Critical Thinking
The Effects of the Media
By Mohammad Sairafi — “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” (Jim Morrison) Media plays a vital role in changing the lives of more than a million audiences. Morrison mentions the fact that media has the strength to influence the thoughts of people. Media with its desirability, charm, and fascination affect the thinking of people.…
Read MoreThe Invisible Link Between Trust, Profits, And Prosperity
By Miguel Martinez-Zavala — Businesses worldwide are facing tough challenges. The European Union’s economic problems, and increasing uncertainty, are driven by unforeseen events. Such events include: the Ukraine’s crisis, the sociopolitical volatility of the Middle East and its subsequent global economic effects, and the feeble U.S. economic growth that seems to be the new norm.…
Read MoreThe Wizard of Oz as a Monetary Allegory
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani — Since the Chicago journalist L. Frank Baum published his The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, the book has become one of the most beloved American tales of adventure. Millions of both children and adults have taken great pleasure in reading about Dorothy, a little girl living in the midst…
Read MoreDon’t Just Dream About Success: Stack the Odds in Your Favor
By Ramon Fernandez — I just finished reading a new book by Joe Ben Hoyle entitled Don’t Just Dream About Success: Stack the Odds in Your Favor. It’s a motivational advice book about how to achieve success and attain the goals that you set for yourself. The author writes from experience as a successful CPA,…
Read MoreThe Economics of the Just Price
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani — The concept of the “just” or “fair” price is as old as History. To combat predatory lending practices, price gouging, profiteering, and price discrimination, many governments throughout history have passed laws to protect their citizens against dishonest and unethical lenders and sellers. Thus, the Babylonian king Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) had…
Read MoreConservatives vs. Liberals: The Economic Debate
Given their disparate ideologies, conservatives and liberals generally reach different conclusions about such economic issues as how modern economies operate, what should be the role of government economic policies and regulations, and what levels of income and wealth inequality should be tolerated. While the foregoing economic debate between the two camps has been ongoing for…
Read MoreLower the Minimum Wage
Despite the struggling economy, documented by a workforce participation rate of less than 63%, proponents have urged an increase in the Federal minimum wage. This is a bad move at the worst possible time. Even Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve, indicated that loose monetary policies will continue due to the poor job market.…
Read MoreDid Government Housing Policy Cause the Financial Crisis?
The financial meltdown of 2008 impacted the global economy on an unimaginable scale. Many economists consider it the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It resulted in the threat of a total collapse of the global financial system, the bailout of many major banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world. In many areas,…
Read MoreBitcoin: Fails as a Solution to Double-Spending
A few years ago the world was introduced to Bitcoin; the brainchild of Satoshi Nakamoto; It is not the first crypto currency created, but certainly the most widely held. Bitcoin was built to address a very specific problem, Nakamoto coins it “double-spending.” E-commerce from the very beginning has relied on financial institutions to act…
Read MoreCatholic Economic Teaching
The recent controversy over Pope Francis’s economic views has raised the related issue of whether these views are consistent with the traditional Catholic economic teaching. While the answer is in the affirmative, the pope has decidedly added a new emphasis and a more urgent tone to this teaching. Catholicism is, of course, primarily a…
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