By Chris Rossini
The state is force. When you mix state force with any other institution or aspect of private life, you get horrendous results. Mix the state with religion and the understanding of God gets warped beyond recognition. The word God becomes a political weapon. Mix the state with science, and the truth that science is meant to unveil gets obliterated into a billion pieces. The words "trust the science" become a political weapon. Let the state determine who is (and who isn't) an expert, and the real experts become like Obi-Wan Kenobi; you have to sift through the desert in order to find them. Mix the state with media, and you get fake news...all the time. Everything that isn't real is presented as real; everywhere you look. Mix the state with corporations and you end up with the system of Benito Mussolini, who stated it plainly: "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power." The state is force. George Washington said: "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master..." America's Founders understood the nature of government. They had a choice to either create a "dangerous servant" or a "fearful master." They tried to create a "dangerous servant." The Founders did their best to 'chain government down' with a Constitution. The federal government could do this, this, and this...and that's it! The Bill of Rights specified to the government: "Don't even think about doing any of these." But as with all human creations, nothing is perfect. Determined minds are expert at identifying and exploiting loopholes, which always exist. The ink was barely dry on the Constitution before its loopholes began to be exploited. Nevertheless, at least for awhile, government's primary function was to keep the peace, and protect the liberty of American citizens. The American Government wasn't supposed be the primary aggressor against the liberty of American citizens (see the year 2020, and the decades leading up to it). The American Government wasn't supposed to "rule the world" by military force (see the last 100 years). So it is clear as day that the role of government today has been completely (COMPLETELY!) turned upside-down in America, and the results are now in each and every American citizen's face. If you wore a mask (at any time) during the last year, the results of upside-down government were literally ON your face. The human mind is creative. Try to put limits on it, and ways will be found around those limits. The creativity of the human mind works in both directions. Both for good and bad. When limits are imposed on the natural freedom of individuals, creativity kicks in and individuals find ways to be free. When limits were placed on the U.S. government with a Constitution, ways have been found around those limits. It works both ways. Freedom tries to limit tyranny, and tyranny tries to limit freedom. Neither one ultimately succeeds and has a 'final victory' because the human mind is free and creative. The mind cannot, and will not, be boxed in by anything or anyone. But, while 'final victory' never transpires, one set of ideas are always dominating the other. Either the ideas of freedom are dominating, or the ideas of tyranny are dominating. One always has the upper hand over the other. When the ideas of freedom dominate, you can think of it as a "Bull Market" for humanity. Life...prosperity...voluntaryism...peace... When the ideas of tyranny dominate, you can think of it as a "Bear Market" for humanity. Mass death...poverty...force...war... To most people, it's obvious as to which is more desirable. If you're interested in contributing to a "Bull Market" for humanity, it starts right where you are. The finger must point inward first, and not outward. Job #1 is to adopt the ideas of Liberty inwardly, and in your own mind. Once you're firmly convinced, and really understand as logically as possible as to why you're convinced, you've added yourself to the "Bull Market" team. You put yourself on the team. Everyone on this team adds themselves. There are no drafts. Whether the "Bull Market" dominates, or is hidden in the desert like Obi-Wan-Kenobi, makes no difference. You're on the "pro-humanity" team, no matter what is happening in the world around you. You're not a bandwagon jumper. You're not a "summer soldier" or "sunshine patriot." You don't put your finger in the wind, to see which way its blowing. It doesn't matter. Next, being on the "Bull Market" and "pro-humanity" team comes with responsibility. That responsibility is to speak the ideas of Liberty. Others need to hear them in order to give them a fighting chance to choose Liberty for themselves. How is someone supposed to choose Liberty if they have no idea what it is? But, just as with you, they need to add themselves to the "Bull Market." You cannot add them. You have zero ability and power to add them to the upward swing of life. They need to do it (or not). When enough people have had enough of the decline, are sick of the misery, and realize that it won't stop until they want to live free lives, the climb upwards will take place. When that happens, no one can know. It may (or may not) happen in our lifetimes. But setting yourself right is where the reward comes for you. Speaking that which is right, and good, and peaceful, and enriching for humanity, is where the reward comes for you.  By Ron Paul Parents across the country are fighting to stop government schools from indoctrinating their children with Critical Race Theory. Critical Race Theory is a form of Marxism that focuses on the “oppression” of racial minorities. Central to Critical Race Theory is the belief that free markets are a tool of racial oppression that must be abolished and replaced with socialism. This is dangerous nonsense. History shows that governments, not free markets, are and always have been the instruments of racial oppression. For example, legislators passed Jim Crow laws because private businesses refused to voluntarily segregate their customers. Numerous scholars have documented how the welfare state and the war on drugs, as well as minimum wage laws, occupational licensing laws, and other anti-liberty laws, disproportionately harm minorities. Some of these laws were passed with the explicit goal of protecting white workers from competition with minorities. Public outrage over teaching children that the only way to overcome racism is to sacrifice liberty helped build efforts to pass laws banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory. Some of these efforts are accompanied by advancing mandates that schools promote a “positive” or “patriotic” view of America. This can replace one form of indoctrination with another. A “patriotic” curriculum could teach children that the change from a constitutional republic to a welfare-warfare state was a victory for liberty. It could