A Nation In Distress
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Rally For Your Republic, Or Lose It
From Lew Rockwell.com:
Rally for Your Republic Now…or Lose It Forever
by Susan Westfall
Recently by Susan Westfall: The Relevancy of Ron Paul vs. the Coming Irrelevancy of the Status-Quo
“A watched kettle never boils.” A sage piece of advice for cooks or anyone waiting for something to come to fruition. Unfortunately for us, we seem to have applied that advice to ourselves and ceased watching the governmental cauldron that is Washington, D.C. Bad move – a very bad move. Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Wendell Phillips have all reminded us, at one time or another, that “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Would that we had listened better. Perhaps we would not presently be hurtling into the Keynesian abyss on a FED powered train from hell. This of course after having been groped (for our own safety) prior to forced boarding.
However, we are. So, it’s time to stop lying to ourselves and each other. We, the people, have been complacent and apathetic too long. Blind far, far too long. The crisis we find ourselves in today is our own fault. The peoples’ fault. We forgot to be vigilant. We prospered, we got comfortable, and we decided to leave governing to the well-intentioned politicians and ‘experts’ who knew best how to run the country and maintain our prosperity. At least – that’s what they told us and apparently what they thought. Look around…how well has that worked out for us? Daniel Webster warned long ago, “Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” And master they did, but they were not “masters” of anything except a slow, insidious destruction. Time to admit and correct the mistakes.
America was founded on a vision of liberty and protection for all individuals. Each and everyone of us is an individual. Sovereign to none but God. Equal one to another in liberty and sovereignty – if we but believe it. Government does not give us liberty, nor can government raise or lower us in any truly meaningful way. Under the Constitution, the sole purpose of government is to protect the liberty of each and every one of us regardless of race, gender, or party. So throw off the yoke of assigned groupings used to perpetuate strife and divisions. Have confidence in your worth. You, me, WE are the REAL power. Stand up, stand together and let your voices be heard. Our country is too big, our population too diverse for us all to agree on everything. However, we can agree on a few big issues which we all hold dear. What could be dearer than the ideals of liberty? It’s time to remember that America is a Republic, not a democracy. Time to remember that the government our ancestors created – as sovereign peoples of their respectively sovereign state(s) compacting together – was formed to restrain the government and never the people.
Our ancestors did not fight and die for the debauched city, drunk on the blood of illusionary slain dragons, that now masquerades behind its tattered carnival mask as our seat of government. Nor did they give their precious lives and blood to ensure that the wealth of one half of their “posterity” would be stolen by government agents and redistributed, through charity programs deemed “necessary and proper”, to provide for the “general welfare” of the other half. They would sob with misery at what we have allowed to occur. “A democracy,” was not the answer provided by Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government had been given to the people. Instead he admonished, “A Republic, madam, if you [the whole of the people] can keep it.” We have not kept it. We allowed, and even encouraged, it to become the ravenous leviathan of democracy that seems intent on swallowing us whole to increase its own power and size. But proper defense requires knowledge and vigilance. If you don’t have a copy of the Constitution in your house…buy one, read it online, or download it from the Internet for free. But read it – once, twice, many fold – till you are at least passingly familiar with it. Then educate others and rally together to defend your liberty and your Republic.
Do NOT rally together to fight for the sake of party. Political parties will not save us as claimed, nor have they ever. Parties divide and weaken the power of WE the People to restrain our government as is our duty. Through party, control is wrested from all of the people of the Republic and given over to either the “blue team” or the “red team”. I mention here only two controlling forces, since the other parties (libertarian, green, independent, etc.) are barely given the most grudging of places on voting ballots, at a prohibitively high cost I might mention, and almost never a place at the debate table. To pretend otherwise would be not only hypocritical, but ridiculous. George Washington had this (among other things) to say about parties, “They serve to organize faction, to give it [one party or another] an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party.” Political parties keep us focussed on controversial issues that will NEVER be agreed upon by all. Tune into any talk radio show, already conveniently divided into left and right, (two more team terms) and listen to the hosts rant and rave at and about the “other side”. Finger pointing, blame assignments, and name calling are main staples of these shows. The format is mirrored in television and print media as well. In this way the opposing “teams” are kept stirred up, angry, and arguing about various emotionally charged positions. Thus ensuring that both teams don’t come together in a coalition strong enough to not only restrain, but reform and reduce government back to its Constitutional size and role. Perhaps the most offensive thing about party politics is that after successfully dividing the people and achieving victory for one team or the other, BOTH teams then work together (while appearing not to through more media finger-pointing and name-calling) to “reach compromises” that not only increase the scope and size of governmental over-reach, but decrease the freedoms of the very people who employ them to do otherwise. It’s time we stopped pretending the defense of liberty and protection of our Republic is a team sport of some kind. If we want to wave a pennant, place a bet, or cheer on a team we should attend a real sporting event. When it comes to politics we better damn well forget the idea of team and start backing individual candidates who will uphold their oaths to the Constitution. Letters are for high school sports apparel, not for determining the best political candidate.
With the Internet easily accessible to all, there is absolutely no excuse not to research each candidate to whom we consider giving our vote. If time is a factor, and it will be for many, then form study groups and lessen the time burden. Voting is not something you should do based on how a candidate looks and sounds, or what the media says you should know about them. Research their past records, listen to old speeches, and find out what they have done in their daily lives. You can Google anything today and get answers. It’s not enough that candidates say they follow the Constitution. It doesn’t matter how patriotic or religious they sound when telling you they love the Constitution – have they upheld it through actions or not? Have they kept their promises? These people will represent our interests and if we choose poorly we will end up with more of the same. More spending, more borrowing, more inflationary printing, more cronyism, and more unaffordable wars. We will extend our time in the abyss substantially. We’ll not only disembark and set up camp, but wave good-bye as the status-quo cronies use what’s left of our wealth to power themselves and their train along a little longer. We, however, will be left to stumble about in poverty and tyranny for years to come.
I have never voted in any election, but I have been watching them for years. Since 2007, I have been listening and researching. In all that time I have found but one presidential candidate (in both this and the last election) for whom I would and will give my vote, my money and my time. That candidate is Ron Paul. Decades of upholding his oath of office, voting only for Constitutional legislation, and standing on his principles – often completely alone – proves to me that he will do his best to achieve his stated goals for our country. An astoundingly long record of consistently saying the truth – again, often completely alone, as well as in the face of extensive ridicule – convinces me that he is deserving of my trust, my time and efforts, and my hard-earned money. I give all of them freely to a candidate who would be president in order to restore my liberties, not usurp more of them to enhance the powers stubbornly perpetuating “business as usual” and driving our country to ruin.
Ron Paul will restore America. Rally with him. Rally for your Republic. Rally for love of this amazingly beautiful and bountiful land, that has for so long been a shining beacon to so many in the world. Rally for the precious freedom that has sustained this country since it’s inception, but so many around the world still struggle to attain. Rally for the glorious gift of liberty that burns in the hearts of men and women everywhere, but has had the best chance of survival in America since the day our founders declared their independence and pledged their lives, wealth, and sacred honor to establish it. Rally for the love of everyone, past and present, whose lives and actions have all played a part in the building of America.
For the love of God – unite. Come together.
Rally and fight for your Republic before it’s too late. Rally with us to defend liberty. Rally with the Champion of the Constitution, Ron Paul. Rally and defend liberty, for liberty’s sake – for all our sakes.
Reprinted with permission from The Weasel Radar.
September 8, 2011
Susan Westfall [send her mail] is a mother, a libertarian, and an educator.
Copyright © 2011 Susan Westfall
Rally for Your Republic Now…or Lose It Forever
by Susan Westfall
Recently by Susan Westfall: The Relevancy of Ron Paul vs. the Coming Irrelevancy of the Status-Quo
“A watched kettle never boils.” A sage piece of advice for cooks or anyone waiting for something to come to fruition. Unfortunately for us, we seem to have applied that advice to ourselves and ceased watching the governmental cauldron that is Washington, D.C. Bad move – a very bad move. Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Wendell Phillips have all reminded us, at one time or another, that “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Would that we had listened better. Perhaps we would not presently be hurtling into the Keynesian abyss on a FED powered train from hell. This of course after having been groped (for our own safety) prior to forced boarding.
However, we are. So, it’s time to stop lying to ourselves and each other. We, the people, have been complacent and apathetic too long. Blind far, far too long. The crisis we find ourselves in today is our own fault. The peoples’ fault. We forgot to be vigilant. We prospered, we got comfortable, and we decided to leave governing to the well-intentioned politicians and ‘experts’ who knew best how to run the country and maintain our prosperity. At least – that’s what they told us and apparently what they thought. Look around…how well has that worked out for us? Daniel Webster warned long ago, “Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” And master they did, but they were not “masters” of anything except a slow, insidious destruction. Time to admit and correct the mistakes.
America was founded on a vision of liberty and protection for all individuals. Each and everyone of us is an individual. Sovereign to none but God. Equal one to another in liberty and sovereignty – if we but believe it. Government does not give us liberty, nor can government raise or lower us in any truly meaningful way. Under the Constitution, the sole purpose of government is to protect the liberty of each and every one of us regardless of race, gender, or party. So throw off the yoke of assigned groupings used to perpetuate strife and divisions. Have confidence in your worth. You, me, WE are the REAL power. Stand up, stand together and let your voices be heard. Our country is too big, our population too diverse for us all to agree on everything. However, we can agree on a few big issues which we all hold dear. What could be dearer than the ideals of liberty? It’s time to remember that America is a Republic, not a democracy. Time to remember that the government our ancestors created – as sovereign peoples of their respectively sovereign state(s) compacting together – was formed to restrain the government and never the people.
