Bryan Zubrod mudhoney Local Coordinator Location: Kansas City, MO Last login: 05/21/11 RSS feed
Occupation: Server System Administrator
Political Experience: Handing out CFL fliers against the bank bailout, voted for Ron Paul in the Iowa Caucus, volunteered for Kerry/Edwards campaign collecting absentee ballots.
Political Party Involvement: Kerry/Edwards volunteer 2004, Caucused for Ron Paul 2008, Posted a sign by a highway for the Libertarian Party 2008.
I enjoy learning about technology and freedom. I also like to play and listen to music.
Town hall disruptions and even violence has captured the mainstream media's attention. I realized this while I was on a rare channel surfing session through the dark land of cable news networks. Keith Olbermann was doing a segment on right-wing political terrorists, and Fox News was looping a video of a man selling gadsden flags being assaulted outside a town hall meeting. Both sides are accusing the other of being Nazis. Both sides are claiming democracy is on their side. While the partisans attempt to carve these events into useful weapons, they are missing out on valuable lessons regarding the nature of politics, democracy, and the State.
Everyone seems to be focusing on who to blame for these recent events, and it almost always boils down to a convenient extrapolation unto conservatives or liberals in general, as well as the popular media voices they listen to. However, this only plays into the agenda of the partisans to demonize their opposition, and does nothing to further our understanding of political economy and the root cause of heated controversy over political affairs.
Let us take a step back from the sensational videos and commentary in order to look at the big picture. What is the catalyst for this political crossfire that seems to spiral out into deconstructive shouting matches? Why do people feel so strongly threatened by the political motivations of others in the first place? At first glance one might chalk all this up to the diversity of humans with different personalities and priorities trying to deal with one another, and in turn creating violent conflict. I believe this is a fundamental part of the equation, yet one must keep in mind the amazing ability of humans of all persuasions and interests to cooperate and prosper in a wide range of areas. If this were not true, humanity would have died out long ago instead of thriving on Earth as it does today. Something is different about politics and matters of the State. Something is corrupting the rationality of people who would normally approach all kinds of controversy in private life with cool reason and mutual understanding.
To better understand what's going on here, we must analyze the nature of the State. What are some fundamental differences between the State and other institutions and private citizens? A useful starting point for understanding this distinction comes from German sociologist Franz Oppenheimer, who said:
"There are two fundamentally opposed means whereby man, requiring sustenance, is impelled to obtain the necessary means for satisfying his desires. These are work and robbery, one's own labor and the forcible appropriation of the labor of others."
On the one hand we have what Oppenheimer deemed the "economic means" which entails voluntary, mutually beneficial trade and cooperation to achieve one's ends. On the other hand he deemed "political means" to refer to the acquisition of property and wealth by way of physical coercion and threats. I think that it is clear to see that Oppenheimer had made accurate distinctions. The political means does indeed proceed by way of robbery and coercion, a fact that can be proven at any time by refusing to comply with the State's demands, whether it is their mandatory inspections of rental property, or their collection of taxes, or whatever else. If you do not comply, and you do not pay their fines, you can be sure an officer of the State will show up with a gun to haul you off or perhaps even kill you.
It was the widespread adoption of the ideas of liberalism that taught the world that despite our wide ranging differences, humanity does indeed share a common interest among individuals. It taught us that our nature is to achieve our personal goals however we see fit, and that the attainment of our wants is most successful in the absence of coercion - through mutually beneficial trade, freedom of choice, private ownership over our bodies and our legitimately acquired property, and the expansion of the division of labor.
While America has never had anything close to a perfect record of maintaining the principles of liberalism, it is plain to see that today it has almost entirely abandoned them. Our concept of democracy has shifted, so that what was once an unthinkable responsibility delegated to the State is now entirely acceptable so long as a majority of voters permit it. This shift has gone even further today to the point where, for example, the State finds it appropriate to pass legislation transferring billions from the public to preferred banks without the consent of the majority of the population!
So with all this in mind I come back to our analysis of why politics seems to harbor irrationality and sensationalism among otherwise cooperative persons. In our democracy today, there exists little restriction on the power of that coercive apparatus, the State. The State has extended its reach into almost all areas of our lives one way or another. Democracy has given us a sense of control over this process, but what it has really done is give us the sense that we have a right to organize and control others by force. Murder and robbery are still widely shunned in private affairs, but these anti-social acts seem perfectly fine to us if done by proxy through the State.
