Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve

An educated public is an essential ingredient of a free society. Ambitious governments would have far greater difficulty implementing schemes that undermine liberty and prosperity were they faced with an informed and vigilant population.

In that spirit, we have assembled these resources to help you learn more about some of the pressing issues of our time. The resources you'll find here include books (many of which we link to in free online versions) and articles, as well as audio and video available online and for free download.

Learn about Sound Money

For resources specifically addressing the current economic crisis, we recommend The Bailout Reader, an excellent and informative collection.

Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve
Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson understood "The Monster". But to most Americans today, Federal Reserve is just a name on the dollar bill. They have no idea of what the central bank does to the economy, or to their own economic lives; of how and why it was founded and operates; or of the sound money and banking that could end the statism, inflation, and business cycles that the Fed generates. Dedicated to Murray N. Rothbard, steeped in American history and Austrian economics, and featuring Ron Paul, Joseph Salerno, Hans Hoppe, and Lew Rockwell, this extraordinary new film is the clearest, most compelling explanation ever offered of the Fed, and why curbing it must be our first priority. Alan Greenspan is not, we're told, happy about this 42-minute blockbuster. Watch it, and you'll understand why. This is economics and history as they are meant to be: fascinating, informative, and motivating. This movie could change America.

History of Nullification

While the media generally portrays nullification as being solely aligned with the efforts of the nullifiers of the South and the Civil War, this is certainly false, and reeks of misinformation. Nullification has a long history in the American tradition and has been invoked in support of free speech, in opposition to war and fugitive slave laws, and more. Read more on this history here.

All Flu's are not created equal

In the news this week, over four thousand Americans had died of the H1N1 flu virus. Over twenty two million have been infected, there is a problem with that number but we will get to that later. The government still does not know when enough vaccine will be available, at this rate you will be vaccinated by default before you can actually get the vaccine.
Recently at Tendoy Elementary we have seen an indication of the epidemic mismanagement that infects the H1N1 panic. People stood in line for hours for the chance of getting a shot. In other places in the screening criteria changed during the day as it became apparent to health care officials, not professionals, officials, that they simply did not have enough vaccine.
Everyone needs to get vaccinated, isn’t that what we were told earlier this year? Now there are guidelines on which people are a higher priority to receive the vaccine. Everyone needs the vaccine, and you will get it when and if there is enough. You may not get the vaccine your doctor recommends either; a health care official may decide that for you.
These decisions are made again by health care officials, government bureaucrats, not your doctor. For those of you who do not recognize this for what it is, this is health care rationing. Remember we were told there would be no rationing under a government run health care system.
Guess who is running the H1N1 flu vaccination program.
You cannot get the vaccine but the terrorist at Guantanamo can, well they would have received the vaccine until the public found out and threw a fit.
Why are there so many cases of H1N1? Well health care professionals (doctors) have been instructed by health care officials (bureaucrats) to report all cases of the flu as H1N1 and not to run any tests to see which type of flu they are really dealing with. To paraphrase Napoleon “All flu’s are equal, but some flu’s are more equal than others”.
So reality has nothing to do with this, why waste a good crisis right?
Do you still think the government can run a health care system? They cannot even manage something as simple as distribution of a single vaccine.
Fancy Nancy and her compatriots have thrust a two thousand plus page health care bill down the throats of the American public. I guess she thought if 1000 pages upset us we would be ecstatic about a bill twice as big and incomprehensible.
I get my health insurance through the university, for my family the total cost for health care is $5364.36 a year, I already pay $779.76 a year for other peoples medical insurance (Medicare).
The monstrosity of a law passed last week is estimated to cost as much as 1.2 trillion dollars to cover 36 million people. That is $277.78 per month per individual. For a family of four that cost comes to $13333.30 a year, but the government can run health care cheaper than the private sector.
When asked what part of the constitution supported a National health care system, Senator Ben Nelson (D,NE) and Senator Jack Reed (D,RI) and the White house press secretary all claimed that they were “not constitutional scholars” and “did not know the case law”. I guess they also failed high school civics.
If you decide to pay cash for your health care, in other words be responsible, you are a felon and subject to 5 years in prison and up to $250,000.00 in fines (section 7201). When questioned (3 times) about this Fancy Nancy could not give the reporter an answer that had anything to do with incarceration of American citizens.
For the first time in the history of our country, as a condition of freedom, you will be forced to purchase something from the government. I have news for all of the above individuals, THIS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
Senators are insisting that any health care bill pay for abortion. Forcing taxpayers to contribute to a system which pays for procedures they object to on religious grounds is a violation of the First Amendment. Which side will the courts come down on? Will it be the fundamental right? Or the legislated right?
Our government which cannot handle something as simple as distribution of a vaccine is taking over health care. November 11 was Veterans Day, if you want to honor the Veterans who served to guarantee your freedom get involved in the process and put a stop to this insanity.

January 11 or 18?

The opening day of the legislature, January 11th, was the original day we planned to Converge on the Capital. A potential change of dates was briefly discussed on our last call. One of our participants had sent this:

In speaking with several legislators.. they are suggesting that having a Tea Party on day 1 will be less effective than holding off a few days or a week after they open. I had lunch today with Rep ------ and he loves the idea. But Jan 11 is such a full and hectic day that we might just be ignored. The Governor is giving a speech and there is lots of opening pomp and circumstance that first day.

