Your Taxes Are Going Up (No Matter Who Wins Today)
We distribute this week’s Nestmann’s Notes as the world waits in suspense over whether America’s voters (in reality, that tiny subset of America known as the Electoral College) [...]
How Trump (or Biden) Could Steal the Election
After the 1787 Constitutional Convention had concluded in Philadelphia, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin was reputedly asked, “Sir, what form of government have you given us?”
Could Trump Pardon Himself?
An American president’s authority to grant pardons has long been controversial. The Constitution provides the commander-in-chief with a broad reach in exercising these powers.
Yes, There Is Good News!
I’ve been called “The World’s Most Pessimistic Man” and “Mr. Worst-Case Scenario.” But I’m actually an optimist when looking at the long-term future.
Your Smartphone is Spying on You (Again)
It’s no surprise that Big Brother takes an intense interest in how we interact with our mobile devices.
More Countries Open Their Borders to Self-Sufficient Migrants
Your US passport, once a gateway to the world, is now a travel liability. As I pointed out in this article...
The World Gangs Up on the Dollar
One of our clients’ recurring concerns is the long-term viability of the US dollar as the world’s “reserve currency.” I have a simple answer for them:
The dollar is doomed.
Wondering Why Stock Prices Are Still Going Up?
Alexander Kearns’ name should be seared into your memory.
The CDC vs. Your Property
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with the support of the Trump administration, announced a nationwide moratorium on evictions through the end of this year.
Expatriations are at an All-Time High, but Just Try to Get an Appointment…
Americans are giving up their citizenship faster than ever before – with 2,406 renunciations in the second quarter of 2020 alone.
The Left Embraces States’ Rights
The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited the debate over the rights of individual states versus the federal government. It’s a debate that began before the Constitution was even ratified in 1788.
What Post COVID-19 America Will Look Like
In the months and years ahead, you’ll do fine and maybe even get rich if you sell weed edibles or become a video game star. If you own a mall, your golden days have passed.
Your US Passport Is Now a Travel Liability
You’ll no doubt be happy to learn that last week, the State Department lifted the “Global Level 4 Travel Advisory” which warned Americans not to travel abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is It Time to Take Profits in Gold?
Gold prices, measured in US dollars, rocketed to all-time highs last week, reaching a peak $1,970.90 on July 29.
Can the Fed’s Trillion-Dollar Deficits Prop Up the Economy Forever?
Back on April 7, I predicted that the economic downturn spurred by COVID-19 lockdowns would be as bad or worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.
No, We Don’t Need Weaker Encryption
During the worst economic downturn in over a century, you might expect that Congress’s top priority would be enacting legislation that helps put more than 32 million unemployed Americans back to work.
High Seas Piracy Is Legal for Uncle Sam
Piracy is one of the few activities that nearly everyone worldwide condemns. It’s one of three crimes defined in the US Constitution, and the first federal criminal statute, enacted in 1790, set forth the death penalty for any person convicted of it.
Your Vanishing “Expectation of Privacy”
You may not have noticed, but eyes in the sky were watching when demonstrators marched in American cities last month.
How the War on Drugs Gave Police a “License to Kill”
The War on Drugs is a prime example of America’s gradual descent into a police state. And it’s a textbook case for understanding how cops – once known as “peace officers”...
Need a Passport? Hope You’re Not in a Hurry…
Just over a century ago, a US citizen could journey to almost any other country in the world without a passport. And until only 15 years ago, you could travel to Mexico, Canada, and most Caribbean countries without one.
The One Thing Trump and Biden Agree On
On May 28, President Trump signed an executive order targeting Twitter, one of the largest and most influential social media platforms.
Do We Really Want the Military Policing Our Cities?
America’s founding fathers were rightly concerned about the potential for the government they had created to descend into a military dictatorship.
Will a Biden Victory Lead to “Taxmegeddon”?
Joe Biden is now a shoo-in for nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate for this year’s election. Current opinion polls show him beating Donald Trump in a head-to-head contest, although Trump could still lose...
Do We Really Need to Exchange Privacy for Security?
The symbol for “crisis” in Chinese contains two characters – å±æœº. The first character signifies danger. The second signifies “opportunity.”
Why More Americans than Ever Are Saying Farewell to Uncle Sam (and the IRS)
Heads, Big Brother wins. Tails, you lose. That’s the no-win dilemma US citizens who live overseas face when it comes to using a US passport...
COVID-19 Proves the Nanny State Does More Harm than Good
You might call it the “curse of good intentions”: an action we take upon ourselves or require others to take in the expectation it will improve things for us as individuals or for society.
Will COVID-19 Accelerate the Dollar’s Extinction?
An economic truth I revisit periodically is that every fiat currency (a medium of exchange without intrinsic value or without backing by a commodity with intrinsic value, such as gold) will eventually became worthless.
Somersaulting into a Total Surveillance State
Last summer, I spent a weekend in Michigan with a group of old friends from high school. A highlight from the trip was a visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Who Needs Markets When You Have the Government Running the Economy?
Last week, I described how former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sander’s call for socialist-inspired initiatives...
We’re All Socialists Now
Last week, Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic presidential race, leaving former Vice President and Senator Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee to challenge President Donald Trump this November.