Oct 17

Jun 17

[Original article from BrainonBrett.com ]

So…I was asked to look into what I feel may have caused a good number of our industries to outsource their jobs overseas. I spent the last day or so reading and going through some statistics. I’ve come up with a couple of reasons and opinions that I feel shed some light in MY eyes as to why this trend has been inching up over the years to the point of rocketing out of control. The questions that seems to coincide with “Why?” are “Who’s to blame?” or “Are we not good enough?”

I think, in the end, we have to look at our country and ourselves, as citizens, at what our home has become. As I have preached to anyone that will listen, accountability is the key to success. Hands down. No matter what you do. Or what it is you want to do. It has to be the foundation to which you base your work ethic. Accountability builds integrity. Integrity gives you power. And, this will start a chain reaction of success beyond belief. I think somewhere along the line there has been enough people that, to me, stopped realizing or refusing to acknowledge how critical integrity plays in the workplace. Like I said we all have to shoulder some of the blame. Whether it’s us, as workers, or our government. So, until we realize that our country, as a whole, has placed us in this situation where our very way of life is threatened.

Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 14

 This is done with some marginal language, but it is clearly an attempt to reach the average novice with concepts that are rarely clear to the masses… This video has been removed from many different locations on You Tube and other websites, but if you see it, you’ll know why…. The “powers-that-be” surely don’t want the word getting out to any more receptive audiences!!!!

 

Additional reading/viewing:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6260646431723948415#
http://americanistbookstore.com/books/shadows-of-power-by-james-perloff/

Nov 30

By Benito Segovia

Newsweek, the quintessential mainstream media publication (not a compliment) embodying all things globalism and collectivism, recently published an article titled “The Triumphant Return of Hayek” by Ruchir Sharma. When this exciting headline popped up I was tickled but wary – determined to discover what twist, if any, the story held for the Austrian School and its leader Hayek.

To my delight the article correctly described the public’s growing criticism of Keynesian-backed policy and the growing favor of Austrian School ideas. Yet ultimately concluded that it was distortions of Keynesianism and monetarism that lead to the systematic failure of these policies.

“Keynes would probably never have supported big government deficits during boom times, such as those that led to our current debt crisis. Likewise, Friedman would probably not have backed the new Fed use of monetary policy as a tool to engineer expansion rather than merely cushion the pain in a downturns.”

Sharma also continues the national narrative that unchecked free markets and sound money caused the Great Depression. At least he points toward high-tax policy as a contributing factor.

“Faith in the market’s purging power served the U.S. well in the 19th century, when the economy emerged stronger after each recession, but was taken too far in the policy mix of tight money and high taxes that led to the Great Depression and the rise of the Keynesians.”

I’m disappointed that a more candid assessment of the Austrian School wasn’t given a lead role in this article but at least it’s entering into the mainstream discussion. As they say in show business; any publicity is good publicity.

Nov 13

Quantitative Easing, also known as QE2, involves the Federal Reserve printing 600 billion dollars by buying Treasury bonds from Goldman Sachs can be a little tough to understand for the layman. This brilliant cartoon does a great job explaining it for the rest of us. Viewer discretion advised: There is a little foul language.

Oct 25

By: John Carney via CNBC

Libertarians frustrated by what they view as the lack of engagement by arch-Keynesian Paul Krugman with their arguments have come up with a clever ploy: they’re promising to donate $100,000 to the Fresh Food Program ofFoodBankNYC.org if Krugman will debate one of their stars.

The idea is meant to bribe and shame Krugman into debating Robert Murphy, an economist trained in the Austrian school of economics.

Basically, if Krugman refuses to debate Murphy, it will be tantamount to depriving the FoodBank of $100,000. What good liberal would want that on his conscience?

To make the debate even more enticing, the proponents have promised to have it moderated by Ezra Klein, the Washington Post’s liberal policy-wonk blogger. Read the rest of this entry »

Oct 24

Posted by STEPHEN GANDEL via Time.com

Will the Federal Reserve Cause a Civil War?