------ is my rep so I trust his opinion. He is very conservative and supports the Tea Party. He is suggesting we wait until the next Monday, January 18, to have a bigger impact. And that we set up pre-arranged meetings by either counties or legislative districts for people to meet with their House Reps and Senators after our outside rally.

On the other hand, mingling in the opening day events could help us set the right tone for the entire session. This is the beginning of our involvement, not the end. This is our citizen legislature. They work for us. We are not intimidated by their pomp. We will be represented from day 1. Our presence would show that we are serious and it would demonstrate the urgency of our cause.

A number of county Republican Parties around the state are passing Obamacare nullification resolutions and one may be passed at the state Republican Central Committee meeting on Saturday, January 9. This will bring some people to Boise from far flung corners of the state that would be able to Converge on the Capital on Monday, January 11. They may not be able to make it right back a few days or a week later.

What are some other reasons for choosing one day over another? Be sure to vote in the poll in the left navigation bar.

Choosing Federalism, Choosing Freedom

By Timothy Baldwin [Printer-friendly version]

How can we restore the proper constitutional balance between state and federal power?

After the release of my last column "Freedom's Destruction by Constitutional De-Construction," I received so many responses to my statement, "The people of the states [must] once again reject this national form of government and assert and defend the principles of federalism," that I felt the need to develop this subject more thoroughly. The question I received was: "How can I choose federalism once again?" Indeed, answering this question is crucial to injecting a cure for the sickness and illness of tyrannical, national control over the people of the states. Undoubtedly, we are going to need an acute dosage to even begin ridding ourselves of the disease destroying the body of our once-great federation.

The reality is, the answer is not complicated. [Read More]

Little by Little

We lost our sovereignty little by little. We should also make plans to regain it little by little. How many of us know that Social Security was "optional" and is still "optional". How many know that the whole state of Nevada as well as three counties in Texas do not participate in Social Security? Or the fact that ever since the creation of the Department of Education the American standard of education has steadily dropped. Our graduation rate has also declined. The number of hours that college students spend in remedial classes just to be able to take accredited classes has risen by 400%. In the face of these paltry results the average cost to "educate" each child has tripled. It is one thing to say that we need to be "sovereign". But I ask who has plans to actually operate a "sovereign" state? That is where we need leaders. We must as a whole enter into the debate of cost and operation. How do we operate a sovereign state and how do we pay for it. When we have the solutions and plans for filling the vacuum left by Federal entitlements. This is the challenge. Once every one realizes we have the solutions, then they will be willing to support the idea of a Sovereign IDAHO!

Advancing Liberty in Idaho

Because of you, Idaho's Campaign for Liberty is in a unique position:

• One year ago our federal representatives had no interest in the Federal Reserve. Now all four of them are cosponsors of Audit the Fed legislation.
• Liberty has a number of friends in the Idaho state legislature. With your help they passed a state sovereignty resolution during the 2009 session.

Now we need to tell our citizen legislators what we want them to do in the upcoming legislative session to make Idaho the freest state in the union.

Some in Idaho have begun beating the drums for raising taxes to deal with the state's continuing revenue shortfalls. If allowed, they will further punish the producers by making them pay to sustain the bureaucracy that is smothering our economy.

"We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." -Thomas Jefferson

We must plan and implement an effective strategy to not only stop a tax increase and other bad ideas, but even more importantly, to restore free market principles that have been proven by previous generations.

• State Sovereignty: There are a number of measures in the works to strengthen Idaho's independence and protect Idahoans from the out-of-control feds.
• Sound Money: Follow the money trail and strike at the root: the Fed's Magic Money Machine provides the fuel that powers the Big Government engine. Sound money stops the Fed from stealing Idaho's savings via the inflation tax.
• Health Care: The feds have no business in health care. Idaho can make numerous free market reforms that will increase availability and reduce costs. There has never been a more opportune time to undo the mess government has created.
• Transparency: Government schools consume two thirds of the taxes collected by the state of Idaho while health and welfare is the fastest growing segment of the state budget. They should post their checkbooks online, making it easy for the public to audit their spending.

In order to accomplish these significant goals and more, we will have to reach critical mass momentum that can't be stopped by entrenched domestic enemies of freedom. This requires a well-planned legislative strategy involving all C4L members and our growing network of friends.

We are in a unique position with a responsibility to proactively lead Idaho to liberty and set an example for other states. Our next step is to form a specialized task force for each policy area to:

• Develop specific recommendations for legislation
• Build a coalition of individuals and groups who are supportive
• Identify legislators to sponsor and cosponsor legislation
• Plan a thorough strategy - from positive publicity to overcoming opposition
• Report progress and create action alerts for our growing network
• Send representatives to testify in legislative committees

There are already a number of ingredients in the cooker, but I know you will help us come up with the winning formula to make a huge difference in the upcoming legislative session. Members like you from all over the state who have an interest or expertise in each area must bring their ideas to the table in order to make each task force successful.

Please sign in to your account (or set up an account) and get involved to help make Idaho the freest state in the union!

We have about three months to develop our plans and mobilize tea parties and friends of liberty from all over the state to converge on the capital and meet with our elected representatives on the opening day of the legislative session, and much has to be done well before then.