Now what are all of those people doing camped out on Wall Street? Are they socialists? Commies? Anarchists? Left, right? For some reason the television news people don’t like them, which makes me sympathize. What’s going on?
I’ll explain.
Let’s say you are a young couple, newly married, anxious to get your piece of the American dream. And let’s say you decide to open your own hamburger stand.
Your first obstacle will be a maze of federal regulations. They are all well intended, helping out the disabled, protecting the environment, providing for workers’ health. The problem is that there are too many of them and they cost too much.
When I worked in the Bush Senior White House I saw the major companies come in and lobby for these REGS. They wanted them to be required for small businesses too, even businesses with five employees. Why? Because it would knock out the Mom and Pop operations who couldn’t afford them. By driving up costs they could assure that they would have a monopoly on hamburgers. But let’s say your parents mortgage their house and get you the start up money to pass that test.
Second, you will find that your competition controls the meat industry in this country. It is not just that they have volume but rather that their political donations assure that their friends get appointed to government meat inspection agencies. Sometimes, the very people who worked for the company will cross over and become a regulator. You must be prepared for some hair-raising conflicts of interest.
Third, your tax dollars will go to subsidize your competitor, the big hamburger company. Are you aware of this? This could be hundreds of millions of dollars.
There’s just no nice way to say this. Washington is corrupt. The big hamburger company establishes a lobby in Washington, D.C., which you can’t afford to do. They start with a firm of lawyers and former Justice Department prosecutors and meat inspectors. They lobby congress for money for their big hamburger corporation. And they get it.
For example, when I worked in the White House a major hamburger corporation lobbied for money saying that the French government was subsidizing their hamburger industry. Apparently the French felt that American hamburgers represented a cultural invasion. We had to either get a free trade agreement that worked or subsidize our own hamburger company.
Bottom line? Your competition is much larger and more powerful than you and not only controls the price and quality of the meat but takes dollars out of your pocket as an additional subsidy.
Now, here comes the piece de resistance.
Congressman Ron Paul has been railing about the unfairness of the Federal Reserve and the fact that it creates additional money, in secret, unaudited by anyone.
So thanks to Ron Paul, this past year, we were finally given a partial audit of the Federal Reserve. This applied to their activity in 2008. Here is what we learned. We learned that the Federal Reserved loaned out $16 trillion. That’s in one year. Keep in mind, that the entire accumulated national debt is just over $14 trillion. Remember Glenn Beck’s towering charts in his television studio?
And to whom did this money go? Well, banks, including banks that were owned by the members of the Federal Reserve board. Hmmmm. Nice huh? I guess they were secret for a reason. There were also a number of no bid contracts for companies to handle all of this. Here is a sweet tidbit, $3 trillion went to banks in foreign countries. We Americans are generous people. And oh, I almost forget, numerous corporations received this money too. For example, that big hamburger company, the one who needs federal subsidies? I think they got another $500 million interest free loan from the Federal Reserve.
Okay, who paid for that? Well, nobody. It was money “created” by the Federal Reserve. But you should really say that “everybody” paid for it because by increasing the money supply you are diluting its value for the rest of us. You are driving up the cost of wheat. You are causing famine in Africa.
Well, you say, why doesn’t somebody say something about this? They are trying. They are camping out on Wall Street. But then, keep in mind, the only way we can really know what is happening is through the news media. And that big hamburger company advertises in the news media. And one of the companies that got millions of dollars from the Federal Reserve owns one of the television networks.
So if you are that couple, just graduating from college, wanting to get your piece of the American dream? Forget it. You have two choices. Go to Wall Street and camp out. Or get a job at McDonalds. I think they pay $7.25 an hour. (But you can steal food.)
Doug Wead is a New York Times bestselling author and former adviser to two American presidents. He is a senior adviser to Ron Paul.
Doug Wead 
Whew. It’s all a bit overwhelming.
Hey Shawn good to hear from you
More than overwhelming! 🙂 Let’s say you’re a young educated couple wanting to live your dream and your first obstacle is making only 400 dollars a month as teachers.
You work hard and get a Master’s degree at one of America’s best colleges.
You get experience teaching at one of the best schools in America–
but you have two kids now and have to go to the food bank twice a week just to eat because you are paid so little. A picture of you at the food bank lands on the front page of the newspaper– in the teacher lounge. 🙂
You take a second job at the grocery store (for the employee discount) and a third job at the local community college.
Working 60 plus hrs a week and sinking.
(The self-sufficiency standard wage for a family of four is around 48,000 dollars, and you have never been paid anything close to that, even as a highly qualified full time educator.)
You develop major depression. You are hospitalized several times.
Then to keep your family together you take a job teaching 6 classes and coaching 2 sports teams for 21,000 a year– because you are also given room and board.
People notice the impact that major depression has on your work and your passion for family, ministry, and education, and you try to explain why you are more than a bit overwhelmed and that you want to keep the dreams of teaching and ministry and family alive. And you try your best to not listen to the familiar chorus of forget its! But–believe me– it is very, very difficult.
Doug,
While I fully agree with your assessment of the problem I think you’re giving too much credit to the Occupy Wall Street folks. They’re outraged for sure, but I doubt you’ll find any that could accurately articulate what you’ve said here. That is ultimately the problem. They’re complaining about global warming, minimum wage, unions, war, corporate greed and who knows what else. No organization, no clear message, means no one listens.
Maybe some of them should read this and settle on a specific agenda.
Good point, you’re right.
Doug,
If there is no leader right now, why doesn’t Ron Paul get there and give his end the fed speech and lead the people to the truth? I am sure there are enough supporters of the good Dr. there already, unless these kids that don’t know what is going on actually do know and are trying to co-opt this movement and keep the cockroaches in the dark, then that effort would be wasted, unfortunately.
They should all read the article for sure.
One of the problems is that people don’t have the articulation or knowledge necessary. They know something is screwed up, and they’re angry, so they’re there. They know some people are corrupt, but they believe that most people aren’t. They just don’t have the knowledge of how the Federal Reserve inflates currency, and thanks to the government we no longer track the actual money supply numbers.
It’s brutal. I know most of the people out there don’t understand what’s actually happening, but the effort should be made to educate them.
I’m inclined to the view that a disorganized, ragtag bunch of people fed up with the status quo is better than no protest at all.
Rock: This is not at all how it is though. This is just how the mainstream media has been portraying it. From an inside perspective, yes we are angry, but we are not all “young, liberal hippies” we are not all uninformed. We are educated, many overeducated and underemployed. I think one of the major points of the protest IS to educate the public or at the very least, make people aware that there is a problem outside of their favorite Jersey Shore episode or their blog and get them off their butts and into action. This is the first step, in its infancy, and this is a process not a single event.