Our ancestors did not fight and die for the debauched city, drunk on the blood of illusionary slain dragons, that now masquerades behind its tattered carnival mask as our seat of government. Nor did they give their precious lives and blood to ensure that the wealth of one half of their “posterity” would be stolen by government agents and redistributed, through charity programs deemed “necessary and proper”, to provide for the “general welfare” of the other half. They would sob with misery at what we have allowed to occur. “A democracy,” was not the answer provided by Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government had been given to the people. Instead he admonished, “A Republic, madam, if you [the whole of the people] can keep it.” We have not kept it. We allowed, and even encouraged, it to become the ravenous leviathan of democracy that seems intent on swallowing us whole to increase its own power and size. But proper defense requires knowledge and vigilance. If you don’t have a copy of the Constitution in your house…buy one, read it online, or download it from the Internet for free. But read it – once, twice, many fold – till you are at least passingly familiar with it. Then educate others and rally together to defend your liberty and your Republic.
Do NOT rally together to fight for the sake of party. Political parties will not save us as claimed, nor have they ever. Parties divide and weaken the power of WE the People to restrain our government as is our duty. Through party, control is wrested from all of the people of the Republic and given over to either the “blue team” or the “red team”. I mention here only two controlling forces, since the other parties (libertarian, green, independent, etc.) are barely given the most grudging of places on voting ballots, at a prohibitively high cost I might mention, and almost never a place at the debate table. To pretend otherwise would be not only hypocritical, but ridiculous. George Washington had this (among other things) to say about parties, “They serve to organize faction, to give it [one party or another] an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party.” Political parties keep us focussed on controversial issues that will NEVER be agreed upon by all. Tune into any talk radio show, already conveniently divided into left and right, (two more team terms) and listen to the hosts rant and rave at and about the “other side”. Finger pointing, blame assignments, and name calling are main staples of these shows. The format is mirrored in television and print media as well. In this way the opposing “teams” are kept stirred up, angry, and arguing about various emotionally charged positions. Thus ensuring that both teams don’t come together in a coalition strong enough to not only restrain, but reform and reduce government back to its Constitutional size and role. Perhaps the most offensive thing about party politics is that after successfully dividing the people and achieving victory for one team or the other, BOTH teams then work together (while appearing not to through more media finger-pointing and name-calling) to “reach compromises” that not only increase the scope and size of governmental over-reach, but decrease the freedoms of the very people who employ them to do otherwise. It’s time we stopped pretending the defense of liberty and protection of our Republic is a team sport of some kind. If we want to wave a pennant, place a bet, or cheer on a team we should attend a real sporting event. When it comes to politics we better damn well forget the idea of team and start backing individual candidates who will uphold their oaths to the Constitution. Letters are for high school sports apparel, not for determining the best political candidate.
With the Internet easily accessible to all, there is absolutely no excuse not to research each candidate to whom we consider giving our vote. If time is a factor, and it will be for many, then form study groups and lessen the time burden. Voting is not something you should do based on how a candidate looks and sounds, or what the media says you should know about them. Research their past records, listen to old speeches, and find out what they have done in their daily lives. You can Google anything today and get answers. It’s not enough that candidates say they follow the Constitution. It doesn’t matter how patriotic or religious they sound when telling you they love the Constitution – have they upheld it through actions or not? Have they kept their promises? These people will represent our interests and if we choose poorly we will end up with more of the same. More spending, more borrowing, more inflationary printing, more cronyism, and more unaffordable wars. We will extend our time in the abyss substantially. We’ll not only disembark and set up camp, but wave good-bye as the status-quo cronies use what’s left of our wealth to power themselves and their train along a little longer. We, however, will be left to stumble about in poverty and tyranny for years to come.
I have never voted in any election, but I have been watching them for years. Since 2007, I have been listening and researching. In all that time I have found but one presidential candidate (in both this and the last election) for whom I would and will give my vote, my money and my time. That candidate is Ron Paul. Decades of upholding his oath of office, voting only for Constitutional legislation, and standing on his principles – often completely alone – proves to me that he will do his best to achieve his stated goals for our country. An astoundingly long record of consistently saying the truth – again, often completely alone, as well as in the face of extensive ridicule – convinces me that he is deserving of my trust, my time and efforts, and my hard-earned money. I give all of them freely to a candidate who would be president in order to restore my liberties, not usurp more of them to enhance the powers stubbornly perpetuating “business as usual” and driving our country to ruin.
Ron Paul will restore America. Rally with him. Rally for your Republic. Rally for love of this amazingly beautiful and bountiful land, that has for so long been a shining beacon to so many in the world. Rally for the precious freedom that has sustained this country since it’s inception, but so many around the world still struggle to attain. Rally for the glorious gift of liberty that burns in the hearts of men and women everywhere, but has had the best chance of survival in America since the day our founders declared their independence and pledged their lives, wealth, and sacred honor to establish it. Rally for the love of everyone, past and present, whose lives and actions have all played a part in the building of America.
For the love of God – unite. Come together.
Rally and fight for your Republic before it’s too late. Rally with us to defend liberty. Rally with the Champion of the Constitution, Ron Paul. Rally and defend liberty, for liberty’s sake – for all our sakes.
Reprinted with permission from The Weasel Radar.
September 8, 2011
Susan Westfall [send her mail] is a mother, a libertarian, and an educator.
Copyright © 2011 Susan Westfall
Five Ways To Create New Jobs In America
From The Heritage Foundation:
Five Ways to Create New Jobs in America
Two years ago, President Barack Obama was bold in his optimism for job growth in America, promising that his stimulus spending plans would create 3 million jobs by the end of 2010. It didn't work, the Obama jobs deficit now stands at 6.7 million jobs, and tonight the President will present a jobs plan chock full of new promises. Unfortunately, that plan appears to be a retread of the same policies that have blocked job growth in America.
The good news is that there is another way, and there are things the President can do to pave the way for businesses to create new jobs.
1) Do Less, Not More: For the last two-and-a-half years, we have seen the federal government spend more and regulate more. Instead, the government should step back and free America's businesses to grow, thereby creating jobs. Heritage's J.D. Foster writes:
At this stage the primary focus should be on government doing less to the economy in its attempt to do anything to spur recovery. The basic strengths of the American economy remain undiminished and undamaged by recent events. What is lacking is not smarter nostrums from Washington, but a chance to breathe, more clarity, and a respite from the flurry of "do somethings" that have spewed from the nation's capital.
2) Restore Confidence, Eliminate Uncertainty: One of President Obama's favorite talking points is that wealthier Americans should "pay their fair share" of taxes, threatening to raise rates on small businesses and investors. That rhetoric might play well in populist circles, but his calls for the redistribution of wealth at the expense of the most productive elements of the economy has a real cost--provoking uncertainty.
The President should stop proposing tax hikes and instead focus on instilling confidence in the economy. He can do that by pressing Congress to make current tax policy permanent or, at the very least, extend current policy until the economy returns to near full employment.
3) Get Spending Under Control: President Obama has tried massive government spending to stimulate the economy, and today we're seeing the results. Deficits, 9.1 percent unemployment, 14 million unemployed, no new jobs created in August, and a reduced credit rating.
Instead of more spending, the President should focus on getting spending under control, reforming entitlements, and setting the United States on a fiscal path with greater economic certainty.
4) Eliminate Unnecessary Regulations: In the first six months of the 2011 fiscal year, 15 major regulations were issued with annual costs exceeding $5.8 billion. Since Inauguration Day, the Obama Administration imposed 75 new major regulations with annual costs of $38 billion. The regulations that are on the books--and the ones that are yet to come--drive up the cost of doing business, discourage investment, and leave businesses waiting on the sidelines until they have more certainty about their future. Instead of regulating more, Washington should end the regulatory assault, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and free our businesses to grow and create jobs.
5) Repeal Obamacare: The President's signature health care law brings with it more spending, costly mandates and regulations, and higher taxes, all of which weigh heavily on individuals and businesses. Repealing Obamacare would go a long way toward getting America back on the job creation path. Heritage's Nina Owcharenko explains:
Obamacare is perhaps the most damaging of the Administration's policies that are impeding the country's recovery. At a time when there should be a focus on cutting spending, reducing regulation, and lowering taxes, Obamacare does the complete opposite. It spends more, imposes costly new mandates and regulations, and raises taxes on individuals and businesses. This is no way to get the economy up and running again.
Today, there are 1.7 million fewer Americans working than when the President's stimulus bill was enacted. Bigger government did not deliver on the promise of creating more jobs for Americans. And though many on the left see an even bigger government and more spending as the cure for America's stagnant job growth, that simply has not worked. Instead, it's time for the President and Congress to look away from government--not toward it--have Washington get out of the way, and allow job growth to return to the fruited plain.
Five Ways to Create New Jobs in America
Two years ago, President Barack Obama was bold in his optimism for job growth in America, promising that his stimulus spending plans would create 3 million jobs by the end of 2010. It didn't work, the Obama jobs deficit now stands at 6.7 million jobs, and tonight the President will present a jobs plan chock full of new promises. Unfortunately, that plan appears to be a retread of the same policies that have blocked job growth in America.
The good news is that there is another way, and there are things the President can do to pave the way for businesses to create new jobs.
1) Do Less, Not More: For the last two-and-a-half years, we have seen the federal government spend more and regulate more. Instead, the government should step back and free America's businesses to grow, thereby creating jobs. Heritage's J.D. Foster writes:
At this stage the primary focus should be on government doing less to the economy in its attempt to do anything to spur recovery. The basic strengths of the American economy remain undiminished and undamaged by recent events. What is lacking is not smarter nostrums from Washington, but a chance to breathe, more clarity, and a respite from the flurry of "do somethings" that have spewed from the nation's capital.
2) Restore Confidence, Eliminate Uncertainty: One of President Obama's favorite talking points is that wealthier Americans should "pay their fair share" of taxes, threatening to raise rates on small businesses and investors. That rhetoric might play well in populist circles, but his calls for the redistribution of wealth at the expense of the most productive elements of the economy has a real cost--provoking uncertainty.
The President should stop proposing tax hikes and instead focus on instilling confidence in the economy. He can do that by pressing Congress to make current tax policy permanent or, at the very least, extend current policy until the economy returns to near full employment.
