Posted by jlund20 on 02/09/09

"The freedoms won by Americans in 1776 were lost in 1913"- Frank Chodorov

It seems to me that this statement is all too prevalent today.  The war of Northern aggression begun in 1861 is second only in to the evil year of 1913 in terms of damage inflicted upon the republic our founders established in 1776.  Complete political centralization was achieved in 1913 with the introduction of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments, along with the creation of the Federal Reserve System.  With these three "progressive" acts, the "Land of Liberty" had begun down the road to serfdom.

The 16^th Amendment paved the way for a bloated and all out spendthrift federal government.  With the income tax every sovereign citizen was reduced to merely a subject of the state.  When confronted with enough resistance the government claims the right to kill you for not gleefully handing over the fruit of your labor.  This is an abomination.  Regardless of what the Leviathan in DC says your money will be spent on, it is no different than a street mugger telling you "your money or you life." Even if he claims he will donate it all to charity it is outright theft.  What's more, the common robber will take your money and disappear; this institutionalized burglar commits this aggression annually.  We need to see the income tax as what it is, blatant theft.

The 17^th Amendment picked up where dishonest Abe left off as far as destroying the notion of States Rights.  Prior to this power grab, Senators were elected by their state legislatures.  States were considered sovereign, that is, they possessed political power over the federal government.  In a sense, Senators were considered "ambassadors" to the US congress, answerable to their individual states.  Senators were instructed how to vote by the state legislature and would be quickly removed in the event of any deviation from them.  This all changed after the 17^th amendment.  By allowing the direct election of Senators, special interests now hold more sway in the halls of the Senate than the interest of their state.

The Federal Reserve may in fact be the worst case of ripoffery ever foisted on the American people.  It is merely the name on our dollars and we are told not to think about it too much, let the "experts" work their magic.  This is all nonsense.  The bill was written by the big banksters, for the big banksters.  The very institution of Central Banking is nothing more than monopolist socialist central planning and legalized counterfeiting operation.  The Austrian School of Economics explains the illegitimacy and pure evil of this unholy institution.  Its regulations allow banks to simply create money out of thin air through fractional reserve banking.  The Fed itself can print money at will with nothing backing it.  This is very harmful to the economic well being of the country.  This current bust we are living through is the direct result of the Feds flooding the credit markets with money, lowering the interest rates, causing every jerk-off with a heartbeat to buy a house.  When those loans defaulted the whole system came crashing down.

The Revolution of 1913 was a dreadful event in American history.  We now live under a tyrannical government run by a class of people who delight in ruling over us.  The God of "Democracy" has failed.  Freedom from government is our only option.  It would be to our benefit to educate ourselves about what is being done to us and decisively act to reclaim what our founders pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for.       

Posted 04/01/09 mjberry1975 Kalispell, MT

Great piece. It's time to restore the Republic.

Posted 12/23/09 raroof Corvallis, MT

Good on ya, dawg. I grew up in West Texas back when we believed in freedom and independence. I can only imagine how our ancestors would shudder at what is going on now in their once beloved country. I'd like to meet you in the Missoula/Bitterroot area one of these times when I'm back there. (I spend most of the year in Japan.) I'll try to keep up on what is going on "back home" through the activism of you members of Campaign for Liberty!! Great to meet you guys. I like what I see here. --Ralph

Posted by jlund20 on 02/08/09

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Senator Tester-

I full heartily appreciate your nay votes on those horrendous bailouts and commend you for defying the leadership on that matter.  It is my hope you will show the same courage you did in the latter part of last year again Monday (2/9/09) and vote NO on this equally horrible “stimulus” package.  I do not see how government on any level can “stimulate” our economy.  In order to pay for this pseudo stimulus we will only add to our current deficit, print money, or raise taxes.  All of which are directly harmful to the economy.  Do we risk hyperinflation?  Do we confiscate more of our fellow citizens hard earned money?  Is it moral to pass the bill off onto our children and grandchildren?  Senator let us keep the fruits of our labor, you will see just how robust and thriving our economy can be if we are allowed to spend our money how we see fit.  Please vote no on the “stimulus” package.

Sincerely,

Posted by jlund20 on 02/04/09
Last updated 02/04/09

The other day I was reflecting on how great it was to be back in Montana.  After spending some time in the Seattle Metro area it felt great to be back in the Treasure State.  That got me thinking.  Given that our state motto is Oro Y Plata (Gold and Silver) I thought a letter to the editor on the importance of the Gold Standard for our monetary system was appropriate.

 The Gold Standard is often characterized as an arcane system of the "old world."  This couldn't be further from the truth.  It is however true that in times past gold and silver were discovered by the market as the most efficient commodities to use in exchanges.  This came about for a few reasons.  Namely, because of the consumer valued characteristics gold and silver boast work well as the medium of exchange. They have a high value to weight ratio, they are highly divisible while retaining their value, they are durable and they can be easily transported and stored.  In nearly every market in the history of mankind these two commodities won out as the generally accepted medium of exchange and so became the natural monies.

