Minor Issues

Prohibition is one way the government swings the fist of violence into our daily lives.

Mark Thornton presented this talk at the Mises Institute's Supporters Summit in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on October 12, 2024.

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What explains Bitcoin? Why does it exist, and why is “nothing” worth $70,000 a piece? Moreover, there are millions of owners of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and yet few real transactions take place relatively speaking. How does this relate to the coming of a BRICs currency, the reserve status of the petrol-dollar, and the war on cash?

Mark Thornton discusses Gresham’s Law, one of the most ancient and impactful principles of modern human society.

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Why do people prep? The mainstream media demeans preppers as irrational and out of touch with reality. From a scientific point of view, however, prepping is rational, efficient, and very normal.

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Children in the US are raised to be communists. Most of the parents are, too, and don’t even know it. It doesn’t matter if you send them to public or private schools, as all degree-granting schools bias the learning process against the competitive, capitalist, “liberal,” open-minded society—even though its benefits are all around us helping to feed, cloth, house, and protect us.

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This Sunday, September 29, marks the birthday of Ludwig von Mises, and all fall campaign donations will be doubled in celebration. Join us! Mises.org/mi5

John Maynard Keynes was an English “economist” who spawned a revolution in economic thinking that emerged out of a cesspool of socialist thinking in Britain, creating a tidal wave of anti-economics that overwhelmed and dominated the economics profession worldwide, known as Keynesian economics. His experience as an investor is very instructive of his mindset—and the unfortunate revolution that he brought to the world.

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This week kicks off the Mises Institute's Fall Campaign. Make a $100+ donation or a recurring donation of $5 or more, and Mark will send you a signed copy of The Skyscraper Curse: mises.org/mi5

The hatred and disparagement of gold as money and the gold standard has become standard dogma of and a pillar of the modern State. Mr. Buffet and Mr. Ramsey don’t know what they are talking about and have failed to look at the facts of history—any kind of history—in voicing their opinions. In complete contrast, regular people in society still see gold as an emblem of excellence more than a half century since the last vestige of the gold standard was taken away from us.

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There is good evidence that the Skyscraper Curse is dead. But what does that mean? Mark Thornton digs down to the foundations to see what the ramifications are. It could mean historical changes are in the works!

Download The Skyscraper Curse at Mises.org/Curse.

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The Federal Reserve seems to have finally publicly committed to its rate-cutting cycle—specifically the federal funds rate or policy rate. The Fed wanted to remain perceived as coming to the economy's rescue, rather than goosing the stock market higher. But the Federal Reserve is playing a confidence game with the general public, and the Fed can't save you. What insights can we learn from Austrian Business Cycle Theory?

"10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity" (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis): Mises.org/Minor_85

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The phrase, old school economics, is often used positively or approvingly by many, but it's rarely explained. What is this school and where is it located? You can be sure that it is not what is taught in most college classrooms today. It's definitely not Keynesian or Marxist economics. But what is it?

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Mark discusses the issues of homelessness, poverty, technology, and government in two award-winning episodes of the 1995 Star Trek series, Deep Space 9. As in the entire Star Trek genre, the basic condition of scarcity is overlooked, particularly in the cases of issues back on Earth. However, considering the roles of scarcity and incentives, Mark suggests some real-life reforms.

Order a free paperback copy of Per Bylund’s How to Think About the Economy at Mises.org/IssuesFree.

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