Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

The Lords of Easy Money

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lords

To be honest, I’m not quite sure why I’m doing a review of a book I didn’t like, but perhaps I can save you the trouble. The book in question is one whose title suggested I would absolutely love it, which is The Lords of Easy Money, and ostensibly it is about how the Federal Reserve has caused the grotesque maldistribution of wealth in the country. I’m a bit confounded at the 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon, as well as the fact that it is selling so well, because I was sorely disappointed, even though I really wanted to like it.

The book itself is over 300 pages, but I polished it off in a couple of sittings. As a writer myself, it was easy for me to see what the author was up to – – trying to take a relatively dry subject and turn it into something dramatic. I kept thinking to myself, “I hope my writing doesn’t come off this way.” It was awkward.

The main beef with the book is that I didn’t learn a damned thing. It was largely a narrative about personalities – – Hoenig and Powell, mostly – – whereas I was hoping for a scientific, fact-based analysis of the harm the Fed has caused. I regret highlighting the book (a habit I’ve never shaken) since now I can’t return it for a refund. Sorry, but yuck.

Third Reich Hot Take

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I am continuing to plow my way through The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on a nightly basis (it’s a very long book). It’s probably the highlight of my day. I’m up to the summer of 1939 at this point, just before the invasion of Poland, and I wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned, or impressions that I’ve had. I’d like to preface this by saying I’m a fairly serious student of history – – probably in the 95th percentile (OK, probably more like 99th percentile) of U.S. citizens, and I am stunned at the level of my own ignorance as I work my way through this piece.

  • 1933-1938 wasn’t easy: I always had the impression that once Hitler was made Chancellor, everything was a piece of cake for him. Not true at all. He had tremendous amounts of resistance. The majority of the public did not like the man, and did not vote for the man. Indeed, even at the height of propaganda and terror, when people knew their votes were being watched, he still couldn’t capture even 50% of the population’s vote. Most of the 1930s were very frustrating for Hitler, as he tried to work within the confines of established power and political realities to execute his vision.
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