Articles on Life, Liberty, Property and Limited Government
Limits of Emergency Government Powers
Every day, as Americans wake up, they check the news to see the latest statistics about the COVID-19 virus and find out what new restrictions have been placed upon them by Federal, State and local Governments. And every day the statistics get worse and the Government restrictions become more numerous and onerous.
Initially, there were suggestions about protecting yourself, then the closing of schools and public places, followed by restrictions on gathering, the closing of restaurants, pubs, spas, and theatres. Next came the lockdowns of people under the guise of “shelter in place”. Followed shortly thereafter by the orders to completely shut down all personal and business activities not approved by the State.
The question then becomes are there limits on these Government decrees or is the Government free to impose on its citizens whatever orders they desire under the umbrella of “Emergency Powers”? Currently, the answer from our political leaders seems to be they have acquired unlimited authority to demand, under punishment of Law, total submission from the People, who are now considered vassals of the State.
The US Congress: Has the President Assumed its Powers?
Today, the President threated to strike Syria with missiles and bombs and told the Russians to get out of the way. This is a Declaration of War - something which only Congress is supposed to be able to do - yet he has done it.
What seems even worse to me is that as always, Congress has said nothing about this - total silence to the shredding of the Principles of the Constitution. The Constitution to which every member of Congress has sworn an oath to uphold.
Is there anyone left in the Great Imperial City of Washington DC who understands Duty, Integrity, and Obligation to the sacred principles this nation was founded upon?
Is there one person in Congress who will break the silence? Is there anyone with the Patriotism left to rouse Congress from their petty search for party-line power and who can get them to stand up for that which they are morally obligated to defend.
Isn’t it a mockery that each year Congress funds a $700B military budget, waves the flag and asks the members of the military to sacrifice themselves, their families and even their lives to defend this Country and the Constitution.
Preventive Medicine or Death and Destruction
The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is an excellent organization dedicated to requiring solid scientific process and proof regarding stated positions on science and health. On their website (www.acsh.org), they regularly post articles point out studies and individuals who violate the scienific process. Unfortunately, they recently fell short of their mark in a recent post.
In the “Policy and Ethics” section of their website, they posted an article (http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/04/24/west-point-future-health-veterans-seems-bright-11175) which praised a new Government/Academia partnership for strengthening Veteran’s programs and further US military involvement across the globe. I posted a comment on their website (see below) and sent them an email stating that the best way to help our veterans, and the rest of the people in the world, is to stop US military actions abroad. Preventive Medicine is far better than having to treat the sick and wounded.
—— COMMENT TO ACSH ARTICLE ——
Monetary Madness in the 21st Century
It started with the Federal Reserve and Government induced dot.com monetary bubble bursting in 2001. A few years later the second Fed/Government monetary induced bubble burst in 2008, putting millions out of work while rescuing every complicit bank and business with trillions of dollars in direct and indirect bailouts.
Since 2008 we’ve had six years of continued Government deficit spending and Federal Reserve disruptions of the market with nothing to show for it but another set of bubbles in the stock market, commodities, and junk bonds while at the same time destroying the savings and middle-income jobs of Americans. Based upon the failures of the last 15 years, reason would say it was time to reevaluate the logic of Government interference in free markets and banking – however it appears that reason and logic have no place in the capitals of the world.
Instead it appears that illogic and a rejection of reason are the pillars of this century. Take the latest scheme (see below) being proposed by the European Central Bank and its Keynesian supporters as reported in Der Spiegel magazine.
Peace – Apparently not in My Lifetime or Anyone Else’s.
It’s true. No one who was alive after the beginning of World War II has ever lived in peace, the United States has been continuously embroiled in direct conflict, police actions, covert military operations, CIA sponsored revolutions and operations ever since 1941.
It is ironic that the United Nations, the organization created by the United States and its allies, forbids in its charter, any nation from engaging in aggressive wars. Yet, since the end of WWII the US Government has had its military-covert operation forces in action in well over 50 nations. In each case the existence of a direct threat to the United States is hard to imagine and in every case the United States initiated hostilities.