3) Get Spending Under Control: President Obama has tried massive government spending to stimulate the economy, and today we're seeing the results. Deficits, 9.1 percent unemployment, 14 million unemployed, no new jobs created in August, and a reduced credit rating.
Instead of more spending, the President should focus on getting spending under control, reforming entitlements, and setting the United States on a fiscal path with greater economic certainty.
4) Eliminate Unnecessary Regulations: In the first six months of the 2011 fiscal year, 15 major regulations were issued with annual costs exceeding $5.8 billion. Since Inauguration Day, the Obama Administration imposed 75 new major regulations with annual costs of $38 billion. The regulations that are on the books--and the ones that are yet to come--drive up the cost of doing business, discourage investment, and leave businesses waiting on the sidelines until they have more certainty about their future. Instead of regulating more, Washington should end the regulatory assault, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and free our businesses to grow and create jobs.
5) Repeal Obamacare: The President's signature health care law brings with it more spending, costly mandates and regulations, and higher taxes, all of which weigh heavily on individuals and businesses. Repealing Obamacare would go a long way toward getting America back on the job creation path. Heritage's Nina Owcharenko explains:
Obamacare is perhaps the most damaging of the Administration's policies that are impeding the country's recovery. At a time when there should be a focus on cutting spending, reducing regulation, and lowering taxes, Obamacare does the complete opposite. It spends more, imposes costly new mandates and regulations, and raises taxes on individuals and businesses. This is no way to get the economy up and running again.
Today, there are 1.7 million fewer Americans working than when the President's stimulus bill was enacted. Bigger government did not deliver on the promise of creating more jobs for Americans. And though many on the left see an even bigger government and more spending as the cure for America's stagnant job growth, that simply has not worked. Instead, it's time for the President and Congress to look away from government--not toward it--have Washington get out of the way, and allow job growth to return to the fruited plain.
Immigration Offenses Make Latinos New Majority In Prisons
From Homeland Security NewsWire:
Immigration offenses make Latinos new majority in prisons
Published 8 September 2011
A new government report found that Latinos now account for more than half of all felony offenders sentenced this year as a result of immigration offenses; the report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission revealed that Latinos comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in the first nine months of this fiscal year
A new government report found that Latinos now account for more than half of all felony offenders sentenced this year as a result of immigration offenses.
The report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission revealed that Latinos comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in the first nine months of this fiscal year. In comparison 19.7 percent of felony convictions were for African-Americans and 26.4 percent for Caucasians.
“Statistics like this have to start drawing attention to this country’s immigration policies and what we’re doing, if this is one of the results,” said Fordham University Law School professor Deborah Denno, an expert on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. “The implications for Latinos are huge when you think of the number of families affected by having their breadwinners put away for what in some cases would be considered a non-violent offense.”
The latest statistics come as part of a decade long trend that show immigration crimes like illegal crossings and alien smuggling have largely been responsible for the increase in the number of Latinos sent to prison.
Latinos make up roughly 16 percent of the entire U.S. population, but they outnumber all other ethnic groups sentenced to serve time in prison for federal crimes.
Immigration offenses make Latinos new majority in prisons
Published 8 September 2011
A new government report found that Latinos now account for more than half of all felony offenders sentenced this year as a result of immigration offenses; the report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission revealed that Latinos comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in the first nine months of this fiscal year
A new government report found that Latinos now account for more than half of all felony offenders sentenced this year as a result of immigration offenses.
The report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission revealed that Latinos comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in the first nine months of this fiscal year. In comparison 19.7 percent of felony convictions were for African-Americans and 26.4 percent for Caucasians.
“Statistics like this have to start drawing attention to this country’s immigration policies and what we’re doing, if this is one of the results,” said Fordham University Law School professor Deborah Denno, an expert on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. “The implications for Latinos are huge when you think of the number of families affected by having their breadwinners put away for what in some cases would be considered a non-violent offense.”
The latest statistics come as part of a decade long trend that show immigration crimes like illegal crossings and alien smuggling have largely been responsible for the increase in the number of Latinos sent to prison.
Latinos make up roughly 16 percent of the entire U.S. population, but they outnumber all other ethnic groups sentenced to serve time in prison for federal crimes.
California Lawmakers Approve DREAM Act
From Homeland Security NewsWire:
California lawmakers approve Dream Act
Published 8 September 2011
Last week California legislators approved a controversial bill that would allow undocumented workers to receive state loans for college
Last week California legislators approved a controversial bill that would allow undocumented workers to receive state loans for college. The proposed law has been sent to Governor Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it.
The bill, AB131 also known as the Dream Act, would allow undocumented students who are high school graduates and have attended California schools for at least three years to apply for state loans to help pay for college tuition, fees, books, and living expenses.
The proposed law passed forty-five to twenty-seven, largely along party lines in the state senate.
Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, (D - Los Angeles), who introduced the bill, argued that the legislation was necessary to keep California’s workforce competitive in a global economy. Cedillo said the state needed educated workers for the future, even those who may not have entered the country legally but have excelled in academics.
“We will need them for our future, for our position in the global economy,” he said. “We don’t have one student to spare.”
The bill comes on the heels of a similar piece of legislation that would make undocumented workers eligible for privately funded scholarships, which Governor Brown has already signed into law. Unlike the federal proposal that bears the same name, the California version of the Dream Act does not provide a path to citizenship.
Critics of the bill argue that even if the undocumented workers graduate from college, businesses will still be unable to legally hire them. Others pointed to already overcrowded schools and the lack of federal action.
“Here today we don’t have enough slots for all the students in California who want to attend our great institutions, there just aren’t enough. So until the federal government makes immigration reform a priority and tackles that, what are we doing? We’re offering false promises,” said Assemblyman Curt Hagman, (R - Chino Hills).
Meanwhile supporters of the bill say it helps to push the federal government to take action on immigration reform.
“As California sets once again the bar high for other states to follow, we commend the state’s leadership and wisdom to see beyond an immigration status and proactively integrate immigrants. Let this vote be an inspiration for the federal government to update immigration laws once and for all,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
Legislative analysis estimates that the bill could cost California as much as $40 million a year. Colleges and universities do not have statistics on the number of undocumented students attend each year, but officials guess there are roughly 642 students in the University of California system without the proper documentation, 3,600 students in the California State University system, and 34,000 in community colleges.
California lawmakers approve Dream Act
Published 8 September 2011
Last week California legislators approved a controversial bill that would allow undocumented workers to receive state loans for college
Last week California legislators approved a controversial bill that would allow undocumented workers to receive state loans for college. The proposed law has been sent to Governor Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it.
The bill, AB131 also known as the Dream Act, would allow undocumented students who are high school graduates and have attended California schools for at least three years to apply for state loans to help pay for college tuition, fees, books, and living expenses.
The proposed law passed forty-five to twenty-seven, largely along party lines in the state senate.
Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, (D - Los Angeles), who introduced the bill, argued that the legislation was necessary to keep California’s workforce competitive in a global economy. Cedillo said the state needed educated workers for the future, even those who may not have entered the country legally but have excelled in academics.
“We will need them for our future, for our position in the global economy,” he said. “We don’t have one student to spare.”
The bill comes on the heels of a similar piece of legislation that would make undocumented workers eligible for privately funded scholarships, which Governor Brown has already signed into law. Unlike the federal proposal that bears the same name, the California version of the Dream Act does not provide a path to citizenship.
Critics of the bill argue that even if the undocumented workers graduate from college, businesses will still be unable to legally hire them. Others pointed to already overcrowded schools and the lack of federal action.
“Here today we don’t have enough slots for all the students in California who want to attend our great institutions, there just aren’t enough. So until the federal government makes immigration reform a priority and tackles that, what are we doing? We’re offering false promises,” said Assemblyman Curt Hagman, (R - Chino Hills).
Meanwhile supporters of the bill say it helps to push the federal government to take action on immigration reform.
“As California sets once again the bar high for other states to follow, we commend the state’s leadership and wisdom to see beyond an immigration status and proactively integrate immigrants. Let this vote be an inspiration for the federal government to update immigration laws once and for all,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
Legislative analysis estimates that the bill could cost California as much as $40 million a year. Colleges and universities do not have statistics on the number of undocumented students attend each year, but officials guess there are roughly 642 students in the University of California system without the proper documentation, 3,600 students in the California State University system, and 34,000 in community colleges.
Mexican Border Agents Cross Into U.S. Again Without Permission
From Homeland Security NewsWire:
Mexican border agents cross into U.S. again without permission
Published 8 September 2011
A national watchdog group warns that incursions along the southern border by the Mexican government could be a serious potential security threat
A national watchdog group warns that incursions along the southern border by the Mexican government could be a serious potential security threat.
An investigation by Judicial Watch, a national watchdog group based in Washington, DC, found evidence of several border incursions by the Mexican government in the past several years.
“We were shocked to find that the incidents involved shots fired on both sides of the border, unmarked helicopters invading U.S. airspace, drug smuggling and confrontations between U.S. Border Patrol Agents and armed members of the Mexican Military,” said Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch.
Last week a group of Dove hunters in El Paso, Texas near the Zaragoza Bridge were reported to have run into Mexican Federal Police Agents who allegedly shot at the hunters and stole some hunting equipment.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that Mexican agents had crossed into the United States without permission, and the agency is currently investigating the matter.
There is no evidence to confirm what happened during the incident, but both the Border Patrol and the Mexican government are looking into the case.
Fitton said that the most recent incident indicates that the incursion “was not only purposeful, but criminal in the sense that [Mexican agents] came over and seemingly robbed folks.”
He went on to argue that the incursions suggest the federal government has not done enough to secure the border.
“What it means, and it shows, is the border is obviously un-secure and unsafe. With the recent restrictions regarding hunting on the border you have to wonder, who controls our territory? The Mexican Government or the U.S. Government?”
