Inflation

usissuescom Monetary Policy , , , , , ,

By Keith Weiner – Re-Blogged From Gold Eagle

What is inflation?

Any layman can tell you—and nearly everyone uses it this way in informal speech—that inflation is rising prices. Some will say “due to devaluation of the money.”

Economists will say, no it’s not rising prices per se. That is everywhere and always the effect. The cause, the inflation as such, is an increase in the quantity of money. Which is the same thing as saying devaluation. It is assumed that each unit of money commands a pro rata share of all the goods produced, so if there are more units then that means each unit is worth less. Value = 1 / N (where N is the number of units outstanding).

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A Trade War Truce Won’t Fix China

usissuescom Foreign Policy, GDP & Employment , , , , , ,

By Michael Pento – Re-Blogged From Pento Porfolios

The Main Stream Financial Media would love to have investors believe that the recent problems in the global equity market are all about a trade war with China. Therefore, everything can be made right just because Trump shook hands with Xi Jinping at the G-20 meeting in Argentina. But the truth is, China’s problems are structural in nature–resulting from a centrally-planned economy that goads its citizenry into pre-fabricated urban areas in order to manufacture a pre-determined rate of growth. Nevertheless, what the Chinese government has actually accomplished is to produce a dystopia; one that was erected upon the largest percentage increase in debt the world has ever witnessed.

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Pyramids Of Crisis

usissuescom Discussion Categories , , , , ,

By John Mauldin – Re-Blogged From Silver Phoenix

In an increasingly divided world, we all share one great desire: self-preservation. Not just humans, either. The survival instinct exists in almost every living thing. Humans simply have greater ability to do something about it.

In fact, we have been doing something about it for many thousands of years. An inverted pyramid of geniuses and giants, modern medicine, nutrition, sanitation, and assorted other innovations has extended our lifespans and helped more of us live to ripe old ages. That’s wonderful… but it’s also a problem many of us still don’t fully understand.

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Just A Tiny Minority Of Half A Million Jihadists?

usissuescom Foreign Policy , , , , , ,

By Daniel Greenfield – Re-Blogged From Freedom Outpost

Islamic terrorists are a “tiny minority of extremists”. That’s the message we’ve been hearing ever since 9/11. They’re only a handful of “guys in a cave” or a few “lone wolves” radicalized over the internet.

How tiny is that tiny minority?

According to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, there are 230,000 Jihadists.

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Vehicle Electrification Common Sense

usissuescom Energy Policy , , , , ,

By Rud Istvan, – Re-Blogged From WUWT

This is the first of two loosely related technology posts that ctm suggested might be interesting to WUWT. In full disclosure, the details stem from my financial interests in energy storage materials and related topics, having spent much time and money since 2007 on fundamental now globally issued energy storage materials patents for supercapacitance (the Helmholtz double layer physics that creates lightning in thunderstorms). Some of the info cited below is slightly dated because I was too lazy to make everything current. Some of this info was borrowed from my ebook The Arts of Truth and from a 2017 Climate Etc post. All conclusions nevertheless remain valid.

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We Can Eliminate Fossil Fuels, No Problem!

usissuescom Energy Policy, Foreign Policy , , , , , ,

By Andy May – Re-Blogged From WUWT

French President Macron has implemented a new fuel tax to discourage drivers from burning fossil fuels in their cars. The resulting higher fuel prices have caused more than 250,000 people to protest, with some rioting. Polls indicate that 62 percent of the population think that prioritizing man-made climate change over fuel prices is wrong. The rioting has led to two deaths and over 600 injured. Almost 100 police officers have been hurt.

Macron’s popularity has sunk to 21 percent in a warning to other leaders who try to fight climate change with higher fossil fuel taxes. While Macron is unpopular for many reasons, the increase in gasoline taxes was the spark that ignited the protests and rioting.

Figure 1. Riot police facing the “yellow jacket” demonstrators in front of a burning barricade in Paris on November 24, 2018. Source: News.com.au.

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