Thoughts from the Frontline: Tag = "maudlin"

Going, Not Gone
  • July 19, 2024

Going, Not Gone

The ability to choose our goods and services is fundamental to economics. The freer we are to make choices, the more the economy should prosper. That’s because our choices tell producers what works.

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Attitude Adjustments
  • July 12, 2024

Attitude Adjustments

We are in the time of year when Americans pack transatlantic airliners for their European vacations. I had actually hoped to be one of them. That didn’t work out but we can still talk about events in Europe. And we probably should, because potentially major changes are happening.

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Meditations on Independence
  • July 5, 2024

Meditations on Independence

I am writing this letter on the afternoon of July 4th, so it is natural to think about our government and independence. I want to comment on the Chevron case which is blowing up my X (Twitter) feed as well as my news feeds, both for and against. It is both less and more than many of the quick reactions. I would like to interject a little calmness, as not a great deal will immediately change, but it will change our experiment with self-government.

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Debtors and Creditors
  • June 28, 2024

Debtors and Creditors

The giant federal debt we’ve been talking about isn’t just borrowed money. It is also lent money. Loans are two-party transactions. One side receives temporary use of cash which it agrees to repay with interest. The other gives up the current use of that cash in exchange for receiving interest. Ideally, it works out for both… but not always.

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This Time Is (Not) Different
  • June 21, 2024

This Time Is (Not) Different

The old saw about doing the same thing and expecting a different result is less simple than it seems. Sometimes you need a few attempts to get it right.

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The Coming Supercyclical Crisis
  • June 14, 2024

The Coming Supercyclical Crisis

You know I’m highly concerned about government debt in the developed world, particularly the US. I’ve said for years a crisis is coming. We’ve blown right past all our chances to avoid it. Now all we can do is imagine what the crisis will look like… and how much it will hurt.

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Geopolitical Breakdown
  • June 7, 2024

Geopolitical Breakdown

I’m writing you from Cape Town, South Africa, where I’ve been warmly welcomed and reminded how much I enjoy international travel (well, except for jet lag!). Our world has so many wonders most people never get to experience. Of course, “there’s no place like home,” but seeing other places makes me happy, too.

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Inflationary Perceptions
  • May 31, 2024

Inflationary Perceptions

A quandary of writing a weekly letter is I notice myself saying the same things repeatedly. Something comes to mind as I write, I start to include it, and then I vaguely remember, “Wait, didn’t I say that last month/quarter/year?” I check and sure enough, it’s right there. Should I say it again?

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Artificially Intelligent
  • May 24, 2024

Artificially Intelligent

When new inventions turn into market frenzies, the contrarian part of me wants to be skeptical. But the optimistic part of me wants it to be true, especially when the idea promises to change life for the better. Reality is usually somewhere in between. And that, I suspect, is where the current artificial intelligence frenzy will go.

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