Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? I am thoroughly convinced that every American—and certainly every American leader—should read Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury, part of his series of “Uncle Eric” books. Penny Candy is formatted as a series of letters from economist “Uncle Eric” to his nephew Chris, and the result is a fast-paced, highly engaging book that covers the fundamentals of economic theory. Maybury’s goal in the Uncle Eric book series is to present material on a variety of topics in a way that is understandable and enjoyable to the lay person, without an excess of technical … Read More
Negative Interest Rates and the Impoverishing of America
An IPS Commentary By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Negative Interest Rates and the Impoverishing of America If you have seen bank advertisements for CD rates, or if you have called your local bank or broker lately, you know that interest rates are abysmal. As I write this, Ally Bank is touting their 2-year certificate of deposit at a rate of 1.78%—I guess that is supposed to be a good deal these days. The Real Interest Rate More important than interest rates on deposits, however, is something called the “real interest rate.” This is … Read More
Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
An IPS Commentary By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Little Things Can Make A Big Difference Almost every bill that comes into my mailbox contains content designed to promote a political agenda. My city water bill, my electricity bill, my natural gas bill, and even my home and auto insurance bills contain regular content designed to alter the political landscape. No, they are not asking me to support a particular political candidate or a political party—these messages are more subtle than that—but they are no less powerful. Subtle & Persuasive These politically persuasive messages usually … Read More
Negative Interest Rates
Negative Interest Rates If you have seen bank advertisements for CD rates, or if you have called your local bank or broker lately, you know that interest rates are abysmal. As I write this, Ally Bank is touting their 2-year certificate of deposit at a rate of 1.78%—I guess that is supposed to be a good deal these days. More important than interest rates on deposits, however, is something called the real interest rate. This is the interest rate after considering rising prices. Price increases are usually measured by the government with a statistic called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). … Read More
Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin
Liberty & Tyranny Liberty and Tyranny is a recent bestselling book by radio talk show host Mark Levin. It is an easy, interesting, and entertaining read. As I read Liberty and Tyranny, I couldn’t help but notice that this book was a great case study on the battle over labels and identities in our current political landscape. Most of my readers are well aware that there is a battle over labels in America today. What do we call ourselves? What do we call our opponents? What do our opponents call us? Are we republicans, democrats, conservatives, liberals, libertarians, or progressives? … Read More
Could We be Campaigning our Way to Defeat?
An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Note to readers: While the following article is addressed specifically to the Tea Party movement, the principles discussed here are relevant to every organization and movement in support of a cause. Freedom Movement Manifesto: Could We be Campaigning our Way to Defeat? One of the most frequently-asked political questions of our day is, “What will come of the Tea Party movement?” Both the left and the right seem to recognize the potential of this movement, but will this “potential” ultimately result in any substantial impact on … Read More
The Freedom Movement Manifesto
The Freedom Movement Manifesto Note to Readers: While the following article is addressed specifically to the Tea Party movement, the principles discussed here are relevant to every organization and movement in support of a cause. One of the most frequently-asked political questions of our day is, “What will come of the Tea Party movement?” Both the left and the right seem to recognize the potential of this movement, but will this “potential” ultimately result in any substantial impact on America or American politics? The Tea Party movement currently has momentum, but long-term success will require caution and strategy. Here are four … Read More
Reflections on Reading
An IPS Commentary By Jenna R. Hermle Reflections on Reading “The man who will not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” Attributed to Mark Twain, this quotation illustrates an important principle regarding reading: the technical ability to read does a person no good if he does not execute the ability. The capacity to read is an incredible gift, but it does not provide any benefit if it is not practiced. Good Intentions Now readers, if you are anything like me, you probably have continual good intentions of reading, but how many of us actually turn the … Read More
Read Us Our Rights
Read Us Our Rights One of the most important and fundamental principles of government involves a question of origins—not the origin of the species, but the origin of rights. It is difficult to discuss any aspect of government without addressing some question about rights. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy insightfully explains the importance and centrality of our understanding of rights: Rights dominate most modern understandings of what actions are proper and which institutions are just. Rights structure the forms of our governments, the contents of our laws, and the shape of morality as we perceive it. To accept a set of rights is to … Read More
Health Care in America
Health Care in America The following article was originally published in early 1994. At the time that he wrote this article, Mike Winther was the Executive Director of the Society for Handicapped, a California based charity. Although this article was written over a decade ago, we feel that it is still timely and relevant to the health care crisis that is once again front-page news in America. We hope that this re-publishing will be of educational benefit to out current readership. The debate over health care in America is now front page news almost every day. Everyone seems to agree … Read More