Vice-President of the United States of America - Joe Biden
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Pearls of Wisdom from Vice-President Joe Biden
Friday, December 17, 2010
Libertarians Must Never Warm to the Warfare State
by Murray N. Rothbard
Libertarian Review, August 1977, pp. 10–12
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| Murray N. Rothbard |
Let us examine some of the articles in Reason's July issue to see what they are all about. First, one John Kizer attacks Thomas Szasz's libertarian denunciation of involuntary mental hospitalization. Kizer analogizes that just as the unconscious victim of an auto wreck can be justifiably "involuntarily" treated by a doctor, a treatment that will be really voluntary after the patient wakes up, so too can the schizophrenic or paranoiac be involuntarily – "really" voluntarily – treated.
Except that the schizophrenic and paranoiac are awake and conscious, thank you, and are clearly not assenting! And, should an opponent of medical therapy wake up from his accident and demand out, his demand, however odd, must be granted. But what of the similar demand of the mental patient? At any rate, whether sound or unsound, the point is that Mr. Kizer's article is explicitly antilibertarian.
Then there is the crazed article from Canada, by one A. Michael Keerma, which Red-baits to an extent that would not even be tolerated by National Review or Human Events. First, there is the ludicrous charge that the Parti Québécois and Québec Premier René Lévesque are Communists run by the Soviet KGB. There is not even a coming to grips in the Keerman article with the libertarian view that secession is a per se libertarian act, being the dismantling of a State into constituent parts. But just when I thought that Keerma would be calling for an all-out defense of the Canadian nation-state against the Québec separatists, I find that the author's Red-baiting has boxed him into a peculiar corner. For, according to Keerma, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is himself a Communist and KGB tool.
It is incredible that this sort of drivel can appear in a responsible magazine. The truth is that neither Trudeau nor Lévesque is a Communist or a Soviet agent; they are simply, like nearly every other politician in the "free world," moderate socialists, which is bad enough, but hardly a call for the United States to become embattled, in Keerma's words, in "a war to determine the fate of the free world." Or are we to nuke Britain, run by moderate-socialist Callaghan?
Audit the Fed in 2011
by Ron Paul
Since the announcement last week that I will chair the congressional subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve, the media response has been overwhelming. The groundswell of opposition to Fed actions among ordinary citizens is reflected not only in the rhetoric coming out of Capitol Hill, but also in the tremendous interest shown by the financial press. The demand for transparency is growing, whether the political and financial establishment likes it or not. The Fed is losing its vaunted status as an institution that somehow is above politics and public scrutiny. Fed transparency will be the cornerstone of my efforts as subcommittee chairman.
Thanks to public pressure earlier this year, Congress did pass legislation that requires the Fed to disclose some information about its bailout of select industries and companies following the 2008 financial crisis. So two weeks ago the Fed released data concerning more than $3 trillion of assistance it offered to banks through its bailout facilities. After reviewing this data, however, we are left with many more questions about the Fed's “lending.”
In the “Term Securities Lending Facility,” the Fed was supposed to have loaned against AAA-rated securities – yet over half of the collateral put up by banks to obtain loans had no listed credit rating. Should we assume that the Fed accepted absolute junk-rated securities as collateral for loans? Presumably these securities were so bad that they wouldn’t even publicize their credit rating. So why should our central bank, backed up by your taxes, accept such collateral?
On another note, of the $1.25 trillion purchased under the Fed’s “Mortgage-Backed Securities Purchase Program,” only $877 billion in purchases have been publicized. What happened to the remaining $400 billion?
These kinds of limited disclosures by the Fed only underscore the need for a full and complete audit of the Fed’s financial books. This audit should be done by an independent third party, in the same manner that public companies are audited. The Fed should make public its balance sheet, income statement, and perhaps most importantly its cash flow statement. It also should publicize the notes explaining those financial statements.
We seem to forget sometimes that Congress created the Fed – it is a government-created banking monopoly, and its top decision-makers are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. If the Fed does not perform satisfactorily in the eyes of these politicians and their constituents, the Chairman and Governors may not be re-nominated.
