I still hear a heartbeat

[poptart]

The Preface of Ron Paul’s new book, The Revolution: A Manifesto:

Every election cycle we are treated to candidates who promise us “change,” and 2008 has been no different. But in the American political lexicon, “change” always means more of the same: more government, more looting of Americans, more inflation, more police-state measures, more unnecessary war, and more centralization of power.

Real change would mean something like the opposite of those things. It might even involve following our Constitution. And that’s the one option Americans are never permitted to hear.

Today we are living in a fantasy world. Our entitlement programs are insolvent: in a couple of decades they will face a shortfall amounting to tens of trillions of dollars. Meanwhile, the housing bubble is bursting and our dollar is collapsing. We are borrowing billions from China every day in order to prop up a bloated overseas presence that weakens our national defense and stirs up hostility against us. And all our political class can come up with is more of the same.

One columnist puts it like this: we are borrowing from Europe in order to defend Europe, we are borrowing from Japan in order to keep cheap oil flowing to Japan, and we are bofrrowing from Arab regimes in order to install democracy in Iraq. Is it really “isolationism” to find something wrong with this picture?

With national bankruptcy looming, politicians from both parties continue to make multitrillion dollar promises of “free” goods from the government, and hardly a soul wonders if we can still afford to have troops in - this is not a misprint- 130 countries around the world. All of this is going to come to an end sooner or later, because financial reality is going to make itself felt in very uncomfortable ways. But instead of thinking about what this means for how we conduct our foreign and domestic affairs, our chattering classes seem incapable of speaking in anything but the emptiest platitudes, when they can be bothered to address serious issues at all. Fundamental questions like this, and countless others besides, are off the table in our mainstream media, which focuses our attention on trivialities and phony debates as we march toward oblivion.

This is the deadening consensus that crosses party lines, that dominates our major media, and that is strangling the liberty and prosperity that were once the birthright of Americans. Dissenters who tell their fellow citizens what is really going on are subject to smear campaigns that, like clockwork, are aimed at the political heretic. Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

There is an alternative to national bankruptcy, a bigger police state, trillion-dollar wars, and a government that draws ever more parasitically on the productive energies of the American people. It’s called freedom. But as we’ve learned through hard experience, we are not going to hear a word in its favor if our political and media establishments have anything to say about it.

If we want to live in a free society, we need to break free from these artificial limitations on free debate and start asking serious questions once again. I am happy that my campaign for the presidency has finally raised some of them. But this is a long-term project that will persist far into the future. These ideas cannot be allowed to die, buried beneath the mind-numbing chorus of empty slogans and inanities that constitute official political discourse in America.

That is why I wrote this book.

[Tom In VA]

Thanks pop. Looks like a MUST READ on the summer reading list, will do.

[Cuda]

The Movie Critic isn't going to like it, btw

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

I saw the word "Manifesto" in the title...


...boy, was I disappointed.

:cry:

[Mister Bushice]

Just replace all the rest of the words with meaningless gibberish, toss in a few "proletariats" a couple of "Bolsheviks", the word "revolution" here and there, and you've got an underground best seller.

At least among your friends you will.

[poptart]

Actually Paul's book went to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Just replace all the rest of the words with meaningless gibberish, toss in a few "proletariats" a couple of "Bolsheviks", the word "revolution" here and there, and you've got an underground best seller.

At least among your friends you will.

^^^^^^^^^^^

gets it*






* You see, Tom? Now that's sarcasm. Take notes.

[Tom In VA]

I'll be sure to work on it Marty. How's this ?

I hope you didn't really eat that dick though, I was out of line with that comment. I lost sleep last night thinking of how rude I was to one of the boards most sincere, thoughtful and enlightening posters. I hope you can somehow forgive me.







*For what it's worth, you're okay in my book for a wannabe revolutionary. Seriously, don't eat any dicks.

[Mister Bushice]

Actually Paul's book went to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.

I hope you're not holding your breath for the Ron Paul for president write in campaign to do the same.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Tom, you're cool.

[Cuda]

* You see, Tom? Now that's sarcasm. Take notes.

Babshice, sarcastic? On purpose?

Getthefuckouttahere.

[Dr_Phibes]

Poptart, you might want to give this a crack:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1aDT_8zsR ... re=related

It's interesting stuff produced by the BBC a few years ago and deals with the sort of economic policies that Ron Paul pushes, the cause and effect when laissez-faire elements were initially implemented in Britain.

