John Horvat II 
The first warning was pretty clear. Back in May, a group of central bankers and financial analysts met together in Basel, Switzerland and issued a report on the dire state of the world economy. The 2014 annual report of the Bank of International Settlements then claimed that the present climate is as … Read more
The latest elections proved beyond a doubt that America is a conservative nation. Despite everything, conservative ideas still resonate strongly with many Americans and definitely have a future. But a simple victory is not enough. This is because the present victory does not explain everything. While conservatives just won in 2014, they … Read more
The late Sen. Eugene McCarthy once said that only two kinds of religion are permitted in America: strong beliefs vaguely expressed or vague beliefs strongly expressed. In a similar way, it could be said that the same formula applies to political beliefs. Keeping everything vague is the basis of a general consensus … Read more
A review of Nothing is Free: The Price Only Business Leaders Can Pay to Protect Free Markets by Dave Geenens (Atchison, Kans.: Inhance Press, 2013). * * * Modern economics tends to reduce what happens in business to numbers and formulas. The human element is taken out, and all is left dry and lifeless. … Read more
The planned holding of a Satanic Black Mass in the Civic Center, a public building in Oklahoma City, on September 21, represents more than just an exercise of “freedom.” It is a highly symbolic act that signals the end and breakdown of a consensus. Recently a similar event was planned at Harvard, … Read more
There is something wrong with the way we deal with our problems these days. We used to have leaders. Now it seems every crisis must be addressed by some massive law, in which every possibility of error can be foreseen; every detail regulated. It is as if to say, let the government … Read more
The tragic suicide of comedian Robin Williams contains many lessons. Everyone is quick to point out the contradictions of his life. Here was a man who had everything the world had to offer to fill his life—money, fame and an entertaining lifestyle. And yet far from satisfying him, he was left with … Read more
There is a major financial storm brewing on the horizon. Such dramatic statements have long been the staple of naysayers for decades. Usually these warnings are dismissed by the financial establishment as the ravings of fringe analysts. Yes, crashes do happen, but the naysayers are never seen as prophets, but just opportunists … Read more
In the continuing debate on inequality, there are many who point to Thomas Piketty as a kind of secular prophet who can offer words of wisdom. The French economist certainly has plenty of words that can be found in his worldwide bestseller, a weighty 700-page work called Capital in the Twenty-First Century. … Read more
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a change in society’s perception of value began to take place. The almighty dollar became the de facto measure of worth, and factors that could not be quantified monetarily began to get phased out of the equation. Elements such as beauty, craftsmanship, uniqueness and heritage … Read more