That is specifically why I appreciate pieces like this. It gives a voice to the people who are protesting because they know there are some serious injustices in the current system, leading to the rich 1% getting richer and the rest of us, the 99%, losing out. It is for this reason I am choosing to participate in the protests in my home town. I hope to educate them about the solutions we need and how we must first occupy the white house with the only man on our side, Ron Paul, in order to begin to tackle the corruption between Washington and Wall Street.
100% agree with that. Someone needs to take the lead.
You’re certainly not wrong about the absence of a discernible, specific agenda, but I can’t help but feel that we’re really only seeing a tiny demographic sliver of the occupation of Wall Street.I haven’t physically been to Wall Street or spoken to any of the protesters, but it seems to me that the the organizers did attempt to create a framework within which their occupation would be held. The problem – that which they didn’t anticipate – is that Occupy Wall Street escalated at an enormous pace and drew to it dissenters from right across the sociopolitical spectrum, thus broadening the issues being aired during the protest. I don’t think that that discounts the protest – maybe the reason so many different people are being drawn to Occupy Wall Street is indicative of the problem itself. EVERYTHING’S wrong!
You are so right.
But it seems to be evolving into something partisan. For example, there is no questioning of Obama. It is as if he is not in power and has no responsibility for policy and regulatory decisions. It’s as if they think Nixon is still president. Ha.
You make this assessment based on what you’ve been told about the protestors. A lot of them have this exact view, but this particular argument is and has been completely hidden from mainstream media… For obvious, corrupt reasons.
this has been going on for a long time. Another good example is the USDA and Monsanto who seem to trade employees ona regular basis. isn;t it amazing how the “food pyramid (or now “plate”)” doesn’t come from the Surgeons Generals office but from the USDA? It is no accident that it has such a large emphasis on grains while Americans continue to have more problems with obesity.
Wow…Just glancing at this article, I thought of: Herman Cain, Godfather’s Pizza, National Restaurant Association lobbyist, Federal Reserve chairman, Security and Prosperity Partnership…Need I say more?
Is Ron Paul ghost writing for you Doug? Because you sound like a grumpy old man: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/184931-cain-paul-is-a-grumpy-old-man-romney-has-good-hair LOL
And this is just one sliver of the corruption. We’ve got asthma inhalers being pulled off the shelves so the everyday person will now have to buy more expensive, less effective prescription inhalers (most likely so the drug company makes an extra buck). We have the FDA trying to make sure vitamins and herbs can only be available by prescription. We have incandescent light bulbs taken off the shelves “in favor” of a new “green” lead-filled ugly curly-q bulb. Our toilets are less effective due to less water waste “green” regulations (it takes 3 or 4 flushes just to do the same job!!), ….. It’s in the medical industry, military industry, Congress, the executive branch, FDA, FCC, EPA, “no child left behind” which is actually taking away from the creative energies of teachers, etc……….on and on and on and on. It’s shocking that most people didn’t notice all this till now. No wonder they’re in an uproar. It just seems that so many Americans are oblivious to what our rule of law is, how our country started, and the basic ideals this country is all about……they don’t know what to latch onto as the reason why it’s all happening and they can’t see the forest for the trees. They’re picking and choosing things without a deeper understanding as to how it can be stopped. They see Wall Street bankers but fail to see the Federal Reserve and how it’s actions destroy their own money. Those who see the Federal Reserve forget that Congress is directly responsible for the never-ending spending. Those who do not understand the Constitution do not understand that there are limits placed on the federal government to stop that spending. And without a better understanding of how this country began, they don’t realize how repulsive central economic planning was to the colonists or that they knew exactly what a central bank would do to the people. Then there are those who don’t know enough world history to understand the direction their decisions today will take us if they are not careful. History repeats itself once again. But I’m hopeful that this will get people doing their research to really learn what is going on and how to fix it. We do have the internet and seems we are finding the truth a lot faster these days. The one thing I have noticed about these protests is that more people understand they have a right to protest (even if we don’t agree with all the ideology). That is a good sign.
Wow, are you ignorant. Curly-Q bulbs? Did you pass high school science? Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient, meaning that they require less power than the equivalent incandesncet lamp, meaning that it costs much less to use. Lead-filled? No, they utilize mercury, not lead. And guess what? The incandescent lights that you want to keep in your house have LEAD.
Low flow toilets are required per the building and plumbing codes, not some government-backed plot against the average consumer. They save people money by using only the amount of water needed to do the job, costing again much less and saving people money. They are designed to be efficient. With the costs of utilities (that means water and power), then you would think that you’d be all for saving money. Using less power and water means saving money. Don’t you have something more important to do than to spout ignorance? You probably read crap on the internet and assume that everything you read is true.
I’ll expand on what what the people who have posted so far have said, in disagreement but in more agreement with Doug.
I’ve watched the planning of OccupyWallStreet from the beginning on the web (i’m a programmer and security/hacking enthusiast). It’s coming from the basic fact that big international banking interests have hijacked our economic sovereignty among others in Europe which, to me, is very obvious. People are being pushed into a corner and they are fed up and now people are pissed or getting to that point. The difference today in the occupation is now there are many people joining that are only protesting against specific items like student loans, taxes, etc. which are just byproducts of the fundamental problem rooting from the federal reserve and the interests it serves which are not in line with economic sovereignty or ANY sovereignty for that matter.
Now, what the media is doing is spinning it, as usual. They seem to love and support the protesters demanding tax hikes on “the rich” which is a fraud and something the media is pushing and what Obama is also looking to push because that’s exactly what the international banking interest, we were talking about earlier, would love to see happen because that pushes up basic prices due to the fact that it limits the competitions because those “rich” people they are talking about who are making 250k/year are the only ones who can create a real economy. This Warren Buffet plan is a fraud. The ULTRA rich like Gates, Rockefellers, Rothschilds, etc will NEVER pay those taxes because they basically wash their own money through offshore banks and end up paying little or nothing.
As far as the other protesters go, the media has been interviewing nothing but odd-balls who look and talk like an autistic person to demonstrate an illiterate base in the facts about why people are protesting.
All in all, what I see is a co-op by a Obama tax hike faction that has no bearing on the events in general. They are taking advantage of the photo opportunity, spin in, demonize it and move on.
The concept is SIMPLE. Individual depression is essentially where someone has two or more on-going issues in their life where they are powerless to change or stop the issues (death, lost job, divorce, etc) and they feel helpless and lose care. Imagine applying that technique on a mass society. It’s been done and done beautifully as far as technique goes. Make people so helpless, so depressed, where debt and regulation makes it so hard to succeed in a nation where freedom and success was built. That’s depression! Now people are vulnerable.
