'Central Planning' loses before it even begins. In America, central planning of the economy was cemented into place when the U.S. Congress established the monopolist Federal Reserve in 1913. The seeds were planted then, and they have been bearing rotten fruit ever since. The time for planting the seeds of sound money, detached from government, has arrived. The Fed's perennial self-destruction provides the opportunity to think.
Lew Rockwell, founder of The Mises Institute and publisher of the enormously popular LewRockwell.com, joins today's Liberty Report to discuss his upcoming speech at the Ron Paul Institute Washington conference and the importance of Rothbard to antiwar thought. We also discuss the headlines of the day, including the recent mass shootings and the US "maximum pressure" campaign against China.
By Chris Rossini
"What is it about ME that put me in this situation?" That's one of the most valuable and liberating questions that one can ask. At the same time, it's probably the most ignored and avoided question as well. The reason why it's avoided should be obvious. First, as human beings, we seek to avoid pain. At the same time, we search for the easiest road to pleasure. Self-contemplation can be painful and it's much easier to blame someone else for whatever problem we may be facing. But the fact remains that we're in charge of our own individual lives, a reality that humans have been trying to avoid, get around and fight since the beginning of recorded history. The attempt to abolish individual liberty has failed in the past, fails in the present, and will continue to fail in the future. No one else can be in charge of our own individual lives. We think, we choose, and our choices have consequences. We are individual sovereigns....royalty of our own personal realms. How ironic that every conceivable attempt has been made (and repeated) to throw that individual sovereignty away....all to no avail. Instead of asking that liberating question: 'What is it about ME that put me in this situation?...the blame game is put into motion: 'The rich people are to blame.' 'The corporations are to blame.' 'My parents are to blame.' 'My spouse....my boss....my relatives....my negative friends....' It's endless and a guaranteed recipe to stay stuck in whatever undesirable situation one is in. "What is it about ME?" is the question that liberates because the only person that we have control over is ourselves! Since everything about and around ourselves begin as ideas, that's where we must focus: What am I thinking? ....more importantly --- What do I believe? ...and most importantly --- IS WHAT I BELIEVE TRUE? The easier, but far more devastating option, is to try to throw away our individual sovereignty and try to give it to someone else. Royalty that is constantly trying abdicate! Guess who capitalizes on this charade?...The politician. The politician waits with open arms and will gladly assist you in pretending to throw away your liberty. As all of history has proven, you can't give away your individual sovereignty, but the politician will make sure that you go broke, and maybe even die trying. The politician, not knowing any better, is in the same exact boat as the individuals that believe him. Government is a drain on society. It can be no other way. The only question is: How big is the drain? In America, the drain has never been bigger!! It's the biggest drain that has ever existed on Earth! Once the day of reckoning (i.e., bankruptcy and default) approaches, does the government shrink itself voluntarily and allow oxygen back into society? No! Politicians are not interested in looking inward. Ron Paul tried to get Washington to look inward, remember? Neither Washington, nor the American people wanted (or want) government to shrink as drastically as it has to. What turned out to be the more popular approach? "It's Russia's fault!" "It's Mexico's fault!" And now...."It's China's fault!" What is the policy to accompany this blame? Record debt, record deficits, endless wars and a government that tramples the U.S. Constitution into dust. In other words, policies that promise to attract severe economic pain. Blame is poison. For the individual. For the country.
Turkish president Erdogan has warned the US that an invasion and occupation of Syria's Kurd regions was imminent. Talks are ongoing with US officials to stave off the move, which could see US military personnel in Syria facing off against NATO partner Turkey.
President Trump announced a full US embargo of Venezuela.
