Archive for November, 2008
McKinney Prevented From Leaving U.S.
How is a women that just ran for president not allowed to leave the country? She was on the damn ballot!
Former Congresswoman and presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney has been prevented from leaving the country after she planned to give a speech in Damascus Syria at a Conference being held to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Has McKinney been put on a terrorist watch list merely for speaking out in support of 9/11 first responders and passionately questioning the official 9/11 story?
“Today, November 23rd, I was slated to give remarks in Damascus, Syria at a Conference being held to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, sadly, the 60th year that the Palestinian people have been denied their Right of Return enshrined in that Universal Declaration. But a funny thing happened to me while at the Atlanta airport on my way to the Conference: I was not allowed to exit the country,” writes McKinney.
“I do believe that it was just a misunderstanding,” she adds, though why a well known former Georgia congresswoman who represented Atlanta, the city in which she was born, would not be allowed to board a plane raises disturbing questions.
Has McKinney been put on a terrorist watch list merely for speaking out in support of 9/11 first responders and passionately questioning the official 9/11 story?
As many will recall, McKinney was perhaps the first major public figure to doubt the official version of events way back in 2002, which at the time was tantamount to treason.
McKinney has since become a vocal advocate for the 9/11 truth movement and appeared at numerous 9/11 truth conference and events.
She also made headlines for attempting to get answers on what had happened to $2.3 trillion dollars that was quietly declared “missing” from the Pentagon budget the day before 9/11.
McKinney was set to travel to Damascus to give a speech about the ailing plight of Palestinians and the Israeli lock down of Gaza, which is preventing Palestinian citizens, half of them children, from getting access to basic staples such as food, fuel and medical supplies, but Uncle Sam stopped her from doing so.
A misunderstanding? This is not the first time McKinney has been apprehended by the authorities. In April 2006 a Capitol Police officer prevented McKinney from entering a House office building when she did not present identification. Capitol police immediately apologized to McKinney after the incident, but the officer in question later claimed that McKinney had hit him. The fact that McKinney was not arrested on the spot for assaulting a police officer strongly suggests that assault claim was concocted or exaggerated.
Add comment November 26, 2008
Dennis Kuncinich on Russia Today (Telling it like it is!)
Listen to Dennis Kuncinich on Russia Today just telling it like it is on a GLOBAL LEVEL (once again they report the real news for us) I love Russia today!
“Work w/Russia”
WOW WHAT A CONCEPT!?!?!?!?!?! If he keeps talking like this (especially on a global level), he will have a bullet in his head before the end of his term. Like I say, that’s how you know he’s legit. Sadly.
Add comment November 26, 2008
Riot. Something complacent Americans may never do and a new Max Keiser Vid
Protesters swarm Thai airport, takeoffs suspended
BANGKOK, Thailand – Anti-government demonstrators swarmed Bangkok’s international airport late Tuesday, halting departing flights, as opponents and supporters of Thailand’s government fought in the streets of the city.
Political tensions simmering for two years have boiled over in recent months, but Tuesday’s violent confrontations in Bangkok — which saw protesters using slingshots, knives and gunfire on a busy street and tourists caught up in the airport chaos — marked a dramatic escalation.
Minutes after outbound flights at Suvarnabhumi International Airport were suspended, hundreds of demonstrators — some masked and armed with metal rods — broke through police lines and spilled into the passenger terminal.
The airport manager said authorities tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the protesters, who accuse Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of being a puppet of his disgraced predecessor and have occupied his offices since August, demanding his resignation.
“For the safety for passengers, we have to stop flights out of the airport temporarily until the situation returns to normal,” the manager, Serirat Prasutanon, said in a statement. He said incoming flights were operating and that the provincial governor asked the army to help police.
The siege of the airport appeared aimed at Somchai, who is scheduled to return late Wednesday from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru. Protest group spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said the airport will be shut down “until Somchai quits.”
Travelers seemed bewildered at the turn of events.
“This is the first time I have seen anything like this. I am glad that it did not turn out violent,” said Daniel Garmona, a tourist from North Carolina who was waiting for a flight back to the U.S.
Using trucks and cars, demonstrators blocked highway access to the airport, the transportation hub for millions of tourists who visit the country each year.
