Ron Paul vs. Paul Krugman On Bloomberg

This is for all those economics nerds out there. This is a very fascinating "debate" between Ron Paul and Paul Krugman, earlier today.

Personally, I cannot see the logic behind Krugman's belief that increasing the debt levels, the money supply, and inflation is the solution to this recession. We have already been spending like crazy and has it worked? I think there is enough evidence to show that it hasn't.

The solution is we need more spending? I don't know about that.

Here's the "debate":

What peeves me is that Krugman claims that he believes in free markets and that he believes in capitalism, but then he blames the free market for those recessions, and claims the solution is increased government intervention, and decreased free markets. In my opinion, shoveling debt onto the people is not a solution, it is a farce.

Some bubbles are inflated by massive government spending. When they pop, it creates a recession. The housing bubble collapse can be traced to government laws and intervention into the housing market. Basically, through mandates, the US government forced banks to finance loans to subprime borrowers. This caused a large increase in subprime loans, which, I am sure anyone can agree, is very risky.

So, the market then hot potatoes the loans until they explode, leaving the mess for the rest of us.

Politicians in Washington wanted to give subprime borrowers a chance to own a home despite their credit, so they basically said, 'we will pay you banks to finance these subprime loans.' Then, when the bubble pops, the same politicians in Washington blame the market, and say the solution is to give those same banks more money...

It's absolutely ludicrous to me.

So Krugman, from one amateur economist to another:  Presenting the argument that boosting aggregate supply through debt will provide a boost to aggregate demand as the solution to our down economy is both misleading and dangerous.  I call it a false choice.  Here's why:

In our current economy--where people don't have enough money to spend--debt and spending carries heavy (and in our case, unsustainable) liabilities that can wreck the entire currency when those same people have even less money to spend on the new supply.  If there is no increase in the  monetary value of the dollar, people can only spend more on less stuff--as the prices for everyday things like food, gas, etc rise.  This does not help the poor and the middle class, but rather, cripples them even further.

Remember this: "Increased spending" decreases the spending power of the dollar, sir.

If the currency devalues too far, we risk a very real collapse of the dollar in the world market through hyperinflation (the same route as Rome's, Italy's, Germany's and many other past civilization's currencies).  Doesn't this frighten you sir?

So Krugman, if we happen to collapse our currency through your proposed policies, what would be your end-game?

Aside, to the reader: How can anyone, especially an economist, support a possible 30% plus increase in prices across the board? Does that really help the poor and the needy? 

That is insanity!  When will the insanity stop?!?

House Passes CISPA: Make Sure It Dies In Senate!

On thursday, April 26, 2012--the day before it was scheduled to be voted upon, the US Congress added a few amendments (all which make it worse) and passed CISPA with an overwhelming majority: 248-168.

It still needs to get through the Senate before our Commander in Chief can sign it into law.  So,, what are you gonna do to stop it in the senate?

Here are a few suggestions:
1. Call/write/email your Senator!  I can't help you find out how to contact them, though.  This may be the most important of all the things you could do!
2. Sign a few petitions!  like here, here, here, here, here, here, here

3. Share what your doing!  Articles, information, memes, pictures, status updates, this blogpost, anything that can help your friends to see what is happening!!

4. Caption your own memes against CISPA!! Here

5. Learn more about the very real debate for/against CISPA!  Some great links to start you off here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and on facebook here.

6. Some memes to download and share to facebook, twitter, google+, linked in etc:

CISPA cat is cyber spying.

CISPA gives Uncle Sam the power to legally go through your emails.

Caption your own CISPA cat here.

Cool MAD magazine meme about CISPA.

Where is their opposition to CISPA?

and coming very SOON

Ironic, that Mark Zuckerberg, a supposed supporter
of internet privacy, supports CISPA, which is the
complete opposite.

STOP CISPA IN THE SENATE

Raise your awareness of CISPA, which is set for the senate
to decide it's fate!  Contact your senator!

CISPA Up For Vote TODAY!!! STOP IT NOW!!!

Stop CISPA!!  Contact your legislators NOW!!!

Click here to sign the petition!

***********************************************************

UPDATE: CISPA has passed the House of Representatives and now must pass through the Senate before Barack Obama can sign it.  Click here for a more full update!

Sacrifice Secures Success; True Success Requires Sacrifice

Here's a thought:  "Sacrifice secures success; true success requires sacrifice."

