Peter's Blog

Socialism Sounds Good on Paper But It Was Deadly for the Pilgrims

When I was a kid, we used to say some things only “sound good on paper.” In other words, they seem like good plans, but there is no way they’re going to work in the real world. That’s socialism in a nutshell. The Pilgrims found this out the hard way during their first couple of […]

Economically Ignorant Americans Want More Stimmy Checks to Fight Inflation

Proving that most people have no idea what causes inflation, the majority of Americans in a recent poll said they want the federal government to hand out stimulus checks to combat inflation.

Feelings Trump Economics: Price Gouging Edition

Hurricane Ian is taking aim at Florida. That means there is already talk of “price gouging.” People have a visceral emotional reaction to people raising prices during a disaster. But it is nothing but feelz. In fact, “price gouging” serves an important economic function. Not allowing prices to rise actually causes more harm.

Inflation Is State-Sponsored Terrorism

Americans have been laboring under the burden of inflation for well over a year. We feel the pain everywhere, from the gas pump to the grocery store. Once it became impossible to sell the “inflation is transitory” narrative any longer, the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to fight inflation. As a result, the bubble […]

Swedish Rent Control Exposes the Problem With Government Price Controls

Government price controls are a bad idea that just won’t go away. With prices skyrocketing, you’ll hear some people on the left argue that the US government should implement price controls. Meanwhile, President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan would impose various price controls on prescription drugs.

Is There a Case for a Classical Gold Standard?

With the impact of sanctions tanking the ruble, the Russian central bank announced it would buy gold from local banks at a fixed rate. The move had the desired effect. The ruble quickly recovered. But the Central Bank of Russia abandoned the de facto gold standard almost as fast as it implemented it. Why?

Student Loan Forgiveness: Who Pays?

Student loan forgiveness has been in the news lately. There are a number of different plans being floated, from blanket debt repudiation up to various amounts, to more limited income-based schemes. But nobody ever talks about a key question: who is going to pay for it? Well, you will.

Oops! Our Bad! IMF Director Admits “We Printed too Much Money”

Mostly we get lies, spin and obfuscation from central bankers, politicians and bureaucrats. But every once in a while, one of these people accidentally wanders into the truth. IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva did just that during a recent panel discussion hosted by CNBC. She conceded that central banks globally “printed too much money and didn’t […]

Peter Schiff: Government Solutions for High Gas Prices Will Just Make Things Worse

As Peter Schiff put it in a recent podcast, government solutions make every problem worse. The solutions being floated to help Americans deal with high gas prices are no exception.

Is Inflation Good for You?

I would probably have a hard time convincing you that the higher prices you’re paying at the grocery store and the gas pump are “good for you.” But there are people out there making that claim.