Ron Paul recognizes this and I’m glad you pointed him out. The media is counting on people not realizing how important what he is talking about, really is.
Amazing. Everyone should read what you have written. Are there many Ron Paul people on the ground up there?
Yes, there are many RP people on the ground from my groups and RP supporter friends who understand exactly what is going on. There are also ill-informed losers who seem to get the interviews by design. It’s sad, but true. “They” have hijacked this movement, just like they have hijacked the Tea Party. Ron Paul needs to be on the ground. One of the comments on Adam Kokesh’s interview with these “fake” or ill-informed protesters was: “These are the protesters that deserve to be beaten” lol Great article Doug! As informed as I like to think I am, I always learn something when you or Ron Paul speak! Thank you!
To add proof to my comments, I came across an example interview from FOX that they DID NOT air on TV (that was apparently leaked from a FOX employee) to prove that they don’t want intellectual protesters being heard and only want to bully the half-wits they pull out of the crowd.
This video can only be viewed by those with this link as it is not public yet.
Thanks for writing about this Mr. Wead.
Point well made, however, is there possibly a caution here for Dr. Paul to not be seen as another opportunist in the same manner as you mentioned the “Obama tax hike faction.” What becomes the best way for him to court OccupyWallStreet without being seen as trying to hijack it’s momentum or spin it to his favor? We realize that the message is essentially the same, but do they?
Much the way the Ron Paul movement was hijacked and spun into the “Tea Party” then subsequently discredited, how do we encourage it without discrediting both them and Ron…
Not really looking for answers just something to think on.
I agree that the “occupy” folks don’t have a cohesive message; it’s more about general unhappiness (some of which, based on their accounts, is more attributable to plain old bad luck than anything “the man” is doing to “keep them down”) than about identifying specific problems and demanding specific answers.
OTOH, I certainly see Ron Paul as being the most positive influence for small businesses, compared to other 2012 Presidential candidates. It’s hard to get that message out through the broad influence of Big Gover-Corp.
Why does everyone mock Ron Paul instead of fight back with facts. Paul has concrete evidence for the vast majority of what he says. Yet everyone wines, calls him old (he may be, but that doesn’t make him incorrect or other candidates better choices), and thinks he is crazy, or just ignores him altogether. Not only that, the majority of what he says that people don’t agree with is the cold, hard truth. No one likes the truth in this country… but they’re ok with listening to everything the news was paid to tell them.
“Why does everyone mock Ron Paul instead of fight back with facts.”
Because they can’t. Because they know that to engage Paul in a real debate would be like taking a kazoo to a gun fight. Because it would show all who watched just how intellectually bankrupt the Paul-haters are and how corrupt the Establishment really is… Better to name-call… Sadly it seems to work with a lot of people.
I agree with you but the fact that words like “sheeple” and other similar monikers exist point to the reality that the masses who accept delusions and pseudo truths as facts without thinking critically do exist. Whatever the reason, education system, tv, etc, it seems to be true that uneducated or (misinformed) people are easier to control. The saddest part is that you cannot make someone wake up to reality if they prefer the delusions.
“The great trouble with most men is that those who have been educated become uneducated just as soon as they stop inquiring and investigating life and its problems for themselves” – Newton Diehl Baker
Hi Doug,
You’re absolutely right, but the problem with the OWS people is that they are not actually against those things; they blame capitalism for the woes created by government. A majority of the institutions they are demanding be empowered are the cause of the problems they are railing against.
Yeah, I can see that.
Doug Goldman Sachs has a revolving door into government and regulators like the CFTC (after Brooksley Borne) and the treasury and any other place they can get their grubby hands.
All the big banks, like Citi, JP Morgan, etc. OWN GOVERNMENT. GE, GM, they OWN GOVERNMENT and they get bailed out or put into places of power.
Remove money from politics and the sociopathic politicians will lose interest for other fields. Politicians are supposed to be civil SERVANTS yet they are whores for corporations and UNCIVIL plunderers.
“Remove money from politics and the sociopathic politicians will lose interest for other fields.”
That’ll never happen. The only real solution is to *remove* gov’t. If we can stuff the Fed’l gov’t back into its Constitutional box, that’d be a good start. Call in the Ron Paul demo team for some serious downsizing!
What needs to happen is a law should be passed stating 2 premises. 1) Any lobbyist offering an incentive of any kind in exchange for votes, and any politician accepting said incentive should face a mandatory 10 year prison sentence. My reasoning on this is that any idea worth its merit does not need an incentive. 2) Anyone who has formerly worked for a corporation who could benefit from said person being in a political position should be barred from being able to assume the role on the basis that it is a conflict of interest.
Just those 2 points turned into law would radically eliminate much of the corruption we are witnessing.
Nah – politics is about power as much as it is about money. Unless you take away the power, (ie; make the government much much smaller) the money isn’t going to go away either.
Micahlmartin has an important point. We need to print out articles like you wrote Mr Wead and distribute them to protesters to educate them. We can’t have them promoting more socialist policies when we are up to our brows in them and drowning because of them.
Well, I agree.
Try being a tattoo artist. Local government fights you every step of the way. What representative defends us? We are usually the whipping boy for local and state reps. Thanks for the great post Mr. Wear. I wish Ron Paul would go down and educate those people. My first thought is that the protests would move very quickly to the root and bank of the problem.
Good luck trying to explain this to the #OccupySesameStreet crowd, the vast majority of what I hear there is people asking Washington to take more control, which as we know all too well, is what causes this madness.
Doug, I’d like to share an exchange with you from earlier this morning on facebook. It was between a girl I know from the ‘punk rock’ scene in NYC. She is one of the main organizers of Occupy Wall Street. She invited me to help with this months ago. After doing my own research, I declined.
Brent Davey
Hey Occupy Wall Street– The fascists and oligarchs appreciate all of the work you’re doing for them.
Like · · 3 hours ago
NAME WITHHELD·
Care to explain?