In theory, Congress could even repeal the Federal Reserve Act altogether since it has the authority to do so. Obviously Congress is within its authority to audit an organization it created by statute, and it is time to assume that responsibility.
With 320 Members of Congress cosponsoring my legislation to fully audit the Fed in the 111th Congress, my hope is that we can build on our broad bipartisan coalition in 2011 and continue the push for greater Fed transparency going forward.
Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas
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| Ron Paul |
Thanks to public pressure earlier this year, Congress did pass legislation that requires the Fed to disclose some information about its bailout of select industries and companies following the 2008 financial crisis. So two weeks ago the Fed released data concerning more than $3 trillion of assistance it offered to banks through its bailout facilities. After reviewing this data, however, we are left with many more questions about the Fed's “lending.”
In the “Term Securities Lending Facility,” the Fed was supposed to have loaned against AAA-rated securities – yet over half of the collateral put up by banks to obtain loans had no listed credit rating. Should we assume that the Fed accepted absolute junk-rated securities as collateral for loans? Presumably these securities were so bad that they wouldn’t even publicize their credit rating. So why should our central bank, backed up by your taxes, accept such collateral?
On another note, of the $1.25 trillion purchased under the Fed’s “Mortgage-Backed Securities Purchase Program,” only $877 billion in purchases have been publicized. What happened to the remaining $400 billion?
These kinds of limited disclosures by the Fed only underscore the need for a full and complete audit of the Fed’s financial books. This audit should be done by an independent third party, in the same manner that public companies are audited. The Fed should make public its balance sheet, income statement, and perhaps most importantly its cash flow statement. It also should publicize the notes explaining those financial statements.
We seem to forget sometimes that Congress created the Fed – it is a government-created banking monopoly, and its top decision-makers are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. If the Fed does not perform satisfactorily in the eyes of these politicians and their constituents, the Chairman and Governors may not be re-nominated.
In theory, Congress could even repeal the Federal Reserve Act altogether since it has the authority to do so. Obviously Congress is within its authority to audit an organization it created by statute, and it is time to assume that responsibility.
With 320 Members of Congress cosponsoring my legislation to fully audit the Fed in the 111th Congress, my hope is that we can build on our broad bipartisan coalition in 2011 and continue the push for greater Fed transparency going forward.
Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas
Block's Building Blocks
by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
Foreword to Building Blocks for Liberty
Murray Rothbard, in his life, was known as Mr. Libertarian. We can make a solid case that the title now belongs to Walter Block, a student of Rothbard's whose own vita is as thick as a phone book, as diverse as Wikipedia. Whether he is writing on economic theory, ethics, political secession, drugs, roads, education, monetary policy, social theory, unions, political language, or anything else, his prose burns with a passion for this single idea: if human problems are to be solved, the solution is to be found by permitting greater liberty.
Yes, Walter Block is provocative. He is an admitted anarchocapitalist, and his signature treatise is called Defending the Undefendable. But readers who spend time with his prose discover that there is far more to the Blockian method than simply breaking taboos. He is provocative not just because of his conclusions but also because he is relentlessly logical, unfailingly truthful, and unusually sincere. He wants answers to the most vexing human problems — whether they are small or large — and he is going to pursue that truth as far as human reasoning can take him.
I can recall looking through correspondence that Professor Block has had with colleagues in topics such as monetary policy, letters in which Block is sharply in disagreement with his correspondent. His argument on behalf of his position is so pointed and attractive that his opponent cannot resist attempting an answer, but of course that only elicits yet another response, and yet another rejoinder, and another response, and so on. The rounds of correspondence can go on for dozens of interchanges. Block persists not because he wants to beat anyone down, but because he is so sincere about finding truth and ferreting out error. If he is wrong about a point, he wants to know it. That's why his opponents always end up on the hot seat.
