the Great Lands

Puppets of Bad Ideas

Joseph — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:00:24 +0000

The book Pillars of Prosperity is a collection of speeches and essays by Ron Paul that lay out his “views of the proper role of government, namely that it should serve only to protect the life and property of its citizens.” In a 1984 speech (page 3) he shows the folly of big government and how it is perpetuated by the politicians. The problems of big government stem from the ease in which they are duped into supporting bad policy. Ron Paul points out that:

the politician, per se, is a lot less important than he appears. He is basically a puppet of public opinion that reflects the prevailing ideas of the intellectual and thought leaders.

Bob Inglis, the Republican congressman from South Carolina, gives an excellent example of this in his votes for the bailout bill. He rejected sound economics that predicted the crisis. He rejected free market solutions that would have eliminated the problem. He failed to realize that current government involvement by congress and the fed means that we have nothing more than a centrally planned “free market” (socialism). He said that doing something was better than nothing while blindly following the socialist elite who said that the bailout was the only way.

Unfortunately as Ron Paul continues to explain:

Political success is the single goal that drives participants in our political system. No invitations to participants are sent to men of principle, upholders of equal rights, and defenders of the Constitution. Determined political aspirations under today’s circumstances are key to achieving a successful political career—the career being an end in itself. We must be aware that this system of politics is not conducive to bringing about changes necessary to solve our problems. The legislative and political intrigues that control the system for the benefit of the special interests must one day come to an end if personal liberty is to be restored.

We all must realize that no President or member of Congress will ever save us from our problems. Central planning to prevent chaos will always turn into centrally planned chaos. This chaos makes the politican think that he just needs to do more and that is always the wrong answer.

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Governments and Morality

Joseph — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:16 +0000

It is commonly accepted that there are standards of right and wrong in the world. The Declaration of Independence refers to them as the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” To obey these laws is right and to disobey them is wrong. These standards apply to every individual of every nation. The laws that are obvious to most people include commands against murder, stealing, lying and adultery. Commands that aren’t so obvious because more people choose to disobey them include love God, don’t follow other God’s, set aside one day in seven to worship God and don’t take God’s name in vain or count it worthless.

While many would agree that these laws apply to every individual, confusion begins when we ask if these laws apply to governments. If they don’t apply to governments, then we must realize that the government can do no wrong. If all government actions are amoral it might be time to figure out how to use that for your advantage. You could then work together with a bunch of your friends and their friends until enough of you controlled the government so that you could steal from those who were too rich or silence those you didn’t like.

The illustration is obviously absurd and immediately points to the alternative view. The laws that apply to individuals do apply to governments. The problem comes when we decide how to apply this fact. We have tended to come up with a second level of morality that applies to governments. You know that it would be wrong to take money from your rich neighbor to pay for college. To get around this, the majority elect “representatives” to take money from their neighbors that they use to pay for college. Just because it’s the “will of the people” doesn’t make it right.

Suppose you and your friend call a meeting and invite your rich neighbor. At the meeting the majority (you and your friend) make a decision that you will take money from your rich neighbor and distribute it among yourselves. Does that make it ok now? It doesn’t matter if we say government is different because it’s a voluntary association. How does one go about getting out of volunteering or more importantly - being volunteered?

The problem is answered by admitting that their is an authority higher than government. If government was the final standard it could do whatever it wanted. An evil government would do evil and call it good. If government created the laws it would be the final decider of right and wrong. Government did not create the laws and therefore governments are not above the law. All governments and men are responsible to obey the law of God. It is the responsibility of the follower of Christ to speak out and call to repentance immoral governments and the people in them just as much as we are called to preach repentance to the individual on the street.

Taxation by Inflation Inflation is a hidden and intentionally deceptive form...

A Promise and a Command

Joseph — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:25:27 +0000

In Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus gives his disciples a command to teach the nations. This command is preceded by a promise that not only enables his disciples to follow the command but also gives them hope that they will see results. Jesus did not send his disciples into the world to talk to the nations and hope they listen. He tells them that all authority including authority over the nations has been given to him. They do not go out into the world by themselves. All authority and control has been given to Jesus. He has chosen to exercise that authority by sending out his disciples to teach the nations to follow him.

We who follow Jesus today are the descendants of those disciples. We are the evidence that they obeyed His command and believed His promise. We have passed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light because Jesus is the ruler of this world. The disciples were commanded to teach “all things” that Jesus had taught them. We are to continue in that same tradition. The command is much more than a command to tell about Jesus. It is a command to teach people to obey all things that the living word has given us in His written word.

