Why Economic Inequality Is a Good Thing | Mark Thornton
Is equality good and inequality bad?
Over the known history of man, increasing economic inequality is associated with rising standards of living for all. Using common analogies, increased economic inequality lifts all boats, and not only increases the size of the economic pie, but also cuts everyone larger pieces of pie.
Brands are prized by corporations as significant value-driving economic assets. Brands help customers enjoy more valuable experiences, raising willingness-to-pay levels and thus improving cash flows — higher cash flows as a result of higher prices, faster cash flows because branded products tend to turn faster than their non-branded counterparts, longer lasting cash flows because brands have longevity in customers’ perceptions, and less volatile cash flows because brand loyalty can smooth out the effects of economic booms and busts.
For these reasons, corporations invest in brands and brand building. Catherine Kaputa makes the case that individuals should invest in themselves as brands, and makes the tools of brand-building available to individuals for personal brand-building: the brand of you.
Show notes: https://mises.org/library/catherine-kaputa-brand-you
The New Brand You by Catherine Kaputa: https://Mises.org/E4B_198_Book
Find your own brand positioning (https://Mises.org/E4B_198_Test) on https://SelfBrand.com
"Ten Personal Brand Positioning Strategies" (PDF): https://Mises.org/E4B_198_PDF
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_HaTtCkX6I
'Wall Street Journal' and 'USA Today' writer James Bovard joins Jeff Deist to diagnose what's wrong with our body politic today. From relentlessly tribal voting to rank hypocrisy and "whataboutism," Americans are angry bunch. And their credulous belief in the sanctity of authorities like the FBI is almost entirely determined by whether their party holds the presidency. Is there any political system that can survive the division created by politics in the first place? Jim Bovard brings his Menckenesque perspective to Mises Weekends to discuss our slavish devotion to politics. And don't miss Jim's great article on the FBI as America's secret police (TheHill.com/opinion/civil-rights/364219-yes-the-fbi-is-americas-secret-police) or his new book on political perfidy (Mises.org/Frauds).
Photo by Gage Skidmore (flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore).
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb_bc9qo2QQ
On this episode of War, Economy, and State, Ryan McMaken and Zachary Yost check in on the Russo-Ukrainian war to examine Russia's strength, the US's blank check, and the prospects of World War III. Recorded on November 23, 2022.
Additional Resources
"NATO: Our International Welfare Queens" by Ryan McMaken: https://Mises.org/WES_04_A
"A Brief History of Pundits Encouraging Nuclear War" by Ryan McMaken: https://Mises.org/WES_04_B
"The NATO Treaty Does Not Give Congress a Bye on World War III" by Michael J. Glennon: https://Mises.org/WES_04_C
"U.S. Mutual Security Treaties: The Commitment Myth" by Michael J. Glennon: https://Mises.org/WES_04_D
Be sure to follow War, Economy, and State at https://Mises.org/WES.
Music – "Nothing in the Dark" by Josh Woodward, https://Joshwoodward.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZc_L-E59Q
In this episode of Radio Rothbard, Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop consider progressivism as a form of modern colonialism. The response to the prospects of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade has highlighted the degree to which the American left—particularly those that reside in major blue cities—can't live with the concept of other areas of the country not abiding by what they see as moral absolutes. Ryan and Tho look at how this tension is shaping the modern political landscape, and they discuss the history of this impulse towards "liberal" centralization.
Recommended Reading
"The New Postliberalism" by Jeff Deist: https://Mises.org/RR_83_A
"Federal Control of Abortion Laws Is Modern Colonialism" by Ryan McMaken: https://Mises.org/RR_83_B
"The Clash of Metropolis and Colony" by Charles and Mary Beard: https://Mises.org/RR_83_C
"Why the US Supports Secession for Africans, but Not for Americans" by Ryan McMaken: https://Mises.org/RR_83_D
Be sure to follow Radio Rothbard at https://Mises.org/RadioRothbard.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pbQbsyK2Ec
Martin Armstrong is one of the most famous economic forecasters alive, but you wouldn’t know it after the whitewashing job he’s suffered at the hands of the federal government and the mainstream financial press. The man who in the 1980s and 90s had central bankers and politicians calling him for advice is now scrubbed from the memory banks of sites like Bloomberg.com.
He’s famous, or infamous, for having predicted the October 1987 Black Monday crash to the very day. He also called the Nikkei stock market collapse in 1989 and the Russian financial collapse in 1998. And he hasn’t lost his touch, outfoxing hedge fund managers by predicting last week’s Swiss National Bank decision to abandon its peg to the Euro.
Martin is not an Austrian by any stretch, relying on complex mathematical and historical models rather than economic theory. But he is strongly anti-state, anti-central bank, and quick to criticize Keynesian orthodoxy.
Martin spent more than a decade in a government cage after being prosecuted by the SEC, including 7 years for the non-crime of contempt of court. His story, both as a forecaster and a stubborn thorn in the side of federal prosecutors, will be told in an upcoming documentary. It’s a story you won’t want to miss.
http://armstrongeconomics.com
'The Forecaster' Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MP2QaT2A_A
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxOUyPKA_vg
View the full episode at https://Mises.org/RR68
Radio Rothbard is a weekly podcast featuring a cast of Mises Institute voices and special guests. The show tackles politics, current events, culture, media, and of course the predatory state, all from an uncompromising Rothbardian perspective. Radio Rothbard is the weekly anti-politics podcast you won't want to miss!
To subscribe on your favorite platform, visit https://Mises.org/RothPod
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCfVvW_rMCQ