This
farewell message from Rep. Ron Paul, delivered on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, is – in reality – a eulogy for the America that I
was born in, grew up in and dearly loved.
It is a long, 17 pages, tightly focused review of a period in the
history of this Once Great Constitutional
Republic, i.e. America was never
intended to be a ‘Democracy’ and the failure of that basic understanding of
Civics is a clear indication of the political and economic ignorance of the
citizenry that is leading to the Economic, Cultural and Political Devolution (ECPD)
of the USA.
#1 On page 2, Rep. Paul identifies the
problem, i.e. the United
States of America is BROKE.
#2 On page 4, Rep. Paul presents one
of the best philosophical analyses of the American dilemma
#3
On page 3, Rep. Paul identifies the age of ‘Bread and Circuses ‘ that is now
upon this once great Constitutional
Republic.
#4 On page 5,
Rep. Paul identifies the inevitable outcome of these things
#5 On page 5, Rep. Paul identifies
the ‘atomization’ of individuals and the Balkanization of regions of the country in this
formally united United
States.
#6 On page 6, Rep. Paul identifies the
tragic moral and financial costs of carrying out totally ILLEGAL Wars -- That is, our recent military incursions in other lands have been ILLEGAL when solely initiated by the President, because that office does NOT have the authority to engage in Wars under
the ‘Powers’ granted to the three separate branches of this former Constitutional
Republic by the US constitution that has now been shredded!
#7 On page 10, Rep. Paul identifies
the sad truth that the USA
does NOT have a ‘Free Market’ economy, but rather a Centralized Economically
Planned one – just like the Communists of old!!
#8 On page 11, Rep. Paul
identifies the current insanity of our legal system’s treatment of Drug Crimes
and the inherent cost.
#9 On page 13, Rep. Paul
identifies the new ‘Culture of
Violence’ that is now enveloping this once peaceful and tranquil land
and creating a country that is foreign to those of us over fifty years of age,
as evidenced by the rampantly popular and horrifically revolting type of ‘professional’
fighting that is now reverenced and emulated and admired that is NOT dissimilar
to the Gladiatorial ‘Fights to the Death’ that so entranced the Romans in their
years of decline, BEFORE their utter and complete ruination (in their Era of
‘Bread & Circuses!) and by the sickening ‘Body Art’ and implanted jewelry
of males and females that does exemplify the ‘Body Art’ of the ‘Pagans of Old’
and of Satanism, violence, death, naked aggression, hate -- and nothing else!
#10 On page 14, Rep. Paul does
identify the evil consequences of the rise of ‘Human Secularism.’
#11 On page 18, Rep. Paul does
very clearly reveal the consequences of the rotting of the very ‘Soul’ of the citizens
of this Once Great Constitutional Republic, due to the evisceration and near
total extirpation of the once ‘High Moral Code’ that did imbue every American’s
character in prior generations!
This may well be the last time I speak on the House Floor.
At the end of the year I'll leave Congress after 23 years in office over a 36
year period. My goals in 1976 were the same as they are today: promote peace
and prosperity by a strict adherence to the principles of individual liberty.
It was my opinion, that the course the U.S. embarked on in the latter part
of the 20th Century would bring us a major financial crisis and engulf us in a
foreign policy that would overextend us and undermine our national security.
To achieve the goals I sought, government would have had to shrink in size and
scope, reduce spending, change the monetary system, and reject the
unsustainable costs of policing the world and expanding the American Empire.
The problems seemed to be overwhelming and impossible to solve, yet from my
view point, just following the constraints placed on the federal government by
the Constitution would have been a good place to start.
How Much Did I
Accomplish?
In many ways, according to conventional wisdom, my
off-and-on career in Congress, from 1976 to 2012, accomplished very little. No
named legislation, no named federal buildings or highways -- thank goodness. In
spite of my efforts, the government
has grown exponentially, taxes remain excessive, and the prolific increase of
incomprehensible regulations continues. Wars are constant and pursued without
Congressional declaration, deficits rise to the sky, poverty is rampant and
dependency on the federal government is now worse than any time in our history.
All this with minimal concerns for the deficits and unfunded liabilities that
common sense tells us cannot go on much longer. A grand, but never mentioned,
bipartisan agreement allows for the well-kept secret that keeps the spending
going. One side doesn't give up one penny on military spending, the other side
doesn't give up one penny on welfare spending, while both sides support the
bailouts and subsidies for the banking and corporate elite. And the spending
continues as the economy weakens and the downward spiral continues.