There is another aspect to his work that should be noted. His public persona is as a plumb-line libertarian, but his method and mode of argument come from his core training in the science of economics. He deploys economic tools in the service of finding answers to social problems. This shows up not only in his exposition; he is also an inspired teacher who never misses a chance to present his argument step by step so that the reader can come to understand economic logic along the way.
You might be surprised at how reasonable-sounding Block can make what might otherwise be considered an outrageous idea. Not every reader will accept every one of Block's conclusions. But everyone will learn how a top-notch economic thinker in the Austrian tradition approaches a huge range of issues. If you disagree with him, you would do well to do so with the same method: that of thinking through problems with close attention to logical and analytical detail.
There is one final trait of Block that might be overlooked: his humility. In a world of academics with inflated egos and selfish ambitions, Block displays constant sincerity, a sweet trust in believing that the truth demonstrated with patience and logic should be enough to carry the day. In our politicized world of charlatans and agenda-driven ideologues, this is rarely the case, of course. But Block charms us with his truth-seeking way, his desire to engage counterarguments of any sort, and his willingness to be shown where he is wrong.
A volume of all the "critical essays" by Walter Block would surely run into thousands of pages. But this is an excellent sampling, and a great tribute to one of the most inspired and hardworking intellectuals of our time.
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. [send him mail], former editorial assistant to Ludwig von Mises and congressional chief of staff to Ron Paul, is founder and chairman of the Mises Institute, executor for the estate of Murray N. Rothbard, and editor of LewRockwell.com. See his books.
Copyright © 2010 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.
Foreword to Building Blocks for Liberty
Murray Rothbard, in his life, was known as Mr. Libertarian. We can make a solid case that the title now belongs to Walter Block, a student of Rothbard's whose own vita is as thick as a phone book, as diverse as Wikipedia. Whether he is writing on economic theory, ethics, political secession, drugs, roads, education, monetary policy, social theory, unions, political language, or anything else, his prose burns with a passion for this single idea: if human problems are to be solved, the solution is to be found by permitting greater liberty.
Yes, Walter Block is provocative. He is an admitted anarchocapitalist, and his signature treatise is called Defending the Undefendable. But readers who spend time with his prose discover that there is far more to the Blockian method than simply breaking taboos. He is provocative not just because of his conclusions but also because he is relentlessly logical, unfailingly truthful, and unusually sincere. He wants answers to the most vexing human problems — whether they are small or large — and he is going to pursue that truth as far as human reasoning can take him.
I can recall looking through correspondence that Professor Block has had with colleagues in topics such as monetary policy, letters in which Block is sharply in disagreement with his correspondent. His argument on behalf of his position is so pointed and attractive that his opponent cannot resist attempting an answer, but of course that only elicits yet another response, and yet another rejoinder, and another response, and so on. The rounds of correspondence can go on for dozens of interchanges. Block persists not because he wants to beat anyone down, but because he is so sincere about finding truth and ferreting out error. If he is wrong about a point, he wants to know it. That's why his opponents always end up on the hot seat.
There is another aspect to his work that should be noted. His public persona is as a plumb-line libertarian, but his method and mode of argument come from his core training in the science of economics. He deploys economic tools in the service of finding answers to social problems. This shows up not only in his exposition; he is also an inspired teacher who never misses a chance to present his argument step by step so that the reader can come to understand economic logic along the way.
You might be surprised at how reasonable-sounding Block can make what might otherwise be considered an outrageous idea. Not every reader will accept every one of Block's conclusions. But everyone will learn how a top-notch economic thinker in the Austrian tradition approaches a huge range of issues. If you disagree with him, you would do well to do so with the same method: that of thinking through problems with close attention to logical and analytical detail.
There is one final trait of Block that might be overlooked: his humility. In a world of academics with inflated egos and selfish ambitions, Block displays constant sincerity, a sweet trust in believing that the truth demonstrated with patience and logic should be enough to carry the day. In our politicized world of charlatans and agenda-driven ideologues, this is rarely the case, of course. But Block charms us with his truth-seeking way, his desire to engage counterarguments of any sort, and his willingness to be shown where he is wrong.