 In modern times the Gold Standard; that is, having a currency defined by a unit weight of precious metal, has a characteristic that is very appealing to those of us who wish to reign in the governments we live under.  Honest money insures the value of the currency.  Governments cannot simply print money at will to pay for their grandiose schemes.  It is the ultimate hedge against the inflationary tendencies of the government central bank (i.e. the Federal Reserve).  Fiat currencies throughout history have been continually abused and devalued by their governments, harming all users of the currency.  That is, except those in charge of and close to the printing press, which I'm sorry to say doesn't include any of us.

 Given the massive amount of printing taking place today I think it would a wonderful idea to remind our representatives in DC the significance of our state motto and return to Oro Y Plata.

Posted by jlund20 on 02/01/09

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The Case for Bigger Government

As distasteful as that may sound to many Montanans there are some pretty good reasons for greatly increasing the size government but not how you may think.  Since 1920 the US House of Representatives has had 435 members yet the population of the United States has nearly tripled.  On average, given there are 435 representatives and just over 3 hundred million Americans each congressman represents 702,822 citizens.  How much “representing” is actually taking place? 

Prior to 1920 the House grew along with total population of the country.  The reason the House was frozen at 435 may be shocking.  The argument was that they were running out of space.  Given they’ve built some 10 million square feet of office space in the central Washington DC area for various bureaucracies I find that argument laughable.  The first proposed amendment to the constitution was one to allow for “reapportionment” of the congress.  Thomas Jefferson suggested there be a fixed number of citizens per representatives.  The constitution presently sets the baseline at thirty thousand people per congressmen, yet there is no upper limit.  Currently there are nearly a million people in Montana with only one representative.

The reasons for a larger legislature are quite convincing.  First and foremost, there is greater representation for each individual.  Second, special interest lobbyists would find it a whole lot more difficult to buy off a majority.  Third, the average person could run for congress, there would be no more career politicians.  Fourth, the growth of government would be seriously hampered.  Looking at the state of New Hampshire, their legislature works exactly in this way and they have a very lean state government.  Last, people would know their representative, where they lived and what exactly they stand for. 

Posted 02/04/09 OrGiveMeDeath Lewistown, MT

Hello J, Your idea of "increasing the size of government" sounds plausible and I will look into it. I have come to the conclusion that, we the people, should be referred to as " those who are represented", not governed. To me "governed", smacks somewhat of a monarchy. Unfortunately, however,that is basically, and pun intended, how our current government is "constituted". Tim Cablish, OrGiveMeDeath. Lewistown.

Posted 06/18/09 TeyMT Billings, MT

I ditto OGMD, jlund ~ very intriguing. Thank you both. I also like the "iron fist" of gov term Dr. Paul used on TV yesterday when referring to its interference of late. He's such a Liberty Warrior! Perhaps this is a meaningful way to open the fist? ~ Tarey, Blgs.

Posted by jlund20 on 01/27/09

Thanks to the current crises most Americans who's eyes formally glazed over when hearing the words economy or economics now have a profound interest in what it is and how it can be applied to their daily lives.  The unfortunate fact that most Americans get their knowledge of economics from the boobs on CNBC or any other mainstream news outlet leads them to believe that spending their money is actually good for the economy.  What's worse, their told that if their government too spends their money at will this crash will all just go away.  This is a Keynesian fallacy.

Austrian Economics is the only truly accurate form of economic study.  It throws aside metaphysical parallel universes constructed by mainstream economists on the grounds that economics is the study of human action and short of placing everyone in a box and forcing them to behave in a certain way at gunpoint you cannot impose mathematical schemes onto individuals.  It is the only school of though to predict the Great Depression and every subsequent crash before and since.

Currently the most relevant pillar of the Austrian School is its theory of the business cycle.  It states that when the interest rate is artificially lowered by the central bank through the credit expansion and fractional reserve banking, entrepreneurs who are acting rationally given the circumstances, engage in projects that at the time appear profitable.  This is what is known as the boom period of the cycle.  Looking back we should see there was indeed a boom in the housing market fueled by cheap credit.  Next comes the bust.  Given the interest rate was artificially lowered, the real resources (savings) were not actually present in the economy.  Therefore entrepreneurs are unable realize their forecasted selling prices.  The malinvestment created by the banking system needs to be liquidated and this is precisely what we are experiencing right now in the housing crises. 

We all should become educated about what lies ahead if we continue to listen to the talking heads on TV.  A great place to start would be to read Ludwig Von Mises, Murray N. Rothbard or Henry Hazlitt.