A near-riot and parliament besieged: Iceland boiling mad at credit crunch
THOUSANDS of Icelanders have demonstrated in Reykjavik to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank governor David Oddsson, for failing to stop the country’s financial meltdown.
http://news.scotsman.com/world/A-nearriot-and–parliament.4722970.jp
Keiser on today’s Citigroup bailout. Max mentions what I’ve been saying ol’ Billy Clinton repelling that Glass Seagall act which cause this whole mess. See Bush sucks, Clinton Sucks and I bet my left pinky Obama will suck too. They alll work and suck together!
Add comment November 25, 2008
Game Over Folks! At the tune of $7.76 trillion!
The party is OVER, we are only floating the keg.
Get a gun in the next two months (because Biden don’t like guns), stock some food, pay your debts, buy some gold and get ready! Because our Gov is just getting down right stupid!
Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government is prepared to provide more than $7.76 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers after guaranteeing $306 billion of Citigroup Inc. debt yesterday. The pledges, amounting to half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, are intended to rescue the financial system after the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.
http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=arEE1iClqDrk&refer=home
Add comment November 25, 2008
Thinking about leaving the states?
Seems that old redneck saying of “love it or leave it” isn’t as easy of an option anymore, especially for biz owners.
PART 1
Add comment November 25, 2008
World Bank (IMF) buys Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan won final approval for a $7.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help the front-line state in the campaign against Islamist terrorism stave off possible economic meltdown.
The IMF said a first installment of $3.1 billion will be transferred immediately to the nuclear-armed country, which is battling surging violence by Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants and is increasingly seen in the West as key to stabilizing neighboring Afghanistan.
The IMF said the Pakistani economy had been badly hit by the worsening security situation, higher oil and food import prices and the global financial and credit crisis.
“By providing large financial support to Pakistan, the IMF is sending a strong signal to the donor community about the country’s improved macroeconomic prospects,” said IMF acting Chairman Takatoshi Kato in a statement released after the decision Monday in Washington, where the fund is based.
Pakistan’s young government had been reluctant to go to the IMF but had little choice after close allies — the United States, China and Saudi Arabia — turned down pleas for significant bilateral aid.
In mid-November, the IMF announced it had reached a preliminary agreement on the deal.
Opposition and nationalist lawmakers have criticized the government for turning to the fund, saying the IMF will impose austerity measures that will hurt ordinary Pakistanis, two-thirds of whom live on $2 dollar a day or less.
“This IMF loan the government is getting is in fact poison, and the nation has been forced to drink it,” said Javed Hashmi, a senior figure in the main opposition party, told reporters.
FULL READ HERE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081125/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan
Add comment November 25, 2008
Russia Today reports once again!
FULL READ HERE >>> Fed refuses to disclose who got loans
In the U.S. the Federal Reserve is refusing to disclose who has received almost $2 Trillion worth of taxpayer funded loans, or what collateral it is taking, according to Bloomberg. However, under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act the details of lending should be identified.
FULL READ HERE >>> Angry Americans protest against U.S. monetary policy
While leaders in Peru grapple with the financial fallout, Americans angry at the multi-billion dollar bailout plans are protesting in Washington. They say the U.S. Federal Reserve, far from helping solve the financial crisis, is taking money out of their pockets.
Add comment November 23, 2008
Ron Paul On CNN Headline News With Jane Velez-Mitchell
Ron Paul Interview On CNN Headline News :Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell About The Auto Bailout.
Add comment November 23, 2008
I don’t like her or her MANDATORY healtcare plan
Clinton unveils mandatory health care insurance plan. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton announced a $110 billion health care reform plan Monday that would require all Americans to have health insurance.
Hillary later remarked that anyone wishing to opt out of such a system would have their wages “garnished”. When pressed on ABC’s This Week, earlier in the year, Hillary said: “I think there are a number of mechanisms” that are possible, including “going after people’s wages, automatic enrollment.” I like what Moynihan says, U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan added “anyone who thinks [the Clinton health care plan] can work in the real world as presently written isn’t living in it.”
Clinton’s package would also require insurers to provide coverage for anyone who applies for it and would also bar insurance companies from charging people with greater health care costs more for their premiums.