A volume of all the "critical essays" by Walter Block would surely run into thousands of pages. But this is an excellent sampling, and a great tribute to one of the most inspired and hardworking intellectuals of our time.
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. [send him mail], former editorial assistant to Ludwig von Mises and congressional chief of staff to Ron Paul, is founder and chairman of the Mises Institute, executor for the estate of Murray N. Rothbard, and editor of LewRockwell.com. See his books.
Copyright © 2010 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.
Great Political Insight
''New reports on Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue' bus tour. They say she's been traveling on private planes to various stops and then just hops in the bus at the local town. So, let's see what you got. You have Sarah Palin, who's no longer governor, who's promoting a book she didn't actually write by going on a bus tour which is not really a bus. Her big complaint? Politicians who aren't real.''
—Jay Leno
The War on Drugs
Ron Crickenberger, Libertarian Party Political Director 2/4/02"The War on Drugs is a price support system for terrorists and drug pushers. It turns ordinary, cheap plants like marijuana and poppies into fantastically lucrative black market products. Without the War on Drugs, the financial engine that fuels terrorist organizations would sputter to a halt."
U.S. Can't Force People to Buy Stuff
by Ilya Shapiro
This article appeared on CNN.com on December 13, 2010
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| Ilya Shapiro |
But this should not be surprising, for the Constitution does not grant the federal government the power to force private commercial transactions.
Even if the Supreme Court has broadened the scope of Congress' authority under the Commerce Clause — it can now reach local activities that have a substantial effect on interstate commerce — never before has it allowed people to face a civil penalty for declining to buy a particular product. Hudson found therefore that the individual mandate "is neither within the letter nor the spirit of the Constitution."
Stated another way, every exercise of Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce has involved some form of action or transaction engaged in by an individual or legal entity. The government's theory — that the decision not to buy insurance is an economic one that affects interstate commerce in various ways — would, for the first time ever, permit laws commanding people to engage in economic activity.
Read the rest at Cato
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Rhetoric Rides Again
by Thomas Sowell
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| Thomas Sowell |
First of all, nobody's taxes – whether rich or poor – are going to be cut in this lame duck session of Congress. The only real issue is whether our current tax rates will go up in January, whether for everybody or nobody or somewhere in between.
The most we can hope for is that tax rates will not go up. So the next time you hear some politician or media talking head say "tax cuts for the rich," that will just tell you whether they are serious about facts or just addicted to talking points.
Not only are the so-called "tax cuts" not really tax cuts, most of the people called "rich" are not really rich. Rich means having a lot of wealth. But income taxes don't touch wealth. No wonder some billionaires are saying it's OK to raise income taxes. They would still be billionaires if taxes took 100 percent of their current income.
Read the rest at Lew Rockwell
MdLP Petition Signatures top 6,000
Dundalk, MD: The Maryland Libertarian Party is reporting that over 6,000 signatures have been collected in the past three weeks as the MdLP is working to retain it's party status. On November 10, 2010 the LNC Executive Committee authorized $12,500 towards the effort.
The State of Maryland requires that Third Parties either collect a minimum of 10,000 valid signatures or receive 1% of the vote in either the Gubernatorial election or the Presidential election to retain official party status. Once a political party garners 1% of the registered voters in the State of Maryland then it remains a party as long as it maintains 1% of the registered voters.
In 2010 the MdLP ran candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, 7 congressional candidates, numerous candidates for House of Delegates, 1 for school board and a County Council seat. Over 61,000 votes were cast for Libertarians in Maryland in 2010. The MdLP is the third largest political party in Maryland with over 9,000 registered voters.
For more information on the Libertarian Party you can visit the national site at www.lp.org. The Maryland Libertarian Party's site is http://www.blogger.com/www.MD.lp.org and their blog at http://www.blogger.com/www.mdlibertarian.com. To arrange an interview or speak to someone for more information contact the MdLP's Communication Director Lorenzo Gaztañaga at http://www.blogger.com/.
