consumption

Raising Red Flags Over America

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Return to Order Raising Red Flags Over America 1

The Navy Yard shootings has reignited the controversy over guns in society. Once again, people are pondering over what went wrong. Many have asked why the behavior of this shooter and others has failed to raise red flags that might have alerted authorities and prevented the tragedies. The shooting incidents should indeed raise red flags … Read more

A Debt Hits One Quadrillion.

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It is largely symbolic but it does express well the problem. Japan’s economy is in trouble. The country’s debt burden has now topped 1 quadrillion yen. Japan’s central government debt at the end of its fiscal year was 1,008,628,100,000,000 yen which translates into some $10.5 trillion dollars. At 230 percent, Japan has more debt as … Read more

Getting Off the “Sequester” Roller Coaster

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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 and massive debt … Read more

Can the Free Market Compete on a Free Market?

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Return to Order The World Is Not Flat 2

Some believe that a simple solution to all our economic problems is to unfetter markets and everything will enter into order. Take away visible restraints and invisible hands will work their magic. The problem with such an outlook is that it has proven illusive. There have been relatively free sectors of modern economy. However, problems … Read more

How Should We Judge Products?

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Return to Order How Should We Judge Products? 1

In a society where money rules the criteria to judge products often revolves around quantity and costs. The number of units matters much more than the quality of product. Mass production means much more than craftsmanship. Historian Carlo Cipolla finds such criteria to be deficient. He notes: “But if one states simply that the average … Read more

Mammy’s: The Real Cracker Barrel

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Return to Order Mammy's: The Real Cracker Barrel 1

Written by Norman Fulkerson* In an ever changing world one thing seems to always remain the same, a meal at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. It is perhaps that universal sameness, both in food and décor, which always leaves me a bit disappointed. While the artifacts that hang on the walls are authentic they have … Read more

Return to Order Crosses Critical 5,000 Sales Mark

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Since only two percent of all titles reach this critical milestone, York Press is proud to announce that 5,000 copies have been sold of its title 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 by John Horvat II. This … Read more

The Paradox of Choice

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Some people celebrate the “unlimited” choices open to them at a Wal-Mart, for example, despite the evident impossibility of exercising even a fraction of these options. The questions this week: Does such “unlimited” choice maximize satisfaction? What is the true criteria for product satisfaction? Do you often find yourselves unsatisfied with today’s “unlimited” choices?” Can … Read more

High-Frequency Trading: Markets on Steroids

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Return to Order High-Frequency Trading: Markets on Steroids 2

The purpose of the stock market is to provide liquidity to investors who know with certainty that they can buy and sell their shares at any time. In this way, the market serves as a constant encouragement to invest capital in sectors of the economy while limiting risks. Thus, the market fulfills a need in society and can contribute to economic prosperity.

However, it is no secret that the stock market has often favored reckless activities and speculation that depart from this purpose. It has given rise to crashes, manias and panics that turns this instrument of sound investment into a financial casino where everyone plays the market in hopes of cashing in at the right moment. Stockbrokers are always coming up with new ways to beat the market. Such practices are perfect examples of what has been called frenetic intemperance – a reckless and restless spirit inside modern economy that seeks to throw off all restraint.

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