Mexican border agents cross into U.S. again without permission
Published 8 September 2011
A national watchdog group warns that incursions along the southern border by the Mexican government could be a serious potential security threat
A national watchdog group warns that incursions along the southern border by the Mexican government could be a serious potential security threat.
An investigation by Judicial Watch, a national watchdog group based in Washington, DC, found evidence of several border incursions by the Mexican government in the past several years.
“We were shocked to find that the incidents involved shots fired on both sides of the border, unmarked helicopters invading U.S. airspace, drug smuggling and confrontations between U.S. Border Patrol Agents and armed members of the Mexican Military,” said Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch.
Last week a group of Dove hunters in El Paso, Texas near the Zaragoza Bridge were reported to have run into Mexican Federal Police Agents who allegedly shot at the hunters and stole some hunting equipment.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that Mexican agents had crossed into the United States without permission, and the agency is currently investigating the matter.
There is no evidence to confirm what happened during the incident, but both the Border Patrol and the Mexican government are looking into the case.
Fitton said that the most recent incident indicates that the incursion “was not only purposeful, but criminal in the sense that [Mexican agents] came over and seemingly robbed folks.”
He went on to argue that the incursions suggest the federal government has not done enough to secure the border.
“What it means, and it shows, is the border is obviously un-secure and unsafe. With the recent restrictions regarding hunting on the border you have to wonder, who controls our territory? The Mexican Government or the U.S. Government?”
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Thirty Most Popular Herbs For Natural Medicine
from Ready Nutrition:
30 Most Popular Herbs for Natural Medicine
We tend to look to God as a source of all healing. It is said that He has provided all that we will ever need:
“the fruit of it shall be for eating and leaf of it for healing…” (Ezekiel 47:12)
Herbs are a wondrous thing. They not only assist in flavoring dishes and filling the air with delightful aromas, but they also hold medicinal properties that promote healing. Those of you who have herbal gardens of your own, no doubt have a few of these herbal friends already planted. Many of the plants listed below are also listed in my Top 10 Medicinal Herbs that should be in every garden. However, it seems that there are a few more worth mentioning.
Our Herbal Friends
1.Aloe Vera – Antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, wound and burn healer, natural laxative, soothes stomach, helps skin disorders.
2.Basil – Powerful antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-infectious, antibacterial, soothes stomach.
3.Black Cohosh – Relieves menopausal hot flashes, relieves menstrual cramps, helps circulatory and cardiovascular disorders, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, useful for nervousness and stress. Note: Do not use during pregnancy.
4.Black Walnut – Good for eliminating parasites, good for fungal infections, good for warts and poison ivy, aids digestion.
5.Cinnamon – It has been proven that 99.9% of viruses and bacteria can not live in the presence of cinnamon. So it makes a great antibacterial and antiviral weapon.
6.Cayenne- Catalyst for other herbs, useful for arthritis and rheumatism (topically and internally), good for colds, flu viruses, sinus infection and sore throat, useful for headache and fever, aids organs (kidneys, heart, lungs, pancreas, spleen and stomach, increase thermogenesis for weight loss.
7.Clove Bud – Improves the immune system, they are also an antioxidant and doubles as an antibacterial and antimicrobial fighter.
8.Cypress – The therapeutic properties of cypress oil are astringent, antiseptic, antispasmodic, deodorant, diuretic, haemostatic, hepatic, styptic, sudorific, vasoconstrictor, respiratory tonic and sedative.
9.Dandelion – Helpful for PMS, good for menopause, increases ovarian hormones.
10.Echinacea (coneflower) – Boosts white blood cell production, immune system support, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, good for colds, flu and infection. Note: Use no more than two weeks at a time. Do not use if you are allergic to sunflowers or related species.
11.Eucalyptus – Anti-infectious, antibacterial and antiviral.
12.Garlic – Helps fight infection, detoxifies the body, enhances immunity, lowers blood fats, assists yeast infections, helps asthma, cancer, sinusitis, circulatory problems and heart conditions.
13.German Chamomile – Helps stress, anxiety and insomnia, good for indigestion, useful for colitis and most digestive problems, effective blood cleanser and helps increase liver function and supports the pancreas. Improves bile flow from the liver, it is good for healing of the skin that might come from a blistering chemical agent.
14.Geranium – Dilates bile ducts for liver detoxification, antispasmodic, stops bleeding, anti-infectious, antibacterial.
15.Ginger – Helps nausea, motion sickness and vomiting, useful for circulatory problems, good for indigestion, and is also an effective antioxidant.
16.Lavender – Assists with burns, antiseptic, used as a stress reliever, good for depression, aids skin health and beauty.
17.Lemon – Is known for its antiseptic properties, Essential Science Publishing says that: According to Jean Valnet, M.D. the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococcal bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours and Pneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Lemon also improves micro-circulation, promotes white blood cell formation, and improves immune function.
18.Marjoram – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, dilates blood vessels, regulates blood pressure, soothes muscles.
19.Marshmallow – Aids bladder infections, diuretic (helps fluid retention), helps kidney problems, soothes coughs, sore throats, indigestion, and as a topical agent it is said to be anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing.
20.Melissa – Assists in issues with the nervous system, blisters, and has antimicrobial properties.
21.Mullein – Can be used as a laxative, good for asthma and bronchitis, useful for difficulty breathing, helps hay fever.
22.Myrrh – Anti-infectious, antiviral, soothes skin conditions and supports immune system. Also an antispasmodic that helps to reduce spasming due to spasms caused by nerve agents.
23.Oregano – is a powerful antibiotic and has been proven to be more effective in neutralizing germs than some chemical antibiotics. It has been effective against germs like Staphylococcus aureas, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
24.Pine – Antidiabetic, cortisone-like, severe infections, hypertensive
25.Rosemary – Antiseptic, Antibacterial, Cleansing and detoxes the body. Supports the liver and combats cirrhosis.
26.Rosewood – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, and antiviral.
27.Sage – Used in anxiety, nervous disorders, as astringent, in abdominal disorders, anti inflammatory.
28.Spearmint – To calm the Nervous System, aide with Nerve Agents.
29.Tea Tree – Disinfectant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, burns, good for all skin conditions.
30.Thyme – Effective against Anthrax and Tuberculosis
Perhaps it is time that we begin taking more proactive steps in our physical well being. In the book, Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z Family Guide it states that natural medicine does not simply seek to suppress symptoms with drugs and so forth, but it attempts to discover and eliminate the root cause of disease. Even further, the author suggests that natural medicine teaches not only the treatment of disease but also its prevention by instilling dietary and lifestyle habits that promote health.
Published by Tess Pennington on September 6th, 2011
30 Most Popular Herbs for Natural Medicine
We tend to look to God as a source of all healing. It is said that He has provided all that we will ever need:
“the fruit of it shall be for eating and leaf of it for healing…” (Ezekiel 47:12)
Herbs are a wondrous thing. They not only assist in flavoring dishes and filling the air with delightful aromas, but they also hold medicinal properties that promote healing. Those of you who have herbal gardens of your own, no doubt have a few of these herbal friends already planted. Many of the plants listed below are also listed in my Top 10 Medicinal Herbs that should be in every garden. However, it seems that there are a few more worth mentioning.
Our Herbal Friends
1.Aloe Vera – Antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, wound and burn healer, natural laxative, soothes stomach, helps skin disorders.
2.Basil – Powerful antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-infectious, antibacterial, soothes stomach.
3.Black Cohosh – Relieves menopausal hot flashes, relieves menstrual cramps, helps circulatory and cardiovascular disorders, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, useful for nervousness and stress. Note: Do not use during pregnancy.
4.Black Walnut – Good for eliminating parasites, good for fungal infections, good for warts and poison ivy, aids digestion.
5.Cinnamon – It has been proven that 99.9% of viruses and bacteria can not live in the presence of cinnamon. So it makes a great antibacterial and antiviral weapon.
6.Cayenne- Catalyst for other herbs, useful for arthritis and rheumatism (topically and internally), good for colds, flu viruses, sinus infection and sore throat, useful for headache and fever, aids organs (kidneys, heart, lungs, pancreas, spleen and stomach, increase thermogenesis for weight loss.
7.Clove Bud – Improves the immune system, they are also an antioxidant and doubles as an antibacterial and antimicrobial fighter.
8.Cypress – The therapeutic properties of cypress oil are astringent, antiseptic, antispasmodic, deodorant, diuretic, haemostatic, hepatic, styptic, sudorific, vasoconstrictor, respiratory tonic and sedative.
9.Dandelion – Helpful for PMS, good for menopause, increases ovarian hormones.
10.Echinacea (coneflower) – Boosts white blood cell production, immune system support, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, good for colds, flu and infection. Note: Use no more than two weeks at a time. Do not use if you are allergic to sunflowers or related species.
11.Eucalyptus – Anti-infectious, antibacterial and antiviral.
12.Garlic – Helps fight infection, detoxifies the body, enhances immunity, lowers blood fats, assists yeast infections, helps asthma, cancer, sinusitis, circulatory problems and heart conditions.
13.German Chamomile – Helps stress, anxiety and insomnia, good for indigestion, useful for colitis and most digestive problems, effective blood cleanser and helps increase liver function and supports the pancreas. Improves bile flow from the liver, it is good for healing of the skin that might come from a blistering chemical agent.
14.Geranium – Dilates bile ducts for liver detoxification, antispasmodic, stops bleeding, anti-infectious, antibacterial.
15.Ginger – Helps nausea, motion sickness and vomiting, useful for circulatory problems, good for indigestion, and is also an effective antioxidant.
16.Lavender – Assists with burns, antiseptic, used as a stress reliever, good for depression, aids skin health and beauty.
17.Lemon – Is known for its antiseptic properties, Essential Science Publishing says that: According to Jean Valnet, M.D. the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococcal bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours and Pneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Lemon also improves micro-circulation, promotes white blood cell formation, and improves immune function.
18.Marjoram – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, dilates blood vessels, regulates blood pressure, soothes muscles.
