So even Greenspan knows things are thick.
http://www.nysun.com/editorials/greenspans-warning-on-gold/87080/
Like others have said, Gold is the canary in the mine and anyone not paying attention to gold will not see the proverbial shit hitting the fan.
To quote from Adam Fergusson's When money dies,
"Money is no more than a medium of exchange. Only when it has a value acknowledged by more than one person can it be so used. The more general the acknowledgement, the more useful it is. Once no one acknowledged it, the Germans learnt, their paper money had no value or use — save for papering walls or making darts. The discovery which shattered their society was that the traditional repository of purchasing power had disappeared, and that there was no means left of measuring the worth of anything. For many, life became an obsessional search for Sachverte, things of 'real', constant value: Stinnes bought his factories, mines, newspapers. The meanest railway worker bought gewgaws. For most, degree of necessity became the sole criterion of value, the basis of everything from barter to behaviour. Man's values became animal values. Contrary to any philosophic assumption, it was not a salutory experience."
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Mugabe vs Obama: So what's the difference?
Okay let's look at this critically... Robert Mugabe took land from the white minorities and gave the land to the blacks essentially taking resources from the rich (the most productive in society) and using it to subsidize the poor (the least productive in society). Was he wrong? Obama thought so! But then Super O is gonna tax the rich in order ...to pay for the healthcare of the poor. (taking resources from the most productive to be used to subsidize the lifestyles of the least productive). What's the difference?
Maggie Thatcher once said, "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money!"
Maggie Thatcher once said, "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money!"
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REPUBLIC AND A DEMOCRACY
In recent times, the theory of governance has got a lot of airtime in media the world over. There has been a lot of talk in the circles of political science where everyone keeps espousing the benefits and otherwise of democracy. Things, however, get to a head when people start using the two terms, republics and democracies interchangably. While all republics are democracies, not all democracies are republics.
A democracy refers to rule of the majority. A republican rule is a little more complicated. A republic is a country where justice (esp. protection of a human being’s God given rights) is the main governing principle. In short, a democracy can lean to the right or left depending on what the people decide. However, a republic is necessarily a market economy where the individual’s rights are upheld against aggressors who could be his fellow men or the state.
In a democracy, justice -for lack of a better word- is popular in nature. It’s founded on convention as the masses are not known to draw their conclusions from reason, rather they draw their conclusions from emotion.
Plato rightly observes that democracies, whether direct or representative, are but one step away from anarchy. The reason is simple; the elected representatives then become servants of the people, swayed by public opinion which need not necessarily be right or wrong. Indeed, for people, if opinion is wrong there is no check against popular tyranny and therefore proper democracies suffer from lack of corrective mechanisms.
History have shown us that when people exercise power outside the framework of a republic, there is a gradual decay of respect for the hardworking and the productive as the rulers turn tyrannical in favor of the lazy or the unproductive. The rulers are tempted to use state power to acquire and expropriate the wealth of the productive and hardworking in favor of the lazy and or the unproductive. This is done through unjustified taxation exercised for purposes of redistribution of wealth through welfare programmes.
Democratic governments always tend to populist notions such as welfare. Welfare can only be sustained by taxing those that earn more and distribute these earnings, after paying some bureaucrats in between, to the needy who are, necessarily, unproductive members of society and in some cases lazy members of society. Though well intended, the democratic government’s deviation from the principle of rewarding hard work creates moral hazard. By taxing the more hard working and productive to raise funds to finance the lifestyles of the less productive and, in a lot of cases, the lazy serves to discourage the hard workers from working hard and encourage those getting the freebies to continue doing more of the same.
A republic is designed to protect the individual from the oppressive powers of the state. A republic ensures that the bill of rights is developed in order to identify and protect the rights of the individual from the tyranny of the majority. Note that the bill of rights does not confer rights the individual rights because they are not for anyone to give. Rather, the bill of rights recognizes an individual’s God given rights such as the freedom of conscious, speech, freedom etc. Freedom and rights are not for man to give, but for every man to enjoy.
