Most of us have toted around a large bottle of water sporting a label claiming to be from the purest of springs. We love the convenience of being able to have a healthier drink with us while we go to the gym, or run errands around town.
Photo by Nestlé Nordic 1. Nestle Usually when we think of Nestle, we think of tasty treats and cavities; we don’t usually think of Nazis. Unfortunately, during World War II, a subsidiary of the Nestle Corporation, Maggi, used slave labor from several concentration camps near the German border of Switzerland. To make matters worse, chocolate…
Photo by woodleywonderworks 1. Government Spending Ended the Great Depression A commonly held belief is that government spending stimulated the economy and eventually ended the Great Depression. Reality is excessive government spending took badly needed resources from the private sector and spent them on insolvable government programs and jobs that produced no real values. The…
I was recently disheartened by the news that Mexican Cocoa-Cola would soon be switching over from sugar as a sweetener to High Fructose Corn Syrup, like the American counterpart. The story of how Mexican Coke became popular on American shelves in a great lesson in adverse side effects and the power of market choice. Of…
Photo by citron_smurf 1. On the Role of Government “The recognition of individual rights entails the banishment of physical force from human relationships: basically, rights can be violated only by means of force. In a capitalist society, no man or group may initiate the use of physical force against others. The only function of the…
These Facts about Wal-Mart will Surprise You They’re one of the most hated companies. Often called “evil,” Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the nation. Is their reputation earned or undeserved? Photo by FreeVerse Photography 1. Leading Employer of Veterans Wal-Mart has been a leading employer of veterans for some time. In 2013, the company…
Many people will be shocked by these facts about world poverty…. Photo by Bob Jagendorf 1. World poverty has been cut in half In the past twenty years the world’s acute poverty rate has been slashed in half! Measuring poverty is based on daily consumption, not income. In 1990, 43% of the world lived in…
One thing we learn time and time again throughout our public education is that without government monopolies would spawn and gobble up all the capital. We are taught of an age of “robber barons” whose monopolistic greed spurred a new need for government mitigation into the economy. But is that factual? A closer look at…
Lobbyist are often decried as the reason for most of what is wrong with our country, government, and society as a whole. They are those lowdown scoundrels of big moneyed influence and corporate cronyism who buy congressmen as easily as one orders Chinese takeout, and who have sinister influence on all matters of policy. The…
We hear about it all the time. After a natural disaster, or during times of civil unrest such that transpired recently in Ferguson, businesses price gouge items in high demand. Water or a ride away from a dangerous area become expensive commodities. The instinct is to chastise such actions as immoral and selfish. But a…
Photo by OSU Master Gardener 1. Collecting rainwater If you live in Oregon, don’t even think about diverting that rain water on your property into any sort of container. One Oregon man was sentenced to 30 days in jail because he had three ponds on his property. His ponds were deemed “illegal reservoirs.” According to…
Every March the nation is transfixed by the specter or young athletes competing for their schools and states in the NCAA college basketball tournament. Students travel the country competing in games that generate more ratings than some professional events. March Madness sweeps the country, advertisement is geared towards it, and big companies vie for the…