Here are both of my talks delivered at the April 28 conference on the causes of the 2008 financial crisis. The first talk provided a historical overview for the crisis, not beginning in 2007 or 2006, but actually in the 1930's. The second talk walks through a plethora of things I believe did not cause the crisis (contrary to popular assertion), as well as things that were wrongly prescribed to try and fix the crisis. I essentially attempt to paint a picture of the narrative that the right and … [Read more...]
Father Robert A. Sirico “Can We Be Free Without Economic Freedom”
May 19, 2012 By
Father Sirico gave the second talk at our April 28 conference , and it was an utter gem. Download Link – Father Robert Sirico (.zip file, contains mp3 audio) … [Read more...]
Why has Wall Street turned on Obama?
January 2, 2012 By
I would be very surprised if National Review had a bigger supporter than I, but that is not the subject of this piece. I confess to having been disappointed in a recent piece from their very capable and gifted writer, Kevin Williamson. Essentially, Williamson contends that Wall Street is filled with shady characters and has participated in all sorts of crony capitalism (fair enough). He correctly shares that this would have been a liability for the Democrats in the past, not the Republicans, … [Read more...]
The Most Dangerous Book I have ever Read
June 22, 2010 By
I committed to reading and reviewing every single serious book that is written about the 2008 financial crisis over a year ago because I am afraid of history recording lessons from the crisis that are entirely false, and because I am afraid of economists prescribing solutions that are utterly catastrophic. In a sense, my project was presciently motivated by 13 Bankers by Simon Johnson. Dr. Johnson is an MIT economist and was for a time the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund. … [Read more...]
The Big Short Falls Short in Identifying the Cause of the Crisis
March 14, 2010 By
Let me get the easy part of this out of the way first. Michael Lewis is a remarkably gifted writer, and I have often found his books impossible to put down. When I first read his debut at book authorship, Liar's Poker, I literally read it straight through. I was not alone in this, as Liar's Poker rightfully made Michael a very well-respected author and a very wealthy man. Moneyball, The Blind Side, and numerous other best-sellers built on that reputation. The long-awaited newest … [Read more...]