3 hours ago ·
Brent Davey
Because although crime is rampant on Wall Street, no one is asking what these specific crimes are or how they work. Greed is not just a quality of Wall Street, we all share responsibility for this mess we’re in. You want the government to protect you from big business. That won’t happen because they live in a symbiotic relationship with big business. Fascism, if you care about accurate definitions. But to the people down there that I interviewed, anyone that makes money is evil. That is intellectually sloppy and counterproductive to freedom. If Apple and facebook operated like that you wouldn’t be able to use their products to spread your message. To make everyone economically equal through democratic means is their goal. Egalitarianism. The fascists and oligarchs benefit from this kind of sentiment because they are in the position to provide goods and services with little to no competition. You get what you get. You pay what it costs. Occupy Wall street wants guaranteed things. They don’t care what that does to prices, because everything is “free.” Well nothing is free unless you advocate slavery. And then it still isn’t free. The situation in the economy is going to get much worse, and too many people think this is because of capitalism. It’s not. Privileged corporations and massive government agencies (that were instituted under the auspices of protecting people from the very things they’re doing) are the cause. The Federal Reserve and the Pentagon are on the top of that list, but there and many, many other Praetorian agencies are rampant criminals and are sucking us dry. Occupy wallstreet wants fairness. That is a subjective and childish demand. What you should be demanding is rule of law. If you want more government to protect us from the obvious ills that’s just asking for more foxes to protect the hen house. Theft, coercion and murder need to be outlawed. You and I probably disagree on how to bring fairness and a fighting chance back, but i think there are more pressing matters that we will agree on. I will get down with your cause if you support the Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich coalition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLdcB0ln9t8&feature=player_embedded
Nader, Ron Paul, Kucinich Speak to Occupy Wall Street
http://www.youtube.com
Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, and Dennis Kucinich offer words of wisdom to the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Occupy Wall Street movement has tremendous potential…
2 hours ago
NAME WITHHELD
good luck with that! You missed the point! I should have gone with my gut on you! Now I will. Where can I send cookies for your tea party? Your response was rude and winded there for went in one ear and out the other.
about an hour ago · Ps its not a cause its a reality and its growing and you are not the only one it scares.
about an hour ago · Like
Brent Davey
My intention is not to be rude, and I really don’t think I was. I’m just calling it like I see it, on my own facebook page. I’m not a part of any party. I just believe in freedom. Majority rule does not work in mental institutions.
about an hour ago · Like · 1 person
Brent Davey And by the way, I advocated a coalition of three people. Ralph Nader, who ran for president in the Green Party. Ron Paul, a republican. And Dennis Kucinich, democrat. But you want to label me a member of the tea party. Who’s the one that thinks on party lines? That type of attack is called ad hominem. It is a logical fallacy, and strangely enough, widely considered rude.
That was an interesting exchange. Your response was brilliant and right on the money–no pun intended. Life, liberty and property are the solutions…and a true understanding of “The Law” is what’s needed. Unfortunately, this is the dilemma that I deal with when discussing these issues with people. Many have been propagandized and manipulated by the country’s educational system and MSM outlets. They are completely ignorant to principles of freedom. We need to tirelessly, unflaggingly educate and plant seeds of liberty every chance we get. Please keep up the GREAT work. We must if we are to prevent this country from completely slipping into tyranny. Truth will prevail!
“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” —Thomas Jefferson
With regard to socialism/egalitarianism, I found that one way to get through to some of the younger protesters (especially students) is to use an analogy that they can relate to while simultaneously being one that is unrelated to money. This keeps the capitalism argument out of the equation for the moment which reduces defensiveness. By the end of the analogy, most get it, it sinks in. They can pretty much conclude on their very own that this mechanism can apply to money, or any other thing that can be redistributed.
So here goes my analogy:
You are a student and you have worked hard to earn A’s in your classes. Now, your fellow students did not get A’s but they also didn’t work as hard as you did either. No, in fact, they stayed out late with friends, watched too much t.v., etc. But that’s not fair. They want as good of grade as you. Therefore, you must give up your A’s and share it with them so that everyone gets their fair share. The end result is that the grades are averaged out so that everyone receives the same grade. Sound good to you?
Btw, I am a Ron Paul supporter. For those of you out there who are also, keep up the good fight. We can win this!
Brilliant, it’s a shame that she couldn’t see the truth even as it was spelled out for her though. As the saying goes, for the ship with no port, no wind is favorable, and that may be the future for OWS.
Doug,
I was hoping to find some conclusion on whether or not you think Ron Paul should go to this event and speak there.
I think it would do wonders for the campaign – first of all the NYC voting registration deadline ends on the 14th, I think. Second, it would take 5 seconds to explain that there has been one politician in Washington fighting against Wall Street getting bailed out on behalf of the common man.
I assume most people there are Obama supporters. There are definitely a lot of them. But Ron could easily tell a crowd of thousands that Obama gets the most support from Wall Street (Goldman Sachs) and he bailed them out, when Ron Paul gets minimal support from Wall Street and actively fought against the bailouts.
If he could highlight the similarities this protest has with his message of fighting federal tyranny and corporatism, he could have thousands of new supporters registering to vote for him. He should do everything he can to try and organize a speech/rally there.
I love it. I will pass this on. But given what people are saying would it be a political risk? If they are as unknowing of the process as some are now saying, they might turn on him. Thoughts?
Hi Doug, great article. I feel like many of these protestors are re-treads of the Bush era “No War for Oil” ilk. Sadly they are uninformed of political process and procedure. The quiet elephant in the room is the looming voter registration deadlines.
Assume the liberty movement as a standard bell curve.
Occupy Wall Street is basically the tail end of the liberty movement, those who don’t really know what is wrong or what to do about it yet, but want to do something so they yell and scream like little babies and then cry because they did not get their way, (a lot like the Ron Paul 2008 campaign…Think Blimps, think Ron Paul Limo, think Strippers for Ron Paul, all fun/fringe ideas, but lead to laughs not votes) They are not sure of their political identity, or cannot clearly articulate how/why of their understandings. Some are disillusioned Obama supporters some perhaps are Ron Paul supporters who don’t know how to better use their energy, communication skills etc.
The middle is the average Ron Paul supporter, who understand liberty better than most and understands how we get delegates, how open/closed primaries works, what a precinct is. The right end of the bell curve would be Rand Paul and the few cerebral types who not only understand liberty, but also understand our political power structure.
The campaign needs to focus on the middle group, not the far left confused or far right cerebral types…Most voters will identify with the average RP supporter hopefully. To take this from a Finance perspective, think Brinson Hood Beebower “Determinants of Portfolio Performance” which is the basis of almost every large investment plan/policy, whereas reducing risk and minimizing costs are of great importance. If we focus on the left tail you will have trouble rebranding Ron Paul to the middle group who does not fall into the global activism role. (Think the effect of 9-11 truthers has had for Ron Paul campaign-we appreciate their support, but overall they hurt his image because the middle sector does not WANT to identify with them, ie like the one single donation from FL in 2008 who happened to be a white supremacist of some sort, was the bad press worth his $100-or whatever amount it was?)