As the government continues fiddling around, our liberties and our wealth burn
in the flames of a foreign policy that makes us less safe.
#1
The major stumbling block to real change in Washington is the total resistance to
admitting that the country is broke. This has made compromising,
just to agree to increase spending, inevitable since neither side has any
intention of cutting spending.
The country and the Congress will remain divisive since
there's no "loot left to divvy up."
Without this recognition the spenders in Washington will continue the march toward a
fiscal cliff much bigger than the one anticipated this coming January.
I have thought a lot about why those of us who believe in liberty, as a solution, have
done so poorly in convincing others of its benefits. If liberty is what we
claim it is- the principle that protects all personal, social and economic
decisions necessary for maximum prosperity and the best chance for peace- it
should be an easy sell. Yet, history has shown that the masses have been quite
receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled.
#2
Authoritarianism vs. Liberty
If authoritarianism leads to poverty and war and less
freedom for all individuals and is controlled by rich special interests, the
people should be begging for liberty. There certainly was a strong enough
sentiment for more freedom at the time of our founding that motivated those who
were willing to fight in the revolution against the powerful British
government.
During my time in Congress the appetite for liberty has been quite weak; the
understanding of its significance negligible. Yet the good news is that
compared to 1976 when I first came to Congress, the desire for more freedom and
less government in 2012 is much greater and growing, especially in grassroots America. Tens
of thousands of teenagers and college age students are, with great enthusiasm,
welcoming the message of liberty.
I have a few thoughts as to why the people of a country like
ours, once the freest and most prosperous, allowed the conditions to
deteriorate to the degree that they have.
Freedom, private property, and enforceable voluntary contracts, generate
wealth. In our early history we were very much aware of this. But
in the early part of the 20th century our politicians promoted the notion that
the tax and monetary systems had to change if we were to involve ourselves in
excessive domestic and military spending. That is why Congress gave us the
Federal Reserve and the income tax.
The majority of Americans and many government officials agreed that sacrificing
some liberty was necessary to carry out what some claimed to be
"progressive" ideas. Pure democracy became acceptable.
They failed to recognized that what they were doing was exactly opposite of
what the colonists were seeking when they broke away from the British.
Some complain that my arguments makes no sense, since great wealth and the
standard of living improved for many Americans over the last 100 years, even
with these new policies.
But the damage to the market economy, and the currency, has been
insidious and steady. It took a long time
to consume our wealth, destroy the currency and undermine productivity and get
our financial obligations to a point of no return. Confidence sometimes lasts longer than deserved. Most of
our wealth today depends on debt.
The wealth that we enjoyed and seemed to be endless, allowed concern for the
principle of a free society to be neglected. As long as most people believed
the material abundance would last forever, worrying about protecting a
competitive productive economy and individual liberty seemed unnecessary.
#3
The Age of
Redistribution
This neglect ushered in an age of redistribution of wealth
by government kowtowing to any and all special interests, except for those who
just wanted to left alone. That is why today money in politics far surpasses
money currently going into research and development and productive
entrepreneurial efforts.
The material benefits became more important than the understanding and
promoting the principles of liberty and a free market. It is good that material
abundance is a result of liberty but if materialism is all that we care about,
problems are guaranteed.
The crisis arrived because the illusion that wealth and prosperity would last
forever has ended. Since it was based on debt and a pretense that debt can be
papered over by an out-of-control fiat monetary system, it was doomed to fail.
We have ended up with a system that doesn't produce enough even to finance the
debt and no fundamental understanding of why a free society is crucial to
reversing these trends.
If this is not recognized, the recovery will linger for a long time. Bigger
government, more spending, more debt, more poverty for the middle class, and a
more intense scramble by the elite special interests will continue.
#4
We Need an Intellectual
Awakening
Without
an intellectual awakening, the turning point will be driven by economic law. A
dollar crisis will bring the current out-of-control system to its knees.
If it's not accepted that big government, fiat money, ignoring liberty, central
economic planning, welfarism, and warfarism caused our crisis we can expect a
continuous and dangerous march toward corporatism and even fascism with even
more loss of our liberties. Prosperity for a large middle class though will
become an abstract dream.