The way I see it, sacrifice is an eternal principle that yields results directly related to what you sacrifice.  For instance, if we want to receive a 40 hr paycheck, we must first sacrifice 40 hours of time to a company first. It's a sacrifice because we would be giving up at least 40 hours of all that time that we could be spending in front of the TV, on Facebook, looking at cat pictures, or sleeping. 

It's interesting to note that sacrifice is also a basic principle in economics (opportunity cost).
We seem to know that when it comes to money and success, we must first sacrifice whatever it takes to receive our acceptable levels of money or success.  Nothing less will suffice.

But unlike money and success, spiritual healing and spiritual growth require completely different types of sacrifices: like giving up hatred to make place for love, giving up grudges to make room for forgiveness, giving up vices for personal rectitude, etc.  Sacrifice is the precursor to any stable level of spiritual fortitude.

Of all the personal principles to begin aligning ourselves to, spiritual fortitude may be one of the most elusive, yet most rewarding.  It leads to joy, happiness, abundance and hope.

Yet, just think about it--without sacrifice, we are without all of these things.  Therefore, sacrifice must be of paramount importance.

Learn More, Study Less: The Ultimate Study Guide

 

I just finished my personal review for the study course put together by Scott H. Young called "Learn More, Study Less" at the website that I am managing of the same name.   Please tell me what you think of the review, as it will be trafficked heavily in an ad campaign over the next few weeks/months (and of course, I do not want to waste money if it's no good).

Be critical!  I want to hear it if it turns you off, gets you interested, makes you fall asleep, or if it motivates you to buy (cause that's my ultimate motivation for the ad campaign).  Tell me of spelling errors, awkward wording, poor grammar, poor word choice, look of the site, the feel of the site as a whole, or just anything that you feel like sounding off about. 

I need it!!! 

So please, help me to make this upcoming ad campaign successful, and click on the link below:

Learn More, Study Less: The Ultimate Study Guide

Also, if you feel like buying the product, it would help me greatly. :)

TRON PAUL by xckd

TRON PAUL, just in time for the 2012 elections!

Meme Bomb #1

This is the first of many meme bombs.  Like, tweet, share with your friends!

The difference between isolationism and non interventionism.
See Switzerland, then North Korea.  See the Difference?

Malcolm X was a great man--not because he supported violence
to protect his people, but because he protected his people from violence
with his words.

Drugs Are Bad, Mmmmkay?

The following is the PowerPoint slideshow that was created to assist a public speech I give tomorrow in class, illustrating the need to treat the drug war much differently than we are currently.  In my view, drug addiction should be treated as a medical condition, not as a criminal action.  This would solve many of the problems that the drug war has caused over the last 90 years (especially the last 30).

I will post a corresponding article on my proposed solutions for fighting the drug war sometime over the next week, so be sure to come back to see ya hear!

Here's the presentation. It's called:Drugs Are Bad, Mmmmkay?

Article | Stand And Be Counted

 

BY AARON ABELL
(Reposted with permission. Original article at Government As Fiction) 


     With the passage of the National Defense Authorisation Act of 2012 (NDAA) the police state, about which every US citizen has been so often warned, has come to pass. IGNORE THIS AT YOUR OWN PERIL AND CONDEMNATION. I will begin with a quote:

     "It is said in the Doctrine and Covenants, that he that keepeth the laws of God, hath no need to break the laws of the land [D&C 58:21]. It is further explained in section 98 [D&C 98], what is meant in relation to this. That all laws which are constitutional must be obeyed, as follows:
     “And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
     “And that the law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me;
     “Therefore I the Lord justify you and your brethren of the Church in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land. And as pertaining to laws of man, whatsoever is more or less than these cometh of evil” [D&C 98:4–7].
Click Here To Read More>>

LDS Liberty Podcast: "In Mine Own Image" by GLH

 

Here is an incredible audio podcast I found featuring one of the best written articles on the LDS Liberty website called, "In Mine Own Image" (also found at the author's personal website, Scriptural Libertarian).

"In Mine Own Image"

Right click the link above and choose 'save as' to download this gem to your iPod, mp3 player, or computer.

I Endorse Ron Paul For President. And You Can Too!

 

I just registered for Votizen, where I have created an official campaign to elect Ron Paul for President.  If  you can,  register and do the same for your candidate!

I shared it to facebook:

Shared it to twitter here and here:

America Must Be Free Again

 

What makes Ron Paul so different from the other candidates?  He is one of the few politicians that actually considers the United States Constitution as the rule of law!  So what's so different about that?