In conclusion, the position is, in a democracy, as Socrates found out, the tyranny of the majority is a real phenomenon and on the other hand, in a republic, the smallest minority is protected. Further, the economic growth rates of republics and the living standards of republics are much better and more stable than those of simple democracies while the income disparities are also smaller.
A democracy refers to rule of the majority. A republican rule is a little more complicated. A republic is a country where justice (esp. protection of a human being’s God given rights) is the main governing principle. In short, a democracy can lean to the right or left depending on what the people decide. However, a republic is necessarily a market economy where the individual’s rights are upheld against aggressors who could be his fellow men or the state.
In a democracy, justice -for lack of a better word- is popular in nature. It’s founded on convention as the masses are not known to draw their conclusions from reason, rather they draw their conclusions from emotion.
Plato rightly observes that democracies, whether direct or representative, are but one step away from anarchy. The reason is simple; the elected representatives then become servants of the people, swayed by public opinion which need not necessarily be right or wrong. Indeed, for people, if opinion is wrong there is no check against popular tyranny and therefore proper democracies suffer from lack of corrective mechanisms.
History have shown us that when people exercise power outside the framework of a republic, there is a gradual decay of respect for the hardworking and the productive as the rulers turn tyrannical in favor of the lazy or the unproductive. The rulers are tempted to use state power to acquire and expropriate the wealth of the productive and hardworking in favor of the lazy and or the unproductive. This is done through unjustified taxation exercised for purposes of redistribution of wealth through welfare programmes.
Democratic governments always tend to populist notions such as welfare. Welfare can only be sustained by taxing those that earn more and distribute these earnings, after paying some bureaucrats in between, to the needy who are, necessarily, unproductive members of society and in some cases lazy members of society. Though well intended, the democratic government’s deviation from the principle of rewarding hard work creates moral hazard. By taxing the more hard working and productive to raise funds to finance the lifestyles of the less productive and, in a lot of cases, the lazy serves to discourage the hard workers from working hard and encourage those getting the freebies to continue doing more of the same.
A republic is designed to protect the individual from the oppressive powers of the state. A republic ensures that the bill of rights is developed in order to identify and protect the rights of the individual from the tyranny of the majority. Note that the bill of rights does not confer rights the individual rights because they are not for anyone to give. Rather, the bill of rights recognizes an individual’s God given rights such as the freedom of conscious, speech, freedom etc. Freedom and rights are not for man to give, but for every man to enjoy.
In conclusion, the position is, in a democracy, as Socrates found out, the tyranny of the majority is a real phenomenon and on the other hand, in a republic, the smallest minority is protected. Further, the economic growth rates of republics and the living standards of republics are much better and more stable than those of simple democracies while the income disparities are also smaller.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Entrepreneurship according to Austrian Thought
Here is the essence of the Austrian idea of entrepreneurship: it is not merely finding a technology or resource. Rather, it concerns viewing a possible economic use of that resource given existing economic realities and making a judgment about the future employment of those resources to serve human ends. It is in this area that the market excels, and the state so completely fails.
JM Keynes vs FA Hayek rap- Economy Lesson Delivered in Hiphop
I'll let the rappers speak for themselves. Just hit the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Iraqi Bill of Rights
Hint 1: A Bill of rights doesn't confer rights... it recognizes them. Rights are God given!
Hint 2: A Bill of rights is meant to protect the citizen from the state... nothing more nothing less.
Now enjoy reading the Iraqi Bill of Rights got from this link http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/8426.html
July 8, 2005
The Iraqi Bill of Rights is Here!!
Posted by Stephan Kinsella on July 8, 2005 12:39 AM
Thank God! The draft of the Iraqi Bill of Rights just shows America is helping to spawn liberty in the mid-east. For example, the neo-con pro-Israeli hawks will no doubt love these provisision: “Any individual with another nationality (except for Israel) may obtain Iraqi nationality after a period of residency … An Iraqi may have more than one nationality as long as the nationality is not Israeli.”
Sheesh. Other choice provisions, which sound like they were written by the UN [Khawaja on Socialist Welfare Rights; The UN, International Law, and Nuclear Weapons]:
* Social justice is the basis of building the society.
* The state must … implant moral values ….