Occupy Wall Street could become a huge distraction for the Ron Paul campaign, and its effect could result as a stocking horse for the establishment candidates Obama included (especially because of the closed primary states registration deadlines, and primary acceleration) as it would appears to be a passionate group of people to boost the campaign, this could be extremely dangerous as it would be the tail waging the dog.
Ron Paul’s philosophy is slightly at odds with modern political theory that is… “win at all costs, get everyone to like you no matter what they like you for”. He would like the country to be run by the tail (individuals/states) and he also likes how much of the support is from grassroots, but if the grassroots do not get the water they need, in the form of support from the RP2012 campaign (via making the message simple to understand be it the “9-9-9 plan” or “Read my lips-no new taxes” “compassionate conservatism” “Building a bridge to the 21st century” “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” “Change We Can Believe In” these are so easy to repeat and understand even illiterate people can not sure “Restore America Now” cuts it, every winning Prez has had a few slogans perhaps except for Reagans 4 years ago one… and replicate and by making Ron easy to love) they will wither from exhaustion-be it time, money, personal life issues etc or get distracted from the activism de jour like Occupy Wall Street.
You don’t win a Presidential campaign solely on grassroots activism we learned that in 2008, and it is especially dangerous when you let the grassroots take the lead-that is how your message loses clarity, polarizes itself and self combusts.
This is very wise. Now you are sounding like Jesse Benton.
Very wise. Sounds like Jesse Benton.
Well, truth is the “official” Occupy message seems rather unclear and amorphous, but some things are clear:
– These people are fed up with our current system of government.
– These people desperately seek a revolution.
– These people object to Wall Street getting bailed out at the expense of the common man.
These are all characteristics clearly evident in the “Ron Paul Revolution.” NO living politician is better for the fighting, revolutionary spirit than Ron Paul. Considering the majority of Paul supporters are not traditional Republicans, and many are former Obama supporters, Ron Paul could in the process get thousands of new independents/Democrats to vote for him in the primaries. The ripple effect could be immense.
The political risks of that hypothetical situation are certainly to be considered, but also consider that –
– Ron Paul is never one to withhold a message he feels is true because it would be “politically inconvenient”.
– The only people who would accuse him of being a neo-liberal communist and etc. are people who have sadly already written him off. You know, the neoconservatives who would NEVER vote for him.
– If anything, this would seriously reinforce the message that Ron Paul is the only one who can defeat Obama, by winning over independents and Democrats.
My belief is that Ron Paul haters will hate him regardless, and a speech to a very assorted group of people pissed at the government will not make a difference. Any negative comments about that event would be by people who are ALREADY looking for a reason to write off Ron Paul as a nut. Might some people find it alarming that he’s associating with these people? Yes, but by the same token, would not have most of Ron Paul’s current supporters be alarmed by speeches at Tea Party movements several years ago? Ron Paul’s entire campaign and message are “political risks” in and of themselves!
This would be him making a speech there, stressing that liberty can join both sides of the political spectrum, and picking up a whole lot of Democratic and Independent votes. These people have friends, those friends have friends, etc. The Ron Paul campaign needs non-traditional Republican votes, because let’s face it – the Republican Party is still largely neoconservative and he WILL get booed at some debates whether we like it or not.
That’s just my opinion, and if I could tell Dr. Paul to make the trip to NYC before voting registration shuts down, I would. Maybe I’m overhyping this and making it into a bigger deal than it really could be, but just things to consider. Winning the primaries must be the goal, and in a largely neocon dominated GOP, Democrats and Independents are extremely valuable.
Doug, don’t want to post too much as I’m sure you’ve got your hands full with all these comments, but there are two things you really should check out. One is a link at the DailyPaul called “The Greatest Opportunity We May Have To Bring People to Ron Paul”, and the other is a youtube video called “Occupy Wall Street Protestor on Federal Reserve.”
– http://www.dailypaul.com/181299/the-greatest-opportunity-we-may-have
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZmPWcLQ1Mk&feature=share
To some extent, I think it’s too perfect for Ron Paul: these are people searching desperately for a revolution, want to fight the current system of government, and are practically begging for a representative to share with and voice their dissent. Young people are naturally drawn to this campaign, and who cares if they’re all socialists or commies (even though that’s not the case ) – much of Ron Paul’s current support probably identified as such before they were exposed to him!
Liberty is universal, and capitalism is not to blame for our woes but rather crony capitalism. If there is one man in this country who can get young, open minds to accept that and vote for him, it’s Dr. Ron Paul. This is coming from someone who was an ardent socialist before I listened to Ron Paul on youtube for an hour and was immediately forced to reconsider my political beliefs.
This is a golden opportunity to lead the discussion, educate, and gain converts. Don’t want to make it seem like a cult, but you know more than most how important this is. The ideology of this movement is still being framed, and I think you should relay the message to somebody that the time is ripe for Ron Paul to try and steer it in his direction. The Tea Party was hijacked by anti-freedom neocons for the worse; Ron Paul can “hijack” a politically amorphous group for the better.
I
From what it seems the Tea Party and OWS are at odds with one another. The only thing they have in common is they are angry and have chosen activism (probably the poorest method to inspire real/significant change or get someone elected) as their method of unifying their frustration.
The Million Dollar question is how much will Ron Paul benefit from addressing OWS? There is potential-no doubt. However OWS has already a left image, and in the voting block Ron is trying to appeal to most people consider themselves more right than left-he is running for the Republican nomination. He needs to focus on winning minds of people on the right, NOW, and he can focus on educating the left after he has earned the nomination. Ron Paul has enough trouble from people calling him a “Libertarian” not a Republican, even though he is running for the Republican ticket. In 2007 he was asked, “Are you running for the right party?” implying that he was a liberal or Democrat, these scars still exist, we do not need to open these wounds and distort the present reality of running a Republican campaign. If OWS began next year and Ron had the nomination I would say by all means address it, but he doesn’t have the nomination and it is not 2012.
Consider “Critical Mass” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass) Using the logic of the posters who think Ron should address OWS, he should also join/co-opt/address Critical Mass because Ron likes to ride his bike and likes voluntary action. NO! That doesn’t make any sense, it would be fun, but it would not win him the nomination. The same dimwits think sign waving earns votes. How dumb do you think those potential voters are that they would vote for someone just because they saw a sign? I was in SC in 2007/8 and there were 10:1 Ron Paul signs and bumper stickers compared to any other Republican candidate and he didn’t even get 5%!!! Have some respect for the process, it takes a long time and lots of focus, not a stupid rally.