The State of Maryland requires that Third Parties either collect a minimum of 10,000 valid signatures or receive 1% of the vote in either the Gubernatorial election or the Presidential election to retain official party status. Once a political party garners 1% of the registered voters in the State of Maryland then it remains a party as long as it maintains 1% of the registered voters.
In 2010 the MdLP ran candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, 7 congressional candidates, numerous candidates for House of Delegates, 1 for school board and a County Council seat. Over 61,000 votes were cast for Libertarians in Maryland in 2010. The MdLP is the third largest political party in Maryland with over 9,000 registered voters.
For more information on the Libertarian Party you can visit the national site at www.lp.org. The Maryland Libertarian Party's site is http://www.blogger.com/www.MD.lp.org and their blog at http://www.blogger.com/www.mdlibertarian.com. To arrange an interview or speak to someone for more information contact the MdLP's Communication Director Lorenzo Gaztañaga at http://www.blogger.com/.
FRAUD: WHY THE TAX CUT BILL IS JUST AN EXCUSE TO SPEND ANOTHER TRILLION DOLLARS!
PROOF THAT OUR POLITICAL LEADERS HAVEN’T LEARNED A THING.
By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Best-Selling Author
Didn’t we just have a historic Tea Party election? Wasn’t the message STOP THE SPENDING, PAY OFF THE DEBT, and STOP THE INSANITY? The message was loud and clear, yet the first major bill after the election adds about one trillion more in debt as we face economic Armageddon -- a rapidly approaching debt crisis (that will make Greece look like child’s play), 20% real unemployment, and eventually hyper-inflation that could turn America into Zimbabwe. This is insanity folks. But hey, what is another trillion in debt among friends?
As a small business owner, entrepreneur, and capitalist evangelist no one has been a bigger cheerleader for lower taxes than me. Tax cuts leave more money in the hands of those who earned it and deserve it -- small business and taxpayers. Their investing and spending of that extra money is what fuels the economic engine that creates jobs to get America out of this mess.
Extending the Bush-era tax cuts is essential to any chance at an economic and employment rebound. Ronald Reagan proved that massive tax cuts can turn the worst bust into a historic boom. A massive tax cut right now is just what the doctor ordered to save the U.S. economy.
However, just like the recent “Food Safety Bill” has little to do with food safety, or the recent “Jobs Bill,” which never created a job, this tax cut extension bill has little to do with tax cuts. It is just an excuse for Congress to spend another trillion dollars and expand government.
By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Best-Selling Author
Didn’t we just have a historic Tea Party election? Wasn’t the message STOP THE SPENDING, PAY OFF THE DEBT, and STOP THE INSANITY? The message was loud and clear, yet the first major bill after the election adds about one trillion more in debt as we face economic Armageddon -- a rapidly approaching debt crisis (that will make Greece look like child’s play), 20% real unemployment, and eventually hyper-inflation that could turn America into Zimbabwe. This is insanity folks. But hey, what is another trillion in debt among friends?
As a small business owner, entrepreneur, and capitalist evangelist no one has been a bigger cheerleader for lower taxes than me. Tax cuts leave more money in the hands of those who earned it and deserve it -- small business and taxpayers. Their investing and spending of that extra money is what fuels the economic engine that creates jobs to get America out of this mess.
Extending the Bush-era tax cuts is essential to any chance at an economic and employment rebound. Ronald Reagan proved that massive tax cuts can turn the worst bust into a historic boom. A massive tax cut right now is just what the doctor ordered to save the U.S. economy.
However, just like the recent “Food Safety Bill” has little to do with food safety, or the recent “Jobs Bill,” which never created a job, this tax cut extension bill has little to do with tax cuts. It is just an excuse for Congress to spend another trillion dollars and expand government.
Great Political Insight
"Democrats are calling Christine O'Donnell 'the Sarah Palin of the East.' Really? She's a loud, emotionally unstable woman from Delaware. That's not Sarah Palin, that's Joe Biden."