Every day more and more problems are being handled by the coercion of the State, rather than the offering of goods and services in voluntary cooperation. Incitement and propaganda are the tools of gaining political capital and wealth. Every day more and more children are brought up learning the wonders of democracy without learning the nature of the State. The State has abandoned its claimed purpose of protecting the liberty and property of individuals and, by its very nature, every day violates these basic human rights to greater and greater degrees. It is rob or be robbed in this land of lies. Get out and vote, lest you lose to your fellow man your portion of the plunder! This is anti-social and a perversion of human nature. Is it any wonder that politics can become so irrational and uncivilized?
Anyone remember this soundbite from Hillary Clinton?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJxmpTMGhU0
"I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration."
This further confirms that the two-party stranglehold on power needs to come crashing down. I have never thought of politics as being a battle between two groups over the opportunity to rob, but in many different ways the government has devolved into a borderline criminal state. I wonder what the fools on both sides will have to say when the dollar comes crashing down.
Hillary's clip proves only one thing: that individual liberties have become a politically convenient/expendable issue to use to get into office. This is very disturbing of course, but look at the administration's actions.
Posted by mudhoney on 04/27/09 Last updated 04/27/09
Tomorrow volunteers will be delivering petitions containing over 40,000 signitures to congressional offices in Washington D.C. and all over America. As of this writing, 91 members of the House of Representatives have co-sponsored Ron Paul's HR1207, the "Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009". The Campaign for Liberty is holding meetings with members of congress and the response has been extremely positive.
Meanwhile, liberty activists are protesting at Federal Reserve buildings all over the country.
Perhaps it's time to stop ignoring the elephant in the living-room.
Posted by mudhoney on 04/19/09 Last updated 04/19/09
The issue of economic booms and busts in America needs to be debated. A recent article at Politico shows that while the Obama administration is at least talking about it, they are utterly unable or unwilling to connect the dots that lead to the root of our problems.
In comparison to Bush, Obama seems to actually make some solid observations regarding the economy. He knows that something is fundamentally wrong, correctly stating that "an economy built on reckless speculation, inflated home prices and maxed-out credit cards does not create lasting wealth. It creates the illusion of prosperity, and it's endangered us all."
The first step toward a solution to these problems, logically, would be to identify their cause. This is where Obama's foray into economic sense usually ends, just like most administrations before him. The fact is that all of the problems Obama mentioned above are related and posses a common denominator: easy credit. Artificially low interest rates send incorrect signals to the market regarding the savings habits of society. This is precisely what causes the illusion of prosperity Obama talks about. Consumers, producers, capital managers, and investors alike made rational choices with the market information provided by the pricing system. When the pricing system of money and credit itself are arbitrarily set by the Federal Reserve, market participants make erroneous decisions that they otherwise would not have made.
Using a sound framework of economic theory based on human action, Austrian economists predicted the Great Depression, the breakdown of the Brenton Woods monetary system, and our current dilemma. Yet politicians in general, including Obama, choose to ignore them. In fact, Obama chooses to listen to a lot of the same people who thought our economy was in fine condition not too long ago.
It amazes me how the true source of the business cycle problem goes untouched by Obama, even as it stares them in the face. The Politico article states that one economist who supports Obama's plans knows that "the best way to cool things down is raising interest rates, which is the purview of the Federal Reserve." If you read the rest of the article, or indeed any talk by Obama and his supporters on the economy, you will notice that the Federal Reserve is completely absent from consideration.
Of course, instead of actually bothering to address the heart of the problem, the Obama administration touts vague regulatory solutions without making the effort to support them logically. It is to be assumed that this is the solution, and the only alternative is to do nothing. Regulation of everyone except the Federal Reserve is on the table.
Conclusion
We will never cure the wealth destruction caused by the business cycle unless we begin to debate what the political elite deem undebatable. The Federal Reserve is finally receiving some mainstream criticism, and Alan Greenspan is filling op-eds with the desperate words of a guilty liar. Democrats and Republicans are co-sponsoring legislation to audit the Federal Reserve.
