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Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to make a major speech in hours regarding the special military operation in Ukraine as several breakaway republics in Ukraine will soon hold referenda on joining Russia. Is major escalation coming? Also today: Is Heritage Foundation turning conservative on foreign policy?
By Walter E. Block
Something is rotten in the state of Oregon. I travelled there last month. I pulled in to a filling station, intending to buy some gas. There was this guy there; he wouldn’t let me fill up my tank myself. He said there were no self-serves allowed in the entire state. He was a lot bigger than me so I didn’t protest too vociferously despite having a brown belt in karate – my wife would have smacked me if I had gotten into it with him; but I was annoyed. I’m not accustomed to a system of compulsory full-service gas stations. I come from the free state of Louisiana. I like to pump my own gasoline, like most folk. Upon returning from that den of socialism, I did a bit of research. This policy, it turns out, does not apply to all counties in the Beaver State. To wit, it applies all throughout except at stand-alone gas stations in counties with fewer than 40,000 residents. (It turns out that New Jersey is the only other state in the union than bans self serves; but everyone knows they are all crazy in the Garden State; in any case, I wasn’t there; they didn’t tick me off; so let’s stick to Oregon). And what, pray tell, are the justifications for this foolish policy on the west coast? It is to “prevent higher insurance rates for gas companies, reduce fire hazards, and avoid slick surfaces from forming.” But this more than passing curious. Why lower gas firms’ insurance rates? Why not do so for all companies? Or, for that matter, for none of them? Shouldn’t they all sink or swim based on paying the full costs of keeping them in operation? Fire hazards? Yes, sure, that sounds like a great idea. But do we want to leave the smaller counties in Oregon swinging in the wind in this regard? Yes, there are fewer people there, but more trees. Does the Oregon government want to invite forest fires? As to slick surfaces, who is kidding whom? With the cheapest gas prices crowding $6 per gallon, is it seriously thought that people will leave large amounts of this now even more precious liquid lying around on the ground? One may be excused for thinking that these are not the real reasons behind this barking-mad policy? What else could be poisoning the minds of the legislators and bureaucrats who infest the state capitol, Salem? The obvious candidate is to reduce unemployment. But this explanation makes about as much sense as all the others, namely, none at all. This is exceedingly obvious nowadays, when there is a shortage of workers, and employers all over the place practically begging for workers. When burger places offer sign up bonuses, we know we’ve entered an economic never never land. Even in ordinary times this policy makes no sense. It is exceedingly unlikely that those people encouraged to pump gas for others would have made a more important contribution to the economy in that pursuit. If so, there was no need for any such policy: they would have gravitated in that direction lured by profit seeking considerations. No one has to artificially nudge workers into plumbing, carpentry, accounting, teaching, nursing or any other occupation. Pumping gas is unique in that it is the only one not subject to economic law? Why allow male Oregonians to shave themselves? Surely, those folk risk higher medical bills due to cuts and abrasions. It cannot be denied that professional barbers would do a better job on them than they can do for themselves. If the socialists in Oregon were logically consistent, they would pursue this policy as well. And then prohibit people from taking baths by themselves; professional bathists would be instituted and required. That would reduce the drowning rate! Pegs: https://www.google.com/search?q=Oregon+filling+stations&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA1016CA1016&oq=Oregon+filling+stations&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i22i30i457j0i390l2.459j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
In an interview full of shocking statements, President Biden told 60 Minutes last night that the Covid pandemic is now over. It may sound good this close to the election, but such an announcement has enormous implications for those still being fired and harassed. Also today: blockbuster NY Post article claims Facebook spied on (conservative) users PRIVATE msgs and sent them to the FBI.
By Ron Paul
A new report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a program of the US Department of Education, confirms what most parents already knew: shutting down the schools because of the panic over covid was a disaster for American schoolchildren. According to the NAEP, since the 2020 school shutdowns the average nine-year-old suffered a decline in reading skills and math skills. The reading skills decline is the largest since 1990. The math skills decline is the first ever reported by NAEP. What makes this especially tragic is that there was no medical justification for closing the schools. Children are unlikely to either contract or spread covid, so the idea that schools had to close to prevent children from infecting their families may be the most absurd of all the absurd claims made by covid authoritarians like Dr. Anthony “I represent science” Fauci. It was clear to anyone truly following the science that school shutdowns were unnecessary and harmful. Yet, because of the combined clout of the teachers unions and the cult of Fauci, in many communities schools were among the last institutions to reopen. When the schools did reopen, children were forbidden to sit together at lunch or play together during recess. Children were also forced to wear masks the whole school day, which made many children sick. The teachers unions’ pernicious role in closing the schools shows a sad disconnection among teachers union bosses (and the politicians that do their bidding) from the promoting of children’s education. The one positive development from the school closures is that many parents discovered how concepts like critical race theory had been snuck into the government school curriculum. This has led to a parental uprising and a renewed focus on electing individuals to school boards who are committed to stopping government schools from indoctrinating children with political and social beliefs or undermining parents’ values. Many parents moved their children to homeschooling in reaction to the school closures and the revelations on what was really being taught in government schools. After the school shutdowns, there was a huge increase in the number in homeschooling families. As dissatisfaction with government schools grows, more parents will begin homeschooling. For almost a decade I have been involved with homeschooling through my Ron Paul Curriculum. Students using my homeschooling curriculum can attain a superior education in comparison to standards set by politicians or bureaucrats. Instead of indoctrinating students with instruction in subjects including critical race theory, the Ron Paul Curriculum provides students with a solid education in history, literature, mathematics, and the sciences. It also gives students the opportunity to create their own websites and internet-based businesses. The curriculum is designed to be self-taught, with students helping and learning from each other via online forums. Starting in the fourth grade, students are required to write at least one essay a week. Students are required to post their essays on their blogs. Students also take a course in public speaking. The curriculum does emphasize the history, philosophy, and economics of liberty, but it never substitutes indoctrination for education. The goal is to produce students with superior critical thinking skills who can thrive with their individuality. If you think my curriculum may meet the needs of your child, please visit www.RonPaulCurriculum.com for more information.