Everything!

Remember, the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were created to limit the power and scope of government, not to limit the power and rights of the people.  Without these "limiting" documents, we would have a Federal government that is more powerful than the will of the people to be free.

Now think for a second.  Is your will represented by our Federal government today?  Do you support the wars abroad?  Do you support Obamacare? Do you support the actions of the Federal Reserve (including the bailouts)?  Do you support the Department of Education? The EPA? FDA?

Ron Paul and Ezra Taft Benson: What Is Our Moral Obligation?

 

This post here is an addendum to my past post called "Peace, The Prophets and Ron Paul".  To me it is obvious that Ron Paul is the only candidate that is obeying and preaching the true precepts concerning agency, liberty and freedom as it is taught by the Prophets in this dispensation.

ETB: "It is imperative that American citizens become alerted and informed regarding the threats to our welfare, happiness and freedom.  No American is worthy of citizenship in this great land who refuses to take an active interest in important matters."

RP: "You know, there should be an urgency about what we do.  It would be nice to be relaxed, and think that we are in the 1950s when I first--barely--started thinking about politics.  But it's not the 1950s anymore. It's a new century, and there is a lot more problems.  We have terrible threats from around the world, we have a foreign policy that has gone amuck, a monetary system that's in a mess--and we know all our problems.  But there is an urgency in what we do!  Because we are carrying the banner! And we must act, because we, as a group, have a greater moral responsibility to act than those who live in ignorance!  Once you become knowledgeable, you have the responsibility to do something about it!!"

My Picks For March Madness 2012 -- Hint: Watch Kansas!

 

Here are my picks for this years (2012) March Madness.  Although I am a New Mexico fan-- and we did exceptionally well this year--I don't believe we'll get any further than the 3rd  or 4th round.  We have been far too inconsistent to win any sort of Championship.

My Final Four are Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Kansas, with the eventual team to be crowned champion as Kansas. See the bracket below:

Who Are The Mormons?

 

The below is a great graphic from the LDS Newsroom:

Peace, The Prophets & Ron Paul

 

I have been asked why I support Ron Paul for the Presidential seat this election cycle.  The answer is, from what I understand of my faith, Ron Paul is the only candidate that would support the doctrines and lessons of my faith, as I have learned them through my membership and service within the church.  Here is one of the many examples of that:

New Cell Phone Barcode Link

 

I made this barcode link rather ridiculously easily through

Dr. Stephen Davies, of Learn Liberty Explains How to Solve Our Public Debt

 

Directly below, I have typed the full transcript for the Youtube video called, "How Should Governments Deal With Debt?", in which Dr. Stephen Davies explains the different possible approaches that governments can take to deal with the debt crises that happen around the world.  I have also embedded the video at the bottom of this post.

In my opinion, the below is a strong, simple, and succinct argument for increasing personal liberties and for decreasing government spending.

“Nations that spend too much face very difficult choices and options.  One is to actually return to the paths of virtue and bring the public spending under control—through a combination typically, of raising taxes and cutting spending. This can be done, but it can often take very a long time—but it is certainly better than the alternatives. 

My New About.Me Profile

 

I thought I'd share the link to my new about.me page.  I figure I can revise it later.  Also! Klout.

Ron Paul Knocks It Out Of The Park Again! -- AZ GOP Debate Highlights

 

This is Ron Paul's new ad, blasting Rick Santorum as "fake".  Does he have a point? Check it out:

Now, see what happened during the debate, pay attention to Ron Paul's reaction and response to John King's question about Paul's ad calling Santorum "fake" in the video below:  

The Scourge of False Choice

 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY DIEGO LUCERO


In today’s world, we have choices. We can choose which Supermarket we can shop, we can choose which car we drive, we can choose which restaurant we take our family to eat. We choose our careers, we choose our mates, and we choose our elected officials. We can choose right or wrong. We choose our faith. It could even be said that our individual moral codes are actually a complex system of the choices that we have made throughout the courses of our lives. Here in America, we are accustomed to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of our choices. We have choices because we have freedom.

However, we also have ‘false choices’.

"The logical fallacy of false choice is a correlative based fallacy in which options are presented as being exclusive when they may not be. It’s often used to obscure the likelihood of one option or to reframe an argument on the user’s terms."(1)

Simply put, false choices are based on misinformed or misrepresented facts. This is usually because they are the products of narrow-minded worldviews, which have been closed off from outside or opposing opinions. They can also be called ‘biased’, ‘partisan’, and/or ‘divisive’.