What is the most likely cause today of civil unrest? Immigration. Gay Marriage. Abortion. The Results of Election Day. The Mosque at Ground Zero. Nope.

Try the Federal Reserve. November 3rd is when the Federal Reserve’s next policy committee meeting ends, and if you thought this was just another boring money meeting you would be wrong. It could be the most important meeting in Fed history, maybe. The US central bank is expected to announce its next move to boost the faltering economic recovery. To say there has been considerable debate and anxiety among Fed watchers about what the central bank should do would be an understatement. Chairman Ben Bernanke has indicated in recent speeches that the central bank plans to try to drive down already low-interest rates by buying up long-term bonds. A number of people both inside the Fed and out believe this is the wrong move. But one website seems to believe that Ben’s plan might actually lead to armed conflict. Last week, the blog, Zerohedge wrote, paraphrasing a top economic forecaster David Rosenberg, that it believed the Fed’s plan is not only moronic, but “positions US society one step closer to civil war if not worse.” Read the rest of this entry »

Oct 13

By John Tamny

The financial crisis of not long ago has not surprisingly generated a great deal of anguish within the electorate. Americans were and continue to be a skeptical lot when it comes to the competence of the various federal bureaucracies which dot the Washington, DC landscape. Despite their skepticism about the competence of regulators, they were still disappointed when those empowered to oversee our financial system were seemingly caught unware by a banking collapse.

Rightly or wrongly, the US Federal Reserve has become one of the biggest targets within the financial bureaucracy when it comes to public distrust, and as a result, its ongoing purpose is increasingly being questioned. Some in the political class seek greater congressional oversight of our central bank, while others, including Rep. Ron Paul, would like the Fed to be abolished altogether.

The Fed’s greatly reduced reputation naturally raises questions about why we have a central bank to begin with. Although the Fed presently engages in a wide array of activities, its adherents generally support its continued existence on three grounds: They expect it to manage inflation through manipulation of short-term interest rates; to issue a currency which facilitates exchange; and, most important, they see an essential role as “lender of last resort” to banks during periods of tight credit.

These Fed functions seem compelling at first glance, but given a careful rethink, it becomes apparent that much of what it does is either ineffective or superfluous, and could be handled much more skillfully outside this government-chartered monopoly. Contrary to the broadly held view that we need the Federal Reserve, logic says we’d be much better off absent a central bank that economist George Selgin terms “fundamentally destabilizing.” Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 22

Sep 6
The Houston Area Liberty Campaign (HALC) is continuing the tradition of celebrating Constitution Day by hosting “The Constitution and You” on Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm.  Tickets are only $10. You must purchase tickets online as tickets cannot be bought or sold at the facility due to Harris County Community Center restrictions.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Three dynamic speakers will discuss a wide range of Constitutional topics which will include:
  • Property Taxes, “Obamacare” and other Unconstitutional Laws
  • Constitution 101 and the Preamble
  • State Sovereignty and the 10th Amendment
  • Natural Law and the War on Drugs
  • The Economics of Immigration
  • Which “Federal Agencies” are actually NOT Federal Agencies
  • And much more!
Our speakers include former Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Debra Medina, local business owner and HALC’s former chairman, Bill Tofte and former NYPD Detective and Assistant State Coordinator for the Florida Campaign for Liberty John Baeza.

Mingle with guests early and enjoy a light potluck-style dinner compliments of HALC members and volunteers.

###

About The Houston Area Liberty Campaign
The Houston Area Liberty Campaign is an organization defined by the message of liberty and freedom – a community of volunteers, organized from the ground up, with the purpose of bringing this message to the people. This group can do nothing without the individual heroism of vigilant patriots. It is our belief that through grassroot actions we can bring about a revolutionary change across the entire spectrum of the political process. Upholding the ideals of decentralized action and individual leadership has allowed us to accomplish much, and the continued embodiment of these principles will lead us to continued success.www.halc.us

About Debra Medina
Ms. Debra Medina is a recent Republican gubernatorial candidate, garnering almost 20% of the vote while running against two career politicians with huge war chests. Debra was recruited for her run as a gubernatorial candidate by the grassroots because she was known to the average Texan as hardworking, honest, and principled, and therefore a true “peoples’ candidate.” She was recently named as one of the 50 most influential Texans in the public policy arena by the national publication, Politics and Elections Magazine.

While running in the gubernatorial campaign, Debra earned the respect and support of thousands of citizens across Texas and subsequently formed We Texans so that she and her supporters could continue to educate and work on the issues which have become so important to Texas citizens. The non-profit, non-partisan organization promotes public policy and legislation which advances and protects private property and personal and economic liberty.  We Texans, through education and activism, engages in research and analysis with the ultimate goal of returning the Texas government to the citizenry within the framework of constitutional government.

Debra has also excelled in her personal and political life prior to her gubernatorial run. She and her husband of 25 years, Noe, home schooled both their children, when it wasn’t nearly as easy or acceptable as it is today. Debra is a registered nurse and founder and CEO of Prudentia, a medical consulting firm. She is the Wharton County Republican Party Chair and has been involved in politics for over twenty years.

Debra is a sought after speaker, a much requested guest on radio and television stations, has had literally hundreds of web site and blog mentions, and has had articles published by The 10th Amendment Center as well as other online media outlets.

About John Baeza
Mr. John Baeza is an Assistant State Coordinator with the Florida Campaign for Liberty.  John educated himself about the Constitution, has developed a Constitution course for the Florida Campaign for Liberty, teaches that course and also gives presentations about the Federal Reserve.

John is a retired NYPD Detective where he worked undercover narcotics with the NYPD before spending the last six years in the Special Victims Squad investigating sex crimes, child abuse, serial rapes and sexual homicides.   John’s success in sex crime investigations resulted in a method of determining truthfulness of alleged assault victims, perpetrators and witnesses named after him: the “Baeza False Report Index” (BAFRI).  http://twitter.com/johnbaeza

Before retiring, he also worked as a deputy sheriff in Florida.  Even though he’s a retired Detective, John is a staunch libertarian and sees Constitutional issues as very black and white.  John believes the premise for the ‘War on Drugs’ violates the Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In 1984 he began his 24-year law enforcement career, as a corrections officer at Sing Sing.  But then came the day when John no longer felt that being a soldier for prohibition had anything to do with helping people. After an undercover assignment gone wrong, from which John had barely escaped with his life, the first thing his department chief wanted to know was whether the drug-buy money stolen from John at gunpoint had been recovered.

“After this encounter, I never made another buy,” John relates.  “An epiphany, a life change – who knows?  All I know is that this near-death incident changed everything about me. I no longer believed in the ‘drug war.’  I no longer felt the police should criminalize an individual for self-medicating himself while not infringing on the rights of others. I was a changed man.”  He immediately transferred out of narcotics and went to the Special Victims Squad where he then became an investigator in sexual assaults; murders; and child molestations.  Grisly work but satisfying when you can put bad guys behinds bars.

So he has fought in the “War on Drugs” at just about every law-enforcement level, all because, as he puts it, “I wanted to help people.”

About Bill Tofte

Mr. Bill Tofte is the former Chair of HALC and, along with his brother Mike, operates ITD Precision, founded in 1946 by Bill and Mike’s father.  ITD Precision is a metal stamping, heat treating, e-coating and insert molding company that has been in continuous operation for 64 years and specializes in high-quality metal stamping. Automotive, electronic, oil field, construction, power transmission, electric and appliance companies find that ITD fits their special requirements for quality, delivery, and price.  ITD Precision has an office in Houston, near US 290 and Telge Road and an office in Harlingen, Texas. www.itdprecision.com

Bill has given presentations to business groups about business operations.  Bill also has given several speeches and presentations on issues such as “Audit the Fed,” “End the Fed,” and constitutional issues in general.

« Previous Entries