According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), for the first three months of 2008, consumer prices increased at the seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.1%. The unadjusted 12 month rate of inflation as of March, 2008 is 4.0%. In other words, the Federal Government is telling the American people that our “inflation rate” is somewhere between 3 and 4 percent. Anyone who fills the car with gas or walks up to the check-out counter at the grocery store has to believe that these statistics are a bold faced lie. In this article I’ll explain why those inflation numbers are suspect. Read More...

Do you believe that any of the following statements are true? If so, in my opinion, you're nuts! Read More...

A couple of weeks ago a sixteen year old (yet unidentified) girl allegedly called an abuse hotline claiming that her 50 year old husband had raped her at the 1700 acre Yearning for Zion Ranch near San Angelo, Texas. This prompted a raid of the ranch by authorities and the wholesale government confiscation of 416 children, 100 of whom are under the age of four. Separated from their mothers and removed from the only place they know as home, the kids are living in dorm-style conditions and are at the mercy of the courts until they can be placed with “stable” families. Read More...

Anyone who takes a course in economics will quickly learn about a simple concept called “opportunity cost.” But beware; once you incorporate opportunity cost into your daily life, things will never be the same. Read More...

There are many things that I like about the United States of America, but near the top of my list is what is often called the American Dream. It goes something like this: “In this place called the United States of America virtually anyone can be successful in achieving his or her economic goals”. The market system allows anyone to succeed, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, or even the level of a person’s education. This is the genius of America. Read More...

Watching television news can be depressing. If we’re not hearing about roadside bombs, lying politicians, child molesters, or global warming, news anchors quickly remind us of soaring gas prices, a slumping economy or sub-prime mortgage foreclosures. What’s a person to do? For gentry or plebeian alike, there is perhaps only one road toward the restoration of sanity; sports! Read More...

Before getting into this week's blog, let me wish all my readers a wonderful and meaningful Easter!

In February, 2006 Bear Stearns, the New York investment brokerage firm, approved a bonus pool of up to $305 million for 13 staff members, or more than $20 million each. That same year Lehman Brothers disclosed that it would pay its average employee $335,441 on net income of $4.0 billion. That was fine with me. I figured that these big boys were capitalists of the first order and that those fellows on Wall Street must have earned their keep to receive salaries and bonuses like that. Read More...

Barring unforeseen circumstances, John McCain will be the Republican candidate for President in 2008. The Democrats have created such a mess with their handling of Florida and Michigan delegates that we will probably have to wait until this summer to find out whom will be their candidate in the general election. Hence, there are only three major candidates still in the presidential fray; Clinton, Obama, and McCain. I know who’s going to receive my vote for President of the United States in November, 2008. Read More...