the stimulus money there's an immediate benefit. with the income they're able to make http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/03/other-side-of-coin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-7784630911404528839Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:24:00 +00002009-03-20T09:42:56.580-07:00currencygbgovernmentpoliticsthanks to dan for passing this along... it is possible to actually make money from the collapse of the dollar. more on this later.-joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/02/fire-up-printing-press.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-1679606649121766071Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:20:00 +00002009-03-20T09:43:13.945-07:00thanks to jay for this link...it's a little sensational but gets the message across: The Biggest Scam in Historyhttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/02/little-insight-on-federal-reserve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-5553729847293917053Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:50:00 +00002009-02-26T11:36:26.113-08:00debtdeficiteconomypoliticsvideoi found this on bencasnocha.com apparently there are others having difficulty understanding how re-inflating the credit bubble is a solution to our economic woes. this is how Ben introduced the video to his readers:"Congressman Peter Stark (D - California) represents all that is great about American politicians: humility, wide-ranging and mature vocabulary, and a genuine warm-heartedness http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/02/obviously-you-dont-understand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-4168556841548710275Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:11:00 +00002009-02-23T08:24:42.092-08:00economyhousingreal estateSchillerYale Economist Robert Schiller that's who. I was especially amused by the reminisce at the end of the video about the actions FDR took during the great depression to support agricultural prices. -joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/02/home-prices-still-too-high-according-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-3393024389822447379Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:16:00 +00002009-02-22T18:18:09.004-08:00creditdebteconomygovernmentpoliticsWhile listening to a podcast some time ago I heard the following comment: "the economy is suffering from a global savings glut", what struck me as odd was the use of the terms suffering and savings in the same sentence. I can think of many things I (we) suffer from, but a savings glut is not one of them. As I began to ponder that statement a few thoughts stuck in my mind:America doesn't save so http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/02/so-thats-problem_22.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-5015755590499923635Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:05:00 +00002009-01-27T20:15:30.865-08:00gunlawpoliticswhat do you think? -joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-gun-laws-effective-at-deterring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-7609194654317318229Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:00:00 +00002009-01-17T12:31:41.423-08:00governmentpoliticsRon PaulWarren Buffet once remarked that we (Americans) won life's lottery by being born in the United States, and while it is true we are experiencing significant economic turmoil there are very few places in the world where life is as easy as we have it. I'm willing to criticize the .gov as much as the next guy (or gal) but let us not forget how we got in this situation; we took out the mortgages and http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2009/01/lifes-lottery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-9133136737870903164Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:56:00 +00002008-12-16T14:58:50.545-08:00bailouteconomyThis pretty much says it all. Thanks to CM and BK for the heads up, sorry if it offends you.-joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-pretty-much-says-it-all.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-9221803021040511319Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:25:00 +00002008-12-15T15:16:45.861-08:00economyquoteParables and quotes are often an effective way to make complex situations more easily understood. Take the case of the how the smart guys on Wall Street and Washington whose "risk management tools" and "economic philosophy" resulted in our current situation. Their errors can be clarified with a quote by the great boxer and intellectual Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched inhttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/12/quote-of-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-6082090307299054689Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:42:00 +00002008-12-12T09:05:01.023-08:00economypoliticsSpring turns to Summer,Summer turns to Fall,Fall turns to Winter.Cycles are a natural part of life, for everything there is a season. For most cycles we accept this as fact and act accordingly (think shorts in the summer, coats in winter)except when they apply to economic cycles. Since the great depression we the people have determined that natural economic cycles cannot be tolerated, that the http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/12/natural-cycles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-3737073810713012662Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:55:00 +00002008-12-08T21:03:21.344-08:00black swaninterviewnntrandomnesstalebif you haven't read "The Black Swan" or "Fooled by Randomness" here is an excellent intoduction to the author Nassim Nicholas Taleb: An interview on the Charlie Rose show on 12/3/08. A special thank you to bk for alerting me.-joehttp://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/12/nnt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-185651440360376179Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:37:00 +00002008-12-02T23:01:33.445-08:00competitioneconomymanufacturingproductionit's becoming increasingly apparent that true wealth, lasting wealth is not created through financial gimmickry but in actual productivity and production capacity. i question the relevance of our manufacturing base, we simply aren't as good at it as we once were. our once great production prowess and efficiency contributed to the allied victory in WW2, yet a mere 50 years later the very titans http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/12/end-of-american-manufacturing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Joseph Graves)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699863394245356450.post-1402777550741893251Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:41:00 +00002008-11-12T21:54:43.949-08:00creditcrisishomespaulsonAs I was watching the news today I saw a playback of good ol' Hammerin' Hank Paulson's press conference from earlier in the day. When he was asked about the balance of the 350 billion bailout, er rescue package and when it might be tapped he said something about ...when we get the next three-fifty...blah, blah, blah. He really said three-fifty. Not three hundred and fifty BILLION, but just http://revolutiontavern.blogspot.com/2008/11/next-three-fifty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bk)0