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Ron Paul's "crazy" ideas about government (no income tax, legal prositution, legal drugs, formally declared wars, etc.) were the norm in this country for most of its existence. Why do people act like he's crazy?
I think you answered the question. We have an income tax because we couldn't fund the government on import duties. When the U.S. didn't have an income tax it also ranked 20th in military size. Do we think that would be advisable today? The government does a lot more today than in 1913. It also builds interstate highways.
Ron Paul also thinks the U.S. should be on the gold standard, which it once was. Going back to a gold standard would be an economic disaster, for many reasons.
Prostitution is a state matter, not a federal one. Nevada has legal prostitution in some areas.
I am for the idea of declared wars -- but remember that that notion was written at a time when an enemy ship took weeks to cross the Atlantic. Today, an enemy missile is 20 minutes away. Thus, power was delegated to the President to react quickly.
The fact is, on the important matters, Ron Paul's ideas were abandoned over 100 years ago, for good reasons.
I'd go for his proposal to eliminate the EPA. Agree?
The Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, which EPA is granted authority, is responsible for lowering air pollutants by 96% compared to 1960 levels. Water is also similarly cleaner. When I was a child, the Hudson River was unswimable and Lake Erie used to catch fire from pollutants. Why would we want to return to the bad'ole days?
A true Libertarian would have no hesitation and/or qualms about deciding between the liberty of a grown woman vs. a fetus/embryo. Paul fails miserably here.
You must first have life to have liberty. Without life there is no liberty.
and this is the endless circle one will find themselves in when discussing governments with a libertarian. (hint: a government that can not initiate force against an individual, is not a government.)
How so? Why must a government initiate force to be legit?
You mean like stay out of foreign wars and protect the borders like the Constitution says and not manipulate the economy so as to avoid the government induced booms and busts? THAT is harmful to most Americans?
Actually, if one looks at the 100 years since the Federal Reserve was created and compare it to the 100 years that preceded it, with the gold standard, there were far more and more severe booms and busts before the Fed.
What problem does the gold standard solve? None. We had the following major financial panics under the gold standard: 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.
In the meantime, this is price instability of gold.
How so? Why must a government initiate force to be legit?
Quote:
we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others
A government that purportedly lives by this principle can't enforce anything. If a government can not enforce the laws it creates, it's not a government, as it's laws are impotent and meaningless. Simply put, it can't govern ANYTHING. If it tried, it would be in violation of the NAP. The fact you need this explained is why people do not take Ron Paul and other libertarians seriously. Yours and his ideological utopia will be impossible to achieve as you will not be able to stop those who violate the NAP with out violating the NAP. If you choose to simply ignore those who violate the NAP, you will either die or become enslaved.
Last edited by billydaman; 09-15-2015 at 09:38 PM..
Actually, if one looks at the 100 years since the Federal Reserve was created and compare it to the 100 years that preceded it, with the gold standard, there were far more and more severe booms and busts before the Fed.
What problem does the gold standard solve? None. We had the following major financial panics under the gold standard: 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.
In the meantime, this is price instability of gold.
The booms and busts, like the Great Depression , the dot com bubble, and the housing bubble were caused by Government inflating the money supply, easy money. It had nothing to do with the gold standard. The Central Bank was similar to the Fed.
The economists he follows told us the dot com boom and bust would happen. they also told us the housing boom and bust would happen. And they were right. Inflation is the increase in the money supply, not some made up government figure that boobus falls for.
He's not the stupid one here.
Right. He (they) also said to invest in gold - how has that worked out?
And here is the big chestnut; he advocates going back to the gold standard
I was more economically competent when I graduated high school..
A government that purportedly lives by this principle can't enforce anything. If a government can not enforce the laws it creates, it's not a government, as it's laws are impotent and meaningless. Simply put, it can't govern ANYTHING. If it tried, it would be in violation of the NAP. The fact you need this explained is why people do not take Ron Paul and other libertarians seriously. Yours and his ideological utopia will be impossible to achieve as you will not be able to stop those who violate the NAP with out violating the NAP. If you choose to simply ignore those who violate the NAP, you will either die or become enslaved.
If I steal someone else's cow and the government comes and arrests me, who initiated this? Me or the government?
The booms and busts, like the Great Depression , the dot com bubble, and the housing bubble were caused by Government inflating the money supply, easy money. It had nothing to do with the gold standard. The Central Bank was similar to the Fed.
Spoken like a true Randian lemming. You forget to mention the demand/supply of the dollar globally, economic growth, labor & productivity, trader bets, interest rates, the price of foreign goods, the deficit & national debt (two different things in case you didn't know - Rand Paul doesn't seem to), consumer savings, spending, money supply (one component you will notice), the housing market et etc etc.....
Using a closed form of currency (like the gold standard) ties conventional monetary policy's arms behind its back.
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