* The state shall guarantee for women the appropriate services related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the period after childbirth and provide her free health services as well as adequate nutrition while she is pregnant and nursing.
* Iraqi citizens have the right to enjoy security and free health care.
* The state is responsible to support the provision of work opportunities for all qualified and pay monthly salaries for all unemployed for any reason until opportunities are provided in the case of disability, handicap, or illness until the malady ceases.
* There is no tax or fee except by law [note: well, that's a relief!]. The basis for taxes and public expenditures is social
justice [oh, goody, better than some other ... basis].
* All natural resources and the [resulting] revenues are owned by the people. The state shall preserve them and invest them well. [Well, heck, we ought to just require American mutual funds to "invest well". That would be a good idea, no?]
* Citizens may not own, bear, buy, or sell weapons, except by a permit issued in accordance with law.
* The state shall guarantee the realization of social and health insurance for the child from his birth until he completes his university studies.
* The state shall guarantee the realization of the social guarantee necessary for citizens in case of old age, disease, inability to work, or if they are homeless, orphans, widowed, or unemployed. It shall provide them social insurance services and health care and protect them from the talons of ignorance, fear [shades of Woodrow Wilson!], and want, providing them with housing, and special programs to train them and care for them.
* The state and regional governments shall combat illiteracy and provide their citizens with the right of free education at the various stages.
* There is no censorship on newspapers, printing, publishing, advertising, or media [hey, this sounds alright!... but wait: ] except by law. [uh oh]
Hint 2: A Bill of rights is meant to protect the citizen from the state... nothing more nothing less.
Now enjoy reading the Iraqi Bill of Rights got from this link http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/8426.html
July 8, 2005
The Iraqi Bill of Rights is Here!!
Posted by Stephan Kinsella on July 8, 2005 12:39 AM
Thank God! The draft of the Iraqi Bill of Rights just shows America is helping to spawn liberty in the mid-east. For example, the neo-con pro-Israeli hawks will no doubt love these provisision: “Any individual with another nationality (except for Israel) may obtain Iraqi nationality after a period of residency … An Iraqi may have more than one nationality as long as the nationality is not Israeli.”
Sheesh. Other choice provisions, which sound like they were written by the UN [Khawaja on Socialist Welfare Rights; The UN, International Law, and Nuclear Weapons]:
* Social justice is the basis of building the society.
* The state must … implant moral values ….
* The state shall guarantee for women the appropriate services related to pregnancy, childbirth, and the period after childbirth and provide her free health services as well as adequate nutrition while she is pregnant and nursing.
* Iraqi citizens have the right to enjoy security and free health care.
* The state is responsible to support the provision of work opportunities for all qualified and pay monthly salaries for all unemployed for any reason until opportunities are provided in the case of disability, handicap, or illness until the malady ceases.
* There is no tax or fee except by law [note: well, that's a relief!]. The basis for taxes and public expenditures is social
justice [oh, goody, better than some other ... basis].
* All natural resources and the [resulting] revenues are owned by the people. The state shall preserve them and invest them well. [Well, heck, we ought to just require American mutual funds to "invest well". That would be a good idea, no?]
* Citizens may not own, bear, buy, or sell weapons, except by a permit issued in accordance with law.
* The state shall guarantee the realization of social and health insurance for the child from his birth until he completes his university studies.
* The state shall guarantee the realization of the social guarantee necessary for citizens in case of old age, disease, inability to work, or if they are homeless, orphans, widowed, or unemployed. It shall provide them social insurance services and health care and protect them from the talons of ignorance, fear [shades of Woodrow Wilson!], and want, providing them with housing, and special programs to train them and care for them.
* The state and regional governments shall combat illiteracy and provide their citizens with the right of free education at the various stages.
* There is no censorship on newspapers, printing, publishing, advertising, or media [hey, this sounds alright!... but wait: ] except by law. [uh oh]
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Humorous and illuminating quotes
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. --Voltaire
A politician is someone who will lay down your life for his country.