It can be a bit dry in some spots, but if you've got the time, give it a whirl.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

We've got to bleed first before we can begin the healing process.

Lead by example, Toddles. Show 'em how it's done.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

You have nothing to live for.

[poptart]

Watch McCain give the classic "Holy shit, I'm about to get buttfucked" look at 0:09 of this clip.

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKaU2fZk ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He proceeds, of course, to not even attempt to answer the question.

Straight talk.


Phibes, I'll let you know what I think when I can get around to watching the piece.

Thanks.

[Mister Bushice]

Poptart, you might want to give this a crack:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1aDT_8zsR ... re=related

It's interesting stuff produced by the BBC a few years ago and deals with the sort of economic policies that Ron Paul pushes, the cause and effect when laissez-faire elements were initially implemented in Britain.

It can be a bit dry in some spots, but if you've got the time, give it a whirl.

WTF? 20 plus years of the british government relying on several economic theories of a few hack economists who were guessing, and a machine that uses water to prognosticate the future economy is a policy Ron Paul pushes?

That must have been some good stuff you were smoking, feebs.

[Dinsdale]

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=jfealLrWL ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mister Bushice]

You don't seriously think that was anything other than a slip of the tongue?

[Dinsdale]

You don't seriously think that was anything other than a slip of the tongue?

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=v6GBdyws5YU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dinsdale]

You don't seriously think that was anything other than a slip of the tongue?

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Time to shut up now.

[Cuda]

This just in from Phibes's Boy:

[Mister Bushice]

You don't seriously think that was anything other than a slip of the tongue?

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Time to shut up now.

Lots of disingenuous editing in that piece of shit.

[Dinsdale]

Wow.


Uhm, ya'think if they didn't edit out all of the dialogue between McDouche making statements that DIRECTLY CONTRADICT what he's said days/months earlier, or the factually incorrect statements on subjects he claims to be an "expert" on, that the video might have run a little long?


What's with people constantly making excuses for lying, corrupt politicians, when they get caught dead-to-rights in a lie and/or scam? It's a mental illness or something.

[Tom In VA]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like it's over for Paul

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Texas Rep. Ron Paul announced Thursday he is suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to focus his time on building an organization to help recruit and elect “limited government Republicans.”

“We want to elect constitutionalists, limited government Republicans across the country at the state and federal level,” said Paul spokesman Jesse Benton.

WAR 2008 and 2010

[Dr_Phibes]

WTF? 20 plus years of the british government relying on several economic theories of a few hack economists who were guessing, and a machine that uses water to prognosticate the future economy is a policy Ron Paul pushes?

That must have been some good stuff you were smoking, feebs.

Bastard.

Honestly, it is pretty good - you should watch all of it. It moves on to show how the collapse of Keynesian ideas in the 1970s led to the takeup of monetarist (libertarian) theories in the 1980s. The point made is that both projects were motivated by the same ideal - to apply the 'scientific' principles of economics to the real world in order to stimulate growth. Both projects were based (to a greater or lesser extent) on central planning and government intervention in the market. And both failed.

This should actually gladden Poptart's heart - one of the basic conclusions of the film is that government planning of the economy always fails. I believe they even call it 'Goodhart's Law' or something. The reason for this failure is the deficiency of economics as a 'scientific' discipline. I believe someone once called economics 'the dismal science', and that's the basic message. Friedman was just as wrong as Keynes, though I think nobody really knows why. Governments have therefore decided to simply step back and let the markets get on with it - when Blair came to power in 1997, the first thing he did was to hand over control over interest rates to the Bank of England.
That's the new consensus, - not Keynes, not monetarism - and all you have to do is look at recent events in the financial markets, which cast doubt and show the need for government intervention to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the financial system. You may have read about Northern Rock?
Everything is up in the air again....

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

The reason for this failure is the deficiency of economics as a 'scientific' discipline.

Peddle that shit to your friends at the Von Mises Institute.

Honestly Phibes, you're letting us* down.


*the proletariat

[Dr_Phibes]

'deficiency of economics as a 'scientific' discipline' as compared to scientific socialism.

Small wonder you lost in Spain.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

Okay...okay...you got me there...

Damn you Phibes and your constructivist relativism!

I need...to...go somewhere and...think...yeah, that's it...think...