–Craig Ferguson
Ron Paul's Questions for Ben Bernanke
by Gary North
I have good news and bad news for Ben Bernanke.
First, the good news.
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| Gary North |
I am no longer Dr. Paul's research assistant. If I were, I would be working at least half of my time on compiling questions for Dr. Paul to ask Dr. Bernanke.
I would be actively cultivating leakers from inside all 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks (private), as well as staffers working for the Board of Governors (government). There is always some disgruntled employee ready to open locked closets. I would be encouraging every one to become the equivalent of Bradley Manning. "Purloined documents R us!"
Thirty-four years ago, I held that position. Dr. Paul was then the Congressman with the least amount of seniority in Congress. His term came to an end only eight months after it began. He was elected to fill an interim position, due to a resignation, and he lost by 268 votes out of about 180,000 in November. He came back two years later, but by then, I was off to greener pastures.
In those days, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve System was Arthur Burns. He had been inflating like mad, trying to pull the economy out of Nixon's 1970–71 recession, then Ford's recession in 1975. Gold bottomed in the summer of 1976 at $105. It would never again get anywhere near that price.
Dr. Paul was already becoming Dr. No – voting no on most spending bills. He opposed the extension of funding of the International Monetary Fund. I wrote the dissenting paper on my first full day on the job – a Saturday. Back then, staffers could come into the Capitol office buildings without police checkpoints of any kind, at any hour. Those were the good old days.
Dr. Paul was not in a position to give much trouble to Dr. Burns. A year before, the head of the House Banking Committee had been Wright Patman, an anti-FED Congressman from east Texas. He had been giving the FED trouble for 25 years. It was Patman who, along with fellow Greenbacker Jerry Voorhis, got the law changed in the early 1940s to force the FED to return to the Treasury all money above expenses. That was the greatest single victory Congress ever had in dealing with the FED. But Patman had been ousted in a coup by younger Democrats in 1975. They revolted against the old seniority system in the aftermath of Watergate. The new chairman, Henry Reuss [ROYCE], was pro-FED. There was no way that there would be any confrontations allowed under Reuss.
Ben Bernanke was 23 years old.
That was then. This is now. That's the bad news for Dr. Bernanke.
"QUESTIONS! WE'VE GOT QUESTIONS!"
Read the rest at Lew Rockwell
Great Political Insight
"Joe Biden accidentally revealed the location of the Vice President's top secret bunker. The guy can't help it. But he did apologize. He said, 'I am so sorry for the mistake. The launch code is 85334. It will never happen again. It will never happen again. My Gmail password is robot23. What am I doing? The house key is under the plant near the doorstep.'"
--Jimmy Fallon
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Ron Paul Appointed Chairman of Domestic Monetary Policy Subcommittee
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| Ron Paul |
Congressman Spencer Bachus, incoming Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, announced Paul’s appointment today:
“Congressman Paul has been a leading voice in Congress on the topics of monetary policy and the Federal Reserve,” Bachus stated. “His commitment to sound money and free-market principles will serve him well as Chairman of the subcommittee.”
“I’m very pleased and excited about being named Chairman of the subcommittee,” Paul stated. “I first ran for Congress in the 1970s because I was concerned about inflation and the dollar. I believed then – as I do now – that unchecked monetary expansion posed great risks for the American economy and our standard of living. In the decades since, we have seen how expansion of the money supply by the Federal Reserve has eroded the value of our dollar. We also have seen how the Federal Reserve, in concert with Congress, has enabled the Treasury to incur almost unbelievable amounts of debt.”
Paul is well known as the author of comprehensive legislation to audit the Federal Reserve Bank, with the goal of providing both taxpayers and world financial markets with full transparency of U.S. central bank actions.
As chairman, Paul expects to hold regular hearings with Federal Reserve Bank officials, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. He also plans to solicit testimony from prominent economists concerning both monetary policy generally and Fed actions in particular.
Great Political Insight
''Hey, this is absolutely true. There's an organization now called 'Draft Dick Cheney for President, 2012.' Yeah. Good luck with that. They tried to draft Dick Cheney five times during Vietnam. That didn't work.''