I have a solution, let’s keep the Clinton’s out of the white house!
Shit, that was one of things I was thinking of cutting if shit hits the fan.
FULL READ HERE:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/17/health.care/index.html
http://www.infowars.com/?p=6077
Add comment November 19, 2008
It’s time for another socialist bailout in the name of failure!
All,
It’s time for another socialist bailout in the name of failure! So let’s call our bullshit congressmen and women and tell them what we really think. I suggest hitting your thumbnail w/a hammer as hard as you can before you call so that way you are really pissed and don’t forget to use a lot of cuss words! Before I get into the AZ socialists I would like to provide Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul’s phone numbers in the case that you want to call them and thank them for NOT VOTING for the first failed bailout. I mean, you got to be a RETARD to not see that coming! This is effecting everyone NOW and I think you can all see that. Take some time, get involved! What’s 5 minutes?
FYI: I called all the numbers provided to make sure my message got through.
Dennis:
216-252-9000
http://kucinich.us/index.php
Dr. Paul:
Phone Number: (202) 225-2831
Phone Number: (979) 285-0231
http://www.house.gov/paul/
McWar’s Info:
Phoenix Office:
5353 North 16th Street Suite 105
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Main: 602-952-2410
Fax: 602-952-8702
Tempe Office:
4703 South Lakeshore Drive Suite 1
Tempe, AZ 85282
Main: 480-897-6289
Fax: 480-897-8389
Tucson Office:
407 West Congress Street Suite 103
Tucson, AZ 85701
Main: 520-670-6334
Fax: 520-670-6637
Washington Office:
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-2235
Fax: 202-228-2862
John Kyl’s Info:
WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
730 Hart Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4521
Fax: (202) 224-2207
PHOENIX OFFICE
2200 East Camelback, Suite 120
Phoenix, Arizona 85016-3455
Phone: (602) 840-1891
Fax: (602) 957-6838
Add comment November 19, 2008
Intersting Thought About Obama
Obama was sold to us, not just as a President but as a savior. The McCain-Palin charade was an important part of the sales campaign: you can’t have an Heroic Knight unless there’s a Fearsome Dragon to be slain. A friend pointed out to me that McCain’s campaign was mostly negative attacks on Obama. Another way to frame that is to say that the campaign was all about Obama, rather than about issues. The negative attacks caused just as much bonding between Obama and his followers as did Obama’s inspiring speeches. The negative and the positive themes were played against one another, in the media, with all the precision of a symphony.
Add comment November 19, 2008
Hijacked Saudi oil tanker, perhaps this is the only way to stop the NWO
Is the only way to stop the NWO?
Let them know the ARE NOT untouchable. I feel the same way about the corrupt US leaders (such as Bush, Cheney, Paulson, Bernake, etc.) Does someone need to make more of a statement than peaceful protesting? Maybe then, we will see change against the tyranny we have witnessed for the pasted 10 decades (Start of the Fed)? Maybe that will stop bullshit or at least get them thinking about the American people a little more?
We are too complacent!!!
Maybe a tax revolt?
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million in crude anchored the ship within sight of impoverished Somali fishing villages Tuesday, while other bandits took control of an Iranian cargo ship — the seventh vessel hijacked in 12 days.
FULL READ HERE:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081118/ap_on_re_af/ml_piracy
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million in crude anchored the ship within sight of impoverished Somali fishing villages Tuesday, while other bandits took control of an Iranian cargo ship — the seventh vessel hijacked in 12 days.
Add comment November 18, 2008
Citigroup’s Pandit Targets 52,000 Jobs to Eliminate (Not Looking Good)
Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit said the bank will eliminate 52,000 jobs over the next year, twice the target announced last month, as loan losses surge and the economy shrinks.
The reductions, disclosed at a meeting with employees in New York, include 9,100 positions the bank began eliminating in October and about 16,900 announced today. Citigroup will shed a further 26,000 positions through asset sales, 7,900 more than in the previous plan. The total represents 15 percent of Citigroup’s workforce of about 352,000.
Pandit, 51, is accelerating cost cuts after the bank’s stock price plunged 19 percent last week amid concern a global recession will curb new lending just as more home and credit- card loans are becoming delinquent. With bad-loan costs running $4 billion above last year’s levels, profits remain elusive following four straight quarterly losses.
