By Leonard E. Read Note – Frequent readers of BANKNOTES are aware of my relationship with Leonard E. Read and my admiration for his works during his lifetime. In the following issues I will be sharing his book, VISION, one chapter per month. It was written in 1978. What a … Read more

by L. Carlos Lara [Reprinted from the November 2014 edition of the Lara-Murphy-Report, LMR] The financial strength of the life insurance industry is impressive. Compared to commercial banks and investment firms, their solvency record has been nearly faultless even during hard economic times. While Americans witnessed Standard & Poor’s Rating … Read more

By Ben Sasse We all know the noun adult. But I was perplexed last year to hear the new verb to adult. In social media, especially on Twitter and Instagram, it birthed a new hashtag: #adulting. As in: “Just paid this month’s bills on time #adulting,” or “Decided I couldn’t … Read more

For generations, children learned in their homes, from their parents, and throughout their communities. Children were vital contributors to a homestead, becoming involved in household chores and rhythms from very early ages. They learned important, practical skills by observing and imitating their parents and neighbors–and by engaging in hands-on apprenticeships … Read more

by Ryan McMaken Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has repeatedly attacked what he now calls the “liberal-individualist” or “neoliberal” vision of the world. With last week’s statement to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Francis has renewed the attack, but in the process has exhibited a number of … Read more

Isabel Paterson (1886–1961) was one of the most erudite and widely educated thinkers to ever grace the world of libertarian ideas. God of the Machine (click that and you can get the entire book instantly for free) is her masterwork. Its contents have not been sufficiently absorbed into the current intellectual world. … Read more

Ruchir Sharma is the latest economist to embrace the popular notion that we – and the rest of the world – are unable to grow as we once did. Supposedly the “global economy has changed in ways that reduce growth,” and because of the changes, subdued economic activity will be … Read more

For as long as I can remember, I’ve puzzled about why people become communists. I have no doubt about why someone would stop being one. After all, we have a century of evidence of the murder, famine, and general destruction caused by the idea. Ignoring all this takes a special … Read more