This continuous move is no different than what we have seen in how our
financial crisis of 2008 was handled. Congress first directed, with bipartisan
support, bailouts for the wealthy. Then it was the Federal Reserve with its
endless quantitative easing. If at first it doesn't succeed try again; QE1,
QE2, and QE3 and with no results we try QE indefinitely -- that is until it too
fails. There's a cost to all of this and let me assure you delaying the payment
is no longer an option. The rules of the market will extract its pound of flesh
and it won't be pretty.
The current crisis elicits a lot of pessimism. And the pessimism adds to less
confidence in the future. The two feed on themselves, making our situation
worse.
If the underlying cause of the crisis is not understood we cannot solve our
problems. The issues of warfare, welfare, deficits, inflationism, corporatism,
bailouts and authoritarianism cannot be ignored. By only expanding these
policies we cannot expect good results.
Everyone claims support for freedom. But too often it's for one's own freedom
and not for others. Too many believe that there must be limits on freedom. They
argue that freedom must be directed and managed to achieve fairness and
equality thus making it acceptable to curtail, through force, certain
liberties.
Some decide what and whose freedoms are to be limited. These are the
politicians whose goal in life is power. Their success depends on gaining
support from special interests.
#5
No More 'isms'
The great news is the answer is not to be found in more
"isms." The answers are to be found in more liberty which cost so
much less. Under these circumstances spending goes down, wealth production goes
up, and the quality of life improves.
Just this recognition -- especially if we move in this direction -- increases
optimism which in itself is beneficial. The follow through with sound policies
are required which must be understood and supported by the people.
But there is good evidence that the generation coming of age at the present
time is supportive of moving in the direction of more liberty and
self-reliance. The more this change in direction and the solutions become
known, the quicker will be the return of optimism.
Our job, for those of us who believe that a different system than the one that
we have had for the last 100 years, has driven us to this unsustainable crisis,
is to be more convincing that there is a wonderful, uncomplicated, and moral
system that provides the answers. We had a taste of it in our early history. We
need not give up on the notion of advancing this cause.
It worked, but we allowed our leaders to concentrate on the material abundance
that freedom generates, while ignoring freedom itself. Now we have neither, but
the door is open, out of necessity, for an answer. The answer available is
based on the Constitution, individual liberty and prohibiting the use of
government force to provide privileges and benefits to all special interests.
After over 100 years we face a society quite different from the one that was
intended by the Founders. In many ways their efforts to protect future
generations with the Constitution from this danger has failed. Skeptics, at the
time the Constitution was written in 1787, warned us of today's possible
outcome. The insidious nature of the erosion of our liberties and the
reassurance our great abundance gave us, allowed the process to evolve into the
dangerous period in which we now live.
#6
Dependency on Government
Largesse
Today we face a dependency on government largesse for
almost every need. Our liberties are restricted and government operates outside
the rule of law, protecting and rewarding those who buy or coerce government
into satisfying their demands. Here are a few examples:
• Undeclared wars are commonplace.
• Welfare for the rich and poor is considered an entitlement.
• The economy is overregulated, overtaxed and grossly distorted by a deeply
flawed monetary system.
• Debt is growing exponentially.
• The Patriot Act and FISA legislation passed without much debate have resulted
in a steady erosion of our 4th Amendment rights.
• Tragically our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as
aggression, with no complaints from the American people.
• The drone warfare we are pursuing worldwide is destined to end badly for us
as the hatred builds for innocent lives lost and the international laws
flaunted. Once we are financially weakened and militarily challenged, there
will be a lot resentment thrown our way.
• It's now the law of the land that the military can arrest American citizens,
hold them indefinitely, without charges or a trial.
• Rampant hostility toward free trade is supported by a large number in Washington.
• Supporters of sanctions, currency manipulation and WTO trade retaliation,
call the true free traders "isolationists."
• Sanctions are used to punish countries that don't follow our orders.
• Bailouts and guarantees for all kinds of misbehavior are routine.
• Central economic planning through monetary policy, regulations and
legislative mandates has been an acceptable policy.
Questions
Excessive government has created such a mess it prompts
many questions:
• Why are sick people who use medical marijuana put in prison?
• Why does the federal government restrict the drinking of raw milk?
• Why can't Americans manufacturer rope and other products from hemp?
• Why are Americans not allowed to use gold and silver as legal tender as
mandated by the Constitution?
• Why is Germany concerned
enough to consider repatriating their gold held by the FED for her in New York? Is it that the
trust in the U.S.
and dollar supremacy beginning to wane?
• Why do our political leaders believe it's unnecessary to thoroughly audit our
own gold?
