By Ron Paul
This morning I appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss a third party option for this year's presidential election. I'd like to see an actual second party! The Republicans and Democrats may yell and scream at each other, but policies never change. It's always a one-way ticket to a bigger and more intrusive government.
Muhammad Ali's refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War was said by some to be his greatest, self-imposed, defeat. With the passage of time -- and so many more wars -- history may tell a very different story. What was the impact of Ali's stance on the war?
By Ron Paul
Late last week the markets were shocked by a surprisingly bad May jobs report – the worst monthly report in nearly six years. The experts expected the US economy to add 160,000 jobs in May, but it turns out only 38,000 jobs were added. And to make matters worse, 13,000 of those 38,000 were government jobs! Adding more government employees is a drain on the economy, not a measure of economic growth. Incredibly, there are more than 102 million people who are either unemployed or are no longer looking for work. Gold reacted to the report quickly and decisively, gaining 2.5 percent to $1,243 per ounce on Friday. Gold mining stocks also saw significant gains on the day. As recently as late May, there was confident talk about a rate increase when the Federal Reserve meets in June. Transcripts of the Federal Reserve’s April meeting showed that the central bank was seriously considering a June rate hike. With last week’s jobs report and other bad news, that is increasingly unlikely. In fact, citing the weak May employment numbers, Goldman-Sachs is now predicting that there is a zero percent chance of a rate hike in June. Of course they also see this as a temporary blip in an otherwise robust economy, predicting a 40 percent chance of a rate hike in July. I don’t mean to rain on Goldman’s parade, but there are no miracles between now and July that will propel the economy to where, according to their terms, a rate hike would be appropriate. Many will point to the May employment numbers and the weak economy in general and pin all the blame on President Obama. However, Obama is only part of the problem. The real culprit is an economic philosophy shared by both Republicans and Democrats for many decades. It is a belief in the fantasy of effective central economic planning by the Federal Reserve. It is a belief that a central bank can determine better than the free market what interest rates should be. This belief results in mal-investment, spiraling debt, distorted markets, inflation, bubbles, and finally economic depression. I was not surprised by the lousy May employment numbers. Actually, I am surprised that so many others were surprised. While the “experts” have talked about our “economic recovery” since the crash of 2008, I happen to believe we have been in a recession, or even a depression, for the past eight years. The government manipulates the statistics to hide how bad the economy really is, until finally a bit of the truth leaks out and everyone seems surprised. The people sense something is wrong but many don’t fully understand what it is. They have been told that more government spending will stimulate the economy and bring back jobs, and that more tinkering with interest rates will finally produce ideal economic conditions. But the real problem is that there is a cancer out there and it needs to be aggressively treated, not handed an aspirin. What we are seeing is an epic failure of the Keynesians who have tricked so many people into believing that economic interventionism can create a perfect economy. They have mismanaged the economy and I am afraid the worst is yet to come. All is not lost, however. I am encouraged that so many people are seeing through government deception and are turning to the study of Austrian economics to understand what is wrong with our current system and how we can rebuild the economy. Reading Mises and Rothbard is the best way to understand what is really wrong with our economy…and how it can be fixed.
By Chris Rossini
It's one thing to read digital words on a screen about the horrors of Socialism in Venezuela. It's a totally different (and much more valuable) experience to see and hear the devastation that bad ideas are capable of producing. Please take a few minutes to watch (and share) the video below. The reality of Socialism needs to constantly be refreshed in people's minds, lest even more fall prey to the suffering that it breeds:
By Chris Rossini
Ron Paul has warned many times of civil unrest eventually cropping up in America. I'm sure it's one prediction he wishes he were wrong about. But, instead of moving into a direction of liberty and freedom, the U.S. government and Federal Reserve continue to dig a deeper and deeper ditch for American citizens. More promises of welfare, more money printing and debt, and an unbending desire for more welfare continue to bleed the American economy dry. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip. Ultimately, people reach a breaking point. Since Americans are taught to always look to government for everything, they logically seek an outlet in politics. Since politics is really just a battle of who gets to control government violence, when times are difficult, getting that control becomes critically important. Yesterday a lot of violence occurred at a Trump rally in San Jose, California. Tom DiLorenzo writes: Trump haters punch, throw eggs at, and break the car windows of people peacefully leaving a Trump rally in San Jose, California while assaulting the police to boot. “I’ve never seen anything like it in America” said one bystander. The mayor of San Jose, identified as “a Hillary Clinton supporter,” blamed the violence on Donald Trump for appearing in his town and “causing problems.”
