“The Mass Save Great Appliance Exchange is the latest example of the Commonwealth’s use of federal Recovery dollars to lower household energy costs, cut energy waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “I am delighted that launching this program will be part of our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth [...]

Governor Deval Patrick today announced that the Commonwealth’s bond ratings have been affirmed by the three major rating agencies, all of whom cited the Governor’s responsible and proactive stewardship of the Commonwealth’s finances during the current economic downturn as a leading credit strength.
Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s all affirmed the Commonwealth’s [...]

There is a connection between fiat currencies and trade deficits, and many cynics have argued that the US dollar’s status as global reserve currency allowed Americans to consume more than they produced for decades. However, this “deficit without tears” argument is sometimes overstated. To gain a deeper understanding of both monetary theory and international trade, [...]

“In the United States alone, consumers spent about US $110 billion on fast food in 2000 (which increased from US$6 billion in 1970). The National Restaurant Association forecasted that fast food restaurants in the U.S. would reach US$142 billion in sales in 2006, a 5% increase over 2005. In comparison, the full-service restaurant segment of [...]

My parish, St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts, has opened a search for a curate. What’s a curate you ask? It’s a clergy person who serves as assistant to the rector (that would be me). Here is the full position description: Curate Position Description
St. John’s is a healthy, growing program-size church on the [...]

The Massachusetts State Lottery was established by the legislature in 1971, in response to the need for revenues for the 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth. To provide an operating structure for the Lottery, the Legislature established a five-member commission that includes the State Treasurer as Chairperson, the Secretary of Public Safety, the State [...]

Along with getting a sense of the size of increases small businesses are seeing in health insurance, one of the main goals of this week’s hearings around the state is to gauge response to Governor Patrick’s recnt reform plans for small-market health insurance.
“The Governor’s legislation provides tax credits for businesses that create new jobs, eases [...]

Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. Its etymology can be traced to the unlicensed nature of the transmission, but historically there has been occasional but notable use of sea vessels – fitting the most common perception of a pirate – as broadcasting bases. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting [...]

A bond is a debt investment in which an investor loans a certain amount of money, for a certain amount of time, with a certain interest rate, to a company. A government bond is a bond issued by a national government denominated in the country’s own currency. Bonds issued by national governments in foreign currencies [...]

With the latest housing crisis and credit markets the one thing that is on everyone’s mind is inflation.
Austrian economist Mises recently posted a scholarly review of Austrian thought on inflation. “A very popular doctrine maintains that progressive lowering of the monetary unit’s purchasing power played a decisive role in historical evolution. It is asserted [...]