In the late 1940s when the War Department was laughingly renamed the Department of Defense there was China, Italy and Greece. In the 1950s it was Korea, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Iran, Syria, and the Mid-East (not for the last time). The 1960s brought Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Haiti, Cuba, the Congo, Indonesia, Chile and others. The 70s, due to public reaction to the disasters in Southeast Asia was a little quieter, with US meddling and invasions down to a few places like Zaire, Iraq, Angola, and Jamaica. Once the 1980s came, things got back to a more normal tempo with invasions and operations in countries such as Grenada, Morocco, Libya, Afghanistan (Part I), Nicaragua, and Panama. The 1990s with the fall of the Soviet Union, gave the US Government an unconstrained field of operations so it was Phase 1 of the 30-year War on our old ally Iraq. Then don’t forget Somalia (Blackhawk Down), Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe.
Crimes of the State: A Never-Ending Story
Today’s revelation that the NSA has placed malicious software on more than 50,000 servers around the World is another striking example of the arrogance of the Government of the United States. An example of its utter disregard for Individuals, Corporations, and their Governments. What is more, it reflects the totally lawless nature of the US Government. Inserting malware capable of destroying the functionality of computers here or in other nations is a crime. It is a crime for individuals and it is a crime for the State. We are not at war with these nations – yet the NSA’s actions are an act of war.
This nation was founded on principles regarding the Rights of the Individual. Principles which had their beginnings in ancient Greece and slowly developed over the centuries. These Principles became the cornerstone of the American Colonies – recognizing the Individual has inalienable Rights – the State none. Recognizing that Individual Rights precede Government and it is only because the Individual has Rights that Governments can be created. It follows then that Government cannot claim any additional Power or Authority than what was delegated to it – and most importantly since the Individual has never had the Right to harm the Life, Liberty, or Property of others – the Government is always prohibited from such actions. The use of Force against others is only allowed in the face of an immediate threat upon one’s Life, Liberty, or Property and only in the amount necessary to neutralize the threat.
Are You an Enemy of the State - I Hope So.....
What is it like to be continually under surveillance, to have every aspect of your life recorded, catalogued, and inspected? What if your whereabouts, your travels, and your most personal thoughts were being collected by the Government? Everyone you ever called everything you ever emailed, texted, twittered, put on your Facebook page or blog was scanned and observed by vast computer networks – every website you visited, every time you visited it – held forever in giant databases to be used against you at will.
What is it like to have a Government who believes in total situational awareness of every aspect of every human’s life – no matter where they live? What if your bank records, your Visa, MasterCard and PayPal purchases were all known by the Government? Every financial transaction logged and analyzed to determine what you like, who you do business with, what organizations, charities, political groups you support, where you travel, what you do, when you do it, what you eat, what you drink, how much you drink, how you dress, where you get your tattoos, what medications you use, what guns you buy, how much ammunition you use, what food storage supplies you have, what books you read – every dollar you ever spend tracked, recorded and analyzed for suspicious activity. Then if they really like you they start comparing all your information against anyone and everyone else they have any interest in. Then all it takes is one match, one coincidence and you become a person of interest – a potential enemy of the State.
Are Your Inventions Properties of the State
The US government has just blocked a Texas-based company from distributing details online of how to make a plastic gun using a 3-D printer. The ban, by the State Department citing international arms control law, comes just days after the first such gun was successfully fired. Defense Distributed, the company that made the prototype, stated on Twitter that its project had "gone dark" at the instigation of the government.
The company is run by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old University of Texas law student who has said the idea for freely distributing details about how to produce the guns online was inspired by 19th century anarchist writing. Wilson argues everyone should have access to guns. Wilson unsuccessfully applied for a federal firearms license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and has said he wants to create the gun legally. On Sunday, New York senator Charles Schumer said that legislation should be created to prevent people from making 3D printed guns.
