JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XXXV

Today we continue the discussion on Herodotus, Episode Thirty-Five of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 43

Again this week we have more of the same only more so.  All the experts continue to flounder about what to do about the economy.  We could make it easy for them if they’d consider the Economic Democracy Act, but as we say in most of the items below, they don’t seem to be considering that:

The Money Question

Today’s blog posting is a selection from the book, Economic Personalism, which you can get free from the CESJ website, or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

As we saw in the previous postings on this subject from last week and the week before, Hilaire Belloc had a somewhat primitive understanding of money and credit.  Fortunately, Louis Kelso’s understanding of the importance of money and credit was radically different from that of Belloc. This can be traced to Kelso’s deeper understanding of an institution fundamental to the functioning of every form of economy that can possibly be conceived.

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XXXIV

For our podcast today we jump to Episode Thirty-Four of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program, which gets back to the Great Books:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 42

It’s strange, isn’t it, that all the powers-that-be all start with the same assumptions and keep coming to radically different solutions to the same problems, and never go with the obvious solution: the Economic Democracy Act:.  That’s why all the news items seem so depressingly the same, week after week:

Solving the Problems

Today’s blog posting is a selection from the book, Economic Personalism, which you can get free from the CESJ website, or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

In his 1936 Essay on the Restoration of Property, Hilaire Belloc identified five points that had to be addressed if widespread capital ownership was to be restored as a distinguishing characteristic of society. These were,

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XV

Our podcast today is Episode Fifteen of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program.  Today’s topic is more of a general pep talk about getting started on a project like the Great Books than the Great Books, themselves, but it’s part of the series:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 41

One of the things that becomes obvious is that the desire of the gamblers and speculators for low interest rates is so great that they are coming up with anything and everything is being used to justify lowering them . . . which begs the question whether interest rates should be artificially manipulated, or whether we should adopt the Economic Democracy Act:

Why Binary Economics?

Today’s blog posting is a selection from the book, Economic Personalism, which you can get free from the CESJ website, or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

In all forms of tyranny, the State or community dictates what people must do and how they must do it instead of maintaining the pólis so that people can pursue their own destinies within established parameters as they themselves see fit. When most people lack private property in capital and thus lack power, however, they often have no choice but to comply with the wishes of those who do have property, whether they are a private sector capitalist élite or a socialist bureaucracy.

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XIV

Our podcast today is Episode Fourteen of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program.  Today’s topic is about building a good relationship with parents.  It’s not specifically about the Great Books, but what should come out of the Great Books:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 40

The stock market is again plunging, which is sending a panic through the swarm of gamblers and speculators who think they are investing.  We’ve seen it all before, and it would all be moot if we adopted the Economic Democracy Act decades ago, but until then, this is what we get:

Much Ado About Something

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, “the Dow,” plunged yesterday, causing the usual panic among the gamblers and speculators who think investment consists of rolling the dice and hoping to get in on the ground floor of something that will increase in value, so they sell at a huge profit.  Of course, this ignores the true investor who buys something that will generate an adequate return or income regardless of the value of the asset generating the return or income.

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XIII

Our podcast today is Episode Thirteen of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program, “Dealing with In-Laws.”  Obviously, we’re not on the Odyssey any more:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 39

It used to be that the experts were consistently wrong, meaning they at least agreed with one another at the same time.  Now they are all disagreeing . . . none of which makes any sense.  Of course, if they wanted to make sense, they would have adopted the Economic Democracy Act decades ago, but until then, this is what we get:

The Nightmare Economy, Keynesian-Style

As Marisa Tomei’s character said in My Cousin Vinnie (still in the running as “Best Lawyer Movie Ever”), it’s a frickin’ nightmare (or words to that effect).  The Keynesians and their clones are desperately trying to come up with explanations and new catch phrases to sweep what they claimed was impossible under the rug.  Again.

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XII

Our podcast today is Episode Twelve of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program, “Undercover Odysseus.”  And, yes, we’re still on the Odyssey:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 38

It’s astonishing how much the news items seem to be the same week after week . . . what with the same old people doing the same old things.  Many of these, if not all, could be resolved by adopting the Economic Democracy Act — so it might not matter all that much, except that the degree of the problem is increasing, although not the essence thereof:

“Doing Fine So Far”

There’s a very old and very bad joke about the optimist who fell out of a skyscraper window.  As he passed some of the floors on the way down, people would call out to him, “How’s it going?” and he’d reply, “Doing fine so far!”

JTW Podcast: The Great Conversation, XI

Our podcast today is Episode Eleven of “the Great Conversation” on the Great Books Program, “Odysseus, Go Home!” . . . by which you can probably figure out we’re still on the Odyssey:

News from the Network, Vol. 16, No. 37

Not that it’s much of a surprise, but this week’s news items strongly resemble those of last week!  I know, you’re absolutely flabbergasted.  Fortunately, since the recommended solution is the same this week as last week — viz., adopt the Economic Democracy Act — so it might not matter all that much, except that the degree of the problem is increasing, although not the essence thereof: