September 11th - A day Americans will always remember

It was before I had decided to go to college.  I was sitting in my work truck on a construction site; I was a heavy equipment operator on a dirt excavation crew at the time.  The 1980-81 Chevrolet truck had one of those old knob radios, but it worked.  The morning was cool.  There was a breeze.

The radio announced that the first tower had been hit.  First impression: I thought some pilot and co-pilot may have had a few too many the night before playing each others' wingmen at some hot European nightclub.  Then - however - those old dusty speakers revealed to me that the second tower had been hit.  This was something new... something I had never been personally familiar with - a major attack carried out on American soil.

The rest of that day and the weeks and months that followed came as a blur of towers falling on television, people covered in ash and dust, war rhetoric, national pride, unification, ..., on-and-on-and-on.  It seemed as if someone had hit the fast forward button.

Looking back now, someone did hit the fast forward button - the federal government.  A new era of war was ushered in by the multitudes of demagogues, liars, and exaggerators that were chosen to push the government's foolhardy agenda to reshape the politics of the Middle East to their liking.  Their motto: "Never let a disaster go to waste."  America was immediately bombarded by a mainstream media barrage of war propaganda.

They got us pissed off.  They directed our anger towards some brown people halfway across the globe.  They took away Our freedoms here at home by rushing through legislation such as the (anti-)Patriot Act.  They started dropping bombs on a nation that wasn't even involved in the original attack which has lead to the deaths of over 1,000,000 Iraqis.  They bent us over.  They lubed us up.  They proceeded to have their way with us.  And... most of us took it like a champ.

Let's not let this happen to Us again.  Let's not be fooled by the demagogues.  Let's not go haphazardly into more interventionist wars.  Let's not sacrifice any more of Our freedoms in the name of security.  Let's stand together - once again - in a United effort... but this time, not against a foreign threat... but against the tyranny that the two-party system has imposed on Us since that fateful September day.

Now that we have been engaged in the longest war in United States history, don't you think it's time for real change?

I ask you to refuse to vote for either of the Status Quo candidates on November 6th - Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.  Instead, please find a third party candidate that YOU agree with and send a clear message to the Powers That Be to - "Kiss my ass!"

Don't fall for the same old songs and dances - again.  America can't handle another four years of irresponsible government. Vote third party for all those that have died - and continue to die - in the name of the "War on Terrorism."  Stop the tyranny - now.

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Please check to see if the following 3rd party candidates are on your state's ballot.  Click the links below to research each party and their presidential nominee:

Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee - Gary Johnson (Former New Mexico Governor - ballot access)

Constitution Party Presidential Nominee - Virgil Goode (Former Congressman, VA - ballot access)

Green Party Presidential Nominee - Jill Stein (Physician - ballot access)



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How does federal debt affect freedom?

I thought it would be a fun exercise to display how government debt affects Our freedom.  As a measure of freedom, I will use the United States incarceration rate - which is the highest in the world - and compare it to the gross federal debt for the period of 1940-1999.  I think you will find that the results are telling.

Consider the following graphs.  The first shows the incarceration rate as a function of time (red curve), and the second is a plot of gross federal debt as it has grown over time (black curve).  Notice the similarity in the curves.  Both indicate when the U.S. was taken off the gold standard by Nixon.

They look very similar.  Don't they?  Given the striking resemblance of the two, one may have a feeling a correlation exists.  Well, what would a curve look like that plotted the incarceration rate as a function of the gross federal debt?  See below.

Damn near a straight line!  The R² value is used as a measure to determine the degree of correlation between two sets of data (for those not familiar with statistics). The closer R² gets to one, the stronger the likelihood a relationship exists between the two sets.  ~0.99 is about as close to one as it gets!

This data would lend support to the hypothesis that - "As the federal government gets deeper and deeper in debt, society becomes less and less free" - just as an Austrian would predict.

How about we get that budget balanced?


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Doug Wead: What now for the Liberty Movement in 2012? 2016?

From DougWead.wordpress.com:

Post Paul: What now?

Don’t assume that Ron Paul is going to ride off into the sunset, with his cowgirl, Carol, at his side.  He made it clear during his light hearted exchange with Jay Leno that he isn’t finished with us.  And I, for one, am not finished with him either.

If Romney wins, Senator Rand Paul’s trajectory would be on hold and in 2016, Ron Paul, the father, would be the best primary challenger to a Republican establishment president, owned by the FED and the few.

[...]

Here’s a toast to Ron Paul, 2016.

But what do we do now?  And more urgent, how should we vote in the 2012 presidential election?

 1. Vote to re-elect Barack Obama?

[...]

 2. Vote for Mitt Romney?

[...]

 3. Write in Ron Paul’s name?

[...]

4. Vote for Virgil Goode?

[...]

5. Vote for Gary Johnson?

[...]

 Bottom line?  I haven’t decided yet but I would like to hear your opinions, without profanity please.  Or join the discussion at: http://www.facebook.com/DougWeadOfficial

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Read everything Doug had to say here.



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What should the Liberty Movement do for POTUS 2012?

My intentions here are only to encourage rational consideration of the available options left for Paulites in the general election and to attempt to spark a healthy discussion with no name-calling or other actions stemming from anger, disappointment, spite, etc. I hope you will set the emotional nature of the current times aside and genuinely consider what I have to say.

Option 1 - Vote for Obama:

Pros:

•  Delivering the election to Obama is a method of punishing Romney
• Romney may be considered unelectable in 2016 given that Obama is much weaker than he was in 2008 and Romney may likely do worse than McCain did

Cons:

• Our troops remain in Afghanistan until 2014 (at least - whatever happened to the recent 2024 extension? Is 2014 election year fodder?)
• We may end up engaged in more needless militarism in Iran, Syria, etc, putting tens of thousands of American lives at stake
• Indefinite detention clauses in the current NDAA will remain
• The UN Small Arms Treaty will likely be signed
• Draconian censorship laws will likely be levied against internet freedom
• Whistle blowers will continue to be treated like sub-human criminals
• The government will continue to grow at an alarming pace
• We will likely get stimulated again with the current economic outlook
• The War on Drugs will continue even in states that have put in place legalization/decriminalization laws
• The healthcare mandate will endure
• There will be no audit of the Fed
• Foreign aid will remain untouched or maybe even increased
• The Welfare State will likely continue to expand

Option 2 - Vote for Romney:

Pros:

•  Slight possibility that Romney would listen to Austrian solutions in another economic crisis (I doubt it though)

Cons:

• Romney will be rewarded for his underhanded tactics used to attain the nomination
• Our troops remain in Afghanistan until 2014 - at least
• We may end up engaged in more needless militarism in Iran, Syria, etc putting tens of thousands of American lives at stake
• Indefinite detention clauses in the current NDAA will remain
• Draconian censorship laws will likely be levied against internet freedom
• Whistle blowers will continue to be treated like sub-human criminals
• The government will continue to grow at an alarming pace
• We will likely get stimulated again with the current economic outlook
• The War on Drugs will continue even in states that have put in place legalization/decriminalization laws (likely at a more aggressive pace than Obama. Romney equated drug use to murder in a speech aired on HLN earlier in the year)
• The healthcare mandate will endure
• There will be no audit of the Fed (I don't trust Romney's sincerity)
• Foreign aid will remain untouched or maybe even increased
• The Welfare State will likely continue to expand (Medicare promises)

Option 3 - Write-in Ron Paul:

Pros:

• You get to vote for one of your heroes

Cons:

• No one outside of your personal contacts will know you did so
• A write-in campaign has no chance at successfully electing Dr. Paul

Option 4 - Vote for Johnson:

Pros whether he wins or loses:

• The votes will be counted (to some varying degree depending on the state - I doubt there would be 100% vote flipping) which would send a clear message to the GOP that the Liberty Movement won't just fall in line based on political rhetoric and/or coercion
• 5% of the vote puts the LP in major party status for 2016 which would likely help to solve problems with gaining participation in the debates
• Johnson will not be the last LP POTUS nominee. Others after him may be more universally acceptable to the Liberty Movement, and major party status would give those potential candidates much firmer footing
• It will piss off both the Democrats and the Republicans (Johnson affects the duopoly candidates differently depending on the state in question)

Pros for the outside chance he wins:

• Afghanistan will immediately be drawn down
• Avoid war with Iran, Syria, etc, potentially saving tens of thousands American lives
• A budget with $1.4 trillion in cuts - enough to balance year one (more than the $1T proposed by Paul) - will be submitted to Congress which would likely lead to real cuts (not just baseline cuts)
• In the event of a financial crisis, no economic intervention will be employed thereby creating an environment for real recovery
• If Audit the Fed hits his desk, it will get signed
• The Drug War will end
• If the legislation passes, the 16th Amendment will be repealed, the IRS abolished, and a consumption tax implemented which would eliminate all federal payroll withholding (saving entrepreneurs a fortune), eliminate taxes on all used goods (clothes, cars, etc), and distribute the federal tax burden over everyone that interacts with our economy (illegal aliens, tourists, other visitors) not just the employed citizens. Texas and Florida - two of the biggest economies in the world - employ consumption taxes, and as a former Texas resident, it was nice to have no state withholding.
• Religious influences will no longer be employed to provide collectivist, government benefits to straight couples while punishing the gay and lesbian community. Separation of Church and State should not have exceptions, and the only argument that exists is based in religion.
• Although Johnson is pro-choice up to independent viability of the fetus, he takes the same policy approach as Ron Paul in saying it should be left to the states, thereby negating the importance of his personal opinions on the issue

Cons:

• If the legislation passes, some are concerned that the Fair Tax would create a new entitlement system due to the prebate that would be distributed to all US citizens. However, I would argue that collectivism is avoided because all citizens will receive it, and the prebate only represents the amount of tax that would be paid based on poverty poverty level income (~$2000/yr) which is not nearly enough to survive on and provides a logical solution to the regressive nature of other consumption taxes
• Johnson said he may be willing to militarily intervene for humanitarian reasons in other countries; however, he said he would only do so with approval from Congress (giving respect to the process provided by the Constitution)

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Did I leave anything out? Please discuss.

One last note: To illustrate the unreliability of emotion based decision making, please consider the following questions -

What percentage of people in prison (barring victimless crimes) are there because they acted out of emotion? I would venture to say greater than 90%.

What percentage of people in prison (barring victimless crimes) are there because they made rational decisions? Very few.

Did your parents ever tell you to "think before you act?" If so, why did they tell you that? Was it because making emotional decisions out of anger or other emotions can often get you into trouble?

Is the purpose of the Liberty Movement to gain liberty? If not, what is the goal? Given the above information, what is the most productive choice for Liberty with respect to the 2012 race for POTUS on a rational basis, neglecting emotion?

The factors stated above are what led me to where I stand now.

Thanks ahead of time for your genuine consideration and responses.

Follow @DerrelWalters

The Full Story of the Latest Des Moines Register Poll

The mainstream media (MSM) has pointed towards the new Des Moines Register Poll and used parts of it to their convenience while ignoring other parts.  I encourage you to read the poll for yourself at the link provided and consider the available information in its entirety.  Below, I present the most glaring parts of the poll which have been ignored by the MSM.

From the poll:

Regardless of which candidate you support as your first choice, which one would you say is...

The most concerned about reducing government debt:
Ron Paul - 42%
Mitt Romney - 13%
Newt Gingrich - 8%
Rick Santorum - 6%

The most consistent:
Ron Paul - 35%
Mitt Romney - 14%
Rick Santorum - 13%
Newt Gingrich - 6%

The least ego-driven:
Ron Paul - 28%
Rick Santorum - 22%
Mitt Romney - 7%
Newt Gingrich -4%

The best at relating to ordinary Iowans:
Ron Paul - 20%
Rick Santorum - 20%
Mitt Romney - 10%
Newt Gingrich - 6%

The best able to bring about real change:
Mitt Romney - 23%
Ron Paul - 21%
Newt Gingrich - 16%
Rick Santorum - 10%

The most dedicated to limiting the influence of government:
Ron Paul - 44%
Mitt Romney - 9%
Newt Gingrich - 9%
Rick Santorum - 6%

The least concerned about reducing government debt:
Newt Gingrich - 27%
Mitt Romney - 20%
Ron Paul - 4%
Rick Santorum - 2%

The least consistent:
Newt Gingrich - 36%
Mitt Romney - 24%
Ron Paul - 4%
Rick Santorum - 4%

The most ego-driven:
Newt Gingrich - 41%
Mitt Romney - 21%
Ron Paul - 4%
Rick Santorum - 1%

The worst at relating to ordinary Iowans:
Mitt Romney - 26%
Newt Gingrich - 26%
Ron Paul - 8%
Rick Santorum - 1%

The least dedicated to limiting the influence of government:
Newt Gingrich - 32%
Mitt Romney - 20%
Ron Paul - 7%
Rick Santorum - 3% 

Are "602 likely Republican caucus-goers" wrong?  The candidates have been trying to "court" these voters for some time now.  Don't you think they have a good idea about what the candidates are really about?

You decide.


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Why Ron Paul?

Ron Paul is a constitutionalist that believes the federal government's primary responsibility is to protect the civil liberties of its citizens.  In addition, he believes the federal government should protect our national borders and provide a strong, domestic national defense.

He, like many of us, is tired of the never-ending wars.  He wants to return the power to declare war solely to Congress, where it was originally. Currently, it is now acceptable for the US President to go to war for 90 days without Congressional approval.  This has placed too much power in the hands of one man.

He believes that our interference in other nations' affairs has caused resentment over the years and has, in the end, caused more problems than it has solved.  Take for instance Iran.

We were friends with Iran pre-WWII.  They were largely a country becoming "westernized."  Then in 1953, the CIA overthrew the Iranian Prime Minister.  Many Iranians have not forgotten this.  Then, we sponsored a Saddam led Iraq in a war against Iran.

What would your opinion of the matter be if the shoe were on the other foot?  What if Iran had done those things to us?

"Paul serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee (having been on the Western Hemisphere and the Asia and Pacific subcommittees); the Joint Economic Committee; and the Committee on Financial Services (as Ranking Member of the Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology subcommittee, and Vice-Chair of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee)." ~Wikipedia: Ron Paul

He has been an advocate and voice for responsible fiscal policy since the 1970's.  He warned of the housing bubble LONG before anyone else even knew there was one.  There is little argument, Ron Paul is the best on economic policy among all the candidates.

He has real plans to get America back on track.  Please don't stop reading here...

Please go to youtube and watch some Ron Paul videos and hear what he has to say. 

I promise it will be time well spent and will benefit us all.

Ron Paul 2012! Follow @DerrelWalters