• Why can't Americans decide which type of light bulbs they can buy?
• Why is the TSA permitted to abuse the rights of any American traveling by
air?
• Why should there be mandatory sentences -- even up to life for crimes without
victims -- as our drug laws require?
• Why have we allowed the federal government to regulate commodes in our homes?
• Why is it political suicide for anyone to criticize AIPAC ?
• Why haven't we given up on the drug war since it's an obvious failure and
violates the people's rights? Has nobody noticed that the authorities can't
even keep drugs out of the prisons? How can making our entire society a prison
solve the problem?
• Why do we sacrifice so much getting needlessly involved in border disputes
and civil strife around the world and ignore the root cause of the most deadly
border in the world-the one between Mexico and the US?
• Why does Congress willingly give up its prerogatives to the Executive Branch?
• Why does changing the party in power never change policy? Could it be that
the views of both parties are essentially the same?
• Why did the big banks, the large corporations, and foreign banks and foreign
central banks get bailed out in 2008 and the middle class lost their jobs and
their homes?
• Why do so many in the government and the federal officials believe that
creating money out of thin air creates wealth?
• Why do so many accept the deeply flawed principle that government bureaucrats
and politicians can protect us from ourselves without totally destroying the
principle of liberty?
• Why can't people understand that war always destroys wealth and liberty?
• Why is there so little concern for the Executive Order that gives the
President authority to establish a "kill list," including American
citizens, of those targeted for assassination?
• Why is patriotism thought to be blind loyalty to the government and the
politicians who run it, rather than loyalty to the principles of liberty and
support for the people? Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the
government when it's wrong.
• Why is it is claimed that if people won't or can't take care of their own
needs, that people in government can do it for them?
• Why did we ever give the government a safe haven for initiating violence
against the people?
• Why do some members defend free markets, but not civil liberties?
• Why do some members defend civil liberties but not free markets? Aren't they
the same?
• Why don't more defend both economic liberty and personal liberty?
• Why are there not more individuals who seek to intellectually influence
others to bring about positive changes than those who seek power to force
others to obey their commands?
• Why does the use of religion to support a social gospel and preemptive wars,
both of which requires authoritarians to use violence, or the threat of
violence, go unchallenged? Aggression and forced redistribution of wealth has
nothing to do with the teachings of the world great religions.
• Why do we allow the government and the Federal Reserve to disseminate false
information dealing with both economic and foreign policy?
• Why is democracy held in such high esteem when it's the enemy of the minority
and makes all rights relative to the dictates of the majority?
• Why should anyone be surprised that Congress has no credibility, since
there's such a disconnect between what politicians say and what they do?
Is there any explanation for all the deception, the unhappiness, the fear of
the future, the loss of confidence in our leaders, the distrust, the anger and
frustration? Yes there is, and there's a way to reverse these attitudes. The
negative perceptions are logical and a consequence of bad policies bringing
about our problems. Identification of the problems and recognizing the cause
allow the proper changes to come easy.
Trust Yourself, Not the
Government
Too many people have for too long placed too much
confidence and trust in government and not enough in themselves. Fortunately,
many are now becoming aware of the seriousness of the gross mistakes of the
past several decades. The blame is shared by both political parties. Many Americans
now are demanding to hear the plain truth of things and want the demagoguing to
stop. Without this first step, solutions are impossible.
Seeking the truth and finding the answers in liberty and self-reliance promotes
the optimism necessary for restoring prosperity. The task is not that difficult
if politics doesn't get in the way.
We have allowed ourselves to get into such a mess for various reasons.
Politicians deceive themselves as to how wealth is produced. Excessive
confidence is placed in the judgment of politicians and bureaucrats. This
replaces the confidence in a free society. Too many in high places of authority
became convinced that only they, armed with arbitrary government power, can
bring about fairness, while facilitating wealth production. This always proves
to be a utopian dream and destroys wealth and liberty. It impoverishes the
people and rewards the special interests who end up controlling both political
parties.
It's no surprise then that much of what goes on in Washington is driven by aggressive
partisanship and power seeking, with philosophic differences being minor.
#7
Economic Ignorance
Economic ignorance is commonplace. Keynesianism continues
to thrive, although today it is facing healthy and enthusiastic rebuttals. Believers
in military Keynesianism and domestic Keynesianism continue to desperately
promote their failed policies, as the economy languishes in a deep slumber.
Supporters of all government edicts use humanitarian arguments to justify them.