—Jay Leno
Great Political Insight
"After signing the law, President Obama said our government shows it is serious about setting a good example for children's health. Then he went outside to smoke a cigarette."
–Craig Ferguson
LP Monday Message: Republicans jack up government spending
Dear Friend of Liberty,
I'm sure you've seen the media reports of how President Obama and the Republicans are making deals for big increases in government spending (while keeping tax rates very high). Ethanol subsidies, more unfunded unemployment spending, etc.
About a week ago, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, "I think the current [35%] tax rate is appropriate for our country." No it isn't, it's way too high. In fact, I don't think there should even be an income tax. Section 2.4 of the Libertarian Party Platform calls for the abolition of the IRS.
When I heard Republicans repeat the words "less government" on the campaign trail this year, I wasn't fooled. I knew they were lying. I hope you weren't fooled either.
Unlike the Republicans, we Libertarians believe in cutting government spending. In fact, we want to cut spending across the board -- and that includes the military, Social Security, and Medicare. And we want to get rid of ethanol subsidies and other corporate welfare -- while the Republicans vote to increase it.
Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
I'm sure you've seen the media reports of how President Obama and the Republicans are making deals for big increases in government spending (while keeping tax rates very high). Ethanol subsidies, more unfunded unemployment spending, etc.
About a week ago, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, "I think the current [35%] tax rate is appropriate for our country." No it isn't, it's way too high. In fact, I don't think there should even be an income tax. Section 2.4 of the Libertarian Party Platform calls for the abolition of the IRS.
When I heard Republicans repeat the words "less government" on the campaign trail this year, I wasn't fooled. I knew they were lying. I hope you weren't fooled either.
Unlike the Republicans, we Libertarians believe in cutting government spending. In fact, we want to cut spending across the board -- and that includes the military, Social Security, and Medicare. And we want to get rid of ethanol subsidies and other corporate welfare -- while the Republicans vote to increase it.
Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
Pearls of Wisdom from Vice-President Joe Biden
Vice President of the United States of America - Joe Biden, apparently unaware that FDR wasn't president when the stock market crashed in 1929 and that only experimental TV sets were in use at that time.
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened."
Great Political Insight
"FedEx said that it shipped 16 million packages today on its busiest day of the year. That's right, they handled 16 million packages. Or as the TSA calls that, 'kind of a slow day.'"
–Jimmy Fallon
Count Our Holiday Blessings: At Least We’re Not Starving
by C.J. Maloney
"The root of famine lies not in the gods or in the stars but in the actions of man."
Murray Rothbard (1985)
This being the holiday season it is good for the soul to spend a moment and give thanks to God for His blessings so thereafter, soul at ease and heart full of holiday cheer, you may rush back to Wal-Mart and resume punching out your fellow shoppers during infantile orgies of spending. I fear with America’s high unemployment and a political elite seemingly bent on destroying the currency we might be psychologically inclined, as libertarians, to look on the dark side of things this Christmas. Allow me to point out a little ray of sunshine.
By examining our nation’s history we see that America is indeed exceptional and blessed by God in one very important way – we have never experienced famine. It might not sound like much, but you don’t know what you’ve got until the refrigerator is bare. Episodes of famine are rife throughout recorded time; the past gives us innumerable episodes when millions of desperate, starving people were reduced to wander like the animals of the forest, every moment of their last wretched days spent in agonizing and often futile searches for food.
Famine is an unrivaled horror; of all the ways to die none comes close to matching the physical and psychological torment of starving to death. It is the most painful way to end your life, a slow, drawn out execution that will reduce even the most proud of men to root eagerly through horse manure and swallow any undigested oats within it. Better for any nation an atomic bomb attack than famine, if history is any guide. Hardly any peoples on earth can boast of never knowing famine. During their time under the Tsars famine swept Russia so frequently that permanently staffed government bureaus were always on hand to deal with them.
Resources
"When politics are used to allocate resources, the resources all end up being allocated to politics."