Debt matters, and there are no "free" lunches when it comes to government spending. But with enough propaganda, it becomes easy to think that government can spend money without any limits. As the U.S. national debt approaches the $31 TRILLION mark, interest rates are rising, and interest payments are the debt going to skyrocket. Financial reckoning draws nearer.
A Bipartisan group of Congressional warmongers is pushing a multi-billion dollar military assistance package for Taiwan. The measure will include new language designating Taiwan a de-facto “major non-NATO ally.” Clearly the Ukraine model is being applied to Taiwan: fighting mainland China down to the last Taiwanese.
The head of the Department of Homeland Security has identified the latest terrorist threat to the United States...and it is us. People who do not trust the government and who question government narratives on social media have now surpassed foreign terrorists as the biggest threat to America. Also today: Was Steele Dossier an FBI op? And - Lindell the pillow guy has his phone stolen by the FBI.
After tens of billions have been shoveled into the black hole of Ukraine, known as the most corrupt country in Europe, Beltway conservative groups are belatedly waking up to the dollar hemorrhage. With a new $14 billion dollar giveaway on the table, groups such as Heritage Action and Center for Renewing America are screaming "enough!" Also today: one astrophysicist shocks the world.
US Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said on Face the Nation yesterday that the Jan 6th protesters were insurrectionists who attacked "our democracy" just like the 9/11 attackers 21 years ago. Will the families of the 9/11 victims have something to say about this? Also today: Trump allies continue to be rounded up as Biden's DoJ declares war on half the country. But, never fear, The Biden Administration has decided to change hundreds of "racist" names of places around the country.
By Ron Paul
A Swiss billboard is making the rounds on social media depicting a young woman on the telephone. The caption reads, "Does the neighbor heat the apartment to over 19 degrees (66F)? Please inform us." While the Swiss government has dismissed the poster as a fake, the penalties Swiss citizens face for daring to warm their homes are very real. According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, those who violate the 66 degree heating limit could face as many as three years in prison! Prison time for heating your home? In the “free” world? How is it possible in 2022, when Switzerland and the rest of the political west have achieved the greatest economic success in history, that the European continent faces a winter like something out of the dark ages? Sanctions. While long promoted – often by those opposed to war – as a less destructive alternative to war, sanctions are in reality acts of war. And as we know with interventionism and war, the result is often unintended consequences and even blowback. European sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year will likely go down in history as a prime example of how sanctions can result in unintended consequences. While seeking to punish Russia by cutting off gas and oil imports, European Union politicians forgot that Europe is completely dependent on Russian energy supplies and that the only people to suffer if those imports are shut down are the Europeans themselves. The Russians simply pivoted to the south and east and found plenty of new buyers in China, India, and elsewhere. In fact, Russia’s state-run Gazprom energy company has reported that its profits have increased by 100 percent in the first half of this year. Russia is getting rich while Europeans are facing a freezing winter and economic collapse. All because of the false belief that sanctions are a cost-free way to force other countries to do what you want them to do. What happens when the people see dumb government policies making energy bills skyrocket as the economy grounds to a halt? They become desperate and take to the streets in protest. This weekend thousands of Austrians took to the streets in a “Freedom Rally” to demand an end to sanctions and the opening of Nord Stream II, the gas pipeline on the verge of opening earlier this year. Last week an estimated 100,000 Czechs took to the streets of Prague to protest NATO and EU policy. In France, the “Yellow Vests” are back in the streets protesting the destruction of their economy in the name of “defeating” Russia in Ukraine. In Germany, Serbia, and elsewhere, protests are gearing up. Even the Washington Post was forced to admit that sanctions on Russia are not having the intended effect. In an article yesterday, the paper worries that sanctions are inflicting “collateral damage in Russia and beyond, potentially even hurting the very countries that impose them. Some even worried that the sanctions intended to deter and weaken Putin could end up emboldening and strengthening him.” This is all predictable. Sanctions kill. Sometimes they kill innocents in the country targeted for destruction and sometimes they kill innocents in the country imposing them. The solution, as always, is non-intervention. No sanctions, no "color revolutions," no meddling. It's really that simple. |
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