Mailbag: The “Best” Piece Manward Has Ever Written

Andy Snyder|March 9, 2020

We need your help.

We opened the mailbag last week and read a simple note.

At first, we were angry.

Then we shrugged our shoulders.

But eventually we came around to see the beauty in the message.

This is one of the best articles I have read recently. Definitely the best Manward has ever published. – Reader D.C.

Those are very kind words. But they were sent to Joel… not this old boy who’s penned so many of these columns under the light of dawn.

Phooey.

Jealousy hurts.

But eventually our heart healed. Even crowning the “best” Beatle depends on who you ask. Taking second place to one of the greatest thinkers and essayists on the planet isn’t all that bad… especially when we’re so proud to be the guy publishing his words.

But the note got us thinking.

We wonder what other readers think is our best work. Perhaps we should run a series of our best essays or put them all together somewhere safe… like the Smithsonian or perhaps a local landfill where they’ll be encapsulated and held safely underground for the ages.

Give it your thoughts and drop us a line at mailbag@manwardpress.com.

Curiosity has the better of us.

Record-Setting Action

If you’re the money-loving type, your favorite pieces may be about a hot topic these days… interest rates.

We’ve long mused about the fate of interest rates, gold and a global economy that hinges on Washington’s sticky fingers. We cautioned readers. We showed them the evidence. And we may have even pounded a table or two.

Heck, we even brought one of the nation’s foremost bond experts into our ranks. Joseph McBrennan is not just a bond investor… He’s the guy the government calls when it needs to issue more debt.

Joey sent the team in Baltimore a passionate note last week, during the height of the bond market’s explosion.

He gets as excited about this stuff as we do…

Guys… the 10-year U.S. Treasury rates dropped below 1%. That’s a 70 basis point move from a month ago.

So… did anyone, other than Manward, recommend going into bonds in back-to-back reports? While the rest of the market was hitting all-time highs, Manward continued to stay in equities but alerted all its subscribers to the bond opportunity and told them to go long bonds.

No one could have predicted the coronavirus, but that’s always the case. Nobody sees things like that, but we prepared readers for the bond rally.

It’s those last two lines that we want you to key in on. “No one could have predicted…”

That’s so important.

Too many folks try to predict the future. They try to say this is the thing that will cause this.

They’re almost always wrong.

Instead, we must think differently. We must do what we’re convinced our stable of writers does so well. We must use our experience, a rabid understanding of history and, here’s the big one, a heaping dose of logic to draw a sound conclusion.

Using all three, it was oh so obvious that interest rates would be forced to zero… and beyond. We didn’t know when or why. But clearly there was no other choice.

We prayed you took our words seriously.

A Piece of Art

By far, the most popular piece we published last week (and perhaps ever) was Joel’s piece, “Human Rights Don’t Come With a Price Tag.”

It was a fine piece of art… evidence of a clear and logical thinker.

Readers flooded the mailbag.

This is the best definition I have ever heard. Right on Joel! – Reader R.C.

And here’s one from a friend we met at Manward’s retreat in Maine last summer… a man who, too, is a grand thinker and all-around good guy.

This is a follow-up to the message I sent you earlier today. I just received and read my February copy of Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College, and it brings out/explains the reason why we are where we are today. It explains what happened to responsibility to go along with rights. It also explains why we are now a society dominated by lawyers, rather than what we had a century ago. I hope you get a chance to read this issue of Imprimis. If you can’t locate a copy, let me know and I’ll try to get an issue in your hands. – Reader M.K.

We’ll save you the hassle of finding the link. It’s here.

We’ll hold our commentary until you’ve had the chance to read it. For now, we’ll take a more pragmatic approach.

Just as we used history to determine what’s wrong with the economy and used that Know-How to do something about it… we must look at what’s broken in today’s world and plan our next step.

According to more than one reader, the solution is on us…

One thing I am terribly disappointed about is the diminishing role charities have played over the last 50 years. Many of the things government does today used to be done (and encouraged) by private charities. Since the mid-60’s, that has gradually been co-opted by the government.

I think it would be far more productive, efficient and heartwarming if the government would get out of the compassion business and encourage, (through laws, tax incentives, etc…), private charities, Churches and individuals to take up that mantle.

I truly believe we as a nation are at a tipping point with respect to big vs. smaller government. I pray we choose well. Thanks again and keep up the great work! Take Care and God Bless. – Reader W.W.

We agree… with most of this.

Yes, absolutely, Americans must stand up and rely on charity more than government. But begging the government to get the job done via tax laws and other incentives simply feeds the addiction.

Washington’s previous attempts at tax laws have only spurred the screwiness that we have today.

There is good news, though. Charitable donations are not falling. By some measures, they’re rising… but not by much. What is falling is the amount of time folks are volunteering.

That’s a huge issue.

It’s a reminder that it doesn’t just take money. It takes time.

Remember this… It feels good to give money. But it does good to give time.

Keep your questions and comments coming. Drop us a line at mailbag@manwardpress.com.