Interest Rates

Typically interest rates get cut during bad economic times, like a recession.  It is a bit of a mystery to me why interest rates are being cut during a “good” economy.  This is classically a recipe for a bubble, such as the real estate bubble that led to the crash of 2008.  So where is the bubble today? The Conversation says: corporate debt.

Why the Fed has no choice but to keep cutting interest rates – if it wants to avoid a financial crisis

Tolerating Intolerance

I think the ultimate flaw in liberal democracy is a tolerance of intolerance.  This seems a bit slippery but it isn’t really.  Some things shouldn’t be tolerated, no matter how tolerant you want to be.  A good read that goes down this road starting with John Stuart Mill and freedom on speech and ends with today’s modern fascist strongmen around the world (for lack of a better term).  And yes, it is all about the internet and the breakdown of traditional communication channels.  I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but get ready for some rough road ahead.  And as my Mom used to say: don’t believe everything you read.  From the Boston Review:

What John Stuart Mill Got Wrong about Freedom of Speech