These movements be it political OWS, the Tea Party, or pseudo political like Critical Mass do not win elections. They polarize people, and piss people off who do not associate themselves with that group. Tea Party is relatively new, but much older than OWS, to such an extent we can already see the results of those who participated in it. Think Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, and our golden boy Ron Paul-all have been blackballed or are considered “unelectable” Then think about, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry who did not participate and have been designated top-tier. Do the math, OWS may be good for the message of liberty, but it is bad news for Ron Paul’s campaign. Maybe my math is wrong. Correct me if I am off base.
If Ron can go there and somehow educate them to what’s really going on then it might be productive. Somehow he needs to get it through their thick skulls it’s Crony Capitalism or Corporatism that we have in this country. Ron needs to point them in the direction of the Criminal Federal Reserve Banking Cartel. They are the ROOT of the problem. Everyone needs to demand Ben Bernanke resign immediately as a starting point for reform.
This is a beutiful Tour De Force into the basics in the American economy.
Hehe, enjoy.
J. Napolitans The Fall of an Empire(AKA: the plain thruh).
Its infact a razorsharp analysis of the owerall sitation in the USA.
One Simple Principle needs to be agreed upon to bring Occupy and Ron Paul TOGETHER:
No Individual or Government has the Right to initiate force on any other individual – the non-aggression principle is easy enough for the Occupy movement to understand and agree with. To use force to “do good” or not to use force to “do good” that IS the question.
Harm No one, Let No One Harm You.
Nice work Doug! Regulatory reform should definitely be the goal, namely in the form of repealing regulations.
This feels very much like the Tea Party, where there’s no real figurehead so you have to make assumptions about a ton of individuals rallying to make a grand gesture: there’s something crooked on Wall Street. There’s something crooked in our banks. That’s the message I’m taking as a whole, even if the solutions the individuals are proposing are varied and often will be wrong in direction, they’re right in spirit.
Martin Armstrong:
The movement known as Occupy Wall Street has been going on since September 17th, 2011. It is now showing to the world that the constitutional rights of the American people do not exist. There is no right to peaceful assembly and to see NYPD at its finest acting like communist thugs, is a sign of the times and what awaits us on the horizon. The Internet is the only real news any more for everything else is in some way tainted. The majority of the news broadcasts are skipping this story of covering it very, very little. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z8MJKsCypc
It is a shame that Wall Street gets all the blame. It is not the stock brokers nor is it the “corporate greed” of every corporation lumped together that is to blame. The corruption that has turned the country inside-out is the Market Manipulators who for decades now have been trying to rig the game to make that Perfect Trade with no risk. To me, they are not even real men. They hide behind the mask of Wall Street when they are not part of the system at all. They are simply parasites who lack the intelligence to actually trade and stand upon their own research. Instead, they pay bribes to Russian officials to recall platinum for a pretend inventory so they can screw the auto producers. They are the Market Manipulators that move silver from New York to London to pretend there is a shortage. They are the Market Manipulators who bribe IMF officials to keep loans going to Russia so they can buy bonds at 30% interest rates. They are the Market Manipulators that constructed time bombs out of mortgages and ensured the rating agencies would bless them as AAA so they could sell them to everyone.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. This is NOT Wall Street! This is a dark back ally that feels safe because they control the press, the courts, the Justice Department, Congress, and local police. They line the pockets of politicians to run for office. They stack government with their own people in unelected jobs. In the end, it is not corporate greed, it is the greed of Market Manipulators that are simply a parasite that feed upon the system and anyone who dares to expose them, and they will attack with a vengeance using the police powers of government and label what they say as conspiracy theory to discredit their accusers. Yes America “Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against the dying of the light” of freedom and liberty as Dylan Thomas put so elegantly. But rage wisely. Do not be fooled and attack the decoy. If you want reform, know who your enemy truly is! It is not Wall Street. It is the parasites that feed on it.
Click to access armstrongeconomics-occupy-wall-street-100111.pdf
I see the network news doesn’t know how to compartmentalize the “Occupy Wallstreet” crowd…they are trying to spin it like they are all on Obama’s side and that the crowd just wants to tax the rich.
Why isn’t anyone in jail after frauding the world with junk paper while pushing it as AAA bundles. The bankers are criminals, but they are above the law. Goldman Sachs in particular was neck deep in fraud, yet Obama filled up his staff with Goldman Sachs advisors like tax cheat, Timothy Geithner. That’s hope and change for you.
Wachovia was caught providing planes to smuggle the drug lords drugs into the US while laundering millions of the drug money, yet no one went to jail, only a small fine was levied.
The ATF was shipping thousands of guns to the drug cartels in Mexico, but Obama gave the leaders a promotion to a cushy desk job in Washington. No one went to jail at the ATF.
This one’s excellent as well – Armstrong Economics: The Dollar and It’s Reserve Currency Status (Martin Armstrong, 10/02/11) http://armstrongeconomics.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/armstrongeconomics-dollar-and-reserve-currency-100211.pdf
Someone needs to get Ron in touch with Martin Armstrong. Here’s his latest interview on KingWorldNews.com where Ron has appeared as well. http://www.kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/Broadcast/Entries/2011/10/2_Martin_Armstrong_files/Martin%20Armstrong%2010%3A2%3A2011.mp3
Martin Armstrong is the former head of Princeton Economics. He’s the guy who every central banker in the world went to for economic advice/reports in the 70’s. He was just released from prison as a political prisoner.
Doug,
Since you have access to Ron Paul’s perpetually moving ears, may I suggest you; a) teach him how to relax when challenged so he doesn’t get high pitched and stuttering
b) let him know that Herman Cain is a mini Ken Lay (ENRON) This is big. Mother Jones: “Herman Cain’s Enron-esque Disaster” “As chair of the compensation committee, Cain also saw fit to dole out $30 million in bonuses, not including stock options, to the top five execs at Aquila in 2002, with the company’s stock plummeting. A month after the Kansas City Star reported on the hefty bonuses in July 2002, the company laid off 500 employees, and the losses to employees holding company stock had reached hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“As a board member, Cain would’ve had direct knowledge of Aquila’s activities, says Fred Taylor Isquith, a New York attorney who litigated the employee class action. Asked if it was fair to place blame on Cain for the debacle at Aquila, Isquith replied, “Yes, I believe it is.”
c) Mother Jones: “Herman Cain: Austerity for You, Ritz Carlton for Me”
The GOP presidential hopeful’s campaign is spending more than it’s raising—and a lot of that money is being spent on planes, chauffeurs, and five-star hotels.
Thanks Doug.
I appreciate your work.
Angelo
Fascinating. You should blog on this.
The four things “Occupy Wall Street” should demand immediately:
1. Bring our troops home NOW!
2. Repeal the patriot act
3. Stop deficit spending
4. Audit the federal reserve.
This article perfectly sums it up. Thank you
Anyone who is there… copy this article small onto one sheet of paper. Make zillions of copies and hand them to everyone there. Get all these people reading this article. It will open eyes!
