Archive for the ‘Econ. 101’ category

Keynesianism vs. The Austrian School.

September 19, 2012

F. A. Hayek — “The coordination of men’s activities through central planning and through voluntary cooperation are roads going in very different directions: the first to serfdom and poverty the second to freedom and plenty”.

This quote by Hayek sums up the ideological battle being waged around the globe today, but especially here in America. This is not a new fight. The Revolutionary War was fought over freedom of the individual to order his life as he sees fit, versus the power of a King to take those decisions from him and make him a subject. Library shelves can be filled with the volumes of books that deal with this ideological battle, summed up so brilliantly in one sentence by Hayek.

This Keynes vs. Hayek rap video deals with Keynesian intervention, vs. the Austrian Business Cycle Theory.

The rest of the above quote by Hayek is —  “The battle for freedom must be won over and over again, the socialists of all parties must be persuaded or defeated if they and we are to remain free men.”

The Fight of the Century Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two is better. Click on it when it pops up after the first video finishes playing.

Failed Policies of the Last Twelve Years.

September 16, 2012
English: Components in the US Money supply bas...

English: Components in the US Money supply based on Federal Reserve historical data (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I hear the president say, “We can’t go back to the failed policies of the previous administration”, it leaves me scratching my head. What were these policies, and how different are they from the policies of the present administration? Lets look at the policies during the Bush administration. (more…)

SPONTANEOUS ORDER DEMONSTRATED BY TRAFFIC WITH NO SIGNALS

September 14, 2012

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               This video is an interesting example of spontaneous order created by voluntary cooperation of individuals. I mentioned spontaneous order in the previous post, and this video demonstrates how people don’t need top down planning to create a complex order.

This is how the free market works. Individuals voluntarily producing, exchanging, and consuming, create this complex societal order in which we live. (more…)

Economic ignorance on parade!

September 10, 2012

In my previous post I wrote about the importance of understanding economic principles so as not to get fooled by rhetoric. This video demonstrates this point as Peter Schiff, who predicted the 07-08 economic meltdown, spoofs these delegates. These people agree with him that profits should be banned or confiscated,  without stopping to think about the consequences.                                                                                                                                                                                                        What are profits and what is their purpose in a free market economy? (more…)

Why should I spend my scarce time learning economic principles?

September 6, 2012
Economics

Economics (Photo credit: markwainwright)

        If  you want to be inoculated from the rhetoric of politicians, journalists and intellectuals, then understanding economic principles is the vaccine for you. Economics is how the world works. If you understand basic economic principles, you will be able to analyze the ideas of the elite and logically  figure out if these ideas are rhetoric or if they have merit. Why is it important to not trust politicians? Once  elected, they are in a position to have power over your decision-making that no other citizen possesses. They can take your freedom in incremental steps. Ronald Reagan said of the U.S.S.R., “Trust but verify.” I think we should change that saying for our politicians to “Verify and remain skeptical.” Economics will help you do both. If you want to know why knowledge about economics is in each persons best interest, you can read an article by Austrian Economist Ludwig von Mises  here at the Mises Institute.