So who owns an Individual’s ideas? If we create a new invention whether a 3D printed gun or a transporter to move equipment around the world shouldn’t we free to market and sell (or give away) our invention to those who need it? Or rather, are our ideas properties of the State? Are we prisoners in our own country? Is everything we create, everything we do, everything we write or express Government property? Are we forbidden from trading with anyone outside of the United States without approval of the Government? Are we forbidden to travel as free people to whatever place we desire to go without approval? Can we no longer exchange ideas without approval of Government?
How to Cure the Budget Crisis
Why all the angst about cutting the Federal budget by 120 billion (B) dollars for each of the next ten years? Will cutting $120B from a budget of $3,500 B do any good? And why the great hue and cry from the President about the devastation this will cause? Even if you apply this $120B dollar cut simply to the discretionary budget of $1,500B this would only be an 8% budget cut – families everywhere have to handle this type of situation every year – why can’t the US Government?
So let’s get serious and talk about how to really fix the budget. By fix I mean create a balanced budget and pay down the debt.
· First, let’s talk about the discretionary budget – cut it by 50% without impacting services or national security. The largest part of the discretionary budget is defense at almost $800B. Cut it by 50% to $400B. I know, there will be screams about destroying our national defense! Really? At $400B the US military would still be spending nearly 25% of the world’s military budget. The next two largest spenders, China and Russia spend just over $200B together. So does anyone believe the United States would be vulnerable when it would still be spending twice what China and Russia combined spend? Especially when the 10 next biggest spenders are allies of the US – think Great Britain, France, Germany, etc. Next look at the Cabinet agencies; let’s get rid of or combine offices that are no longer needed or whose functions should be handled by the States. My list for elimination or combining would be: Department of Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Education, and Veteran Affairs. The monstrous Department of Homeland Security should be broken up and scattered to the wind. Also, many of the agencies within the Executive Branch could be downsized or eliminated. The result: a savings of $700B per year.
The Fed's Point-Zero-Two Percent Solution for Disaster
What? An interest rate of .02% on my savings account! Why that would mean if I deposited $1,000 for a year with my bank, I would earn just 25-cents! Or, if I had a lot of money and deposited $100,000 I would have an extra $25 (before taxes) at year’s end – surely that can’t be.
Historically speaking, you’re correct. Going back to 1880, the average, short-term, free-market interest rate averaged around 2%. That would mean you would have earned $20 for the year on your $1,000 savings account or $2,000 on your $100,000 savings account. That’s $20 vice 25-cents and $2,000 vice $25 – what gives?
Well it should be no surprise it’s going down the same Keynesian sink-hole that wealth has been disappearing down since the Great Depression. Following the failed theory that increased Government deficit spending and lower interest rates will rescue the economy. Then as now, and at every point in between, the theory has failed. Unemployment remains and stalled production continues; only deficits soar.
Personal Responsibility and Individual Liberty
Most of the daily discussions about Individual Life and Liberty involve the transgressions of Government into the lives of Individuals. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy it's time to look at the other side of the equation: the responsibilities of the Individual for the protection of themselves, their family and their community.
Here is a short quote about the situation shortly after Hurricane Sandy passed from a resident of South Brooklyn, "Now let's recap the series of events: no water, no power, no communications, no public transportation, no gasoline for vehicles (lack thereof). Now add one more problem to this dire situation: no working ATMs in the blackout areas. The same applies to credit card machines at businesses that managed to open their doors. CASH only if you need anything, food, water, medical supplies." So what is the response of most people to this situation? They complain that Government and business aren't doing anything to help them. They act abandoned, lost, and bewildered because their world is in disarray. They never thought about a possible emergency in their lives so they are totally unprepared. They cry out for help and expect Government and relief agencies to arrive immediately with whatever they need and complain when they don't. The irony of being totally unprepared to help themselves and their condemning everyone else for not immediately helping is lost upon them. Is this taking responsibility for your Life? Is this taking responsibility for protecting your family and property? What's a better answer?
America: Republic or Dictatorship?
