Think and Act Locally

This newsletter from the No Agenda Show, hosted by John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry, is addressed to its supporters, referred to as “Producers.” It primarily focuses on fundraising, outlining various ways to donate, including one-time contributions, recurring subscriptions at different levels, and the opportunity to become an “Executive Producer” or “Commodore.” The newsletter also briefly previews u...

This Strong Towns podcast episode features a conversation between Chuck Marone and Shane Kavanaaugh from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). They discuss the GFOA’s role as a professional organization for state and local finance officials, highlighting their educational programs and best practices. Kavanaaugh explains how GFOA supports finance officers in areas like budgeting and f...

This Strong Towns podcast episode features a conversation between Chuck Marone and Rick Cole, a seasoned public servant with experience as a mayor, city manager, and council member. They discuss Cole’s extensive background in local government, highlighting his early involvement in community leadership and his long career focused on municipal finance and urban development. Cole emphasizes the moral...

This article from Strong Towns, part of a series on city finances, contrasts the budgetary realities of cities with those of national governments, arguing that cities operate more like households. Focusing on Brainerd, Minnesota, the piece utilizes the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to analyze the city’s sustainability, flexibility, and vulnerability, revealing concerning trends in its financial pos...

The Housing-Ready City toolkit, published by Strong Towns, addresses the pressing issue of housing affordability by advocating for local regulatory reforms. It presents six key policy changes that cities can implement to increase housing supply and affordability without waiting for external intervention. These policies focus on allowing diverse housing types like duplexes, backyard cottages, and s...

This YouTube transcript captures a wide-ranging conversation featuring actor Terrence Howard, who passionately discusses his controversial scientific theories on unlimited energy, a revised understanding of the universe, and his patents, including “Lynchpin.” He recounts his clashes with mainstream science figures like Eric Weinstein and his claims of suppressed inventions and passport issues. The...

This YouTube video transcript explores the premise that technologies capable of revolutionizing energy production and transportation have been suppressed due to economic and political interests. The speaker highlights historical figures like Stanley Meyer and Nikola Tesla, suggesting their inventions for water-powered vehicles and wireless energy were met with opposition, potentially leading to th...

The YouTube transcript from “THP Development Videos” features Terrence explaining a physics simulation model that proposes gravity is an effect of external pressures, not an internal cause like mass attraction. His model uses vortexes and particle systems with magnetic fields and resonance to simulate the formation of celestial bodies like Saturn and galaxies, without any gravity programmed. The s...

This source presents Terrence DaShon Howard’s alternative perspective on mathematics and the universe, asserting that conventional mathematics contains fundamental errors, particularly concerning the number one and the square root of two. Howard argues that Universal Mathematics, based on curved space and the principles of expansion and contraction seen in nature, offers a more accurate understand...

Lysander Spooner’s 1875 essay, “Vices are Not Crimes,” argues that actions harming only oneself or one’s property are vices, distinct from crimes which infringe upon others. Spooner, a natural-rights theorist, contends that government should only punish the initiation of violence against person and property, not enforce morality by outlawing vices. Murray Rothbard’s introduction positions Spooner...

The Mises Institute article, “The Growth Effects of Federal Regulation,” examines the impact of government regulation on economic prosperity. It highlights a study by economist John W. Dawson that quantifies regulation by counting pages in the Code of Federal Regulations. Dawson’s research suggests a negative correlation between increasing federal regulation and key indicators of economic performa...

This Mises Institute excerpt from Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action analyzes various facets of prices within a market economy. It examines concepts such as goodwill, its impact on selling, and its relation to competition. The text further explores monopoly prices, distinguishing them from competitive prices and addressing the effects of monopoly of demand. Additionally, it investigates price discrimi...

Ludwig von Mises’ Economic Policy: Thoughts for Today and Tomorrow presents a vigorous defense of free market capitalism and a critical analysis of government interventionism and socialism. Originating from lectures delivered in Argentina in 1959, the book argues that capitalism, characterized by private property and free markets, is the most effective system for generating prosperity and improvin...