P.J. O'Rourke
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thoughts from Robert Anton Wilson
"To me, it doesn't matter if your scapegoats are the Jews, the homosexuals, the male sex, the Masons, the Jesuits, the Welfare Parasites, the Power Elite, the female sex, the vegetarians, or the Communist Party. To the extent that you need a scapegoat, you simply have not got your brain programmed to work as an efficient problem-solving machine."
Robert Anton Wilson
Monday, December 13, 2010
Control
"I am convinced that we can do to guns what we've done to drugs: create a multi-billion dollar underground market over which we have absolutely no control."
George L. Roman
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thoughts from Alan Dershowitz
"Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out of the constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that it's too much of a safety hazard don't see the danger of the big picture. They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use this same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like."
Alan Dershowitz, in The Conceptual Foundations of Anglo-American Jurisprudence in Religion and Reason, 82 Mich L. Rev., 204 (Dan Gifford), 1995
Obama on Health Care
''UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems.''
—Barack Obama, attempting to make the case for government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009
Lying Is Not Patriotic
by Ron Paul
The hysterical reaction makes one wonder if this is not an example of killing the messenger for the bad news.
Despite what is claimed, information so far released, though classified, has caused no known harm to any individual, but it has caused plenty of embarrassment to our government. Losing a grip on our empire is not welcomed by the neo-conservatives in charge.
There is now more information confirming that Saudi Arabia is a principle supporter and financier of Al Qaeda and this should set off alarm bells since we guarantee its Sharia-run government.
This emphasizes even more the fact that no Al Qaeda existed in Iraq before 9/11, and yet we went to war against Iraq based on the lie that it did.
It has been charged, by self-proclaimed experts, that Julian Assange, the internet publisher of this information, has committed a heinous crime deserving prosecution for treason and execution or even assassination.
But should we not at least ask how the U.S. government can charge an Australian citizen with treason for publishing U.S. secret information, that he did not steal?
And if WikiLeaks is to be prosecuted for publishing classified documents, why shouldn’t the Washington Post, New York Times, and others that have also published these documents be prosecuted? Actually, some in Congress are threatening this as well.
The New York Times, as a result of a Supreme Court ruling, was not found guilty in 1971 for the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Daniel Ellsberg never served a day in prison for his role in obtaining these secret documents.
The Pentagon Papers were also inserted into the Congressional Record by Senator Mike Gravel with no charges being made of breaking any National Security laws.
Yet the release of this classified information was considered illegal by many, and those who lied us into the Vietnam War and argued for its prolongation were outraged. But the truth gained from the Pentagon Papers revealed that lies were told about the Gulf of Tonkin attack which perpetuated a sad and tragic episode in our history.
Just as with the Vietnam War, the Iraq War was based on lies. We were never threatened by Weapons of Mass Destruction or Al Qaeda in Iraq, though the attack on Iraq was based on this false information.
Questions to consider:
1. Do the American people deserve to know the truth regarding the ongoing war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen?Thomas Jefferson had it right when he advised: “Let the eyes of vigilance never be closed.”
2. Could a larger question be: how can an Army Private gain access to so much secret material?
3. Why is the hostility mostly directed at Assange, the publisher, and not our government’s failure to protect classified information?
4. Are we getting our money’s worth from the $80 billion per year we spend on our intelligence agencies?
5. Which has resulted in the greatest number of deaths; lying us into war, or WikiLeaks’ revelations or the release of the Pentagon Papers?
6. If Assange can be convicted of a crime for publishing information, that he did not steal, what does this say about the future of the First Amendment and the independence of the internet?
7. Could it be that the real reason for the near universal attacks on WikiLeaks is more about secretly maintaining a seriously flawed foreign policy of empire than it is about national security?
8. Is there not a huge difference between releasing secret information to help the enemy in the time of a declared war – which is treason – and the releasing of information to expose our government lies that promote secret wars, death, and corruption?
9. Was it not once considered patriotic to stand up to our government when it’s wrong?
Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.
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