Current events, book reviews, public policy, computer software/hardware reviews, investments, gold, financial reporting, retirement security
Mission of the National Association of Scholars (NAS) is discussed. Conversation about why the NAS has been all over the news in the last week for its new report, “What Does Bowdoin Teach?”, and why is it attracting so much attention? Questions put to Dr. Woods were: NAS is often attacked by the political left for taking what it calls are “right-wing” positions. Is NAS “right wing”? The NAS opposes racial preferences in college admissions and hiring. Why? Are there other topics in which NAS ha...
From the book: When award-winning television news anchor Cheryl Wills discovers that her Great-great-great grandfather, Sandy Wills, was a runaway slave who joined the historic fight for freedom in the American Civil War, she embarks on an gut-wrenching search to learn more about the courageous ancestor who demonstrated the same courage that she knew in her beloved father, an intrepid New York City firefighter, who died when Cheryl was thirteen, and who never knew his family s notable legacy. ...
Dick Dadey is the Executive Director of Citizens Union, a citywide good government organization founded in 1897. Over the past 8½ years, he has led Citizens Union to notable achievements in the areas of state redistricting reform, state ethics reform, greater public oversight of police misconduct, city campaign finance reform, local lobbying reform, and election reform, among other issues.
Parks and Selgas discuss the current Supreme Court Petition For Writ Of Certiorari that deals with the following two questions: I. Is the monetary value in “dollars” of a “gold-clause contract” — made pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 5118(a)(1)(B) and (d)(2), and payable in legal-tender American Eagle gold and American Liberty silver coins currently minted pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 5112(a)(7) through (10), (e), (h), and (i)—the aggregate face values of the coins with which that contract is paid? II. Wher...
President Obama has declared that the US needs to graduate significantly more people from college, so why do you contend that the country has “oversold” higher education? There is talk about a higher education bubble — do you agree that we have one and if so, how did we get it? Isn’t it true that there is a “college premium” that gives workers with college degrees substantially higher earnings? Doesn’t that show that we need more workers with college education? Isn’t one aspect of the higher e...
What we have in the US is a monetary not a fiscal crisis. Discussion of how our dishonest monetary system got the US into trouble with unfathomable governmental and other debt. How the public misunderstands the ongoing depreciation of the currency for CPI inflation, which is grossly understated by the authorities, e.g., the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve. The role of gold as the money of choice for free people and free markets is examined. Authoritative charts are displayed.
Investing with Fiat Money - Risks and Remedies
Parks interviews Mr. Armstrong about his book, They Wished They Were Honest: The Knapp Commission and New York City Police Corruption setting forth Mr. Armstrong’s recollections of the creation, early struggles, final success and ultimate significance of the Knapp Commission's investigation into New York City police corruption in 1970- 1971. The interview discusses various issues and problems encountered along the way beginning with a New York Times expose of whistle-blower/cop Frank Serpico's...
After 200 years, with the help of the Almighty, Dr. Parks welcomes back Dr. Benjamin Franklin (a.k.a. Dr. Mark Skousen) on his 307th birthday. Franklin was the first scientific American, a true international man, an inventor, author of Poor Richard’s Almanac, a successful businessman, ambassador extraordinaire, a man who reportedly loved women, Founding Father of our country, and one of the few men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Dr. Franklin gives his imp...
The monetary system we have now could easily be described “Wealth transfer gone wild!” Legislation allegedly passed to protect the public, entitled The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is better described as The Foxes to Protect the Chickens Act. Hon. Chris Dodd, U.S. Senator Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee for the last six years, at a talk he gave at which I was present said, for example, “Congress is not comfortable with financial legislation”; “No amendment...