Humanitarian arguments are always used to justify government mandates related
to the economy, monetary policy, foreign policy, and personal liberty. This is
on purpose to make it more difficult to challenge. But, initiating violence for
humanitarian reasons is still violence. Good intentions are no excuse and are
just as harmful as when people use force with bad intentions. The results are
always negative.
The immoral use of force is the source of man's political problems. Sadly, many
religious groups, secular organizations, and psychopathic authoritarians
endorse government initiated force to change the world. Even when the desired
goals are well-intentioned -- or especially when well-intentioned -- the
results are dismal. The good results sought never materialize. The new problems
created require even more government force as a solution. The net result is
institutionalizing government initiated violence and morally justifying it on
humanitarian grounds.
This is the same fundamental reason our government uses force for invading
other countries at will, central economic planning at home, and the regulation
of personal liberty and habits of our citizens.
It is rather strange, that unless one has a criminal mind and no respect for
other people and their property, no one claims it's permissible to go into
one's neighbor's house and tell them how to behave, what they can eat, smoke
and drink or how to spend their money.
Yet, rarely is it asked why it is morally acceptable that a stranger with a
badge and a gun can do the same thing in the name of law and order. Any
resistance is met with brute force, fines, taxes, arrests, and even
imprisonment. This is done more frequently every day without a proper search
warrant.
No Government Monopoly
over Initiating Violence
Restraining aggressive behavior is one thing, but
legalizing a government monopoly for initiating aggression can only lead to
exhausting liberty associated with chaos, anger and the breakdown of civil
society. Permitting such authority and expecting saintly behavior from the
bureaucrats and the politicians is a pipe dream. We now have a standing army of
armed bureaucrats in the TSA, CIA,
FBI, Fish and Wildlife, FEMA, IRS, Corp of Engineers, etc. numbering over
100,000. Citizens are guilty until proven innocent in the unconstitutional
administrative courts.
Government in a free society should have no authority to meddle in social
activities or the economic transactions of individuals. Nor should government
meddle in the affairs of other nations. All things peaceful, even when
controversial, should be permitted.
We must reject the notion of prior restraint in economic activity just we do in
the area of free speech and religious liberty. But even in these areas
government is starting to use a backdoor approach of political correctness to
regulate speech-a dangerous trend. Since 9/11 monitoring speech on the internet
is now a problem since warrants are no longer required.
#8
The Proliferation of
Federal Crimes
The Constitution established four federal crimes. Today the
experts can't even agree on how many federal crimes are now on the books --
they number into the thousands. No one person can comprehend the enormity of
the legal system -- especially the tax code. Due to the ill-advised drug war
and the endless federal expansion of the criminal code we have over 6 million
people under correctional suspension, more than the Soviets ever had, and more
than any other nation today, including China. I don't understand the complacency
of the Congress and the willingness to continue their obsession with passing
more Federal laws. Mandatory sentencing laws associated with drug laws have
compounded our prison problems.
The federal register is now 75,000 pages long and the tax code has 72,000
pages, and expands every year. When will the people start shouting,
"enough is enough," and demand Congress cease and desist.
Achieving Liberty
Liberty can only be achieved when government is denied the
aggressive use of force. If one seeks liberty, a precise type of government is
needed. To achieve it, more than lip service is required.
Two choices are available.
• A government designed to protect liberty -- a natural right -- as its sole
objective. The people are expected to care for themselves and reject the use of
any force for interfering with another person's liberty. Government is given a
strictly limited authority to enforce contracts, property ownership, settle
disputes, and defend against foreign aggression.
• A government that pretends to protect liberty but is granted power to
arbitrarily use force over the people and foreign nations. Though the grant of
power many times is meant to be small and limited, it inevitably metastasizes
into an omnipotent political cancer. This is the problem for which the world
has suffered throughout the ages. Though meant to be limited it nevertheless is
a 100% sacrifice of a principle that would-be-tyrants find irresistible. It is
used vigorously -- though incrementally and insidiously. Granting power to government
officials always proves the adage that: "power corrupts."
Once government gets a limited concession for the use of force to mold people
habits and plan the economy, it causes a steady move toward tyrannical
government. Only a revolutionary spirit can reverse the process and deny to the
government this arbitrary use of aggression. There's no in-between. Sacrificing
a little liberty for imaginary safety always ends badly.
Today's mess is a result of Americans accepting option #2, even though the Founders
attempted to give us Option #1.