19.Marshmallow – Aids bladder infections, diuretic (helps fluid retention), helps kidney problems, soothes coughs, sore throats, indigestion, and as a topical agent it is said to be anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing.
20.Melissa – Assists in issues with the nervous system, blisters, and has antimicrobial properties.
21.Mullein – Can be used as a laxative, good for asthma and bronchitis, useful for difficulty breathing, helps hay fever.
22.Myrrh – Anti-infectious, antiviral, soothes skin conditions and supports immune system. Also an antispasmodic that helps to reduce spasming due to spasms caused by nerve agents.
23.Oregano – is a powerful antibiotic and has been proven to be more effective in neutralizing germs than some chemical antibiotics. It has been effective against germs like Staphylococcus aureas, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
24.Pine – Antidiabetic, cortisone-like, severe infections, hypertensive
25.Rosemary – Antiseptic, Antibacterial, Cleansing and detoxes the body. Supports the liver and combats cirrhosis.
26.Rosewood – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, and antiviral.
27.Sage – Used in anxiety, nervous disorders, as astringent, in abdominal disorders, anti inflammatory.
28.Spearmint – To calm the Nervous System, aide with Nerve Agents.
29.Tea Tree – Disinfectant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, burns, good for all skin conditions.
30.Thyme – Effective against Anthrax and Tuberculosis
Perhaps it is time that we begin taking more proactive steps in our physical well being. In the book, Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z Family Guide it states that natural medicine does not simply seek to suppress symptoms with drugs and so forth, but it attempts to discover and eliminate the root cause of disease. Even further, the author suggests that natural medicine teaches not only the treatment of disease but also its prevention by instilling dietary and lifestyle habits that promote health.
Published by Tess Pennington on September 6th, 2011
The Rape Of Amy Alkon
From Personal Liberty Digest:
The Rape Of Amy Alkon
September 9, 2011 by Bob Livingston
UPI FILE
A Transportation Security Administration agent performs an aggressive pat-down search on a passenger.
While preparing to go through airport security on March 31, Amy Alkon got teary when she noticed that everyone in the line she was in was receiving an “enhanced pat-down” by Transportation Security Administration gropers.
Her mind racing at the prospect, she said she decided “these TSA lackeys who serve the government in violating our rights just don’t deserve my quiet compliance.” She was determined she wouldn’t go through the scanner and allow a government employee to see her naked, all for the privilege of flying from Los Angeles to New York. And then there’s the issue in her mind about whether the scanners are even safe.
So, as the pat-down began, she let the tears flow. “In fact,” she writes, “I sobbed my guts out. Loudly. Very loudly. The entire time the woman was searching me.”
But Amy Alkon was unprepared for the sexual assault that was about to take place. But then, who could prepare for such a thing?
“Nearing the end of this violation,” she writes, “I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked — utterly unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault.”
After the assault was over, Alkon yelled to the woman, “You raped me.” She took the woman’s name — it was Thedala Magee — to see if she could file sexual assault charges against her.
She contacted a lawyer about the possibility of filing charges, but was told it probably wouldn’t go anywhere. Alas, this is America, where government-sanctioned sexual assault is now allowed by law. Put on a fancy uniform, get a week’s training, and anyone can grope as many of his fellow men or women as he pleases.
So Alkon did what came perfectly natural to a writer. She wrote about her experience. She told the world — or at least those who read her blog — about the rape. And she identified her rapist as Thedala Magee.
Magee hired a lawyer who contacted Alkon, asking her to remove the post, threatening a defamation suit and asking for a settlement of $500,000. Free speech lawyer Marc Randazza has stepped in to assert Alkon’s right to post about her pat-down experience and “to defend both her definition of the pat-down as rape and, regardless of that, her right to rhetorical hyperbole,” according to Forbes.
“After [the agent Thedala] Magee’s assault on Ms. Alkon’s vagina and dignity, Ms. Alkon exercised her First Amendment right to recount this incident to others in person and through her blog,” writes Randazza. “This was not only her right — it was her responsibility.”
The Constitution was written to guarantee our rights — endowed by our Creator — against unreasonable searches and to protect our freedom to say and write what we want (regardless of how uncomfortable that makes some). And laws are on the books to protect us from assault.
Amy Alkon was violated by Thedala Magee. Whether that violation constituted rape in the eyes of the law is debatable. What is not debatable is that Amy Alkon felt like she was being raped. And had the rapist not been wearing a government uniform, she would have had a case in a court of law.
Amy Alkon has taken a stand against the police state. The cards are stacked against her. Just ask the Texas Legislature, which considered a bill to ban TSA agents from groping or taking naked photos of passengers before the Federal thugocracy threatened to impose a no-fly zone over the State.
It’s the government’s position that a uniform and special training gives its agents the authority to break the law. But what is morally wrong for one to do is morally wrong for a thousand. And what is morally wrong for a thousand is morally wrong for the government.
But unless more Amy Alkons step up, the Thedala Magees will be running every aspect of our lives.
It’s obvious that our government — neither law enforcement nor the courts — is not interested in protecting Alkon (or any of us) against one of its own. So it’s our right, our responsibility, to protect ourselves. And we must stand with Amy Alkon.
If you have a similar story to tell about an encounter with an abusive agent of the government — particularly the TSA — send us the details at freedomwatch@personalliberty.com.
The Rape Of Amy Alkon
September 9, 2011 by Bob Livingston
UPI FILE
A Transportation Security Administration agent performs an aggressive pat-down search on a passenger.
While preparing to go through airport security on March 31, Amy Alkon got teary when she noticed that everyone in the line she was in was receiving an “enhanced pat-down” by Transportation Security Administration gropers.
Her mind racing at the prospect, she said she decided “these TSA lackeys who serve the government in violating our rights just don’t deserve my quiet compliance.” She was determined she wouldn’t go through the scanner and allow a government employee to see her naked, all for the privilege of flying from Los Angeles to New York. And then there’s the issue in her mind about whether the scanners are even safe.
So, as the pat-down began, she let the tears flow. “In fact,” she writes, “I sobbed my guts out. Loudly. Very loudly. The entire time the woman was searching me.”
But Amy Alkon was unprepared for the sexual assault that was about to take place. But then, who could prepare for such a thing?
“Nearing the end of this violation,” she writes, “I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked — utterly unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault.”
After the assault was over, Alkon yelled to the woman, “You raped me.” She took the woman’s name — it was Thedala Magee — to see if she could file sexual assault charges against her.
She contacted a lawyer about the possibility of filing charges, but was told it probably wouldn’t go anywhere. Alas, this is America, where government-sanctioned sexual assault is now allowed by law. Put on a fancy uniform, get a week’s training, and anyone can grope as many of his fellow men or women as he pleases.
So Alkon did what came perfectly natural to a writer. She wrote about her experience. She told the world — or at least those who read her blog — about the rape. And she identified her rapist as Thedala Magee.
Magee hired a lawyer who contacted Alkon, asking her to remove the post, threatening a defamation suit and asking for a settlement of $500,000. Free speech lawyer Marc Randazza has stepped in to assert Alkon’s right to post about her pat-down experience and “to defend both her definition of the pat-down as rape and, regardless of that, her right to rhetorical hyperbole,” according to Forbes.
“After [the agent Thedala] Magee’s assault on Ms. Alkon’s vagina and dignity, Ms. Alkon exercised her First Amendment right to recount this incident to others in person and through her blog,” writes Randazza. “This was not only her right — it was her responsibility.”
The Constitution was written to guarantee our rights — endowed by our Creator — against unreasonable searches and to protect our freedom to say and write what we want (regardless of how uncomfortable that makes some). And laws are on the books to protect us from assault.
Amy Alkon was violated by Thedala Magee. Whether that violation constituted rape in the eyes of the law is debatable. What is not debatable is that Amy Alkon felt like she was being raped. And had the rapist not been wearing a government uniform, she would have had a case in a court of law.
Amy Alkon has taken a stand against the police state. The cards are stacked against her. Just ask the Texas Legislature, which considered a bill to ban TSA agents from groping or taking naked photos of passengers before the Federal thugocracy threatened to impose a no-fly zone over the State.
It’s the government’s position that a uniform and special training gives its agents the authority to break the law. But what is morally wrong for one to do is morally wrong for a thousand. And what is morally wrong for a thousand is morally wrong for the government.
But unless more Amy Alkons step up, the Thedala Magees will be running every aspect of our lives.
It’s obvious that our government — neither law enforcement nor the courts — is not interested in protecting Alkon (or any of us) against one of its own. So it’s our right, our responsibility, to protect ourselves. And we must stand with Amy Alkon.
If you have a similar story to tell about an encounter with an abusive agent of the government — particularly the TSA — send us the details at freedomwatch@personalliberty.com.
Mass Inflation, Yes; Hyper-Inflation, No
from Lew Rockwell.com:
Mass Inflation, Yes; Hyperinflation, No
by Gary North
Recently by Gary North: How Dave Ramsey Made $55 Million by Being Good on Personal Debt, Naive on Business Debt, Lousy on Investing, and a Loudmouth Bully.
The United States is not going to get hyperinflation unless Congress nationalizes the Federal Reserve System.
It will get mass inflation at some point: anywhere from 15% per annum to 30%. But it is not going to get 50% or 100% or more.
Why not?
1. The temporary nature of the payoff
2. The fear of getting blamed
3. The boom-bust cycle
4. The employees' vested pension fund
1. THE TEMPORARY PAYOFF
Hyperinflation lasts only a few years. People in the hard-money camp ought to know this, but they tend to forget.
Those economic forecasters who keep telling us the dollar will fall to zero forget the obvious: big banks are creditors. Bankers lose when a currency falls to zero. Never forget this. If you believe, as I do, that the Federal Reserve is the enforcement arm of the largest commercial banks, then stop worrying about hyperinflation. But don't start worrying about Congress.
Ever since All the President's Men – the movie, not the book – we have been told to follow the money. So, let us follow the money.