The question of how the United States should handle the alleged Iranian move towards acquiring nuclear weapons continues to occupy the news. The stories focus on whether or not the US will covertly support an Israeli strike or join Israel in directly attacking Iranian nuclear facilities. They do not focus on the question of 'Where does the President get the authority to launch an attack on Iran?' For no matter how such an attack is framed by the President it is this: an Act of War. And on the question of who may declare War, the Constitution (Article 1; Section 8) is clear - only Congress has the authority to declare War -- not the President.
This distinction is not trivial. The Constitution defines the roles, responsibilities, and limitations of the United States Government. It is the Law. Congress, the Courts, and the President are bound to follow the Constitution as are every member of the Military. If the President orders a military strike against Iran, without clear, direct authority from Congress, he has commited a crime and should be impeached. Furthmore, senior military officers who follow the President's illegal order to attack Iran will have also commited a crime by violating their oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.'
The Most Arrogant Map Ever Produced
The Most Arrogant Map Ever Produced
Look at this map or use the link below the map and expand it to full screen and study it. What does it say to you? What does it imply? How do you think someone living in China, Italy, Brazil, or Egypt would feel about this map? What does it say about the Government of the United States? What does it say about how the US Government looks at its relationship to the Nations and People of the World?
Link to High Resolution Map: Areas of Responsibility – US Combatant Commands
Every time I see this map, I am struck by the total arrogance of the Government of the United States. If there was ever any doubt that the United States has become an Empire, supported by military force, this map crushes those doubts. Here it is, the entire globe, every continent, every ocean, every nation, neatly divided into sections, which fall under the area of responsibility of US military combatant commands.
Whatever happened to the concept of using military force only for the defense of the United States? What about non-involvement in the affairs of others? Unfortunately, the Government, the Military, the banks, and international business interests believe military action is no different than diplomacy. They believe force, violence, and death are acceptable means of influencing other nations and people – that is just so long as the United States military is doing the influencing.
Central Banking: Weapon of State Oppression
CENTRAL BANKS: THE ULTIMATE STATE WEAPON AGAINST THE INDIVIDUAL
Any discussion of Life, Liberty and Property must always turn to the power of Government to tax and spend. Governments have always loved to spend but were restrained because they knew that raising taxes is one of the surest means of upsetting the populace. Therefore, borrowing has always been popular amongst Kings and Governments because it allowed current spending with the pain of repayment pushed out into the future.
Over the last 600 years with the growth of national economies, this trend accelerated. At first, with a gold standard, the ability to borrow was limited by available savings and rapidly rising interest rates when borrowing by the State was seen as excessive. That’s when desperate Governments turned to printing paper money that quickly became worthless among the populace. This limit on Government spending was always a huge irritant to Heads-of-States who lusted for empire and domination.
The solution came with the creation of the Government sponsored Central Bank. The one bank authorized to handle all Government debt, control all other banks, determine the money supply, manipulate the interest rates and in the dark secrecy provided by the State; bind them to the will of Government.
The Drone Wars - Death by Order of the President
The killing of American citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki by a US drone strike was hailed by President Obama as a victory for the American people. Was it a victory or something else?
There can be no greater assault upon Individual Rights than the assassination of an Individual by the State and this is true whether that person is a citizen of that country or the citizen of another country. Taking someone's life is rightfully recognized as unjustified except under those conditions where it is the only and last means of protecting one's own life or someone else's life. This implies that the threat is immediate and cannot be turned aside by any lesser force. This immediate danger and lesser force principle is critical because it recognizes that the aggressor is also a human being and taking their life unnecessarily is also an injustice.
What if we apply this principle to the 'Drone Wars' and other targeted killings by the US Government in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen or elsewhere? Are these killings justified under the Constitution? Are they justified under Natural Rights/Human Rights?
New Government Fuel Standards - They Will Cost You Thousands
The Obama administration's newly announced fuel standard of 54.5 mpg for automobiles is touted because it will supposedly save hundreds of millions of gallons of gasoline over the 'life' of new vehicles meeting this standard. Wonderful! There is just one problem. This statement totally ignores all the other costs associated with purchasing a car which meets this standard - costs which add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
For example, let's look at some of the numbers associated with the Chevy Volt, a vehicle which meets the new fuel standards, versus the Chevy Cruze, a similar economy car with excellent gas mileage.