also teach that the American government is morally justified in, and capable of, managing the economy at home and spreading democracy abroad. It could teach children lies like capitalism caused the Great Depression. Instead of arguing over what form of statism government schools should indoctrinate children in, liberty activists should work to replace government control of education with parental control. The key to this is to restore parental control of education dollars though education tax credits and tax-free education savings accounts. This can enable parents to afford to “ed-exit” from government schools by sending their children to private schools. It can also help parents afford the costs associated with homeschooling. Increased charitable deductions can help fund private education for low-income families. Tax credits can be implementing without increasing the deficit by tying them to legislation closing the Department of Education. Homeschooling is an increasingly attractive option for many parents. Parents interested in providing their children with a quality education should consider my homeschooling curriculum. The Ron Paul Curriculum provides students with a well-rounded education that includes rigorous programs in history, mathematics, and the physical and natural sciences. The curriculum also provides instruction in personal finance. Students can develop superior communication skills via intensive writing and public speaking courses. Another feature of my curriculum is that it provides students the opportunity to create and run their own businesses. The government and history sections of the curriculum emphasize Austrian economics, libertarian political theory, and the history of liberty. However, unlike government schools, my curriculum never puts ideological indoctrination ahead of education. Interactive forums ensure students are engaged in their education and that they have the opportunity to interact with their peers outside of a formal setting. I encourage all parents looking at alternatives to government schools — alternatives that provide children with a well-rounded education that introduces them to the history and ideas of liberty without sacrificing education for indoctrination — to go to RonPaulCurriculum.com for more information about my homeschooling program. 
January 6 protester Paul Hodgkins committed no acts of violence, nor did he damage or destroy any property when he entered the US Capitol Building on Jan 6th. He walked into the Senate Chamber and took a selfie. He walked out after 11 minutes. He now faces eight months in prison and a lifetime as a convicted felon. Meanwhile, violent protesters from last summer's BLM and Antifa riots were not even charged with crimes. That is called political justice and it has no place in a free society. Also today: Strange Covid outbreaks, why are Soros and Gates buying a Covid testing company, and more...
In a stunning admission, a White House Spokesperson said last week that the US Administration is instructing social media companies which posts must be taken down. Is the First Amendment fully dead? Plus today: The 'woke' Olympics, Covid suicides, and why are we shipping millions of jabs overseas?
It has been 50 years since President Nixon proclaimed that "We are all Keynesians now." The results of allowing government (via its central bank - The Federal Reserve) to create dollars out-of-thin-air have now been produced. Decade after decade we experience relentless inflation, coupled with an expansion in the size and scope of government, the likes of which humanity has never seen before. The Keynesian dream is coming to an end.
According to press reports, US special envoy for the Middle East has announced to Iraqi officials that the US would be initiating a slow but steady withdrawal of its military forces from that country. What does it mean for Syria etc? Also today: Israel shows natural immunity after infection extremely robust, record drug overdoses in US last year (surprise!), and France says "non!" to vaccine apartheid.
President Biden once again dredged up his "not since the Civil War" hyperbole, this time to describe efforts in Texas and elsewhere to require people to show IDs before casting a vote. Civil War? Really? Also today, Biden allies plan to "fact check" private text messages? And...why is the Post Office spying on you?
 By Chris Rossini While reading this week's Ron Paul Institute email newsletter, published by my colleague Daniel McAdams, I was struck by a quote that I've certainly read before, but it's just so relevant when reading it again today: “We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying.” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn What is it about lies? Why are we constantly tasked with wading through a sea of lies? Well, part of the reason is in the nature of human action. All human action is purposeful behavior. Every action that we choose to make is an attempt to achieve a goal that we've set for ourselves. In addition to choosing the goal, we also choose the means that we believe will achieve that goal. This applies to complex and multi-step goals, as well as to the simplest and most immediate goals. For example, let's say that you're dissatisfied because your leg itches. Your goal is to alleviate the itch. Your means in doing so is to use the nail on your index finger to scratch it. Purposeful behavior. Chosen goal. Chosen means. Few people think of something so simple as scratching an itch as "goal setting," but that's exactly what it is. That's what every action that we take, every single moment of our lives, is. So when you look out at 7+ billion people in our world, all hustling and bustling about, what you are seeing is human action. Purposeful behavior; with each behavior being chosen at that moment by that individual. Now, the libertarian philosophy is this: non-aggression. The ideas of Liberty preach that one should "pursue one's own happiness" (i.e., choose the goals that make you happy) but make sure that you do not harm another person (or their property) when you do so. Make sure that the means that you choose, and the end that you choose, do not aggress against anyone else. These are the natural limits to your Liberty. Your Liberty extends to person and property of others. Likewise, their Liberty extends to your person and your property. They are not to aggress against either one. Now, in case you haven't noticed, the libertarian philosophy has to be chosen. It is not a given. Obviously, many people reject the libertarian philosophy. Many choose to achieve their goals by harming others, and either taking or destroying their property. These individuals reject the natural limits of the Liberty and property of others. They want what they want, and will use whatever means they think will achieve their goal - even if