Everyone wants to live at the expense of the State. They forget that the State lives at the expense of everyone. --Frederic Bastiat
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to takeaway everything you have. --President Gerald Ford
Useless laws weaken the necessary ones
Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them. --Lily Tomlin
Bureaucrats do not change the course of the ship of state. They merely adjust the compass.
If presidents don't do it to their wives, they do it to their country.
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.
The decision doesn't have to be logical, it was unanimous.
We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans. -- President Bill Clinton
In the past we have tried too hard to prevent the making of mistakes. --Dan Quale
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers. --Thomas Pynchon
In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments--there are consequences.
No matter who you vote for, the government still gets elected.
Be Patriotic- Question Authority.
No one is free when others are oppressed.
I love my country, but fear my government.
The government is best which governs least --Thomas Jefferson
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism the reverse is true. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Democracy's the worst form of government except for all the others. -Winston Churchill
The difference between a politician and a snail is that a snail leaves its slime behind.
Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt. --Herbert Hoover
Giving money and power to governments is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. --P.J. O'Rourke
The very powerful and very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views... which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.
I either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it. --Ashleigh Brilliant
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will have, nor do they deserve either one.
Without order, nothing can exist; without chaos, nothing can evolve.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. --John F. Kennedy
Conquest is easy, Control is not. --James T. Kirk
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. --John G. Riefenbaker
The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficent warrant. --John Stuart Mill
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. --John F. Kennedy
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying all the wrong remedies. --Groucho Marx
Mankind has corrupted every institution into which it has entered.
The Church and the Government are two prime examples
--J. Mike Reed Jr.
Government logic-- Why get one when you can get two for twice the money?
God giveth, and the government taketh away.
When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates,
there can be no liberty. –Montesquieu
Vote Republican: It's easier than thinking...
War is politics carried out by guns and bullets. –Clausewitz
Democracy can survive anything but democrats
Many that live deserve death. And some that die, deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the wise cannot see all ends.
--Gandalf the Grey, J.R.R. Tolkien
In America anyone can become President. That's just one of the risks you take. --Adlai Stevenson
A politician is someone who will lay down your life for his country.
Everyone wants to live at the expense of the State. They forget that the State lives at the expense of everyone. --Frederic Bastiat
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to takeaway everything you have. --President Gerald Ford
Useless laws weaken the necessary ones
Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them. --Lily Tomlin
Bureaucrats do not change the course of the ship of state. They merely adjust the compass.
If presidents don't do it to their wives, they do it to their country.
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.
The decision doesn't have to be logical, it was unanimous.
We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans. -- President Bill Clinton
In the past we have tried too hard to prevent the making of mistakes. --Dan Quale
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers. --Thomas Pynchon
In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments--there are consequences.
No matter who you vote for, the government still gets elected.
Be Patriotic- Question Authority.
No one is free when others are oppressed.
I love my country, but fear my government.
The government is best which governs least --Thomas Jefferson
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism the reverse is true. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Democracy's the worst form of government except for all the others. -Winston Churchill
The difference between a politician and a snail is that a snail leaves its slime behind.
Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt. --Herbert Hoover
Giving money and power to governments is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. --P.J. O'Rourke
The very powerful and very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views... which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.
I either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it. --Ashleigh Brilliant
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will have, nor do they deserve either one.
Without order, nothing can exist; without chaos, nothing can evolve.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. --John F. Kennedy
Conquest is easy, Control is not. --James T. Kirk
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. --John G. Riefenbaker
The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficent warrant. --John Stuart Mill
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. --John F. Kennedy
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying all the wrong remedies. --Groucho Marx
Mankind has corrupted every institution into which it has entered.
The Church and the Government are two prime examples
--J. Mike Reed Jr.
Government logic-- Why get one when you can get two for twice the money?
God giveth, and the government taketh away.
When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates,
there can be no liberty. –Montesquieu
Vote Republican: It's easier than thinking...
War is politics carried out by guns and bullets. –Clausewitz
Democracy can survive anything but democrats
Many that live deserve death. And some that die, deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the wise cannot see all ends.
--Gandalf the Grey, J.R.R. Tolkien
In America anyone can become President. That's just one of the risks you take. --Adlai Stevenson
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