. PRICE (w/taxes) *Car Payment **Yearly Fuel Usage ***10-year Op Costs
Chevy Volt $44,000 $753 220 gal $53,800
Chevy Cruze $19,000 $270 480 gal $35,400
Return of the King
The Return of the King – Will Posterity Follow?
The Jeddah Economic Forum (JED) took place in mid-March and featured economic speakers from Arab nations as well as major economic powers from around the world. The purpose of the forum was to review the economic progress of the Arab nations and chart a way forward that will continue economic progress in the region. The mood was somewhat somber given the upheaval and revolution ongoing throughout the much of the Arab world. However, the consensus was that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was a model of stability, excellence in financial management, and economic growth
Concurrent with the JED in Saudi Arabia there was the much anticipated ‘Return of the King’ from his long absence and the new economic stimulus package announced upon his return. These are the details of the Royal Decrees as reported in the Arab News:
1. A one –time cash payment of two-months salary to all government employees
2. A one-time cash stipend of two-months living expenses to all Saudi students on government scholarships.
Deficits – What Government is Doing to Your Savings, Your Investments, Your Future
Have you looked at your investment choices today? Have you checked the rates of return available on your savings? For example how do these rates strike you: passbook savings account, 0.17%; 1-yr treasury notes, 0.22%; a 2-yr CD, 0.34% or 10-year bonds, 2.6%? Are you laughing yet? You can’t even get a 1/3rd of a percentage point of interest on a 2-yr CD! What’s that doing for your children’s college education fund or your retirement plans? What the Fed and the Government don’t want you to remember is: This is a direct and deliberate result of their policies – you are being sacrificed for the State, the banking industry, failed industries and unions.
How are people adjusting? In order to keep up with inflation, people are forced to put their money in riskier and riskier investments. In order to make a reasonable return above inflation and taxes people have no choice but to seek the riskiest investments such as stocks and junk bonds. This should not be the case and often leads to disaster for even experienced investors as the markets are buffeted by Government created bubbles and market distortions.
The Road to Serfdom - The only Road the State Maintains
Imagine the Government owning everything and only giving you what it determines you need. A new twist on the old Soviet motto is born, "To the State everything, to the People what's left." And like the serfs who were sold with the lord's land, each new election only changes your masters.
A new proposal by the British equivalent of our IRS would have all wages sent to the Government by employers and after the Government decided your proper deductions, it would then deposit what's left in your bank account.
As draconian as this is, keep in mind, this is only the logical extension of the income tax and in fact all taxes. Taxation is nothing more than the Government declaring that it has 'first right' to everything you own or work for - your paycheck, your savings, your house, your land, and everything in it or on it - everything. You don't or can't pay the taxes on piece of property they will come take it or seize your other properties.
What is more destructive of Life, Liberty or Property than this? What burden in more crushing than knowing what your work for what you create is not yours. A new edict, a new program, a new emergency and the Government comes and takes more.
It’s Time – For the Second American Revolution
I had the privilege of attending a Mises Circle program in Colorado Springs this weekend and listening to several excellent presentation as well as talking to many people who came in support of limited Government, free markets and Individual Liberty.
One of the speakers was Yuri Maltsev, a former economist in the Soviet Union who came to the United States in 1989. Mr Maltsev spoke of the history of Socialism from Marx to Obama and particularly the role of violence in the Soviet Government which resulted in somewhere between 40 to 60 million deaths. However as was pointed out by Mr Gorbachev, most of these were from natural causes not execution. In this case I suppose, the State considers those in the Gulag who died of starvation, disease, sickness, or the cold just didn’t take care of themselves..
Mr Yaltsev went on to discuss how much the United States has changed in the twenty years he has been here. How year after year he sees the hand of the State seize more and more power over the markets and people’s lives. He believes that people must soon stand up to these infringements or become serfs of the State.