With ‘Return to Order’ on Fifth Avenue

With ‘Return to Order’ on Fifth Avenue 2

We had a long discussion on how to market the book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here and Where We Need to Go. One thing we decided was that we couldn’t afford an expensive Madison Avenue advertising firm to get … Read more

When Rats Jump on to Sinking Ships

When Rats Jump on to Sinking Ships 2

It is said that when a ship starts sinking, rats onboard have a sixth sense about what is going to happen and are the first to jump on to the nearest flotsam to save their lives. The analogy has often been used to describe the cowardly antics of those who flee lost … Read more

The Bottom Line on Marriage

The Bottom Line on Marriage 2

There are plenty of moral arguments that deal with the need to defend traditional marriage. However, many refuse to recognize the existence of an objective morality. For these, perhaps the best way to explain the importance of this essential institution is in terms that people today understand best—economic terms. If one can … Read more

Return to Order: West Coast Signings

Return to Order: West Coast Signings 3

The book Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, was the central theme of conferences in Los Angeles and Sacramento on March 9-10. The book launching coincided with regional conferences held every year by The … Read more

Getting Off the “Sequester” Roller Coaster

Getting Off the “Sequester” Roller Coaster 2

When I think of the debate around the “sequester,” I think of an amusement park. I know that this is no laughing matter, but there’s something so incredibly unreal about the situation that an amusement park is what comes into mind. This comes from observing how things like quantitative easing, derivative instruments … Read more

Cobbler Shop Economics

I had just bought a pair of shoes at a large shoe outlet and within six months the heels were completely worn down. I lost the receipt and probably would have had a little trouble getting a new pair. So I decided to visit the local cobbler with the shoes and a … Read more

How a Good Lent Can Help Fix a Bad Economy

How a Good Lent Can Help Fix a Bad Economy 4

To those who see no link between Lent and our failing economy, it might be the case to look again. Economics is about people. It cannot be reduced to numbers, formulae and analyses. “The subject matter of economics,” observes economic historian Odd Langholm, “is properly the habits, customs, and ways of thinking … Read more

What Suits Can Teach Us About Markets

What Suits Can Teach Us About Markets 2

In the book, Return to Order, there is a chapter on standardization and how it favors the advance of frenetic intemperance in economy. Standardized goods, we claim, lead to the standardized masses. It destroys the human element that gives warmth, life and meaning to economy. In theory, such affirmations are detached and … Read more