We cannot focus on the command apart from the promise. We can teach the nations because it will have an effect. We must teach the nations because it is the way in which God has ordained to exercise his authority. When we get discouraged about the way things are in the world we need to realize that the discouragement is a symptom of our real problem. The problem is not that there continue to be evil men in the world. When we are discouraged, the problem is that we have not believed that God has authority over those evil men. We must have faith and believe the promises. We must then proclaim all that Jesus taught - worship God, love God, love your neighbor, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t covet, and believe that Jesus died to provide forgiveness to sinners who trust Him as their only escape.

Preparing to Vote

Joseph — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:54:58 +0000

As our nation prepares to elect a new President on Tuesday it is important for Christians to examine their own thinking and actions in light of the Bible. It is easy to condemn ungodliness in one candidate and miss it in the other or in ourselves. It’s tradition to vote against the “bad” candidate while failing to ask ourselves who am I voting for. It is convenient to ignore our own Christian responsibilities in our nation. Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 exhorts how we should relate to leaders:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Our first concern should be that we pray and give thanks for those in authority - the President, Senators, Congressmen, and the local Mayor. It is easy to worry about them which we are not commanded to do while forgetting to pray for them. God does answer our prayers and maybe the mess we are in is an indication that the people of God haven’t prayed about it.

Part of the reason for the command to pray is an acknowledgement that God is sovereign. While multiple examples and verses in Scripture could be given, my favorite on the topic is Proverbs 21:1 which says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” God can change the kings heart whenever he wants to. Nebuchadnezzar provides examples of this multiple times in Daniel.

A final passage that I will mention is Proverbs 3:5-8. For many of us this is a passage we know by heart, but sometimes we forget to apply it to all of life. Solomon says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

From previous posts I have made clear how I would apply this to the election. It is easy to get caught up in the candidates and to especially fear those that are most evil in the areas we care about. It is hard to remember that God is in control. Choose a candidate that would please the Lord and allow Him to orchestrate the outcome.

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Republicans and the Supreme Court

Joseph — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:00:01 +0000

Many republicans will support John McCain next Tuesday because they hope he will continue to elect justices to the court who will overturn Roe v. Wade. While abortion is a very important issue in our day that must be eliminated, there is plenty of evidence that people like John McCain and most republicans in general aren’t going to cause it to happen. The New American has published a good article, Would McCain Change the Court? that examines the history of justices that have been appointed by republicans over the years. Looking at the history of Republican appointed justices shouldn’t give much hope. Combine that with the fact that McCain is a self professed maverick that likes to make a deal with the left (compromise), and I don’t see why anyone thinks McCain will help. Palin is definitely to the right of McCain on this issue but I don’t see her fighting her boss on this one.

John McCain on Gun Control While Obama definitely wants to lead us down...

John McCain on Gun Control

Joseph — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:30:55 +0000

While Obama definitely wants to lead us down a road to when the government will take all our guns, I would like to point to an article, John McCain’s Gun Control Problem, at the Gun Owners of America that explains that McCain hasn’t practiced a good gun agenda either. A couple of quotes that are important to consider:

“We owe it to our children to be responsible by keeping our guns locked up,” McCain told viewers.

Economist and author John Lott, Jr., noted, “No mention was ever made by McCain about using guns for self-defense or that gunlocks might make it difficult to stop intruders who break into your home. And research indicates that McCain’s push for gunlocks is far more likely to lead to more deaths than it saves.”

And then they use a new angle to fight our freedoms:

Pro-gun allies in Congress who were holding off gun show legislation — which would at best register gun owners and at worst close down the shows entirely — were angered when McCain teamed up with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and introduced a “compromise” bill to give the issue momentum.

“There is a lot of frustration. He has got his own agenda,” one Republican Senator told Roll Call.

After September 11, 2001, McKelvey and McCain, now joined by Lieberman, had a new angle to push gun control.

“Terrorists are exploiting the gun show loophole,” AGS ads hyped. McCain and Lieberman hit the airwaves again in a series of radio and TV spots, thanks to McKelvey’s multi-million dollar investment.

And they end with:

John McCain tried running for president in 2000 as an anti-gunner. This year it appears he is seeking to “come home” to the pro-gun community, but the wounds are deep and memories long.

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Lew Rockwell on Not Voting

Joseph — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:30:36 +0000

Lew Rockwell has written an interesting article for the latest edition of The American Conservative on not voting. While I’m not sure that I agree at the moment (there is still a week), he does make some interesting points:

we do have the freedom not to vote. No one has yet drafted us into the voting booth. I suggest that we exercise this right not to participate. It is one of the few rights we have left. Nonparticipation sends a message that we no longer believe in the racket they have cooked up for us, and we want no part of it.

I have to agree that it is basically a racket that we participate in. Why else is it harder in most states for 3rd parties to get on the ballot than for the two main parties. Is there a two party system in the constitution (the answer is no)? He continues with:

You might say that this is ineffective. But what effect does voting have? It gives them what they need most: a mandate. Nonparticipation helps deny that to them. It makes them, just on the margin, a bit more fearful that they are ruling us without our consent. This is all to the good. The government should fear the people. Not voting is a good beginning toward instilling that fear.

This year especially there is no lesser of two evils. There is socialism or fascism. The true American spirit should guide every voter to have no part of either.

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What Has Government Done to Our Money?

Joseph — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:30:10 +0000

Murray Rothbard’s book, What Has Government Done to Our Money?, is available as a free audiobook or a free download from the Mises Institute. I’ve listened to most of it and want to recommend it as an easy to understand source that explains where money originated in history and how we have gotten to the point we are now with government controlled fiat currencies. Part IV “The Monetary Breakdown of the West” goes through the history of gold standards in the United States from when there was gold backing the dollar to after Nixon took us totally off the gold standard.

Rothbard points out through multiple illustrations from history that governments have always sought to inflate the money supply to generate a new source of funding (in a democracy a 100% tax usually doesn’t work but deceptive taxes might not be noticed). The colonies did this during the Revolutionary War and our government has continued to do it throughout its history - especially in times of war. When the government does not have the money to pay its way, it has throughout its history printed more. The consequence of this inflation for every government is always a devaluation of whatever the currency is at the time. A second consequence is that the artificial booms this easy money creates in certain sectors of the economy will always eventually lead to a bust such as happened in the economic downturns of 1819, 1873, 1918, 1929, 1973, and what is happening now in 2008.

Taxation by Inflation Inflation is a hidden and intentionally deceptive form...
Nixon and the Gold Standard In 1944 an agreement was reached at Bretton...

Nixon and the Gold Standard

Joseph — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:30:24 +0000

In 1944 an agreement was reached at Bretton Woods that established the US Dollar as the reserve currency for the world. The dollar was used to back the other currencies of the world. The value of other currencies throughout the world were pegged to a certain dollar value, and the value of the dollar was defined as equal to 1/35th of an ounce of gold. In this way the world was on a gold standard and money throughout the world had true value (not fiat value) in that it was convertible to gold (by foreign governments - US citizens were not allowed to own gold).

The US government failed to meet it’s obligations and continued to print more money than it had gold to back it. If you say the dollar is exchangeable for a set amount of gold then you can’t print more unless you have more gold (otherwise you are lying - being immoral in your economics). The government was inflating the money supply and stealing from the American public in the form of deceptive taxes as I pointed out in my last post. But the rest of the world did not yet have the same problem as the American public. Those foreign governments could easily exchange every $35 for an ounce of gold from the US treasury.

Nixon ended this in 1971 when he took the dollar off the gold standard (watch the video at the end of this post). One day the US government said the dollar was equal to and exchangeable for 1/35th of an ounce of gold and the next day that promise was no longer made. That change of contract is an example of the worthlessness of the word of any government and part of the reason why the dollar is so removed from any real value today.

In 2006 Ron Paul spoke before the House of Representatives on the end of the dollar. He explained in a much more complete way the whole process of the changes in the value of the dollar from WW2 until today. He ends his talk with a statement that is slowly coming true today:

The economic law that honest exchange demands only things of real value as currency cannot be repealed. The chaos that one day will ensue from our 35-year experiment with worldwide fiat money will require a return to money of real value. We will know that day is approaching when oil-producing countries demand gold, or its equivalent, for their oil rather than dollars or Euros. The sooner the better.

Our hope doesn’t have to be in government in order to see what government is doing each day to increase its power and continually put the public into greater dependence on it. We cannot stand idly by and allow those in Washington to continue to ruin this nation. A vote for those who continue these policies is a vote for those who would destroy our nation. I will not stand by and let it happen. The path we continue to be on may be judgement for a wholesale rejection of righteousness in every area of life. We must seek to act righteously in every are of life and repent of our lack thereof.

Watch as Nixon explains his ending the gold standard:

What Has Government Done to Our Money? Murray Rothbard's book, What Has Government Done to...
Taxation by Inflation Inflation is a hidden and intentionally deceptive form...

Taxation by Inflation

Joseph — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:00:09 +0000

Inflation is a hidden and intentionally deceptive form of taxation. Governments love to be off the gold standard and use fiat currencies that allow them to inflate without controls (especially when all the other governments are also on fiat currencies).

Inflation of the money supply is what the Fed does. When the government needs more money it sells assets to the Fed (usually government securities). The Fed “invents” the money to pay for these. It doesn’t need to print new money because the transaction just increases the amount of money the government has in the bank (and it can use to pay people with).

Because of this new money in the system, all of your money is worth less - increased supply of money raises prices (that’s why housing prices have risen so high after cash was pushed into the housing market through easy loans).

You have now been taxed twice. The government takes a high percentage of your money out of your paycheck. It may give a little back on April 15. It has also taken more of your income by making what you have left worth less. This is a hidden, deceptive tax. The Fed does not protect from inflation, it causes it.

What Has Government Done to Our Money? Murray Rothbard's book, What Has Government Done to...
Nixon and the Gold Standard In 1944 an agreement was reached at Bretton...

Providence and Principle

Joseph — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:30:41 +0000

In this election as in past elections many people of principle get into disagreements about whether it is right to vote for the “lesser of two evil” choices for an office like the President. Many Christians will say things like “Pray as if everything depends on God, but act as if everything depends on you.” This gets interpreted as pray that God will bring the best outcome from my point of view and act to get that same desired end. The problem with this reasoning relates to “my point of view” and the acts that follow.

The outcome is always in God’s hands. This is clear to anyone with even the most limited view of God’s providence. God has also given us His Word which tells us how to act and which speaks to all of life. We are to do the right thing always and I don’t see where this includes “doing whatever it takes to get the desired end.” Even if the end were right (assuming that eliminating one evil at the expense of many others can ever be right), that doesn’t mean that you can throw out the rest of your principles.

Just because a candidate is pro-life doesn’t mean he is the right choice (is he moral in other areas?). There should be other factors in consideration. Anyone can win that God wants to win and the candidates God doesn’t want to win won’t no matter how many Christians vote for him “because he can win.” I am going to vote for Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party. I admit that he probably won’t win which many will be too quick to point out (it won’t be my vote causing him not to win). Too many will say that I am wasting my vote. It may not seem unprofitable to many, but I cannot give my approval to either Barack Obama or John McCain - neither of these are good candidates.

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Holding Failures Accountable

Joseph — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:15:02 +0000

Joe Biden wants to take the pensions of failed corporate executives. The idea is that since their companies failed they should be held accountable by government because we don’t believe in a free market (probably because we’ve never seen one). This supposed desire for accountability (or votes) may sound great, but let’s get serious about it and hold responsible the true causes of the current crisis. This would include anyone who is involved in the counterfeiting of money like Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke (printing money that you don’t have is counterfeiting). It would also include Senators like Joe Biden and John McCain who for years have allowed the Fed to steal from the people through inflation (inflating the money supply makes the dollar worth less and affects most those who are on fixed incomes like retirees).

Of course Joe Biden isn’t serious, he’s just hoping to buy votes. The failures in government like Biden always assume that their policies are good. They know that they never need to look at themselves as a possible cause of any problem. Blaiming the current crisis on deregulation or a few “corrupt” businessmen is a scam. And who is corrupt anyway?

Governments and Morality It is commonly accepted that there are standards...

Socializing Your Retirement More

Joseph — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:30:26 +0000

Democrats in the house are now talking about socializing 401(k) plans. The plan that is being put forward would stop tax breaks on your 401(k) and would begin “redirecting those tax breaks to a new system of guaranteed retirement accounts to which all workers would be obliged to contribute.” I assume these guaranteed retirement accounts would never fail just like social security is never going to fail? Too many people in Congress and the Presidency like the socialist democrats and the socialist republicans don’t have a clue. They are either ignorant or liars for thinking that we have some kind of “free market” that is failing the nation. We haven’t had anything close to a free market for at lease 100 years. The government regulates basically everything (think banking, money, housing, the stock market, oil production, oil exploration, gas prices, gas taxes, property taxes, licensing of plumbers, etc.), and then we pretend to have a free market. Those in Washington are using this current crisis which they caused to get more power to themselves. Until the American public is willing to wake up and quit believing the lies we are told daily by most of the republicans and democrats in Washington, things will continue to get worse. Some Christians believe that it is inevitable that things get worse based on their theology. They must remember that their theology doesn’t also teach that they are to be the cause - does it?

Note: I first heard about this on Rush Limbaugh today.

Ron Paul vs. Alan Greenspan

Joseph — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:39:47 +0000

The important fact to remember when considering the current economic crisis is to remember that people like Ron Paul, who hold to austrian economics, predicted it. They pointed out years ago that what Greenspan was doing would cause such a crisis eventually.

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Get a Mac - Bean Counter

Joseph — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:57:18 +0000

i-Rack jhyink pointed me to this funny video parodying...