Obama's regulatory solutions have little theoretical or empirical backing. We have no use for band-aid solutions that don't apply to dynamic economic conditions and attempt to prop up a fraudulent monetary system that will inevitably end in chaos. The Obama administration needs to confront the Federal Reserve system that previous administrations chose to ignore.
Posted by mudhoney on 03/12/09 Last updated 03/12/09
Several ideological groups have found themselves united in opposition to the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq for many years now. The resistance is comprised of people from all over the political spectrum, including liberals, strict constitutionalists, and libertarians. With the election of President Obama I believe that this coalition may risk losing its resolve, if it has not already, with the promise of hope and change in Washington. I'd like to make the case here that with this new administration the peace movement needs to be more vigilant than ever if we hope to reverse the policies of endless occupation and aggression our government has embarked upon.
With former President Bush's signing of the "Status of Forces Agreement" and President Obama's recent speech to the Marines at Camp Lejeune, the stage is set for the end of all United States military operations in Iraq by the end of 2011. While this is indeed very promising news, the peace movement should be aware that getting out of Iraq is not at all set in stone. It is our responsibility to make sure these promises are kept when the inevitable difficulties in leaving Iraq are used to pressure our government into staying, or worse. Do not give in to the sedation of seemingly imminent success, for the powerful interests of war will snatch it away without pause.
Two borders away the Graveyard of Empires threatens to be even more costly to America than Iraq, both in casualties and finances. Afghanistan is not the "good war". Those who oppose the war in Iraq certainly played a major role in electing Obama to the presidency, and they should realize that a shift of resources from Iraq to Afghanistan leaves us in no better position than before. It remains an occupation without a concrete enemy or a definable goal for victory. The escalation of violence in "Obama's War" should not be a desirable outcome of the new administration's term, whether you support him politically or not. Furthermore, the spill over into neighboring countries like Pakistan (which has already begun) threatens to pull us into yet more conflict that we simply cannot sustain.
The time is now. No post-inauguration vacations. We have in front of us the chance to make a real difference. The political climate is wavering; it's just a matter of who pushes hardest. Contact your representatives, talk to your friends, and do what you can to ensure that the change we've been calling for all this time doesn't slip through our fingers. With the looming economic depression, an American empire that's bigger and costlier than ever, and a foreign policy that vindicates the motives of our enemies, the way thing are cannot continue. Either we learn from history and end it by our own will, or be humbled by economic law which destroyed the empires of the past.
AMEN to your thoughts & desires expressed in this post, However, as a number of Historians have taught us, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it". and with B.H.O. in the White House, its like the Rock-n-Roll Artist taught us, "Meet the new Boss, Same as the old Boss". I agree with you though, Even if the new boss is the same as the old boss, We still have a responsibility to let them hear from us! Thanks for post!
I was pleased to see that the Obama administration has an easy to use website for submitting ideas. I can only hope my message is concidered, but it's worth a shot. You can find this website here.
Here's my message:
The root of many of our problems today stem from the reckless actions of the Federal Reserve over several decades. Their manipulation of interest rates and policy of creating money out of thin air is why malinvestments and economic bubbles and busts occur. Also, this inflationary action robs the poor and middle class of value in their savings, while transferring that wealth to the rich and well connected revolving around the big banks. I'd like to see you question this corporate system and bring about true change in monetary policy.
The Federal Reserve is an unconstitutional government sanctioned cartel of banks, and the Federal Reserve Act was written by big bankers for their own benefit.
Please, at least raise the debate over this issue, and propose putting the power of money back into the hands of Congress and the people, just as our Constitution clearly defines. Thank you.
Nice! I like it. You might want to provide a link to mises.org to go along with that. I am so glad that those guys are there providing us with an intellectual and economic backing for our belief in liberty.
Good point, jsigman. We should be bringing up our intellectual backing whenever possible. Austrian economists have worked hard for many years so that we could have superiority on this front. No one has really used it much until now. Austrian economics is the conscience, the core, the brain of this movement and the glue that holds us all together.
Anyway, good message, mudhoney. I'm sure they could use a couple thousand more messages like that! ;-)
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