Archive for BBG

Perspective: The Uncertain Economy

1Jan1988 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: The Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” has brought joy to Christmas audiences for almost a century. The story of the ballet is simple. A little girl receives as a Christmas gift a comical nut cracker. In her dreams he becomes a handsome prince who carries her Off to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There graceful dancers [...]

1Dec1987 | BBG | 1 comment | Continued

Perspective: Non-Developing Nations

Since World War II, more than a hundred new nations have gained independence. Most are primitive, agricultural, and were originally called “backward” or “undeveloped.” But now they have a nicer label, “developing.” Unfortunately, the label alone does not ensure development. That depends on whether the government welcomes or repels “developers” (entrepreneurs, savers, investors). Many of [...]

1Aug1987 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: A Fourth of July Pledge

“. . . [T]he mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.” Thomas Jefferson, who wrote those words on June 24, 1826, was the author of our Declaration of Independence, He had been invited [...]

1Jul1987 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: Unexpected Consequences

Government intervention inevitably makes conditions worse, the late Ludwig von Mises often explained, even from the viewpoint of a program’s original backers. The current depressed state of U.S. shipping offers a dramatic example. Congress passed the merchant marine law in 1886, and the Jones Act of 1920, to protect U.S. shipping. Yet from the point [...]

1May1987 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: February Birthdays

Two men, both born in February, helped to make the modern market economy possible by explaining how the market functions Carl Menger and Eugen von Boehm-Bawerk. Carl Menger, born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire on February 23, 1840, bridged the gap between the Age of Monarchy and the Age of Liberalism. His Principles of Economics heralded [...]

1Feb1987 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: The Christmas Spirit

We get much more out of life than we pay for, because many people give much more than the services for which they are paid. This is the essence of the Christmas spirit, as portrayed by Charles Dickens in “A Christmas Carol.” The well-known French author, Bertrand de Jouvenel, noted that we enjoy “warm hospitality, [...]

1Dec1986 | BBG | 1 comment | Continued

Perspective: Food from Thought

A recent ad for a seafood restaurant noted that more than 70 per cent of the earth’s surface is water which, in their words, “teems with millions and millions of lunches and dinners.” But, the ad went on, “it takes genius to get them out.” What the ad didn’t say is that the “geniuses” who [...]

1Oct1986 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

Perspective: Spirit of Liberty

Since the spectacular July 4th weekend celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, America has been enjoying a period of euphoria. With much flag waving we have rejoiced in the remarkable way people from all parts of the world have melded into a single nation. Race, color, or creed offer no serious barrier [...]

1Sep1986 | BBG | 4 comments | Continued

Perspective: On Savings

Men can produce very little with physical labor alone. Only when they begin to use their minds to make tools does their labor become more productive. and the development of tools starts with “rainy-day savings,” that is, by consuming less than is produced and setting aside some food, clothing, and shelter to tide the toolmaker [...]

1Jul1986 | BBG | 0 comments | Continued

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