NEW YORK CITY—In his most recent post, Ethan Penner discusses the environment that inspired his writing, as well as what he has learned by creating the forum.

Before the financial crisis of 2007/2008, Penner says, he would have described himself as part of the silent majority, largely believing US economic strength was foundationally strong even in the face of "political incompetence." Then, "the world's financial system nearly collapsed under the weight of a toxic mix of misguided social policy regarding homeownership, impossibly naive banking regulation, easy money policies, and completely unchecked government spending," which, for Penner, represented a sort of call to arms to express his dissatisfaction.

Penner examines one of the primary themes behind his ideas—chiefly, his concerns with the unchecked growth of the federal government—and discusses what he's learned through the two years he's been committing his thoughts to type.