Doug, this is an excellently written article. I look forward to learning more about you.
My rationale for supporting Ron Paul and Occupy Wall Street is simple. “Too Big to Fail” and its architect Hank Paulsen decided it would be easier to protect the wealthy aristocracy of america by calling them the “financial system”. Well now the “financial system” has more rights than me. F* Wall street. F* the FED, the money lender to the “financial system”.
Excellent writing Doug pretty well round up. As one protester says, here I stand on a space which is ought to be free. I hope when everything is settled the people upstairs can say “greed shall imprison us all”.
I hope that lots and lots of people hear from you so that they get the idea that the right wing side is not all about just wanting to hand over everything to the military and corporations. Everyone is really angry because they know of these subsidies.
In Canada, a lot of people in the know say that the US is the largest welfare state – in terms of corporate and military welfare. And when will people realize that “free markets” are somewhat perverted because that generally means the oligarchs fix them?
Corruption is our enemy. If the next administration doesn’t START OUT by indicting and convicting all these vermin who are responsible for the GREATEST THEFT in human history, the country will simply flounder until leadership, honor, and fairness returns.
Incidentally, by “vermin”, I don’t mean “corporations.” I’m talking about the politicians who promulgated the taxpayer backed loans to people who couldn’t afford them, and the vermin who started this global catastrophe, just to asdd some zeros to their personal bank accounts.
Well, it’s encouraging that people are beginning to understand. I am just catching on a little to what has happened.
I hope Ron Paul’s campaign is trying to pass out literature to the masses of folks down there. What a great opportunity to help connect some of the dots to those who are starting to awaken to what’s going on around them.
How can we for once get heard? What is a way to actually get this ON the media? This blows my mind. The government was set up for us, THE PEOPLE, yet the people don’t matter?
You’ll get heard when the protest reach a size that can’t be swept under the rug anymore. The protests will reach a critical size only when Jon Doe comprehends whats going on, which probably won’t happen because Jon has other interests, such as beer, women and football…
In my humble opinion, Dr. Paul should go and speak the truth. Not sure how you would go about arranging it but if it was done right, it could potentially go over great. Several there would likely already be supporters, and many others would be receptive to a real alternative. I don’t know what this protesting is all about, but I know you can’t just tell people to stop being greedy. We have to have an intelligent conversation about why we’re here and how we get out of it. Paul is the man to lead this charge. It would show he has balls. You shouldn’t worry much about political risk being as you’re currently blacked out in the MSM.
A previous commenter is correct — Ron Paul needs a bottom line, an effective slogan. His advisors need to read the book MAKING IT STICK.
How about this one: “Fix the problems, not the symptoms.”
Ron Paul could talk to the Occupy Wall Street crowd in a Socratic fashion. All he has to do is ask the right questions. The people will come to the only possible conclusions. And they’ll be empowered by their having discovered the actual problem.
In all areas of life, but in our current situation in particular, there can be no solutions to anything without first identifying and explicitly defining the underlying problem. We Ron Paul supporters know what the problems are but one of those problems is corporatism, and the media is a part of that, and that problem doesn’t want anyone to see past the symptoms it chooses to whine about at opportune times.
“Fix the problems, not the symptoms.” Take it, or something along those lines, run with it. Please. This is Ron Paul’s opening to talk about his main points. He needs to constantly refer people to his website as well so they can read his platform for themselves.
Rather than occupying Wall Street, we need to OCCUPY THE FEDERAL RESERVE!
I agree 100%. And if people are willing to go out and protest, not really knowing what the truth behind the problems are, can you imagine what they would do once they learn the shocking truth of it all and the criminals in charge who have hijacked the United States?
Contraty to right wing rhetorical bullshit belief,the #OccupyWallSt.org protesters know exactly what they stand for although many of them won’t take the time to answer stupid questions.They’ve known since before this particular protest began. I was wondering when a right wing communist like Fox News Shawn Hannity would get off his corporate buttered butt to acknowledge the protests, and the best they could wing out of their non-journalist reporting was to interview someone new to the movement who was still busy taking it all in and formulating his own position on things.Either they didn’t print any interviews with someone who is more seasoned for a reason, or the crowd figured out who they were and decided not to bother talking to trolls.This nationwide movement knows exactly where they are going and unlike right wing Republican rhetoric,you won’t get a one-themed PR spin on shiny concocted answers.The difference here is that democrats,libertarians,human rights activists and independents all have the freedom to express themselves.There’s no big money special interest here pulling the puppet strings of a dead body draped in the facade of family values and pro-life rhetoric and babbling about tax breaks for the wealthiest corporations in the world while they clutch their medicare checks and scream damnations of socialist Obamacare. These protests have attracted the professors, teachers unions,scholars,intellects,lawyers,doctors,
small business entrepreneurs,nurses, pilots, unions and college students for a reason.They are simply better educated and better informed., even if they don’t care about looking shiny for the tv audience or pandering for acceptance from the masses. They know damned well where the corporate communism lies and where the corporate welfare goes to.
Roderick Long explains that “Capitalism” and “Socialism” are loaded terms:
“Capitalism” and “Socialism” are anti-concepts – Roderick T. Long
StatelessLiberty -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QsbvE_0Kpc
Rothbard’s “Left and Right”: 40 Years Later | Roderick T. Long -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z31FQ1_jjlQ
If we want to convert lefties and commies we must stop using these terms without the adjectives “free market” and “state” in front of them. Hence, we can say that we are “free market socialists” and oppose “state capitalism”. Likewise, when talking with right wing fascists we should say that we are “free market capitalists” and oppose “state socialism.”
The word capitalism was invented by Marx and was intended to describe an epoch of Marxian dispensational religion. You all learned this in school, right? You know, slavery->feudalism->capitalism->socialism->communism->withered away state. Its really unfortunate that von Mises and Rothbard accepted these loaded terms and used them in their criticisms of Marxism.
But its not too late for us to avoid this Orwellian tyranny of language trick, if we really want to communicate to commies and fascists.
Occupy Wall Street and Ron Paul are different but together they are the only hopes for the US and the World right now. Obama must go!
http://tariganter.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/end-the-fed-and-ron-paul-political-positions/
I imagine this is meant to be accessible for people who get bogged down by too many numbers and jargon and citations, but as someone who is very data-driven, I find I want some documentation. Not because I don’t BELIEVE you, but because, you know, I don’t believe anyone.
