Wealth & Poverty Review

2024BRICSSummit1729759568
Photo from the President of Azerbaijan at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2024_BRICS_Summit_(1729759568).jpg

The BRICS’ New Unit Currency is a Good Step Forward

In 2019, I was involved in a crypto project that aimed to provide a usable basis of large-scale commerce in an environment where existing fiat currencies were failing badly. Of course, I was in support of a 100% gold system — which has always worked in the past. And, people agreed that this was a good idea “theoretically,” and “eventually.” But, the perception at the time was that there should be some kind of intermediate step. For example, if a country had a regular gold-based currency today, then the value of the currency would be fixed to gold. In other words, foreign exchange rates with the other major fiat currencies would be terribly volatile, and also, would introduce a lot Read More ›

BarackObamareactstothepassingofHealthcarebill
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff applaud in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barack_Obama_reacts_to_the_passing_of_Healthcare_bill.jpg

It’s Time to Say Goodbye to the Obamacare Failure

Imagine tuning into a Sunday football game. Amid the flurry of touchdowns and tackles, the commercials are filled with familiar names — State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Farmers — vying for your dollars to cover your cars, homes, and personal liability. You have choices, and the competing advertisements are evidence of a robust marketplace where consumers benefit from price competition and innovation. But imagine if, alongside those ads, you could also shop for your health insurance — across state lines, no different than car or home coverage. Read More ›
light-brown-kitchen-cabinetry-and-brick-tile-back-splash-tri-119088517-stockpack-adobestock
Light brown kitchen cabinetry and brick tile back splash trim
Image Credit: Iriana Shiyan - Adobe Stock

Housing Amenity Abundance

1956 was a remarkable year. Some have suggested it was the golden year for housing, but the facts tell a much different story. Jeremy Horpendahl did an analysis on housing amenities and found the following... Read More ›
TheFirstThanksgivingcph3g04961FXD
"The First Thanksgiving, 1621" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Public Domain image at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_First_Thanksgiving_cph.3g04961FXD.jpg

Thanksgiving: Why It Is America’s Foundational Holiday

The Thanksgiving holiday, which commemorates one part of the Pilgrim story, remains the favorite holiday for many Americans. And for good reasons, beyond enjoying a feast. With our country passing through troubled times, it is worth revisiting the Pilgrims' five significant achievements, which created the seminal story of America, and reveals remarkable insights into who we are and the qualities of character we need to overcome our present challenges. Read More ›
memorial-day-parade-with-veteran-and-child-stockpack-adobe-s-801559575-stockpack-adobestock
Memorial Day Parade with Veteran and Child
Image Credit: spyrakot - Adobe Stock

Veterans Day: The Holiday Whose Time Has Come

The U.S. has always stood for freedom and against aggression and tyranny. Surely many Americans who enlisted to serve in wartime knew neither the forsaken places they were going nor what they would encounter, but they all had a distinct conviction that they were fighting not only to set overseas captives free but to protect freedom at home. Read More ›
a-collection-of-gold-and-silver-bullion-bars-stacked-in-a-se-785666344-stockpack-adobestock
A collection of gold and silver bullion bars stacked in a secure vault symbolizing wealth preservation and investment security.
Image Credit: Finn - Adobe Stock

The BRICS Need Gold Bank Accounts

The BRICS — a consortium of eleven countries, with 22 more in application stages, led by China, Russia, India and Brazil — declared in October the building of a new “gold settlement architecture as a strategic safeguard against global financial volatility.” This is a fine goal, which can take many specific forms. The quickest and easiest way (although not necessarily the “best” way) to get this done is to introduce “gold checking accounts”… Read More ›
panoramic-view-of-reykjavik-at-wintertime-iceland-stockpack-124103286-stockpack-adobestock
panoramic view of reykjavik at wintertime, iceland
Image Credit: Marc Jedamus - Adobe Stock

Iceland: More Entrepreneurs or More Bureaucrats?

For Iceland to thrive, it must continue to unleash its creative energy—to innovate, to speak, and to let knowledge flow as freely as its geothermal springs. Iceland is proof that wealth is not in the ground but in the mind. When faced with the scarcity of matter, Icelanders discovered the infinite power of knowledge. Read More ›
XVBRICSSummitfamilyphotoWikimediaCommons
Public Domain image at Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:XV_BRICS_Summit_family_photo.jpg

The BRICS’s New Gold Settlement Architecture Is Being Built — But Won’t Be Needed

The "BRICS" is now a consortium of ten countries, with 22 more countries in application stages, led by Russia, China and India. Events since 2022 have lit a fire under the BRICS members to establish a new global financial and currency architecture that is wholly independent of the US dollar system, which has been the main focus since the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944. Read More ›
two-national-flags-the-united-states-of-america-and-india-wa-1643667293-stockpack-adobestock
Two national flags the united states of america and india waving proudly side by side against a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds
Image Credit: Pixim Stock - Adobe Stock

The Indian American Community Deserves Immigration Fairness

The Trump administration's abrupt move to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B skilled worker visa applications has sent shockwaves through America's technology sector and the vast Indian immigrant community that powers it. Announced on Friday, September 19, and set to take effect the following Sunday, the directive sparked panic and confusion for workers, businesses, and families — culminating in a frenzied rush to return to the United States before the new rule's midnight deadline. Read More ›
group-of-young-african-kids-walking-with-buckets-and-jerryca-224079857-stockpack-adobestock
Group of young African kids walking with buckets and jerrycans on their head as they prepare to bring clean water back to their village.
Image Credit: Logan Venture - Adobe Stock

How Africa Can Get Rich

Africa too can get rich, as once-poor Asian countries have, but not if governments keep doing what they've been doing. Basically, they will have to throw off the stifling tax systems inherited from their prior colonial governments. There are other things you can add to that. But, I think we can say, with confidence, that if things stay as they are, nothing is possible. Read More ›