The Caveman Explores Politics and Economics

By Bill B. May, PhD
$7.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Aug. 11, 2012
Words: 88,394 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781476135137

Short description

This book is designed to present to the reader in simple terms how government and economics work. The basics are examined in the context of a small caveman tribe and then related to the modern world. It explains monetary inflation and deflation, the creation of money by the banking system, and why tax receipts may increase with lower tax rates as well as many other aspects of the economy.

Extended description

This books begins with a tribe of caveman and examines the human nature of its members to see how they react to different aspects of government and economics. The need for a government that is fair and equitable is essential to gain the respect of the citizens. Many forms of government can arise but usually some portion of the population is unhappy with the decisions, even under a democracy. A constitutional government founded on the basis of liberty is important but even then conflicts in liberty can happen. Government’s job is to resolve these conflicts with compromises in laws or regulation.
The book examines the need for money and what happens when a society has too much or too little money; inflation or deflation is the result. Taxes are the way that government can pay for its existence but the book shows that government should do the minimum required to satisfy its main aims, usually protecting the people. Because most governments produce little that a consumer rea.. (Read more) This books begins with a tribe of caveman and examines the human nature of its members to see how they react to different aspects of government and economics. The need for a government that is fair and equitable is essential to gain the respect of the citizens. Many forms of government can arise but usually some portion of the population is unhappy with the decisions, even under a democracy. A constitutional government founded on the basis of liberty is important but even then conflicts in liberty can happen. Government’s job is to resolve these conflicts with compromises in laws or regulation.
The book examines the need for money and what happens when a society has too much or too little money; inflation or deflation is the result. Taxes are the way that government can pay for its existence but the book shows that government should do the minimum required to satisfy its main aims, usually protecting the people. Because most governments produce little that a consumer really wants, money spent on government takes away from productive activities. As a result, continuing to increase tax rates can actually decrease tax receipts because the economy suffers when too much money is spent on government.
Liberty is also key in economics because it allow people to exchange items, either in barter or with money.
The Central Bank (Federal Reserve) is a mysterious entity to most people. The basics having to do with banking are covered along with the Central Bank being influenced by popular demands to print more money. The resulting inflation is a hindrance to planning and to lenders who find that their money has lost value. Banks too can create money “out of thin air” by using depositor’s money for loans, without their permission.
Because of its taxing authority, government is considered the solution to all problems. Unfortunately, there are always more potential uses for the money than taxes can provide. The natural tendency of politicians is to promise more goodies resulting in a government deficit. A proposal to require a super-majority democracy is suggested as a potential solution.
Economies are subject to bubbles and downturns. Often excess money comes about by too liberal of a policy regarding the money supply resulting in a misallocation of capital and a bubble. To absorb the foolish investment of money requires that it be purged out of the system which is why we normally see recessions after the bubble bursts.
The principles developed in the book are then applied to contemporary issues like a farm program, schools, companies and unions.
The great advantages of competition in human activity is discussed, no matter the vocation. One of the weaknesses of a central government is that it is basically a monopoly.
International economics is also covered in a section of the book. The value of the respective currencies is discussed as well as the balance of payments. Two Appendices go into more detail on money and what might be an ideal amount in an economy. The author develops an approach to decide what is the right amount and that leads to some implications for diverse questions,for example the impact of immigration on money needed.
The book makes simple work of certain concepts like Tragedy of the Commons and Rent Seeking. These are concepts easily understood by the average person. Applying these concepts to politics and economics makes clear some of the reasons that these institutions behave as they do.
When finished reading the book, I hope you will have become a more educated voter and citizen in the field of politics and economics.
(Less)

Tags

liberty, politics, government, charity, competition, taxes, economics, loans, federal reserve, banking, central bank, welfare, fiat money, regulation, government debt, tragedy of the commons, rent seeking, tax rates, tax receipts, economic stability, economic bubbles, money and barter, foreign trade

Available ebook reading formats

Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

Format	Full Book	Sample First 25%
Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser)	Buy	View sample
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)	Buy	Download sample
Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

Log-in to write a Review   Log-in to add a Video Review

This book has not yet been reviewed.

Reason for report:
— Select a reason — Book is or contains spam Book infringes copyright Same content is published elsewhere with different author (for ex., by private-label rights) Duplicate Incomplete work (such as sample or serial) Should be marked adults-only Category is inappropriate Poorly formatted Nudity or other inappropriate content on cover Nudity or other inappropriate visual content in book Inappropriate erotica content Cover image is improper Content is inappropriate Other violation of Terms of Service Other reason not shown above.

Additional details: