The Ron Paul Scenario

Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Ron Paul is elected President of the United States–even though we know that voting machines have been shown to be rigged with predetermined outcomes. What then?

I’ve heard some people say that Ron Paul will end all the “bad stuff,” if elected. I’ve heard that he will use Executive Orders to end the Federal Reserve, Department of Education and other “unconstitutional”  agencies and programs (doesn’t go far enough, but would be a good first step). From listening to some of the chatter, some folks are making Ron Paul out to be some kind of Messiah.

Unfortunately, it is not true and those things will never happen.

First of all, Ron Paul doesn’t believe that Executive Orders are Constitutional, so he would never use them. If he did, he would be helping to legitimize the process and open himself up to criticism from his detractors and those who do want to use them (“If you don’t believe they’re Constitutional, why are you issuing them?”), so don’t hold your breath waiting for Ron Paul to use dictatorial “stroke of the pen, law of the land” stuff anytime soon.

Second, even if Ron Paul was elected, he would be overriden by the Legislature at every turn, in the same way that Mark Sanford (former Governor of SC) had around 98% of his vetoes overriden with every new budget. Also, nearly every time Sanford wanted to push through a new idea, eliminate wasteful spending, cut taxes, consolidate agencies or eliminate redundant offices, the State Legislature pounded him from every angle, used the progressive (WIS-TV, The State Newspaper, PBS/ETV, Free Times, etc.) local media to make him look like an idiot for even asking for those things, and then boldly refused to give him what he was asking for–and it was done by both Democrats AND Republicans.

The only reason I could see for The Powers That Be to give–yes, give–Ron Paul the Presidency would be for accomplishing something like eliminating the Electoral College–something the progressives have wanted to do, for decades.

If Paul wins the “Presidential Preference” vote (public vote), the Electors are not bound to cast their votes for the popular choice (the candidate for which the public cast the most votes). If the Electors choose to cast their electoral votes to elect a different candidate, the country will come close to another civil war, with riots in the streets. The cries for eliminating the Electoral College will be heard far and wide, and the People will probably be duped into going along with it–including an increase in police power and presence to control any “civil unrest.” (Not that there should be elections for Masters, in the first place, but you get what I’m saying.)

The end result would be that the Statists have more police power and control, and the Socialist Republic of California has control of every new presidential election.

Remember: No matter who is elected, the State always wins.

In over 200 years of voting, we have only gotten higher (and more) taxes, more regulations, more currency manipulation and wealth destruction, more war, more surveillance (monitoring emails and phone calls, street cameras, tracking our cell phones, etc.), and so much more. Minor “victories,” once in awhile, keep the clueless Sheeple thinking that voting can make a difference, but history shows otherwise, so STOP VOTING! Stop legitimizing the rigged game of politics and keeping it alive! Separate yourself from it, and get “off the grid,” as much as possible.

Personally, I would actually like to see Ron Paul win, for one main reason: When his supporters watch as he is rendered completely ineffective, they will come to realize that voting accomplishes nothing but giving the People more of what they were getting, before. Even Ron Paul, himself, stated that he could “only be so independent.” At that point it will hopefully be easier for supporters of Voluntaryism (http://voluntaryist.com/fundamentals/introduction.html) to share the message of peace, cooperation and real freedom.

So…yay! Ron Paul 2012! Woo-hoo!

Open Letter to Government

To Whom It May Concern:

We constantly hear you say words words like “freedom” and “liberty,” yet your actions show that you have no respect for, or belief in, such things.

You have a group of people that call themselves the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Supposedly, they are working to keep us safe from contaminated foods and fake medicines, but the FDA kills people through such activities as delaying the approval of new drugs, by ten years on average.

How many people have died waiting for your FDA group to allow them to try to save themselves with new treatments? Shouldn’t it be up to the dying person to weigh the risks involved with a treatment that might save his/her life? Seems to me that your lengthy approval process is defeating its stated purpose–or maybe population reduction is your purpose.

In addition to attempts to control, water-down and/or ban dietary supplements altogether (herbal treatments, vitamins, etc.), I see state and federal officials raiding storehouses of natural (non-genetically modified, no pesticides) foods and raw milk. In one instance, alone, 50,000 pounds of unprocessed cheese was ordered destroyed—and for what purpose? I dare say the people seem much healthier than the rest of the Fast Food Nation, so why bother them? To me, it seems more about food control than protection and health.

And how many starving, homeless, malnourished people could 50,000 pounds of cheese fed? Again, your purpose is in question.

If you don’t have the freedom to decide what you will put into your own body, you have no freedom at all–and, obviously, someone else thinks they own you.

The Federal Reserve is a non-governmental corporation that magically creates fiat “money” out of thin air and then loans that created “money” to the US Government. Government then taxes the People to pay the interest on that funny “money.” It’s a brilliant plan for separating the unenlightened masses from their wealth–and it’s absolutely criminal for you to allow it to continue.

Cut all ties to the Federal Reserve. Now.

Instead of listening to what We The People have to say, and meeting our demands, you have spent billions on monitoring our Internet connections; reading what we post on social networking sites; checking what we buy in stores (through loyalty cards and credit/debit card purchases); listening in on our phone calls; tracking us through our cell phones (E911); trying to change (instead of listening to) our opinions, by planting psy-ops operatives in major media outlets; ignoring our letters and phone calls; militarizing the police against us; trying to stop us from peacefully assembling (and attacking us when we do); herding us into out-of-sight “free speech zones”; molesting us at airports in the name of some measure of safety that you cannot truly provide; arresting us for growing our own food; destroying our wealth and employment opportunities through currency manipulation and interference in the marketplace; secretly experimenting on us with drugs, radiation and biological agents; watching us with camera-equipped drone aircraft, and cameras on street corners and in neighborhoods; dumbing us down through the use of regimented education techniques and social promotion; forcing children to submit to having potentially deadly/crippling substances injected into their bodies; genetically-modifying our food, in order to find a way–among other things–to “vaccinate” us through it; instituting plans for civilian internment, and posting ads online for “Internment Specialists”; stopping us on the street to make sure we’ve paid money to the government for certain permissions (free people don’t need permission), and to see if you can extract even more wealth from us once you have us stopped…and that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

You claim that the aforementioned activities are being done in the name of fighting terrorism, but the only real terrorists I’ve ever come into actual contact with are government officials–you folks with nice offices and fancy titles, who get paid for controlling and forcibly extracting wealth from everyone else. If we refuse to comply with your orders, rules, mandates, whims and decrees, we are assaulted, kidnapped and caged. You ridicule us, insult us, steal from us and control us, but when we show our displeasure you arrest us for insulting you. That doesn’t sound like freedom, respect, or being a “public servant,” to me. Animal Farm much?

If you’re supposedly fighting terrorists because they hate our so-called “free” way of life, you can stop fighting and spending our wealth; the terrorists won that battle, a long time ago. If you really think we’re going to believe your nonsense about them bombing us because of our way of life, you’re out of your mind. We’re not as stupid as you seem to think we are–and I’m not convinced that these “terrorists” you speak of (and always at the most opportune times, for government) even exist, in the first place.

The World Trade Center buildings were destroyed on September 11, 2001. Whether or not you had a hand in it, or allowed it to happen, you used it to immediately push through the freedom-crushing PATRIOT Act and institute a Police State and surveillance society, through implementation of the Department of Homeland Security.

The world has seen a “Fatherland” and a “Motherland,” and now we have a “Homeland”–complete with parallels to Nazi Germany. How fitting.

Your  real enemy seems to be The People of the US. A government that has a higher prison population than that of all other countries, combined, cannot claim to be a friend of freedom–or its People.

Government has far outlived any initially-perceived benefit to society (not that there ever was one). It is time to abolish institutionalized slavery–government–and begin to work together for a more prosperous and peaceful coexistence. If humans cannot be trusted with governing themselves, surely they cannot be trusted with governing others–and let’s not forget that you are human, too.

In the famous words of Neo (The Matrix), “I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid; you’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see; I’m going to show them a world…without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.”

Amazon Deal Might Be On Again In South Carolina

Now that the Amazon deal is apparently back on the bargaining table in South Carolina, the anti-Amazon “Main Street” group (rumored to be Wal-Mart backed) is back to running their commercials, stating Amazon would destroy “375,000 main street jobs”–and I have a BIG problem with that.

First of all, according to 2009 City Data figures there were 129,333 people in Columbia, so someone please tell me how Amazon building a new distribution center–not retail store–in the Midlands would “destroy” a number of jobs equal to nearly THREE TIMES THE POPULATION OF THE CAPITAL CITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, and tack on another 12% in unemployment, statewide!

All that because of a distribution center? Absolutely preposterous!

This is evil, outlandish, anti-competition fear-mongering at its worst, folks. If Amazon was going to destroy “Main Street,” it would have done it a long time ago, because Amazon’s retail presence is ONLINE, not on the street corner–and has been for years.

And why should businesses down on “Main Street” be protected from competition, in the first place–and let’s be honest: That’s exactly what this is. Horse-and-buggy makers didn’t like automobile competition, back in the early days of cars, either, but progress is a wonderful thing!

But I digress.

Even if Amazon did construct a new distribution center, nothing would change; people are ordering from Amazon, right now–in South Carolina, too (*GASP!*)–and a new warehouse isn’t going to change a thing.

Amazon’s opponents say it’s “unfair” to let Amazon off the hook for collecting sales taxes on purchases made from people in South Carolina, while stores on the streets have to do so at the point of sale. Again, what is it that these people aren’t grasping about a DISTRIBUTION CENTER? It’s not a retail store! There are no–and will be no–Amazon point of sale purchases on the streets, in South Carolina.

Sometimes, it’s very easy to see why South Carolina consistently ranks near the bottom in educational achievement, because our government “leaders” are apparently dumb as rocks, too.

The Voting Booth – A Suggestion Box for Slaves

“If you don’t vote, you can’t complain” is one of the most ridiculous, illogical statements I’ve ever heard. The only people who rightfully can complain are those who choose not to be a part of the political process.

Many people who have decided not to vote have awakened to the realization that the people they “elect” will be expected to initiate force against their friends, family and neighbors–a criminal activity–and those non-voters have chosen not to be an accessory to crime.

To those who claim to be a part of the “freedom movement,” please understand that you shouldn’t have to band with others to petition ‘Master’ (government) for your freedom. The system’s very nature is to control; that’s what government does. So, to ask people who gravitate to positions of power and control to please not exercise power and control over you is a waste of time–actually, it’s dangerous and counterproductive.

When you cast a vote, regardless of your intentions, you are helping to perpetuate and legitimize the system. By doing so, you are giving other people–typically an unenlightened majority–the opportunity to vote for things with which you disagree. Also, the votes cast may not even be the true results, but as long as masses of people show up to the polls the outcomes can be manipulated fairly easily.

And what has voting gotten you, anyway? Do you have more freedom than you parents enjoyed? How about less taxation? A stronger economy? More opportunities for enterprise and prosperity? More privacy? Less government intrusion into your life?

Every election cycle, we hear the people cry to “Vote the rascals out!” What has that done for the country? It’s given us increased taxation, a destroyed economy, a worthless currency, more surveillance cameras, militarized police, Homeland Security, email and Internet monitoring, cellphone tracking, more required licenses and permits (permission from a pay-off), molestation of our kids and spouses at airports, more checkpoints, more wars, more invasions, more murder, more destruction, more angry world neighbors…and on and on.

Because you voted, this is what you have received–regardless of what you wanted. YOU are the only one who cannot complain, because you enabled it by participating!

Voting doesn’t ensure success, anyway, regardless of the vote total.

I’ve sat through meetings and watched government officials hear 95% of people in a room say “No!” only to watch the officials vote “yes.” They know you’ll just complain to your friends, write an angry letter to the newspaper editor (which probably won’t get printed, anyway), and post an angry status update on Facebook–and then you’ll get over it and forget, because your kid’s soccer game, or going clubbing, is more important than the risk involved with running these officials out of town. As a politician once stated, “You can complain all you want, as long as you pay your taxes.”

The only way to truly bring about change is to STOP VOTING and participating in the system. Operate outside of it, as much as possible. End all support for it. When support is gone, there will be no system left to manipulate.

And Libertarians should take note: Government is borne of an entitlement mentality. Even if you want a “small,” “limited,” or “Constitutional” government (something that has never been and never will be), you are saying that you feel entitled to some government function and you feel that others should be forced to pay for it (taxation). Sorry, but that’s a socialist mindset–certainly not freedom–and it makes you no better than the other socialists (Rs & Ds) who are destroying the country. You all want to steal and spend the wealth of others; you just differ on how much, and where it should be spent.

Break free from the Matrix. Think outside the box. Overcome your conditioning. Be what you want to see in others. And, please, stop helping to perpetuate a slavery system!

(What is government, anyway? Read this and have your eyes opened, further: http://anarchistpov.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/reality-check/ )

Government Gambling Hypocrisy

One thing that really chaps my hide is hypocrisy–especially when government officials are involved.

For instance, I caught part of a recent TV news broadcast that showed where arrests were made over “illegal” video poker machines, in the Columbia, SC area. I fail to see how video games can be involved in crime, but maybe I’m just stupid and need the we-know-how-to-run-your-life-better-than-you-do folks in the SC State Legislature to enlighten me.

When the battle lines were first drawn, opponents of video poker said such things as, “Video poker takes food out of kids mouths, because some people have gambling problems and dump most of their money into these games.” Because of these (unsubstantiated) claims, SC lawmakers outlawed video poker, several years ago. They said, “Gambling is wrong!”

But almost immediately, SC Government unveiled a plan to run a statewide lottery. They named it the “South Carolina Education Lottery,” and vowed to send tons of money raised through ticket sales to the state’s education system, so that most people who don’t really care for gambling would support it–or, at least, turn a blind eye and let it pass. “It’s for the children!” (wink, wink).

What’s the difference between buying lottery tickets and playing video poker? At least with the video game, if you’re good you can play for quite a while on just a few dollars–and, back in the good ol’ days, many people regularly won payouts, until those were made illegal, too.

With lottery tickets, you can blow your whole paycheck, in 5 easy minutes, at a convenience store checkout counter–and then take your chances with odds that show you’re many times more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery jackpot. Heck, the computer will even generate numbers for you, so you don’t even have to think!

Government views its statewide, State-run gambling system to be a wonderful thing, but they will restrict charity raffles and send armed officers to bust into the homes of peaceful, little old ladies playing a friendly, private game of poker with a few friends around the kitchen table–again, because “gambling is wrong!” (Yes, busting in on ‘grandma’ actually happened.)

South Carolina legislators and liberal media constantly, and unjustly, also targeted “payday lenders,” because they said people can get caught up in a “cycle of debt.” Personally, I hardly see a $45 charge for a very short-term $300 loan being cause to destroy an entire industry–and the jobs that went with it–especially when the State runs the largest gambling operation, and the banks that the State Government often partners with make millions of dollars in interest and fees. But what do I know, right?

The kicker: While government says “gambling is wrong,” the government-run South Carolina Education Lottery runs commercials advertising a gambling hotline–that’s right, a GAMBLING HOTLINE–for anyone who needs help with a gambling problem.

Am I missing something, here?

Apparently, if something is “wrong” it suddenly becomes perfectly acceptable if government can control it (regulate) and make money from it (taxes, tickets sales, etc.).

Hypocrisy, plain and simple.

SC Policy Council Misses the Mark on Free Markets

Today, I received an email update from SC Policy Council entitled, “Defend the Free Market: Tuesday 10am at the Statehouse.” I prefer a truly free market, so at first glance it sounded pretty good.

The message began with this:

“Legislators made it clear:  they want to get rid of the free market in South Carolina. Instead, they want to control the economy themselves, behind closed doors with your money.

See for yourself what the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said this Sunday in The State newspaper:

‘If we let the free market work,’ [Hugh] Leatherman said of eliminating company-specific incentives,’we’d be back in the 1800s.’

You read that right. He doesn’t think you can grow your business, choose the right job, make the best decisions or invest in your future, yourself. He and his colleagues believe they are much better qualified to do that for you. They want to cut deals with your money, and it doesn’t matter to them if they drive South Carolinians out of business.

Tomorrow, we are going to tell them our state is not for sale, and we need your help to do it!”

At this point, I was pretty fired up and preparing for battle–that is until I read the next part of the message:

“We’ve told you about legislators’ plans to give a powerful out-of-state developer a huge tax break – one that will take dollars away from core services like education and law enforcement, and will cost South Carolina businesses. Retail incentives are the worst kind of corporate welfare, and economists are clear: they don’t create new jobs or generate new wealth.

Rarely do we have a chance to defend the American free market economy. We have that chance tomorrow, but we need your help.”

Whoa, wait a minute! Did I just detect Orwellian Doublespeak? Since when is allowing people to keep more of their money “welfare”?

If a thief breaks into your house and takes $900 of the $1000 in your wallet, is he giving you $100 in “welfare”? No, he just stole 900 bucks!

It’s the same thing with a business. If government takes a little bit less from your company, it isn’t “corporate welfare”; it’s a reduction in theft.

I thought the SC Policy Council was for “Limited Government, Free Enterprise, Individual Liberty.” How can they stand for all those things, and call their gathering a “defend the free market” rally, when they just stated they want to stop a business from getting a tax break?

Basically, this is protectionism on a statewide scale. Their statement is saying make sure the out-of-state business gets hit with the same evil tax (theft) that SC businesses have to endure. Misery loves company, right?

If they really supported a truly “free market,” they would be saying, “We favor reducing the taxes that SC businesses have to pay, to equal the lower rates of out-of-state businesses, to make things even across the board” (until we can eliminate taxes, altogether). Instead, SC Policy Council is pushing liberal tax policies (by their own words, increased taxes for social services). Given the organizations who are partners in this event, SCPC’s message comes as no surprise to me.

It all boils down to this: If you truly support a free market, you may want to pass on joining the SC Policy Council’s rally to impose higher taxes on businesses–out-of-state or otherwise.

A taxed and regulated market is anything but “free.”