The results are not good. As our liberties have been eroded our wealth has been
consumed. The wealth we see today is based on debt and a foolish willingness on
the part of foreigners to take our dollars for goods and services. They then
loan them back to us to perpetuate our debt system. It's amazing that it has
worked for this long but the impasse in Washington,
in solving our problems indicate that many are starting to understand the
seriousness of the world -wide debt crisis and the dangers we face. The longer
this process continues the harsher the outcome will be.
The Financial Crisis Is
a Moral Crisis
Many are now acknowledging that a financial crisis looms
but few understand it's, in reality, a moral crisis. It's the moral crisis that
has allowed our liberties to be undermined and permits the exponential growth
of illegal government power. Without a clear understanding of the nature of the
crisis it will be difficult to prevent a steady march toward tyranny and the
poverty that will accompany it.
Ultimately, the people have to decide which form of government they want;
option #1 or option #2. There is no other choice. Claiming there is a choice of
a "little" tyranny is like describing pregnancy as a "touch of
pregnancy." It is a myth to believe that a mixture of free markets and
government central economic planning is a worthy compromise. What we see today
is a result of that type of thinking. And the results speak for themselves.
#9
A Culture of Violence
American now suffers from a culture of violence. It's easy
to reject the initiation of violence against one's neighbor but it's ironic
that the people arbitrarily and freely anoint government officials with
monopoly power to initiate violence against the American people -- practically
at will.
Because it's the government that initiates force, most people accept it as
being legitimate. Those who exert the force have no sense of guilt. It is
believed by too many that governments are morally justified in initiating force
supposedly to "do good." They incorrectly believe that this authority
has come from the "consent of the people." The minority, or victims
of government violence never consented to suffer the abuse of government
mandates, even when dictated by the majority. Victims of TSA excesses never
consented to this abuse.
This attitude has given us a policy of initiating war to "do good,"
as well. It is claimed that war, to prevent war for noble purposes, is
justified. This is similar to what we were once told that: "destroying a
village to save a village" was justified. It was said by a US Secretary of
State that the loss of 500,000 Iraqis, mostly children, in the 1990s, as a
result of American bombs and sanctions, was "worth it" to achieve the
"good" we brought to the Iraqi people. And look at the mess that Iraq is in
today.
Government use of force to mold social and economic behavior at home and abroad
has justified individuals using force on their own terms. The fact that
violence by government is seen as morally justified, is the reason why violence
will increase when the big financial crisis hits and becomes a political crisis
as well.
First, we recognize that individuals shouldn't initiate violence, then we give
the authority to government. Eventually, the immoral use of government
violence, when things goes badly, will be used to justify an individual's
"right" to do the same thing. Neither the government nor individuals
have the moral right to initiate violence against another yet we are moving toward
the day when both will claim this authority. If this cycle is not reversed
society will break down.
When needs are pressing, conditions deteriorate and rights become relative to
the demands and the whims of the majority. It's then not a great leap for
individuals to take it upon themselves to use violence to get what they claim
is theirs. As the economy deteriorates and the wealth discrepancies increase --
as are already occurring -- violence increases as those in need take it in
their own hands to get what they believe is theirs. They will not wait for a
government rescue program.
When government officials wield power over others to bail out the
special interests, even with disastrous results to the average citizen, they
feel no guilt for the harm they do. Those who take us into undeclared wars with
many casualties resulting, never lose sleep over the death and destruction
their bad decisions caused. They are convinced that what they do is morally
justified, and the fact that many suffer just can't be helped.
#10
When the street criminals do the same thing, they too have
no remorse, believing they are only taking what is rightfully theirs. All moral
standards become relative. Whether
it's bailouts, privileges, government subsidies or benefits for some from inflating
a currency, it's all part of a process justified by a philosophy of forced
redistribution of wealth. Violence, or a threat of such, is the instrument
required and unfortunately is of little concern of most members of Congress.
Some argue it's only a matter of "fairness" that those in need are
cared for. There are two problems with this. First, the principle is used to
provide a greater amount of benefits to the rich than the poor. Second, no one
seems to be concerned about whether or not it's fair to those who end up paying
for the benefits. The costs are usually placed on the backs of the middle class
and are hidden from the public eye. Too many people believe government handouts
are free, like printing money out of thin air, and there is no cost. That
deception is coming to an end. The bills are coming due and that's what the
economic slowdown is all about.
Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force
by government. It is the tool for telling the people how to live, what to eat
and drink, what to read and how to spend their money.