the means are aggression. It's no surprise then that lies are a very popular means that are used to achieve ends. Truth and lies are interchangeable for these individuals. One is not "good" or "bad" in their value system. They just use the one that they think will "work" in that moment. So, in a world of human actions, where one can always choose to act in a non-libertarian way, lies will always be a popular option. In other words, lies will always with us in this world. We will always be faced with them, and will always be forced to choose whether or not to believe them. This leads to the next point... In addition to the nature of human action, lies exist because of the nature of the human mind as well. No man is all-knowing. We are all ignorant. We will all remain ignorant for the rest of our lives. Omniscience and omnipotence are the attributes of God; not man. Since we are ignorant, we will frequently be presented with ideas that are untrue. Those ideas come from the mouths of other ignorant individuals. That doesn't mean that the false ideas that come from others always come with malicious intent. When it comes to people in power, it almost always is, but let's say a family member comes over and starts talking about a certain subject. What he says may be laced with lies, but he doesn't know it. He's not looking to harm you, or fool you, or capitalize on your ignorance. He's simply talking as honestly as he can. So lies are not always presented with the intent of duping you. Again, when it comes to people in power, you always have to assume first that what's being said is intended to dupe you. It's a shame that it has to be that way, but power is the opposite of Liberty, so it can't be any other way. When it comes to power, you must verify first, and trust second. Whether or not the lies that we're presented with on a daily basis are malicious or simply out of ignorance, we each have a monumental choice that must constantly be made. Do we choose to believe it? Or not? Each of us is responsible for choosing which ideas to accept and believe, and which to reject. If we choose to believe it, we will be met with a certain set of circumstances. If we choose not to believe it, we will be met with a different set of circumstances. Whatever we choose, we will get the results. There can be no complaining afterwards. Actually, you can complain, but it's too late. You can say "Well, they lied to me! It's not my fault!" Yes, they did lie to you. But you're ultimately responsible because you chose to believe them. You didn't have to believe them. You're not a robot. You chose. And that is always the beginning and end of the human story ... We're each responsible for our choices and our lives. We're each responsible for choosing our goals. We're each responsible for choosing the means that we believe will attain those goals. We're each responsible for choosing whether to adhere to the principles of Liberty or to power. We're each responsible for telling the truth or telling lies. We're each responsible of choosing what to believe and what to reject. We each have individual Liberty, which necessarily means we are each responsible. 
By Ron Paul
Progressives who work to end individual rights violations committed by the NSA, FBI, DEA, CIA, and other federal agencies usually overlook, or even support, the routine violations of Americans’ rights by the IRS. For example, progressives rarely, if ever, speak out against the IRS’s targeting of the opponents of those in power. When liberal Democrats control the White House, the IRS targets advocates of free markets. When hawkish Republicans are in power, the IRS targets antiwar activists. The Democrats’ election reform legislation would require political organizations to divulge their top donors. Such donor disclosure requirements can be, and have been, used to intimidate donors from supporting “controversial” causes. Yet the requirements are supported by many progressives in the name of getting big money out of politics. In order to “pay for” their massive spending schemes, President Biden and his congressional allies are planning a huge increase in the IRS budget. The declared purpose is to enable the tax agency to bring in to the government much more money by ramping up efforts to identify and punish those not paying the “proper” amount of taxes. The tax code’s complexity guarantees many innocent Americans will be caught in the IRS’s expanded net. Yet progressives will support this because they favor the new social programs the new revenue will finance, and because they believe the IRS will only target billionaires and big corporations. The truth is that most of the new revenue will be collected from middle-and-working-class Americans. These Americans will be targeted because, unlike billionaires and big corporations, middle-and-working-class Americans cannot afford legions of tax lawyers and accountants to level the playing field between them and the tax agency. They are more likely to simply give in to the IRS’s demands. Waiters and waitresses may even be subjected to audits to ensure they are paying taxes on their tips. Another frightening proposal is for the government to impose a “mileage tax” to fund highway construction. A mileage tax would require government to keep track of how many miles every American drives. Some claim that a mileage tax can be implemented without creating a massive new system of government surveillance. Even If this were true, anyone who expects the government not to use this new power for nefarious purposes needs to Google Edward Snowden. Progressives’ blind spot toward IRS abuses of liberty is rooted in their belief that one can separate “economic” liberties from “civil” liberties. This allows them to support an abusive tax system to fund a welfare state (and, for an increasing number of progressives, a warfare state) while opposing other infringements on liberty. These progressives are the mirror image of conservatives who defend economic liberty while supporting government infringements on personal lifestyle choices. One of the most urgent tasks of those who wish to restore a free society in all areas is to end the artificial distinction between economic and civil liberties. By defending all liberty — no matter if it is classified as economic liberty or civil liberty — we can best protect against violations of any liberties.
Over the weekend the FBI Tweeted that Americans should observe their own family members for possible "extremism" and report them to the FBI if they find any. Haven't we seen this movie before in East Germany? Also - Washington is spending millions to create a new database of the "insurrectionists" from January 6th. Is this justice, or political persecution? These stories and more in today's Liberty Report...
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