The four big U.S. banks – maybe three, with Bank of America on the skids – make their money by lending money. As with all fractional reserve banks, they borrow short (low rates) and lend long (higher rates).
Under hyperinflation, long-term interest rates skyrocket. This forces down the discounted present market value of bonds and mortgages. Nobody wants to lend long. Who gets killed? Banks and insurance companies that have lent long.
What saves them from bankruptcy is fake accounting. They are allowed to keep their bonds on the books at face value. But, sooner or later, bankers get paid off in fiat money. Their portfolios are locked into bad investments. They can't sell them without reporting losses. So, they hang on. Month by month, the value of these assets falls.
Hyperinflation is bad for the super-rich. Why? Because they own their assets outright. The super-rich own land and homes. These go up in nominal value, but rich people don't pay off their debts by selling a gold coin or two. They have no debts to pay off. They are the creditors. They own bonds and fixed-income investments.
When we read of the great hyperinflations, we find that urban people got ruined. Farmers did very well. They paid off their mortgages by selling a few dozen eggs. Wealth moved from cities to rural areas.
Bankers were in big trouble. Farmers were in hog heaven.
Has it ever occurred to you that there have been no hyperinflation periods in Great Britain? The Brits have gone through wars of their own making. Their elite ran an empire from 1700 until 1946. Yet for all the crises, they never had price inflation above 30%. You know why? Because the Bank of England would not allow it. The BoE was privately owned from its creation in 1694 until the government nationalized it 1946. Even after 1946, the bank would not allow hyperinflation.
The Bank of England inflated often. This created the boom-bust cycle on numerous occasions, but never got seriously blamed for any of the busts. This is because not enough people understood the Austrian theory of the business cycle, which was discovered in 1912 by Ludwig von Mises. Even today, hardly anyone knows about it, and of those economists who do, almost none believes it.
Which are the famous hyperinflations? In Western Europe, Germany, Austria, and Hungary after World War I. They had lost the war. There was Hungary in 1946 – the worst inflation ever. It was a Communist nation.
There was China in 1947-48. The nationalist government fell; Mao took over. No more hyperinflation.
There are Latin American examples over and over. These are not major industrial economies. If we count Brazil as industrial, it had a long, severe hyperinflation, 1981-95: That was the longest hyperinflation on record.
I know of only one major hyperinflation in the industrial West: the State of Israel, 1980-86. I went there in 1985 to study it. Life went on. Tourism brought in Western currencies. So did agricultural exports. The experience did not last long. This was the longest hyperinflation in modern times. Wikipedia describes it.
Inflation accelerated in the 1970s, rising steadily from 13% in 1971 to 111% in 1979. From 133% in 1980, it leaped to 191% in 1983 and then to 445% in 1984, threatening to become a four-digit figure within a year or two. In 1985 Israel froze most prices by law and enacted other measures as part of an economic stabilization plan. That same year, inflation more than halved, to 185%. Within a few months, the authorities began to lift the price freeze on some items; in other cases it took almost a year. By 1986, inflation was down to 19%.
This is the central fact: hyperinflations do not last long. The currency is ruined fast. Then there is a currency reform. The central bank starts over: boom-bust, boom-bust.
If you time things perfectly, and sell assets to pay off debt, you win. But hardly anyone does. They buy inflation hedges, thinking it will go on for years and years. It ends a lot sooner than the late-comers think.
Then there is a recession. The inflation hedges fall in price. In that period, cash is king. If you have money to lend, you are in fat city. You buy up assets at a discount. In short, you get out in time.
There are few winners in hyperinflation, and they do not win for long. Then the recession hits, and things go back to normal.
2. THE FEAR OF GETTING BLAMED
Ben Bernanke is under fire as no FED chairman ever has been. The critics are in the millions. This is historically unprecedented. There is a cause: Ron Paul. Ron Paul has focused millions of voters' attention on the FED and Bernanke. Bernanke cannot escape scrutiny any longer.
If there is hyperinflation, millions of voters will know who did it: Bald Ben the Beard and his crew of yes-men on the Board of Governors. Investors know more about the FED today than they did in 2007. This knowledge will increase.
Then there is the Internet. The mainstream media cannot control the flow of information any longer. Word gets out, and you may have noticed, not much of it is favorable to the FED.
The FED is desperate to avoid an annual audit by the Government Accountability Office. This is good. It means that people other than Ron Paul are calling for such an audit.
Rick Perry used the word "treasonous." Michelle Bachman has called for a FED audit. Ron Paul is still running. The FED is today the target of Republican Presidential candidates' sound bites. This has never happened before. This is terrific. They are trying to steal Ron Paul's favorite issue. I say more power to them. Come one, come all! Pile on!
Milton Friedman made this line famous: "Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon." He was correct. This insight has been resisted by Keynesian economists from day one, but the Keynesians find that the phrase has gotten into the thinking of millions of voters. Keynesians today are calling for larger deficits and Federal Reserve accommodation, but that is because consumer prices are rising very slowly. If prices were rising at 20% per annum, the Keynesians would find it difficult to conceal the source of the problem: the Federal Open Market Committee. The FOMC could not hide.
This is the central political fact facing the FED today: "It can run, but it can't hide."
Bureaucrats want to avoid blame. This is their #1 concern. Second is to increase the number of subordinates, in quest of a promotion. Third is to increase the bureaucracy's funding. But the #1 concern is to avoid blame.
Bernanke will not be able to avoid blame for hyperinflation. He will therefore not adopt policies that produce it.
The FED could be nationalized. Congress could take over. Then all bets are off. But if we are talking about the existing Federal Reserve, with government-appointed academic economists visibly in charge and the privately owned and operated FOMC making the decisions – which will favor large banks – there will be no hyperinflation.
3. THE BOOM-BUST CYCLE
In Western industrial nations, including Japan, the central banks have always ceased inflating whenever consumer prices climbed close to 20% per annum. It has only happened once in U.S. peacetime history: 1977-80. Consumer prices rose in 1979 and 1980 by about 11% per annum. Jimmy Carter took the heat. He pressured the utterly incompetent G. William Miller to quit after only 18 months in office, and Paul Volcker replaced him in late 1979.
Volcker slowed the rate of monetary base growth. T-bill rates soared to 22%. The result was a recession. Carter lost the 1980 election as a result. Then Reagan took a hit: the 1981-82 recession. But prices started slowing, and interest rates began an 18-year decline.
Volcker wound up as a hero. He is still around. He is still beyond reproach. I can think of no person in power in the Carter-Reagan era who has a more distinguished reputation. Yet he oversaw two recessions.
He talked tough. He smoked cigars. Congress did not lay a finger on him.
This lesson is not lost on Bernanke. Bernanke does not talk tough. He does not smoke. But he knows this much: G. William Miller oversaw mass inflation, and never recovered. He is forgotten. He is forgotten because he left the office and made a hasty retreat to become Treasury Secretary – a no-power office. Then he disappeared. Had he held on, he would have become the fall guy: a pariah.
Here is the lesson learned by every Western, industrial central banker: the post-inflation bust will reduce price inflation. The bust can be justified as the necessary requirement to save the economy, save the currency, and save the social order.
Then the dog-and-pony show starts over.
Remember this: the FED will save the largest banks, That is its #1 unofficial task. Central banks all save the largest banks. The rest of the market can drop by 50% or more. The largest banks then re-finance on the new terms, meaning post-mass inflation terms.
As long as the largest banks are saved, the FED can put on the brakes and let the economy move into a recession.
This is the story of all central banks in large Western industrial nations ever since 1900, with only the exceptions of defeated Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The reason why Americans should not take seriously the scenarios of Germany-Austria in 1921-24 is because we are not defeated. There is no way, short of some sort of biological warfare-induced plague, that we will suffer what Germany suffered in 1921-24. In any case, during a plague, there would not be hyperinflation. There would be martial law, price controls, and rationing.
The Patriot Act offers this single advantage: it will make hyperinflation unnecessary.
Boom-bust, boom-bust, boom-bust: this is the pattern. Do not plan your future as if it will be broken.
What follows every hyperinflation? A recession. But, during hyperinflation, bankers are impoverished. So, if the result is the same at the end of the hyperinflation – a bust – why not call it to a halt early, in the mass inflation stage?
It worked for Volcker. It worked for every western, industrial banker in the 20th century except in Germany after the war.
4. THE EMPLOYEES' VESTED PENSION FUND
The Federal Reserve System offers its employees a retirement plan. It is not as good as Congress's, but it is better than yours. It is detailed in a 79-page document.
I regard this plan as the best payoff money in America. It is the equivalent of the Mob's protection money. If you pay it, you receive protection . . . from the Mob.
We pay this money by letting the FED keep some of the money from interest payments on bonds that the FED bought with digital money created out of nothing. It can cover its operating expenses. Part of these expenses is the pension system.
This pension fund money is our protection money. The FED is not going to create hyperinflation, which would wipe out the value of its pension fund.
How big is this fund? Large and growing fast.
Contributions to the System Plan are actuarially determined and funded by participating employers. In 2010, the System made $580 million in contributions to the System Plan; the contributions may be adjusted upon completion of the 2011 actuarial valuation.
What is the fund invested in? I have provided an extract from the so-called independent audit for 2009. It was 53% in U.S. stocks, 13% in foreign stocks, and 34% in bonds – not non-marketable Social Security Treasury bonds. You can see the allocation here.
Hyperinflation will play havoc with 34% of this portfolio: bonds. Stocks will not keep pace with consumer prices: 53% at risk. Only the foreign equities portion of the portfolio would not be devastated. Maybe.
This is why I do not think we are facing hyperinflation . . . at least not until Congress nationalizes the FED.
CONCLUSION
Whenever you hear that hyperinflation is inevitable, keep your hand upon your wallet and your back against the wall.
Hyperinflation is a policy option. It has been adopted only once by a Western, industrial nation's central bank in peacetime since 1946: Israel's. That is a small nation. Its leaders have not made that policy error since 1985.