“You can cut the expense base, but if you don’t stabilize the asset quality, it can only have a moderate impact,” said Joe Scott, a banking analyst at Fitch Ratings in New York.
Citigroup’s stock is at its lowest price in 12 years on concern a global recession may extend the bank’s losing streak. Today, the shares fell 63 cents, or 6.6 percent, to $8.89 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading as of 4:18 p.m.
The slide in the stock may hinder the bank’s ability to raise capital by selling shares to private investors or the public, Scott said.
FULL READ HERE:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.RLIhVF4ebk&refer=home
Add comment November 18, 2008
Billions over Baghdad
Between April 2003 and June 2004, $12 billion in U.S. currency—much of it belonging to the Iraqi people—was shipped from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Some of the cash went to pay for projects and keep ministries afloat, but, incredibly, at least $9 billion has gone missing, unaccounted for, in a frenzy of mismanagement and greed. Following a trail that leads from a safe in one of Saddam’s palaces to a house near San Diego, to a P.O. box in the Bahamas, the authors discover just how little anyone cared about how the money was handled.
FULL READ HERE:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/10/iraq_billions200710
Add comment November 18, 2008
Greenspan tells the Truth
Greenspan admits that the Government has NO CONTROL over the Fed because it’s an INDEPENDENT agency.
Once you understand the role of the Fed, you will understand why we have such poor fiscal policy.
Add comment November 16, 2008
Hold the feet to the fire!
The election is over and we must begin turning our country around now, or the opportunity may not come again. By quickly organizing ourselves in each of the 435 congressional districts, over the next 100 days, we can make single-payer healthcare, a living wage, and a less militaristic society our long-term reality. We must do this because the founders of these United States gave us the power to do it. Please watch the video and sign up today at http://www.november5.org/
Add comment November 16, 2008
I.O.U.S.A.: Byte-Sized – The 30 Minute Version
By now, you may have heard about our acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A., a film that boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. The film has been a huge hit, getting rave reviews from Roger Ebert and others.
Now, we proudly release a 30-minute condensed version of I.O.U.S.A. designed specifically for watching and sharing on the web – for free.
So if you haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet, watch the condensed I.O.U.S.A. today. If you’ve already seen it in a theater, check out the abbreviated version for a refresher. Then, tell your friends, your family, your Facebook friends and your Twitter followers about the staggering amount of money – $53 trillion – in financial obligations owed by the federal government to foreign investors and to every single American in the form of pensions, health benefits, Social Security and Medicare.
Then, visit http://www.IOUSAtheMovie.com and join us in our Fiscal Wake-Up Movement.
I will move this to the Docs sections soon.
Add comment November 16, 2008
End the Fed – Next Weekend 11/22/08
In an effort to get everyone on the same page and to make this rally a great success, I am cross-posting this announcement to various groups. We need your participation and we seriously need more internet chatter promoting it!
This is a nationwide rally to “END THE FED” on Saturday, November 22, 2008 at ALL of the Federal Reserve Banks across the country. Please check out the following sites and sign up – you will find event info and group organizers specific to your city:
http://restoretherepublic.net/home.php
(Scroll down to the End The Fed info)
http://www.meetup.com/End-The-Fed/
The numbers of folks signing up could be much higher. Share these links with your local Meet-Up groups and every other pro-Constitution, anti-big government group you belong to! Don’t take it for granted – they might not otherwise know! I know of several people who would be interested in this, but don’t spend a lot of time surfing the ‘net, (I’m sure you do, too) so I’m sending them an email directly. It is important to get this information to as many people as possible RIGHT NOW, so please take time and make the effort to pass it along. Don’t assume that folks already know. Sharing is caring!
Since ending the Federal Reserve system is one of the main objectives of Paul supporters and Nader, McKinney, and Baldwin all agreed on the 4 Points as well, reach out to those third party supporters for their participation, too.
Point #4 was this: The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.
Anyone who can’t make it to a Fed Bank city could organize local rallies at State Houses, Town Halls, parks, corporate banks that received bailout money, etc. Get creative.
The time is now, so let’s make this thing a success! Pass it along & I’ll see you there!