By Ron Paul
With a national debt approaching $23 trillion and a trillion dollar deficit for this year alone, Congress last week decided to double down on suicidal spending, passing a two year budget that has the United States careening toward catastrophe. While we cannot say precisely when the economic crash will occur, we do know that it is coming. And last week Congress pounded down on the accelerator. We are told that the US economy is experiencing unprecedented growth, while at the same time the Fed is behaving as it does when we are in recession by cutting rates…and dodging insults from the President because it’s not cutting fast enough. This is not economic policy – it’s schizophrenia! But that’s only the beginning. Take what they call “national defense” spending. This is the misnomer they use to try and convince us that pumping trillions into the military-industrial complex will make us safe and free. Nothing could be further from the truth: probably ninety percent of the “defense” budget is aggressive militarism and welfare for the rich. Under this budget deal the military budget would increase to nearly $1.4 trillion for two years. Of course that’s only a fraction of real military spending, which is, all told, well over one trillion dollars per year. What do we get for this money? Are we safer? Not at all. We are more vulnerable than ever. We spend billions fighting “terrorism” in Africa while terrorism has actually increased since the creation of the US Africa Command – “AFRICOM” – in 2007. Meanwhile we continue to spend to maintain our illegal military occupation of a large section of Syria – which benefits terrorist groups seeking to overthrow Assad. We’re sending thousands more troops to the Middle East including basing US troops in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2003. Back then, even neocon Paul Wolfowitz praised our departure from Saudi Arabia because, as he rightly stated, US troops on Saudi soil was a great recruiting tool for al-Qaeda. Now we’ve pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty so that we can deploy once-forbidden missiles on China’s front door. A new arms race with China will mean a new boon for our new Defense Secretary’s former colleagues at Raytheon! Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) pronounced the Tea Party dead with the adoption of this budget. He’s right of course, but only when it comes to Congress. Given the opportunity, I still believe a good part of the American people will vote for candidates who promise to rein in the national credit card. President Trump himself ran on a platform of ending deficit spending and even paying off the national debt! So the Tea Party may be dead in Washington, but I am not convinced it was ever really alive in Washington. With a few exceptions, most politicians saw the Tea Party as just the flavor of the month. Spending is what keeps Washington alive and keeps the DC suburbs rich. They’re not about to cut back on their own. But the spending will end. The trillions thrown down the drain on militarism will end. The only question is whether it will end when we are completely bankrupt and at the mercy of countries we’ve kicked around for decades or whether Americans will demand an end to bipartisan addiction to war and spending in Washington!
One day after the Trump Administration announced it was getting out of the Reagan-era INF treaty, the new Pentagon chief said the US would be sending missiles once banned by that treaty to Asia. Targeting China. Will an Asian arms race be stabilizing or destabilizing?
Extreme spending ... extreme debt ... extreme welfare ... extreme militarism ... extreme Socialists ... extreme Cronyism ... All at same time! The biggest bubble to ever exist is heading for disaster.
By Chris Rossini
The U.S. government is the biggest government to ever exist on the face of the Earth. In order for such a tragedy to occur, American citizens necessarily have to believe in a lot of fairy tales (especially about the government). It can be no other way. A free society filled with individuals that enjoy their natural liberty cannot coexist with any type of big government, let alone the biggest government to ever exist! The fairy tales begin as soon as the government gets to "school" you. For most people, it's kindergarten. Many in government want you even earlier than that, if you can believe it. Some are pushing for "Universal Pre-K"! The average person is "schooled" by the government, until they "graduate," and are passed on to the government's licensed media. It's a smooth transition from one to the other, and the fairy tales are kept in tact and perpetuated. The "official" narratives become like concrete. Anyone who questions or deviates from the official narratives is labeled an oddball or "fringe" individual. In fact, even thinking of yourself as an individual, instead of a meaningless and disposable spoke in the "public" wheel, is borderline indecent. Following the crowd is the religion, and following your own conscience is heretical. It doesn't matter if the "heretic" speaks the truth either. If the narrative from cradle to grave is 2+2=5, then only a "doomsayer" would say that 2+2+4. Best you adjust your attitude to the "public will" and just accept that 2+2=5. Those who gravitate towards the truth, no matter what the truth happens to be, must necessarily be in the minority at a time of big government. It can be no other way. Being in the majority is not an option. As a part of this minority, it means that when you speak the truth, you're often castigated as a "pessimist." What do you mean the stock market bubble is going to eventually burst? The authorities have not said that this will happen. Why can't you just enjoy "the greatest economy ever" like everyone else? Why must you be such a pessimist and doomsayer? The person who is interested in the truth about the economy has no problem with the economy per se. Let it be great. But let it be real. An artificially inflated economy is a total con-job! It's the appearance of "good times" that aren't really there, and once the false appearances vanish (as they must) there's going to be some severe economic pain. But alas, few want to hear the truth, and would rather gather around the TV to see how the central planners at the Federal Reserve will fix the price of interest rates. Away with all the "doom" and "gloom"! One can imagine a group of friends at the bar, throwing down one bottle of hard liquor after another. A prudent friend warns the others that they better slow down, or stop, because the consequences will be very bad. What's your problem man? Can't you see we're all having the greatest time ever? We've never been so happy? Why do you have to be such a doomsayer? The prudent friend doesn't have a problem with the good time per se. But is it really a good time? Or just the artificial feeling of one? Once the artificial high wears off, there's going to be some severely sick individuals the next day. But alas, the prudent one is told to shut up and the shot glasses are lined up regardless. The underlying lesson is this: The biggest government in the history of the world lives on a cornicopia of artificial beliefs. Stuff that isn't so, is believed to be so.....en masse. Everyone has a choice whether to believe what you're supposed to believe from cradle to grave, or to question and search for the truth. When the artificial wears off, mass confusion must be the result. What do you mean it wasn't the greatest economy ever? What do you mean the government doesn't have the money? What do you mean the budget has to be cut? What do you mean they lied? It's best not be one of the confused. It's much better to be one of the few who stand on the solid rock of truth. |
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