If we get hyperinflation, it will not last long: a few years at the most. It will be a great disruption in the lives of most Americans, but if the government does not impose price controls, there will not be devastation. There will be losses. People will have to scramble. They will adjust. They will get poorer. They will consume capital. But they will survive.
If the government imposes price controls, as it probably will, there will be serious shortages for several years. There will be a large increase in the number of bankruptcies. Unemployment will rise. Families will be squeezed badly. But it will not last. The voters will not tolerate it. Without a war, voters will demand a reform. There are too many economists, even Keynesians, who know that price ceilings create shortages.
Hyperinflation is what Ludwig von Mises called the crack-up boom. It cannot last long because the currency system is rapidly destroyed. It no longer serves as a tool of economic calculation. People switch to gold coins, silver coins, and barter. Output falls. Capital is consumed rapidly. But then it must end. When the government cannot buy votes with worthless money, it stops inflating.
Ron Paul has performed a great public service in alerting the voters to the danger of the Federal Reserve System. He has exposed the source of mass inflation and hyperinflation. He has exposed the source of the boom-bust cycle.
The FED cannot escape. Its policies must lead to booms and busts. This is inherent in all central banking. The FED will choose a repetition of the boom-bust cycle rather than impose hyperinflation, for which it can no longer escape blame. Too many people have heard Ron Paul's warning.
September 10, 2011
Gary North [send him mail] is the author of Mises on Money. Visit http://www.garynorth.com. He is also the author of a free 20-volume series, An Economic Commentary on the Bible.
Copyright © 2011 Gary North
Mass Inflation, Yes; Hyperinflation, No
by Gary North
Recently by Gary North: How Dave Ramsey Made $55 Million by Being Good on Personal Debt, Naive on Business Debt, Lousy on Investing, and a Loudmouth Bully.
The United States is not going to get hyperinflation unless Congress nationalizes the Federal Reserve System.
It will get mass inflation at some point: anywhere from 15% per annum to 30%. But it is not going to get 50% or 100% or more.
Why not?
1. The temporary nature of the payoff
2. The fear of getting blamed
3. The boom-bust cycle
4. The employees' vested pension fund
1. THE TEMPORARY PAYOFF
Hyperinflation lasts only a few years. People in the hard-money camp ought to know this, but they tend to forget.
Those economic forecasters who keep telling us the dollar will fall to zero forget the obvious: big banks are creditors. Bankers lose when a currency falls to zero. Never forget this. If you believe, as I do, that the Federal Reserve is the enforcement arm of the largest commercial banks, then stop worrying about hyperinflation. But don't start worrying about Congress.
Ever since All the President's Men – the movie, not the book – we have been told to follow the money. So, let us follow the money.
The four big U.S. banks – maybe three, with Bank of America on the skids – make their money by lending money. As with all fractional reserve banks, they borrow short (low rates) and lend long (higher rates).
Under hyperinflation, long-term interest rates skyrocket. This forces down the discounted present market value of bonds and mortgages. Nobody wants to lend long. Who gets killed? Banks and insurance companies that have lent long.
What saves them from bankruptcy is fake accounting. They are allowed to keep their bonds on the books at face value. But, sooner or later, bankers get paid off in fiat money. Their portfolios are locked into bad investments. They can't sell them without reporting losses. So, they hang on. Month by month, the value of these assets falls.
Hyperinflation is bad for the super-rich. Why? Because they own their assets outright. The super-rich own land and homes. These go up in nominal value, but rich people don't pay off their debts by selling a gold coin or two. They have no debts to pay off. They are the creditors. They own bonds and fixed-income investments.
When we read of the great hyperinflations, we find that urban people got ruined. Farmers did very well. They paid off their mortgages by selling a few dozen eggs. Wealth moved from cities to rural areas.
Bankers were in big trouble. Farmers were in hog heaven.
Has it ever occurred to you that there have been no hyperinflation periods in Great Britain? The Brits have gone through wars of their own making. Their elite ran an empire from 1700 until 1946. Yet for all the crises, they never had price inflation above 30%. You know why? Because the Bank of England would not allow it. The BoE was privately owned from its creation in 1694 until the government nationalized it 1946. Even after 1946, the bank would not allow hyperinflation.
The Bank of England inflated often. This created the boom-bust cycle on numerous occasions, but never got seriously blamed for any of the busts. This is because not enough people understood the Austrian theory of the business cycle, which was discovered in 1912 by Ludwig von Mises. Even today, hardly anyone knows about it, and of those economists who do, almost none believes it.
Which are the famous hyperinflations? In Western Europe, Germany, Austria, and Hungary after World War I. They had lost the war. There was Hungary in 1946 – the worst inflation ever. It was a Communist nation.
There was China in 1947-48. The nationalist government fell; Mao took over. No more hyperinflation.
There are Latin American examples over and over. These are not major industrial economies. If we count Brazil as industrial, it had a long, severe hyperinflation, 1981-95: That was the longest hyperinflation on record.
I know of only one major hyperinflation in the industrial West: the State of Israel, 1980-86. I went there in 1985 to study it. Life went on. Tourism brought in Western currencies. So did agricultural exports. The experience did not last long. This was the longest hyperinflation in modern times. Wikipedia describes it.
Inflation accelerated in the 1970s, rising steadily from 13% in 1971 to 111% in 1979. From 133% in 1980, it leaped to 191% in 1983 and then to 445% in 1984, threatening to become a four-digit figure within a year or two. In 1985 Israel froze most prices by law and enacted other measures as part of an economic stabilization plan. That same year, inflation more than halved, to 185%. Within a few months, the authorities began to lift the price freeze on some items; in other cases it took almost a year. By 1986, inflation was down to 19%.
This is the central fact: hyperinflations do not last long. The currency is ruined fast. Then there is a currency reform. The central bank starts over: boom-bust, boom-bust.
If you time things perfectly, and sell assets to pay off debt, you win. But hardly anyone does. They buy inflation hedges, thinking it will go on for years and years. It ends a lot sooner than the late-comers think.
Then there is a recession. The inflation hedges fall in price. In that period, cash is king. If you have money to lend, you are in fat city. You buy up assets at a discount. In short, you get out in time.
There are few winners in hyperinflation, and they do not win for long. Then the recession hits, and things go back to normal.
2. THE FEAR OF GETTING BLAMED
Ben Bernanke is under fire as no FED chairman ever has been. The critics are in the millions. This is historically unprecedented. There is a cause: Ron Paul. Ron Paul has focused millions of voters' attention on the FED and Bernanke. Bernanke cannot escape scrutiny any longer.
If there is hyperinflation, millions of voters will know who did it: Bald Ben the Beard and his crew of yes-men on the Board of Governors. Investors know more about the FED today than they did in 2007. This knowledge will increase.
Then there is the Internet. The mainstream media cannot control the flow of information any longer. Word gets out, and you may have noticed, not much of it is favorable to the FED.
The FED is desperate to avoid an annual audit by the Government Accountability Office. This is good. It means that people other than Ron Paul are calling for such an audit.
Rick Perry used the word "treasonous." Michelle Bachman has called for a FED audit. Ron Paul is still running. The FED is today the target of Republican Presidential candidates' sound bites. This has never happened before. This is terrific. They are trying to steal Ron Paul's favorite issue. I say more power to them. Come one, come all! Pile on!
Milton Friedman made this line famous: "Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon." He was correct. This insight has been resisted by Keynesian economists from day one, but the Keynesians find that the phrase has gotten into the thinking of millions of voters. Keynesians today are calling for larger deficits and Federal Reserve accommodation, but that is because consumer prices are rising very slowly. If prices were rising at 20% per annum, the Keynesians would find it difficult to conceal the source of the problem: the Federal Open Market Committee. The FOMC could not hide.
This is the central political fact facing the FED today: "It can run, but it can't hide."
Bureaucrats want to avoid blame. This is their #1 concern. Second is to increase the number of subordinates, in quest of a promotion. Third is to increase the bureaucracy's funding. But the #1 concern is to avoid blame.
Bernanke will not be able to avoid blame for hyperinflation. He will therefore not adopt policies that produce it.
The FED could be nationalized. Congress could take over. Then all bets are off. But if we are talking about the existing Federal Reserve, with government-appointed academic economists visibly in charge and the privately owned and operated FOMC making the decisions – which will favor large banks – there will be no hyperinflation.
3. THE BOOM-BUST CYCLE
In Western industrial nations, including Japan, the central banks have always ceased inflating whenever consumer prices climbed close to 20% per annum. It has only happened once in U.S. peacetime history: 1977-80. Consumer prices rose in 1979 and 1980 by about 11% per annum. Jimmy Carter took the heat. He pressured the utterly incompetent G. William Miller to quit after only 18 months in office, and Paul Volcker replaced him in late 1979.
Volcker slowed the rate of monetary base growth. T-bill rates soared to 22%. The result was a recession. Carter lost the 1980 election as a result. Then Reagan took a hit: the 1981-82 recession. But prices started slowing, and interest rates began an 18-year decline.
Volcker wound up as a hero. He is still around. He is still beyond reproach. I can think of no person in power in the Carter-Reagan era who has a more distinguished reputation. Yet he oversaw two recessions.
He talked tough. He smoked cigars. Congress did not lay a finger on him.
This lesson is not lost on Bernanke. Bernanke does not talk tough. He does not smoke. But he knows this much: G. William Miller oversaw mass inflation, and never recovered. He is forgotten. He is forgotten because he left the office and made a hasty retreat to become Treasury Secretary – a no-power office. Then he disappeared. Had he held on, he would have become the fall guy: a pariah.
Here is the lesson learned by every Western, industrial central banker: the post-inflation bust will reduce price inflation. The bust can be justified as the necessary requirement to save the economy, save the currency, and save the social order.
Then the dog-and-pony show starts over.