But I’m really squeamish about everything that hints at nationalism, and I want capitalism to die a fiery miserable death, though I recognize that we are far from capitalist as it is.
Well, you can google almost any of this. It is on the public record. The Fed audit is there and the criticism that some of the board members gave their own banks billions. The story of the hamburger corporation is on public record as well. You can stay right on the internet and find out what regs you will need to meet to start your own hamburger restaurant. The meat industry and the FDA? There is much about that in the news and online and in congressional testimony on record and in film.
I didn’t break any new ground here. I just pulled different pieces together to give an example of how it eventually impacts us all and benefits the few who can capture some of the large blocks of money being created in the name of “helping” the economy.
Sure, I can google this, but will I bother? Not likely. I could either take this for truth or write you off as a non-sourcing hack. As could anyone else. Just saying: documentation can only help your case. If there is such a giant plethora of trustworthy source material on this topic, then why not just point to some of it? You’ve done the research, you’ve done the work, and you can at this point very easily pay it forward and give more people access to the good information you’ve come across.
I know full well about the swapping of employees between giant corporations and regulatory agencies. Monsanto completely owns the USDA, and the FDA is a giant crock of shit.
It’s the whole Fed thing that I find perplexing still, and it is by far the weakest part of this essay. You haven’t given a reasonable or compelling argument for why printing more money is destructive. Inflation is good and necessary, and you haven’t said why this particular instance is destructive. No data, no logical arguments, just assertions and fearmongering. I don’t understand this issue, and I haven’t found anything that clears it up for me. This is no different. I’m not saying, “you’re wrong;” I’m saying, “you haven’t convinced me.”
And perhaps your goal isn’t to convince me. And it isn’t your responsibility to provide documentation or complete arguments, but what’s the point otherwise?
Keep speaking the truth! Ron Paul is the man!
Who is Ron Paul? This great video explains… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0naXmQp83o
They do have people that know what’s going on and what they want. They have websites with their demands. The media just doesn’t show anyone but the morons. They are only showing these people to get the rest of us against the protesters and its working on a large scale. I agree Ron Paul needs to be their voice. Just like Martin Luther King was for the blacks. Ron Paul for Americans!!!!
The United States of America is currently being destroyed by the international private bankers, also known as the Illuminati, which is led by the Rothschilds. They established the Federal Reserve Bank in the USA in 1913, which is privately owned by them and issues all US currency as debt. They collect interest on this debt through the taxes that US citizens pay to the US government. This is obviously fraudulent because they create the US currency that they issue out of nothing. The reason why the whole world appears to be in debt is because most of the currency in the world is issued as debt by the Illuminati.
The Illuminati hate the freedoms that have historically existed in the USA, which is why they’ve run it into the ground over the last 100 years. 9/11 was a set-up to provide the justification for invading the Middle East and subduing the Muslim countries there because it’s those countries that are the most resistant to being ruled over by the global government, which is what the Illuminati is working towards establishing. It suited the Illuminati to use the USA to invade the Middle East and destroy the USA in the process through the heavy toll that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have taken on it, both economically and socially.
The Illuminati plans to rule over all of the various blocs of the world with global government. It will basically be global communism similar to the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) of last century if we allow it to eventuate. In fact, it was the Illuminati that imposed communism on Russia last century to establish the USSR. Since that time, they’ve established the European Union. An African Union and a Union of South American Nations have also been tentatively established. The United Nations is a front for the Illuminati, as are the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization and the World Bank. All of these organizations are designed to assist the Illuminati in their efforts to establish global government.
It’s a relief that protests are springing up all over the world because we desperately need to stand up and resist what’s being foisted upon us. There are truly many more of us than there are of them. Together, in our millions, we’re more powerful than we might realise. What the Illuminati fears the most is all of us coming together in unity with a common understanding of what they’re trying to do to us.
You can find all the proof you need of the truth of what I’m saying at the following website:
http://www.stop-global-government.org
I think its time..
..that Ron Paul speak, in person, to the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.
..or he should (at the very least) visit as many of the other locations as possible.
His most essential views would appeal to most of these folks that I know as well as many that I’ve met more recently.
Most of the protesters distrust the federal government, reject these endless wars, are infuriated by the bailouts of banks and other corporations, want to see an end to the Federal Reserve system (when they’re aware of its existence), and are afraid for their future in the country of TSA, FEMA, Patriot Act, and innumerable other unconstitutional violations of our civil liberties.
Dr. Paul’s challenge will be in explaining that this same federal government can’t be trusted to solve these and other problems.. that its ‘regulations’ will always be manipulated and ensure further corruption.. at least as long as corporate lobbying controls ‘our’ representatives.
He has a lot of supporters in these movements already, but could gain so many more.
Many protesters are fighting symptoms, not the real causes of their frustrations.
I think Ron Paul’s name is well known. But among many democrats and liberal independents, his deepest reasoning isn’t known. They haven’t recognized the way that federal programs and government involvement have created most of these present predicaments. People are afraid of cutting the government’s involvement, because they have been forced to depend on it.
I hope you have an opportunity to express this idea to Ron Paul.
And please email me if you’d like to speak further. With some more time and consideration, I could articulate these ideas much more clearly than I have here. I monitor both the OWS movement and Ron Paul’s popularity daily and I think a lot of good could come of this.
OWS is now getting much more positive mainstream media attention and polls show that it has A LOT of supporters.
And if there’s any doubt that they can get results..
Occupy Oakland closed the port of Oakland yesterday with what looked to be at least ten thousand protesters.
And altogether OWS didn’t develop the idea for it, their support of “Bank Transfer Day” (tomorrow) has already inspired hundreds of thousands of people to close their bank accounts and put their money into credit unions and community banks instead.
Paul is doing a great job reaching the youth, but if he could speak at more universities (like mine), I’m sure he’d energize many students who have been so apathetic that they weren’t even thinking about voting.
And most importantly – word of mouth really travels far and fast. I’ve told acquaintances about him who have told ten of their acquaintances and so on… If he helps more people to understand his positions and plants a spark, his name will spread like wildfire.
** Sorry, I meant “And although” not “And altogether.”
I think its not immediately obvious that limiting the federal government and its programs would lead to more responsive control at a local level.. Its easy to imagine all of these resources would simply disappear. Its worth explaining.
Another key thing that I forgot to mention was Health.
I know many young people today would be thrilled to have a president who wanted to reform the FDA and other regulatory agencies. Its very alarming that companies like Monsanto can lobby and ensure their total immunity and incentive to do whatever they please, and at our health’s expense.
In a countries with the some of the highest rates of many different diseases (and obesity) per capita, it should be of the utmost concern. Every American and their family is affected by the quality of our food and water supplies.