The provided text from the Mises Institute features an article arguing against tariffs, specifically those announced by then-President Trump. The author contends that tariffs are detrimental to American consumers by limiting access to less expensive foreign goods and encouraging reliance on costlier domestic alternatives. Drawing on the economic wisdom of Adam Smith, Murray Rothbard, and Ludwig vo...

The provided audio transcript from “The Peter Schiff Show Podcast” primarily concerns the host’s critical analysis of recently imposed tariffs, particularly those initiated by the Trump administration, framing them as detrimental to the American economy and unconstitutional. Schiff argues that these tariffs will not revive American manufacturing, but instead will raise prices for consumers and har...

Episode 18 of The Lara Murphy Show continues the discussion on implementing the Infinite Banking Concept (IBC). Hosts Bob Murphy and Carlos Lara emphasize the crucial step of finding a knowledgeable financial professional, specifically recommending those who have completed their practitioner program, accessible via the “finder” at infinitebanking.org. They stress the importance of ensuring that an...

This podcast episode, from the Laura Murphy Show, introduces the infinite banking concept (IBC) as advocated by Nelson Nash in his book “Becoming Your Own Banker.” Hosts Robert Murphy and Carlos Lara explain that IBC utilizes dividend-paying whole life insurance policies not primarily for death benefits, but as a personal banking system to finance major purchases without relying on traditional len...

This audio recording captures a keynote address given at a transportation conference in Kansas, where the speaker, Chuck, presents an alternative perspective on traffic safety trends observed during the pandemic. He challenges the prevailing narrative of increased reckless driving, proposing instead that reduced traffic congestion led to higher fatality rates on over-engineered roadways. The speak...

The YouTube video from the channel “PARAGRAPHIC” showcases backyard aquaponics, a symbiotic system where fish waste nourishes plants and plant roots filter water for the fish. Host Charles Collins, a sustainable gardener, explains the process using a 350-gallon tilapia tank and grow beds with lava rock for beneficial bacteria. He details the transfer of plants without soil, the benefits of faster...

The provided document, a consumer advocacy report, examines the products and labor practices associated with Shein, a prominent online fast fashion retailer, and Foxconn, a major electronics manufacturer for numerous US-sold brands. While Shein offers a vast array of affordable clothing and other goods, the report highlights significant concerns regarding worker exploitation in its primarily China...

These sources offer a comparative analysis of labor conditions and wage practices at the Chinese manufacturing facilities of Shein, a fast-fashion retailer, and Foxconn, a major electronics manufacturer. The analysis draws upon independent investigations, company statements, and reports from labor rights organizations to examine allegations of excessive working hours, low wages (including “slave w...

This academic paper from the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics analyzes the economic theory of bureaucracy by comparing the perspectives of William Niskanen from the Public Choice School and Ludwig von Mises from the Austrian School. Carnis, the author, outlines the differing reasons these economists give for the existence of bureaucracy, with Niskanen pointing to market failures and Mises e...

The provided text is a transcript from a YouTube lecture by Dan Parolek, an urban designer, architect, and author known for championing “missing middle housing.” Hosted by Ellen Dunham-Jones at Georgia Tech, the lecture introduces TSW, an urban design-focused firm, and then features Parolek discussing innovative housing solutions to address affordability and create walkable urbanism. He presents c...

Strong Towns argues that financially resilient communities require local governments to operate with revenues meeting expenses over time, similar to a business. This involves considering the long-term costs of infrastructure and ensuring sufficient private wealth generation to fund them. The article highlights examples and concerns related to achieving this, such as incentivizing development in ar...

The provided text, an excerpt from “It’s All Local Now” by Charles Marohn, argues that regardless of national election outcomes, individuals possess significant power to effect positive change within their own communities. Marohn, the founder of Strong Towns, advocates for a shift in focus towards local action, emphasizing that efforts to strengthen one’s own town or neighborhood have a direct and...