I read many hundreds of articles every week looking for writers who have an in-depth understanding of our economy and who are not reticent to tell it like it is. Monty Pelerin (a pseudonym) does just that week after week, year after year. This post includes introductory paragraphs and links to 25 of his most enlightening and current articles. Take a look. There are bound to be several that will grab your interest.

Those dependent on the welfare state are unaware that their benefits are not sustainable. Most believe tomorrow will be like today and the checks will keep coming from Mother Government. Political power was gained based on promising these benefits. No politician will risk his position by trying to reduce them. No democratic society has ever rolled them back via peaceful political means. [At worst,] the economy and society could end up in ashes [and, at best,] the world is in for a long period of stagnation, retrogression and conflict. [Let me explain more fully.] Words: 1115

No one cuts through the economic noise better than the writer who posts articles under the pseudonym "Monty Pelerin" - so much so that the 30 posted on munKNEE.com and have, on average, received more reads than any of the 1,700 others on the site. His articles are all timely (and some even timeless) in nature so, in case you missed one or two along the way, below is a link to a page that highlights each of his articles on the site with a descriptive introductory paragraph to each article. I dare you to read just one!

The problems of the US government are insoluble. They will result in the sovereign default of the federal government and the collapse of the US economy. Monty Pelerin explains why: "The claimed debt of the Federal Government of $16 Trillion is enough to threaten its viability and that of the US economy. The current glide path of spending and revenues ensures that debt will increase. Explicit and implicit Treasury guarantees will be required to bail out failing public and private agencies. The situation becomes hopeless when the unfunded liabilities are taken into account."

The madmen who are responsible for the coming economic disaster continue to behave as if they can manage to avoid it. Violating Einstein’s definition of insanity, they continue to apply the same poison that caused the problem. These fools believe they can manage complexities they do not understand. The end is certain, only its timing is unknown, and, once interest rates begin to rise, and they will, it's game over so it begs the questions "How much longer this can possibly go on?" and "What will happen to the U.S. and the world when it does?"

The question of how much gold or silver one should hold is a common one. The answer is usually expressed in terms of portfolio percentages, as in 10 – 20% of one’s investments. Such an answer is without basis. Why is 15%, for example, any better than 100% or 0%?

There is a difference between inflation and hyperinflation and there is no gradual path from one to the other. To wind up with true hyperinflation, some very bad things have to happen. The government has to completely lose control the populace has to completely lose faith in the system or both at the same time. Are we there yet? Let's take a look.

Having given a lot of thought to both the differences and the similarities between Russia and the U.S. - the one that has collapsed already, and the one that is collapsing as I write this - I feel ready...to define five stages of collapse to serve as mental milestones as we gauge our own collapse-preparedness and see what can be done to improve it. Words: 2500

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Comments I have made that "when this [financial crisis] finally ends the big winners are apt to be the ones who have lost the least purchasing power. Keeping score in nominal dollars is likely to be meaningless. Gold tends to hold its purchasing power regardless of what happens to fiat currency” have prompted questions about a) how to achieve such purchasing power with physical gold when this stage is reached, b) how to go about buying things with gold coins and c) how gold would be utilized under the assumption that a barter system would develop when dollars become worthless. [Let me explain.] Words: 700