May 2012

They just don't understand!

Daniel Smith
May 29, 2012 at 5:07 PM
By Daniel Smith

The IMF calls on the Bank of England to "stimulate" by cutting rates and quantitative easing.  This is another great example of Keynesian economics at its finest.  Debasing a currency does not create growth.

These politicians, worldwide, are short-sighted in the sense that they only care about the next election, which forces them to do whatever they can to make things better immediately.  It is similar to a heroine addict that is trying to clean up but does not go cold turkey. Instead, they shoot up a little when they start to feel pain. No problem is solved and the addict is still sick and their health will continue to deteriorate.

What we need is not government intervention, but rather painful rehab, which is cleaning the bad, government influenced debt in our society and becoming clean, healthy countries again.  Debasing the currency will only hurt middle and lower classes by taking their purchasing power away.  When currencies are strengthened and prices fall, it helps everyone.  Stimulus will never lead to a strong vibrant economy, like the one that was achieved in the late 19th-early 20th century.  Sometimes medicine tastes bad but you have to swallow. 

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House to Vote on Audit the Fed Bill

Mikayla Hall
May 29, 2012 at 5:05 PM
By Mikayla Hall

GOP leadership in the House of Representatives announced that H.R. 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011, will come up for a floor vote in July. 

The legislation, introduced by Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) already has over 225 co-sponsors, including ranking members from both parties. 

To read more about this vote, click here. 

We're Official!

Travis Richardson
May 29, 2012 at 5:04 PM
By Travis Richardson

We've just been officially introduced as a Registered Student Organization at UM-D! Don't hesitate to join the chapter or contact us if you're interested! I hope we will have a fruitful fall semester!

In Liberty,                                                                                                                                  Travis Richarson, President

Students help the FBI monitor and track "right-wing" political groups for Dems' convention

Jayel Aheram
May 29, 2012 at 5:01 PM
By Jayel Aheram

Kade Ellis of Privacy SOS tweeted about this incredibly creepy FBI program:

UNC-Charlotte students are helping federal law enforcement officials with security for the Democratic National Convention.

The information the students are sharing deals with terrorism.

For the past several months, UNC-Charlotte professor Cindy Combs and her students have been identifying security concerns for the DNC.

She said terrorism is a real threat.

"If you can discover it in time, you might be able to stop it," Combs said.

The students believe the biggest threat comes from right-wing extremist groups, and “lone wolf attackers” trying to make a statement. They also said events without heightened security are the more likely targets.

What a great idea! Start them young with the Surveillance State, because there is nothing at all wrong or creepy about young people spying on their fellow citizens to benefit a particular political party.

"Socialist" French president turns out to be yet another imperialist

Jayel Aheram
May 29, 2012 at 4:58 PM
By Jayel Aheram

After promising to withdraw all troops out of Afghanistan, French President Francois Hollande pulls an Obama as he backpedaled on that alluring campaign promise and pledged that 1,400 French troops will remain in Afghanistan. Just do not call them “combat troops!”

On a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Hollande announced that France is actually withdrawing just a little over half of their 3,400 troops from the nation, and will leave “around 1,400″ troops in the country beyond the new year.

Taking a page out of President Obama’s playbook, Hollande will label the 1,400 troops “non-combat,” and insists that they will focus on training and logistics missions. It doesn’t appear that they are ruling out them taking a role in combat, however.

And you thought voting actually mattered.

White House pressured Afghanistan to adopt indefinite detention regime

Jayel Aheram
May 29, 2012 at 4:57 PM
By Jayel Aheram

In a story that is not getting enough attention, it appears to be that the White House has succeeded in pressuring Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in adopting an indefinite detention regime for the over 3,000 prisoners in Obama’s Afghan Gitmo.

John Glaser reports:

With Washington’s supervision, Afghanistan is secretly adopting a system of indefinite detention for thousands of prisoners previously held without charge by the U.S., human rights organizations have found.

As part of the Obama administration’s concessions to the government in Kabul, led by President Hamid Karzai, control of all Afghan prisons will be relinquished to Afghan control. But Washington has directed Karzai to secretly adopt what is called “administrative detention,” which means indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial for the over 3,000 detainees held in Bagram Airbase.

This convenient arrangement allows the White House to commit egregious human rights abuses without the risk of political liability by outsourcing all of that to Afghanistan’s government.

It can be argued that the existence of these “gulags” also delegitimizes Karzai’s government in the eyes of the Afghan people. Empowered by the United States’ approval, the use of indefinite detentions by the Afghan government will inevitably increase and, if it has not already happened, be expanded to include the suppression of dissent.