To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be
understood and rejected. Granting to government even a small amount of force is
a dangerous concession.
Limiting Government
Excesses vs. a Virtuous Moral People
Our Constitution, which was intended to limit government
power and abuse, has failed. The Founders warned that a free society depends on
a virtuous and moral people. The current crisis reflects that their concerns
were justified.
Most politicians and pundits are aware of the problems we face but spend all
their time in trying to reform government. The sad part is that the suggested
reforms almost always lead to less freedom and the importance of a virtuous and
moral people is either ignored, or not understood. The new reforms serve only
to further undermine liberty. The compounding effect has given us this steady
erosion of liberty and the massive expansion of debt. The real question is: if
it is liberty we seek, should most of the emphasis be placed on government
reform or trying to understand what "a virtuous and moral people"
means and how to promote it. The Constitution has not prevented the people from
demanding handouts for both rich and poor in their efforts to reform the
government, while ignoring the principles of a free society. All branches of
our government today are controlled by individuals who use their power to
undermine liberty and enhance the welfare/warfare state-and frequently their
own wealth and power.
If the people are unhappy with the government performance it must be recognized
that government is merely a reflection of an immoral society that rejected a
moral government of constitutional limitations of power and love of freedom.
If this is the problem all the tinkering with thousands of pages of new laws
and regulations will do nothing to solve the problem.
It is self-evident that our freedoms have been severely limited and the
apparent prosperity we still have, is nothing more than leftover wealth from a
previous time. This fictitious wealth based on debt and benefits from a false
trust in our currency and credit, will play havoc with our society when the
bills come due. This means that the full consequence of our lost liberties is
yet to be felt.
But that illusion is now ending. Reversing a downward spiral depends on
accepting a new approach.
Expect the rapidly expanding homeschooling movement to play a significant role
in the revolutionary reforms needed to build a free society with Constitutional
protections. We cannot expect a Federal government controlled school system to
provide the intellectual ammunition to combat the dangerous growth of
government that threatens our liberties.
The internet will provide the alternative to the government/media complex that
controls the news and most political propaganda. This is why it's essential
that the internet remains free of government regulation.
Many of our religious institutions and secular organizations support greater
dependency on the state by supporting war, welfare and corporatism and ignore
the need for a virtuous people.
I never believed that the world or our country could be made more free by
politicians, if the people had no desire for freedom.
Under the current circumstances the most we can hope to achieve in the
political process is to use it as a podium to reach the people to alert them of
the nature of the crisis and the importance of their need to assume
responsibility for themselves, if it is liberty that they truly seek. Without
this, a constitutionally protected free society is impossible.
If this is true, our individual goal in life ought to be for us to seek virtue
and excellence and recognize that self-esteem and happiness only comes from
using one's natural ability, in the most productive manner possible, according
to one's own talents.
Productivity and creativity are the true source of personal satisfaction.
Freedom, and not dependency, provides the environment needed to achieve these
goals. Government cannot do this for us; it only gets in the way. When the
government gets involved, the goal becomes a bailout or a subsidy and these
cannot provide a sense of personal achievement.
Achieving legislative power and political influence should not be our goal.
Most of the change, if it is to come, will not come from the politicians, but
rather from individuals, family, friends, intellectual leaders and our
religious institutions. The solution can only come from rejecting the use of
coercion, compulsion, government commands, and aggressive force, to mold social
and economic behavior. Without accepting these restraints, inevitably the
consensus will be to allow the government to mandate economic equality and
obedience to the politicians who gain power and promote an environment that
smothers the freedoms of everyone. It is then that the responsible individuals
who seek excellence and self-esteem by being self-reliance and productive,
become the true victims.
Conclusion
What are
the greatest dangers that the American people face today and impede the goal of
a free society? There are five.
1. The continuous attack on our civil liberties which threatens the rule of law
and our ability to resist the onrush of tyranny.
2. Violent anti-Americanism that has engulfed the world. Because the phenomenon
of "blow-back" is not understood or denied, our foreign policy is
destined to keep us involved in many wars that we have no business being in.
National bankruptcy and a greater threat to our national security will result.
3. The ease in which we go to war, without a declaration by Congress, but
accepting international authority from the UN or NATO even for preemptive wars,
otherwise known as aggression.
4. A financial political crisis as a consequence of excessive debt, unfunded
liabilities, spending, bailouts, and gross discrepancy in wealth distribution
going from the middle class to the rich. The danger of central economic
planning, by the Federal Reserve must be understood.