Louis CK Tells It Like It Is!

 

A lot has been said about the hoplessness of our situation here.  Our debt now exceeds double the world GDP, and we have

SOPA Will Cripple The Internet: The Sad Story of Intellectual Property Lawsuits Against Veoh

 

I found this on the website Minglewing.com, which is founded by and run by the same man that started Veoh (Dmitry Shapiro).  He tells a sad story about how intellectual property (via DMCA, the current intellectual property law) lawsuits from big corporations ruined his business, his life and his resolve.  He then gives his opinion about the bils called SOPA and the bills like it.  This is a must read if you are to understand the real effects of Intellectual Property lawsuits by the big guys against the little guys.  This is Dmitry's entire post:

 

With all of the discussions going on about SOPA and PIPA, lots of people have reached out and asked me to write about my experience with UMG vs. Veoh. In Nov of 2004, while on my honeymoon, I had an idea : Let anyone broadcast video over the Internet. I believed that with the convergence of broadband, inexpensive video cameras, and editing software that shipped with everyday computers it was the right time to launch a service that would facilitate 'free speech' over video. When I got back from my honeymoon, I immediately transitioned out of the company that I had founded 4 years prior, Akonix Systems, and pursued building my vision. It took 8 months for us to raise the Series A round of venture capital, with dozens of potential investors passing, arguing that "no one was going to watch amateur video on the Internet". SERIOUSLY!

Why School Tuition Is So Expensive: A Lesson In Opportunity Cost

 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY DIEGO LUCERO


It’s the beginning of the year again, and students are filling the halls of universities and colleges across the United States.  Touted as essential to the “American Experience,” students are leaving their homes at the advisement of parents to pursue their educations.  It can be said that in today’s world, there is almost nothing more desired--or even needed--than an education that would adequately qualify us as participants in the “American Dream”.

This year though, things are different. 

We are in a prolonged recession.  Real unemployment is very high.  Deficit spending is at a record high.  Our national debt now exceeds our Gross Domestic Product.  Let’s not even talk about the interest our country owes against our national debt.  We have wars and rumors of wars.  Political discussion has become polarized and has been overtaken with evil intent.  It’s becoming difficult to be hopeful, as it is becoming more and more clear that the change that we desperately need may never actually come.

Success!! Congress Tables PIPA & SOPA For Now

 

I received this message in my email yesterday.  Success!  This message captures the excitement that results from a strong protest.  We were heard, and at least for this issue, things are changing back to the people's favor. Now if only we can do the same thing for the NDAA!!

From Tiffiniy Cheng at Fight For The Future:

Hi everyone! 

A big hurrah to you!!!!! We’ve won for now -- SOPA and PIPA were dropped by Congress today -- the votes we’ve been scrambling to mobilize against have been cancelled. 

The largest online protest in history has fundamentally changed the game. You were heard.  

Stop SOPA/PIPA

Edgar the Exploiter: Minimum Wage Argument

 

Do you remember the post that I had put up some months ago, in an attempt to explain my life philosophy and my position on Unions?  Well, it turns out there is a better method of explaining how freed markets work, and why competition naturally leads to better and better conditions for employees over the course of time.  I found a video.

This particular video takes into account a few of the principles that I alluded to in my original post, and also included a few others that I, up until now, felt unable to explain sufficiently.  This video is titled: Edgar the Exploiter.




The reason why I like this video is because it visualizes the sometimes wordy and complicated dry economic theory.  I think it makes things much more clear than it was before.

NDAA: Indefinite Detention of US Citizens is NOW LAW

 

“We are not a country that runs prisons that locks people away without ever telling them why they’re there or what they’re charged with.”   ~Barack Obama, 2007 campaign trail. 

As we get further and further into the campaign season, it becomes more and more clear that most politicians  are not really as interested in our personal individual welfare as they claim.  Case in point: the NDAA.  What is the NDAA?  I'll let Jon Stewart provide some humorous insight:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Here is the link to the Mediaite's full story.

Is this the end of America?  The funny thing is, although Barack Obama once said that America "is not a country that  runs prisons that locks people away without ever telling them why they’re there or what they’re charged with”, he has actually signed the NDAA bill on the eve of 2012's New Year.  Which means IT IS NOW LAW.