Eduardo Saverin and the Modern "Underground Railroad"

Brian Underwood
May 29, 2012 at 4:53 PM
By Brian Underwood

As a general rule of thumb, most individuals accept the idea that stealing is wrong. At the same time, most  individuals accept that it is beneficial to try and protect your property from thieves  - e.g. putting it in safes, setting alarm systems, personal defense, etc.

So how is Eduardo Saverin's attempt to avoid taxes any different?

It isn't, quite honestly. Theft is "the forced confiscation, expropriation, and reallocation of the values produced by one man to another man, one who had not produced them," regardless of the theif's status as a public or private entity and regardless of any legal sanction he may have to commit his theft.

Taxation, therefore, is just a broad, legalized form of theft where government entities expropriate the property of private citizens and businesses and then spend it elsewhere. Acting in his own self-defense (though careful not to admit that's what he has done), the billionaire co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin renounced his citizenship last September and has decided to officially reside in Singapore (not perfect by any standard, but better certainly from a tax standpoint).

But he's not out of the woods yet - Senators like Chuck Schumer and Bob Casey who feel that the American people were slated from their "rightful share" of Saverin's wealth intend to regain as much of that wealth as possible, but not without strong opposition from a wide variety of American citizens.

Sen. Schumer, on the other hand, literally cannot comprehend the support Saverin and other rich expatriates are getting in response to this issue: “Can you believe it? An American hero? Renouncing your citizenship now qualifies as heroic for the hard right wing?” Yes, Sen. Schumer. Yes it does. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, a revolutionary and expatriate in his own right, “Where Liberty is, there is my country.”

See the rest of the essay here.

Announcing the April All-Out Activism Contest Winners!

Joshua Parrish
May 22, 2012 at 12:21 PM
By Joshua Parrish


trophy

Competition is one of the central tenets of our philosophy.  As Ludwig von Mises put it, "Competitors aim at excellence and preeminence in accomplishments within a system of mutual cooperation."

That is why with every YAL national activism project, we include an incentive for chapters to compete.  For April All-Out Activism, that incentive was:

  • First Prize:  $500
  • Second Prize:  $350
  • Third Prize: $200

Here are the criteria that we consider when selecting winners:

  • Most new recruits to join your chapter and the national organization
  • Best recruitment table/display 
  • Best informational or first meeting
  • Most creative and effective ways to get out information

Of course, since we can't be there for each and every activism event on campus, your documentation of your event (blog post, pictures, video) plays a huge role in our ability to determine if your chapter is deserving of a prize.  You will never win an activism event without good documentation!

So who are the winners of the April All-Out Activism Contest?  Drum roll, please...

Why YOU should attend the 2012 YAL National Convention

Brandon Cestrone
May 21, 2012 at 10:31 PM
By Brandon Cestrone

Hey you with the face, so you're thinking about applying for the 2012 YAL National Convention?

Haven't made up your mind yet eh? 

Let me break it down for you wizards. You need to drop what you are doing, right now, and apply. 

I'll make it easy for you.  Click here.

Why should you apply? I'll tell you in a bit, but for now, let me quickly introduce myself.

My name is Brandon Cestrone. I was the co-founder and President of the Slippery Rock Young Americans for Liberty since August 2011 and PA State Chair since February.  I like long walks on the beach and reading about the history of sporks. Now that you know my life story, let's rewind back to the summer of 2011. <--break->

Where was I? I was working my way through summer school as a full-time sales consultant manager. Yes, I know, I was living the life. I first heard about the 2011 YAL Convention early in June, and to my surprise, Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and Jack Hunter were scheduled to make appearances. Being new to liberty-oriented events, I had some reservations about what to expect and whether or not using my vacation time to attend was a wise idea, but I made the decision to apply and soon after, I was accepted.

Before the Convention, I never had the opportunity of meeting these patriots in real life, which was one of the reasons why I chose to attend. Little did I know this convention would change my life. 

Having been to last year's convention and seeing what it has done for me, let me tell you something important; this convention changed my life, for the better.

image

I am now the National Field Program Intern this summer.  I am living with other liberty activists and meeting new people, all because I went to the convention last year.  Many new and exciting doors are opening, all because I went to the convention last year.  I am learning unique and valuable life-long skills, all because I went to the convention last year. 

Are you picking up the pattern?

The Nonexistent Recovery

Jeff Frazee
May 21, 2012 at 10:31 PM
By Jeff Frazee

We write a lot here on the YAL blog about how President Obama has built on the Bush record when it comes to civil liberties and foreign policy, and this chart shows he's doing to same on the economic front.  Without question, Obama inherited a bad economic situation, and his interventionist policies and growth of government have only made things worse. 

Recovery