Remember this: the FED will save the largest banks, That is its #1 unofficial task. Central banks all save the largest banks. The rest of the market can drop by 50% or more. The largest banks then re-finance on the new terms, meaning post-mass inflation terms.
As long as the largest banks are saved, the FED can put on the brakes and let the economy move into a recession.
This is the story of all central banks in large Western industrial nations ever since 1900, with only the exceptions of defeated Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The reason why Americans should not take seriously the scenarios of Germany-Austria in 1921-24 is because we are not defeated. There is no way, short of some sort of biological warfare-induced plague, that we will suffer what Germany suffered in 1921-24. In any case, during a plague, there would not be hyperinflation. There would be martial law, price controls, and rationing.
The Patriot Act offers this single advantage: it will make hyperinflation unnecessary.
Boom-bust, boom-bust, boom-bust: this is the pattern. Do not plan your future as if it will be broken.
What follows every hyperinflation? A recession. But, during hyperinflation, bankers are impoverished. So, if the result is the same at the end of the hyperinflation – a bust – why not call it to a halt early, in the mass inflation stage?
It worked for Volcker. It worked for every western, industrial banker in the 20th century except in Germany after the war.
4. THE EMPLOYEES' VESTED PENSION FUND
The Federal Reserve System offers its employees a retirement plan. It is not as good as Congress's, but it is better than yours. It is detailed in a 79-page document.
I regard this plan as the best payoff money in America. It is the equivalent of the Mob's protection money. If you pay it, you receive protection . . . from the Mob.
We pay this money by letting the FED keep some of the money from interest payments on bonds that the FED bought with digital money created out of nothing. It can cover its operating expenses. Part of these expenses is the pension system.
This pension fund money is our protection money. The FED is not going to create hyperinflation, which would wipe out the value of its pension fund.
How big is this fund? Large and growing fast.
Contributions to the System Plan are actuarially determined and funded by participating employers. In 2010, the System made $580 million in contributions to the System Plan; the contributions may be adjusted upon completion of the 2011 actuarial valuation.
What is the fund invested in? I have provided an extract from the so-called independent audit for 2009. It was 53% in U.S. stocks, 13% in foreign stocks, and 34% in bonds – not non-marketable Social Security Treasury bonds. You can see the allocation here.
Hyperinflation will play havoc with 34% of this portfolio: bonds. Stocks will not keep pace with consumer prices: 53% at risk. Only the foreign equities portion of the portfolio would not be devastated. Maybe.
This is why I do not think we are facing hyperinflation . . . at least not until Congress nationalizes the FED.
CONCLUSION
Whenever you hear that hyperinflation is inevitable, keep your hand upon your wallet and your back against the wall.
Hyperinflation is a policy option. It has been adopted only once by a Western, industrial nation's central bank in peacetime since 1946: Israel's. That is a small nation. Its leaders have not made that policy error since 1985.
If we get hyperinflation, it will not last long: a few years at the most. It will be a great disruption in the lives of most Americans, but if the government does not impose price controls, there will not be devastation. There will be losses. People will have to scramble. They will adjust. They will get poorer. They will consume capital. But they will survive.
If the government imposes price controls, as it probably will, there will be serious shortages for several years. There will be a large increase in the number of bankruptcies. Unemployment will rise. Families will be squeezed badly. But it will not last. The voters will not tolerate it. Without a war, voters will demand a reform. There are too many economists, even Keynesians, who know that price ceilings create shortages.
Hyperinflation is what Ludwig von Mises called the crack-up boom. It cannot last long because the currency system is rapidly destroyed. It no longer serves as a tool of economic calculation. People switch to gold coins, silver coins, and barter. Output falls. Capital is consumed rapidly. But then it must end. When the government cannot buy votes with worthless money, it stops inflating.
Ron Paul has performed a great public service in alerting the voters to the danger of the Federal Reserve System. He has exposed the source of mass inflation and hyperinflation. He has exposed the source of the boom-bust cycle.
The FED cannot escape. Its policies must lead to booms and busts. This is inherent in all central banking. The FED will choose a repetition of the boom-bust cycle rather than impose hyperinflation, for which it can no longer escape blame. Too many people have heard Ron Paul's warning.
September 10, 2011
Gary North [send him mail] is the author of Mises on Money. Visit http://www.garynorth.com. He is also the author of a free 20-volume series, An Economic Commentary on the Bible.
Copyright © 2011 Gary North
From Family Collapse To America's Decline: The Educational, Economic And Social Costs Of Family Fragmentation
From The Heritage Foundation:
Family, Culture & Community
From Family Collapse to America’s Decline: The Educational, Economic, and Social Costs of Family Fragmentation
by Mitch Pearlstein
Rowman & Littlefield
September 08, 2011
Very high rates of family fragmentation in the United States are subtracting from what very large numbers of students are learning in school and forever holding them back in many other ways. This in turn is damaging the country economically by making us less primed for innovation while also making millions of Americans less competitive in an increasingly demanding worldwide marketplace. All of which is leading to deepening class divisions in a nation which has never viewed itself or operated in such splintered ways. What can be done to reverse these severely destructive trends, starting with reducing the enormous number of children forced to grow up with only one parent living under the same roof? What educational reforms are most likely to help under such demanding circumstances?
URL: www.rowmaneducation.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=1607093618
Family, Culture & Community
From Family Collapse to America’s Decline: The Educational, Economic, and Social Costs of Family Fragmentation
by Mitch Pearlstein
Rowman & Littlefield
September 08, 2011
Very high rates of family fragmentation in the United States are subtracting from what very large numbers of students are learning in school and forever holding them back in many other ways. This in turn is damaging the country economically by making us less primed for innovation while also making millions of Americans less competitive in an increasingly demanding worldwide marketplace. All of which is leading to deepening class divisions in a nation which has never viewed itself or operated in such splintered ways. What can be done to reverse these severely destructive trends, starting with reducing the enormous number of children forced to grow up with only one parent living under the same roof? What educational reforms are most likely to help under such demanding circumstances?
URL: www.rowmaneducation.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=1607093618
Illegal Immigrants Fight To Keep Drivers' Licenses
From Judicial Watch:
Illegal Immigrants Fight To Keep Driver’s License
View
Discussion
.
Last Updated: Wed, 09/07/2011 - 10:30am
Empowered by the president’s recent halt in deportations, the influential open borders movement plans to stop one of the last states to offer illegal immigrants diver’s licenses from killing the practice.
Lawmakers in New Mexico are scheduled to address the heated issue in a special session this week, igniting fury among immigrant rights organizations that accuse them of catering to “fringe right-wing groups.” New Mexico is one of only two states (Washington is the other) that still give illegal aliens driver’s licenses because proof of residency is not required to obtain the card. Utah offers illegal aliens a special license that’s valid only in the state.
Earlier this year legislators in both Washington and New Mexico rejected measures to reverse the practice, even though it violates a federal identification law (Real ID Act) enacted to protect national security after the 2001 terrorist attacks. But this week New Mexico is reconsidering the issue at the request of Governor Susana Martinez who is in her first year in office. Immigrant rights groups quickly deployed protestors to the state capitol to fight for the status quo.
The legislature must address the issue because a residency certification program recently implemented by Governor Martinez to strip illegal aliens of driver’s licenses got struck down in court. The measure was challenged by a well-funded, open borders group that refers to the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement effort as racist and xenophobic.
In its lawsuit the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) calls the certification ordinance “unconstitutional” because it targets and affects primarily Latinos in New Mexico. A few days ago a Santa Fe judge sided with MALDEF, ordering a temporary restraining order on the measure which authorizes the state’s Motor Vehicle Division to require proof of legal residency from license holders.
New Mexico started giving illegal aliens driver’s licenses in 2002 thanks to the political force of a powerful open borders group (Somos Un Pueblo Unido or We are a United Town) that operates similar to MALDEF. A few years ago federal agents busted a major smuggling ring in which illegal immigrants from “special interest” countries exploited New Mexico’s lax law to obtain licenses. A Brazilian man and a Kazakhstan woman were eventually charged with running the illicit operation.
Illegal Immigrants Fight To Keep Driver’s License
View
Discussion
.
Last Updated: Wed, 09/07/2011 - 10:30am
Empowered by the president’s recent halt in deportations, the influential open borders movement plans to stop one of the last states to offer illegal immigrants diver’s licenses from killing the practice.
Lawmakers in New Mexico are scheduled to address the heated issue in a special session this week, igniting fury among immigrant rights organizations that accuse them of catering to “fringe right-wing groups.” New Mexico is one of only two states (Washington is the other) that still give illegal aliens driver’s licenses because proof of residency is not required to obtain the card. Utah offers illegal aliens a special license that’s valid only in the state.
Earlier this year legislators in both Washington and New Mexico rejected measures to reverse the practice, even though it violates a federal identification law (Real ID Act) enacted to protect national security after the 2001 terrorist attacks. But this week New Mexico is reconsidering the issue at the request of Governor Susana Martinez who is in her first year in office. Immigrant rights groups quickly deployed protestors to the state capitol to fight for the status quo.
The legislature must address the issue because a residency certification program recently implemented by Governor Martinez to strip illegal aliens of driver’s licenses got struck down in court. The measure was challenged by a well-funded, open borders group that refers to the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement effort as racist and xenophobic.
In its lawsuit the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) calls the certification ordinance “unconstitutional” because it targets and affects primarily Latinos in New Mexico. A few days ago a Santa Fe judge sided with MALDEF, ordering a temporary restraining order on the measure which authorizes the state’s Motor Vehicle Division to require proof of legal residency from license holders.
New Mexico started giving illegal aliens driver’s licenses in 2002 thanks to the political force of a powerful open borders group (Somos Un Pueblo Unido or We are a United Town) that operates similar to MALDEF. A few years ago federal agents busted a major smuggling ring in which illegal immigrants from “special interest” countries exploited New Mexico’s lax law to obtain licenses. A Brazilian man and a Kazakhstan woman were eventually charged with running the illicit operation.
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