Minor Issues

Mark Thornton discusses why increased government spending not only explains ongoing wayward increases in the GDP, employment, and stock price numbers, but also why so many people decided to vote against the incumbent in favor of the challenger, Donald Trump. The key variable is that government spending in GDP statistics does not reflect true economic value the way your personal spending does."Federal Government: Current Expenditures" (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis): fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FGEXPNDDonate $25 or more and receive the December Book Bundle: Mises.org/MinorIssues24Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

In What Has Government Done to Our Money? Murray Rothbard changes your whole view of the world—not just money. He opens our eyes and clarifies the mysteries of money, banking, and the role of government.See also Economic Depressions: Their Cause and Cure by Murray Rothbard: Mises.org/CureOrder a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

The gold standard hampers the growth of government power, which helps people more effectively fight bad policy—like the disastrous War on Drugs.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

Yes, college professors are 10-to-1 Democrats over Republicans. Mark Thornton reviews some of the technical literature on the political ideology of college professors in the United States."Economics laureates should disclose their political ideologies in policy petitions" by Emre Kuvvet (Economic Affairs, PDF): Mises.org/MI_95_A"Your Kids Are Already Communists, and College Will Make It Worse" (Minor Issues, Episode 89): Mises.org/MI_89Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

Very difficult economic headwinds of the business cycle are coming right at us. Inflation is still a problem, the employment picture is increasingly difficult, the delinquency rate on credit cards for small banks is at an all-time high, auto loan delinquencies are at a thirteen-year-year high, and asset prices are vulnerable to disappointing business activity levels and profits.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

Government's power to control our lives—its power to tax and spend, and the enormous, but largely cloaked power to print money—has created the “great divide” in America. Unfortunately, it has pitted Americans against each other."Main Street Uncertainty Reaches All-Time High" (Small Business Optimism Index, September 2024): Mises.org/Minor_93_AOrder a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

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.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

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.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

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.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

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.Order a free paperback copy of Murray Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? at Mises.org/IssuesFree.Follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.