Add comment November 16, 2008
Income Tax Truth from Tom Cryer
Attorney, Tom Cryer, won a unanimous NOT GUILTY verdict in federal district court defeating the IRS’s claim that Tom “willfully” failed to file federal income tax returns. Tom refused to file tax returns because the IRS could not show him any law making him liable for ‘filing’ a tax return.
HIS SITE:
http://www.truthattack.org/
Add comment November 16, 2008
Q and A w/Paul
Do you love the smell of libertarianism in the morning? If so, today is a good day for you.
Last week we solicited your questions for Congressman Ron Paul.
There was such a big response (more than 400 comments) that we have split Paul’s answers into two batches, the first of which is posted below.
Thanks to Paul for his answers and all of you for your good questions.
Q: What was your first thought when you found out McCain chose Palin as his running mate?
A: At first, I thought it was a pretty savvy choice from a political perspective. I also knew that she had said some nice things about me in the past. At the same time, I knew that to be on the ticket, she would have to toe the line on foreign policy and the war, so that tempered a lot of my enthusiasm.
Q: Who in Congress would you consider to be your closest peer(s)?
A: There are a lot of members who I work with on a variety of different issues. Walter Jones is a good friend and works with me on foreign policy. Often on spending, if there is a 432-3 vote, the other two congressmen voting with me are Jeff Flake and Paul Broun. A lot of times, I work with Democrats on civil liberties issues.
I guess my point is that people from all over the political spectrum can side with liberty and the Constitution. The goal is to get a majority to vote that way most of the time.
Q: It was mentioned you were in favor of getting rid of the Department of Education. Is this true, and if so, how do you feel this would benefit the country?
A: I do believe in eliminating the Department of Education.
First, the Constitution does not authorize the Department of Education, and the founders never envisioned the federal government dictating those education policies.
Second, it is a huge bureaucracy that squanders our money. We send billions of dollars to Washington and get back less than we sent. The money would be much better off left in states and local communities rather than being squandered in Washington.
Finally, I think that the smallest level of government possible best performs education. Teachers, parents, and local community leaders should be making decisions about exactly how our children should be taught, not Washington bureaucrats. The Department of Education has given us No Child Left Behind, massive unfunded mandates, indoctrination, and in come cases, forced medication of our children with psychotropic drugs. We should get rid of all of that and get those choices back in the hands of the people.
Q: What active steps would you take toward reducing the size of the government?
A: The first thing I would do, which could be done rather quickly, is change our foreign policy. If you add up all of our overseas expenditures, we spend nearly $1 trillion every year. We have bases in 130 countries, 50,000 troops in Germany, and our brave military men and women bogged down in two wars in the Middle East.
By announcing that America will pursue a foreign policy of non-intervention, where we have trade, diplomacy, and travel — but where we don’t police the world and stay out of the internal affairs of other nations — we could cut that $1 trillion in half and still have a strong national defense to keep us safe. All that money we save could be used to address the entitlement system, making sure there will be funding there for people who have become dependent, while allowing young people to get out.
Secondly, I would begin to reassert respect for the Tenth Amendment. The Constitution does not authorize so many things that the federal government currently does. I would look to phase out entire departments and return these functions to the states as the Constitution intended. The Departments of Education and Energy would be on the top of my list.
Finally, I would look to our monetary system. Government can only tax its people so much before they say no. So the government expands the money supply when it has taxed and borrowed all it can. This inflation is a hidden tax that falls squarely on the middle class. Sound, honest money would go a great way towards reining in the big-spending politicians.
Q: Even before the primaries, you said you would not run in the general election. Why specifically did you not run?
A: I was running for the Republican nomination, and I would have run in the general if I had won. I had little interest in running third party due to the inherent biases against such efforts. I also signed legally binding agreements not run third party in 2008 if I failed to win the G.O.P. primary. That was the cost for ballot access in several states, 11 total I believe. So even I had wanted to, it would not have been possible to run in the general after I lost the primary.
Q: What would your plans for economic stimulation look like during this slumping economy?
A: Let’s start with what I wouldn’t do, which is make the problem worse. We can not solve our problems with what we’ve been doing — borrowing money from overseas and creating money and credit out of thin air. Distorting interest rates and inflating the monetary supply sometimes provides short-term relief, but it will only make the pain worse in the long run.