While the mayor curiously blamed Trump for the violence, an editor at Vox sent out a series of which advocated the destruction of property, saying:
"Advice: If Trump comes to your town, start a riot."
The Vox editor has since been suspended for his tweets.
We're witnessing the mentality of violence percolate. As parasitic government continues its feast, the weakened host is lashing out. The desire to gain control of the government force turns literally into a brawl. Neither side in this presidential contest is fighting for liberty. Both merely want control of the reigns. They want to use government force against others (for their benefit) instead of others using government force against them. Those who advocate liberty, private property rights, and sound money have the answers to this mess. The goal should not be to gain control of government so that you may beat your neighbors over the head with it. The goal should be to minimize, reduce, cut, slash and abolish government powers. Americans should not, out of instinct, look to government to solve problems. The bigger and more powerful that government becomes, the nastier and more brutish people must become to control it. Different ideas must be adopted, and a different course for the U.S. government must be made. If not, violence and unrest will likely (and sadly) only increase. By Ron Paul Today's Jobs data was exceptionally disappointing. A mere 38,000 jobs were added when 158,000 were expected. The internal numbers were disappointing as well with far more part-time jobs being created versus full-time, and government employment being one of the gainers. We definitely don't need more bureaucrats hounding the productive individuals that are left in America. The lousiness of today's jobs report prompted me to call in and record a special audio segment. I hope you enjoy the discussion below:
Leave it to a bankrupt government to promise more money to the people it owes. Just yesterday, President Obama declared that "It is time we finally made Social Security more generous." Ron Paul shreds the most popular myths surrounding government's humungous Ponzi scheme. Don't miss today's Myth-Busters!
By Ron Paul
Libertarian activists appear to be split on the Johnson/Weld ticket. There was a strong objection to Bill Weld being picked as VP out of fear of watering down the libertarian message. My advice to the Libertarian Party remains the same: to convey a crisp and non-watered down message of liberty. At this point, I'm not ready to endorse the Libertarian ticket. I discuss below:
By Chris Rossini
Over and over, history, theory, logic, and current events in Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea have proven that Socialism cannot (and will not) ever deliver on its promises. The exceptionally horrific 20th century laid hundreds of millions of people into their graves who suffered under the horrible ideas of Socialism. However, memories fade. That's part of the human experience. People have a tendency to reproduce past mistakes. A new movement has tried to throw the word "Democratic" in front of Socialism in an attempt to re-brand it from its deadly past (and present). It was a very smart move. Americans, even though they believe their own democracy is rigged, still think that it's the best political system. Government schools drill into innocent minds that democracy = freedom. Of course, that's a complete lie, but a lie that serves more than one power center in government very well. For example, Americans have watched their government literally destroy one foreign nation after another under the banner of "spreading democracy." Remaking complex societies with a style of government that Americans don't even trust themselves was supposedly a great idea. It's still going on today, despite the horrendous results. Not only has democracy failed at home, but in foreign military adventures as well. How ironic that Bernie Sanders, the champion of so-called "Democratic Socialism," is now seeking to undermine democracy in his quest for power. RedState tells us that Sanders is: losing in votes cast (by several million), in pledged delegates (again, by a significant chunk), and he has no hope of reversing either of these facts, even with a convincing win next Tuesday.
So "the people have spoken" to use their own vernacular.
That should be it, right? Wrong. You see, there's one stipulation for those in power, as well as those who seek power.....Democracy is great if they like the results. The U.S. government wants foreign nations to be democratic, but those foreign nations must choose rulers that the U.S. approves of. If they don't, in come the U.S.-backed "freedom fighters" and often the U.S. military itself. Well, Sanders doesn't like that the overwhelming majority of people have chosen Clinton. So he's angling to use "super-delegates" to overrule "the people". What he [Sanders] has now resorted to is asking the party bosses to save the Democratic party from its own voters, who have overwhelmingly chosen Hillary.
Those of us who support liberty just stare in wonderment at this cycle of folly.
It's totally unacceptable, from a standpoint of liberty, to put blind faith in majorities. After all, majorities can latch onto some quack ideas like FREE healthcare, FREE college, and FREE whatever is fashionable at the moment. They can convince themselves that they should have "access" and "rights" that don't exist. There's nothing special about majorities. Here's what is very special ---> individual liberty and private property rights.
The bipartisan, neocon-dominated Center for a New American Security has sent Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton some "helpful suggestions" for a Clinton foreign policy: Double down on American exceptionalism and project more military force worldwide. Is this a preview of a Clinton State Department and Pentagon?
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