5. World government taking over local and US sovereignty by getting involved in
the issues of war, welfare, trade, banking, a world currency, taxes, property
ownership, and private ownership of guns.
Happily, there is an answer for these very dangerous trends.
What a wonderful world it would be if everyone accepted the simple moral
premise of rejecting all acts of aggression. The retort to such a suggestion is
always: it's too simplistic, too idealistic, impractical, naïve, utopian,
dangerous, and unrealistic to strive for such an ideal.
The answer to that is that for thousands of years the acceptance of government
force, to rule over the people, at the sacrifice of liberty, was considered
moral and the only available option for achieving peace and prosperity.
What could be more utopian than that myth -- considering the results especially
looking at the state sponsored killing, by nearly every government during the
20th Century, estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. It's time to
reconsider this grant of authority to the state.
No good has ever come from granting monopoly power to the state to use
aggression against the people to arbitrarily mold human behavior. Such power,
when left unchecked, becomes the seed of an ugly tyranny. This method of
governance has been adequately tested, and the results are in: reality dictates
we try liberty.
The idealism of non-aggression and rejecting all offensive use of force should
be tried. The idealism of government sanctioned violence has been abused
throughout history and is the primary source of poverty and war. The theory of
a society being based on individual freedom has been around for a long time.
It's time to take a bold step and actually permit it by advancing this cause,
rather than taking a step backwards as some would like us to do.
Today the principle of habeas corpus, established when King John signed the
Magna Carta in 1215, is under attack. There's every reason to believe that a
renewed effort with the use of the internet that we can instead advance the
cause of liberty by spreading an uncensored message that will serve to rein in
government authority and challenge the obsession with war and welfare.
#11
What I'm talking about is a system of government guided by the
moral principles of peace and tolerance.
The Founders were convinced that a free society could not exist without a moral
people. Just writing rules won't work if the people choose to ignore them.
Today the rule of law written in the Constitution has little meaning for most
Americans, especially those who work in Washington
DC.
Benjamin Franklin claimed "only a virtuous people are capable of
freedom." John Adams concurred: "Our Constitution was made for a
moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any
other."
A moral people must reject all violence in an effort to mold people's beliefs
or habits.
A society that boos or ridicules the Golden Rule is not a moral society. All
great religions endorse the Golden Rule. The same moral standards that
individuals are required to follow should apply to all government officials.
They cannot be exempt.
The ultimate solution is not in the hands of the government.
The solution falls on each and every individual, with guidance from family,
friends and community.
The #1 responsibility for each of us is to change ourselves with hope that
others will follow. This is of greater importance than working on changing the
government; that is secondary to promoting a virtuous society. If we can
achieve this, then the government will change.
It doesn't mean that political action or holding office has no value. At times
it does nudge policy in the right direction. But what is true is that when
seeking office is done for personal aggrandizement, money or power, it becomes
useless if not harmful. When political action is taken for the right reasons
it's easy to understand why compromise should be avoided. It also becomes clear
why progress is best achieved by working with coalitions, which bring people
together, without anyone sacrificing his principles.
Political action, to be truly beneficial, must be directed toward changing the
hearts and minds of the people, recognizing that it's the virtue and morality
of the people that allow liberty to flourish.
The Constitution or more laws per se, have no value if the people's attitudes
aren't changed.
To achieve liberty and peace, two powerful human emotions have to be overcome.
Number one is "envy" which leads to hate and class warfare. Number
two is "intolerance" which leads to bigoted and judgmental policies.
These emotions must be replaced with a much better understanding of love,
compassion, tolerance and free market economics. Freedom, when understood,
brings people together. When tried, freedom is popular.
The problem we have faced over the years has been that economic
interventionists are swayed by envy, whereas social interventionists are swayed
by intolerance of habits and lifestyles. The misunderstanding that tolerance is
an endorsement of certain activities, motivates many to legislate moral
standards which should only be set by individuals making their own choices.
Both sides use force to deal with these misplaced emotions. Both are
authoritarians. Neither endorses voluntarism. Both views ought to be rejected.
I have come to one firm conviction after these many years of trying to figure
out "the plain truth of things." The best chance for achieving peace
and prosperity, for the maximum number of people world-wide, is to pursue the
cause of LIBERTY.
If you find this to be a worthwhile message, spread it throughout the land.
By Michael, on December 5th, 2012