The End of QE

by David W. Cooney

Well, it's been six long years of the three programs known as Quantitative Easing, or "QE." The first, under president Bush, was for $750 billion. The second, under president Obama, was for another $800 billion. The third, also under Obama, was an ongoing payment by the U.S. government of $85 billion every month. Now, more than $6.6 trillion later, how much did all that taxpayer-funded expense help the economy?

The Laws of Economics

One response to my Distributism Basics article on the Science of Economics was the assertion that economics can be studied apart from ethics. According to critics of the article, I was incorrectly attempting to join two topics that don't necessarily go together. These critics at least seemed to agree that ethics did apply to economic activity, but denied that economic studies, specifically the laws of economics, are subject to ethics.

Is Small Government the Worst Government?

According to an exchange between Chris Hayes and Brian Murphy on MSNBC, small government, by which they mean local municipal government, is actually worse than large government. Referencing an article from New York Magazine, they say that local government is worse because it is less accountable to the citizens. Let's examine their reasons for saying so and see if they stand up to scrutiny.

Distributism Basics: Distributism vs. Christian Socialism

One reaction to this Distributism Basics series is that a particular group of commenters has asserted that their economic and political theories are so close to distributism as to make them virtually indistinguishable. In various ways, they have assured me that, if I would only read the writings explaining their views, I would be left scratching my head wondering what separates them from my own. Is this true? Is distributism just another name for what others call "Christian socialism?"

What is the answer?

A response to Dylan Pahman's article,

Scapegoats of Christian Social Thought

at Ethika Politica

Beef! Is it what's for dinner?

As a distributist, I advocate for engaging in economic activity that is as local as possible, or at least practical. By doing this, you are helping to stabilize the local economy by keeping the circulation of currency – the representation of the economic value of within society – within its boundaries. When profits are kept local, there is a greater chance that they will be spent in the local community instead of in remote ones or in other countries. I have also maintained that, when the economic activity of production is local, the local community can be more aware of its conditions and more able to address problems on a local level.