During the presidential campaign, I released the following four-point plan, and would stick by it while at the same time listening to experts for advice on how to improve it:
The Four-Point Plan
1) Tax Reform: Reduce the tax burden and eliminate taxes that punish investment and savings, including job-killing corporate taxes.
2) Spending Reform: Eliminate wasteful spending. Reduce overseas commitments. Freeze all non-defense, non-entitlement spending at current levels.
3) Monetary Policy Reform: Expand openness at the Federal Reserve and require the Fed to televise its meetings. Return value to our money.
4) Regulatory Reform: Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley regulations that push companies to seek capital outside of U.S. markets. Stop restricting community banks from fostering local economic growth.
Q: Do you still believe that the financial industry needs no regulation because markets are inherently stable and always act rationally?
A: The free market is the most stable and fair system. Government intervention and manipulation of interest rates are at the heart of the whole mess we are currently in. Government intervention causes unintended negative consequences. Artificially low interest rates help out special interest and elites, not the common person, all the while creating malinvestment and booms and busts in our economy.
Q: Do you think people who relate more to the libertarian ideals of the Republican Party have a role to play in the Republican Party of the moment, and do you see a role for them in the coming (hopeful) rebuilding of the Republican Party?
A: I certainly hope so. The Republican Party has traditionally been the party of liberty and limited government. Republicans like Robert Taft, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan had very libertarian qualities. If the G.O.P. gets back to its roots, they can appeal once again to liberty-minded Americans.
Q: Do you think the efforts of the libertarian-minded are better spent forming a third party or joining the actual Libertarian Party?
A: I never try to tell people exactly what to do, so that’s up to them. However, I think the fact that I have remained in the Republican Party shows where I stand.
Q: What do you think are the most important steps to seeing greater access for third-party candidates? Is the root of the bipartisan problem more national or local in scope?
A: Bipartisan dominance exists at all levels, but it’s even more pronounced at the national level.
The biggest obstacle, I think, is inclusion in the national debates. To take part, you basically have to be a Democrat or a Republican. Unless that changes, a national third-party presidential candidate has little chance.
Q: What role should the United States play on the world scene?
A: I believe we should treat everyone the same. We should be friends with all willing parties, talk and trade with everyone we can, have diplomacy, and travel. At the same time, we should not subsidize foreign governments with money or weapons; this comes back to hurt us more times than not. We should not have separate and different policies for Europeans or Latin America, Israelis or Palestinians. We should set a good example here at home and stay out of the internal affairs of other countries.
Q: Did Bob Barr’s failure to appear at your press conference endorsing the third-party vote cause a rift between you and him? Are you still friends with him?
A: That’s old news as far I’m concerned. I’m more interested in focusing on positive things Americans can accomplish moving forward.
Q: Do you believe that it is possible to make positive incremental changes to our monetary policy, entitlements, taxes, etc. within the system, or is it just a matter of waiting for failure and then coming in with a solution?
A: Yes, I do believe we can make successful changes. And I want to start making those changes now so that we can avoid a devastating collapse. But we need to start quickly before it’s too late. If we can cut spending and balance budgets, beginning with our overseas expenditures, we can do a lot to fix this mess. We also need monetary reform. I would begin with the incremental step of repealing legal-tender laws and legalizing the use of gold and silver to act as a currency alongside the dollar. That would help stabilize the dollar and strengthen our monetary system.
Q: How has the recent economic turmoil affected your views regarding deregulation?
A: It has reinforced my belief that massive central planning does not work, whether it be in for the economy, education, or energy policy.
Q: How do you propose we restore people’s faith in free-market ideas?
A: Well, we need to start by making sure politicians who talk about free markets practice what they preach. One of the reasons why people may have lost faith in freedom is that leaders used limited-government rhetoric while expanding the size and scope of government. Free markets got a black eye even though the actual policy was intervention and central planning. So again, leaders who profess to support markets need to act like that once in power. If we do that, we’ll prove that freedom really does work.
Q: How much money was left over from your campaign donations and what will be the next step with those funds?
A: We had about $4 million left, which we are using to launch the Campaign for Liberty.
Add comment November 16, 2008
