zittiblog.com

This letter has been sent to both my Senator (Ken Salazar) and Representative (Mark Udall) in regard to the current banking crisis.

Dear Representative Udall,

I write you today to express my overwhelmingly strong sense that any government intervention in the current banking crisis will be a disaster in the long run for the American economy. Furthermore, I feel even more strongly that the package being pushed by the Bush Administration could not be further from the appropriate course of action.

We are in this crisis because of an excess of artificially created credit at the hands of the Federal Reserve System. The solution being proposed? More artificial credit by the Federal Reserve. No liquidation of bad debt and malinvestment is to be allowed. By doing more of the same, we will only continue and intensify the distortions in our economy - all the capital misallocation, all the malinvestment - and prevent the market’s attempt to re-establish rational pricing of houses and other assets.

We are told that “low interest rates” led to excessive borrowing, but we are not told how these low interest rates came about. They were a deliberate policy of the Federal Reserve. As always, artificially low interest rates distort the market. Entrepreneurs engage in malinvestments - investments that do not make sense in light of current resource availability, that occur in more temporally remote stages of the capital structure than the pattern of consumer demand can support, and that would not have been made at all if the interest rate had been permitted to tell the truth instead of being toyed with by the Fed.

As a Colorado small business owner and entrepreneur in the Denver area (a Partner and co-founder at a highly successful accounting, finance, and consulting firm), I cannot adequately express how important it is to me that this package, as well as any other form of government intervention in this mess, be immediately rejected by congress. I understand this is a politically difficult time given the election season, but no other single issue will sway my vote  and support (as a self-proclaimed independent) in the upcoming election. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best Regards,
Dan

In the interest of appropriate attribution, the middle two paragraphs are lifted directly fom the words of Ron Paul as he is a much more accomplished writer than I and we share virtually exactly the same views on this topic.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY encourage you to do the same with your senator and representative.

You watch politics on TV probably. I watch politics on the internet. If I watched politics on TV I might miss something as spectacular as this video from jibjab.com. After two weeks of weak convention speeches, wrapped up by Mr. McCain this evening, something to lighten the mood was desperately needed! Watch the video.

And How did I possibly miss this one last time around… HILARIOUS!!

I get forwarded email from lots of people (oddly enough, no one gets forwarded email from me but that is a different subject). I sort of like it, the emails that people forward are a great indicator of their thoughts and thus a great way to keep a “pulse” on what is bothering people.

Below is a good one. It was titled “FW: NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION”. I happen to think the US Constitution is probably the most amazing document developed by mankind in the past quarter century. So, I am hesitant to change it based on a forward email but lets investigate

We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.’

Comment: Ummm, OK. This was pretty mindless and unproductive due to childish name-calling but lets move on to the “Bill of Non-Rights” (yet I do like the ‘debt-free’ reference).

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

Comment: Yeah… throw a damn brick through that TV even if you can legally acquire it then do something productive.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone — not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

Comment:YES! Quit crying and fight back!

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

Comment: The “suing” phenomenon… totally out of control in consumer society and business. Sometimes, yes, it was your fault.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes

Comment: Not properly addressed here but idea is correct… Charitable contribution should be VOLUNTARY. This will work out, without welfare, because Americans actually are overwhelmingly charitable when compared to the rest of the world.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care

Comment: Correct again… socialized health care IS NOT authorized by the real constitution. Therefore, this is easy. Either A) it cannot be provided or B) a constitutional amendment is necessary. So Congresspeople… propose an amendment or shut up about it.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

Comment: Um… ok. Electric chair for kidnap? That is really taking the moral high ground. Talk about making the enforcer worse than the offender.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

Comment: Um… ok again. This is a little underharsh. Best system I have seen in the world is Singapore. Just cain their ass for stealing and similar. This one is actually under-aggressive (if you want to actually solve the crime problem).

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

Comment: Um… AMEN

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

Comment: Totally true. Yet also a lot easier without an overabundance of idiotic religious legislation created by those of you confused about Christian values.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

Comment: Damn, you just care too much… chill out. Spanish speakers bother me exactly zero. Sad they make less money but that is the consequence for not learning the required skills for success.

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country’s history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Comment: Uh, after all that constituional talk did you forget Amendment 1 in the Bill of Rights? This country was founed on the belief that people could pick their own god to belive in. That is not a given freedom, it is a founding freedom. VERY NEARLY NO ONE in the US knows where the phrase “In God We Trust” even came from to end up on our money. So why the do they care so damn much about taking it off. Honestly, WHO CARES?! What a stupid thing to fight over.

As many know, some of my family and I recently returned from Southern Africa. During that trip, we went to Zimbabwe. Well sort of… we went to Victoria Falls town which is in Zimbabwe. We spent three days there.

As I have told people about being there since I have been home, I would guess maybe 50% of them actually realized that when I said we had been in Zimbabwe that we were in a place of turmoil. Like they didn’t really know what was going on, but knew they had heard something on the news. Of those, I would guess 10% actually had a pretty good idea about the situation. And the other 50%… “Oh wow that sounds amazing!” they would say. No idea even where Zimbabwe is I don’t think.

That is fine though. To each their own on whether they care about what is going in the rest of the world. Trouble is, even those who supposedly care the most, don’t seem to.

For those that don’t know, Zimbabwe is currently the site of one of the world’s most difficult political situations. Robert Mugabe, leader of the Zanu PF, has been the president of Zimbabwe ever since it gained its independence from Great Britain some thirty years ago. Mugabe was a huge figure in the independence movement and has garnered much respect for that work ever since. Mugabe’s grip on power weakened in the late 90’s as many (dominantly black) people felt that despite the independence movement, White Zimbabweans (English decent) still owned the majority of wealth in the country. As part of a move to strengthen his political support with the overwhelmingly black population, Mugabe started a program of land re-distribution in 2000 where the government basically made it compulsory for land to be taken by the government and given back to the lack population. There have been, of course, countless reports and questions that the redistribution favored Mugabe supporters, but it turns out that was irrelevant as the whole economy came crashing down.

Here is where a bit of a lesson in fundamental economics comes in. There are obviously countless complex theories on the inner-workings of market-based economies. However, at the most fundamental level, the whole idea of free market economy is underpinned by the strict observance of property rights (the idea that what you earn something in the market, it is yours to keep). In this case, Mugabe’s program of land retribution obviously deeply undermined this most fundamental requirement for a free market to thrive. And the trouble begins…

Ever since, the economy of Zimbabwe has been in a horrible downward spiral. Everybody likes to claim reasons ranging from sanctions by the west to drought but the simple fact is that when people doubt their personal property rights, they stop producing. With no production there is no income and no goods available for sale. Goods must then be imported except that the government has lost all tax revenue so they begin assessing huge tariffs on imports. The government continued to “print” money but there is nothing to buy with it making the money worthless. Worthless money creates hyper-inflation.

Inflation estimates are all over the place but I sat and looked at a lunch menu in Zimbabwe that inflated its prices by 10% per day. That is compounded to equal 117,000,000,000,000,000% (117 quadrillion percent) per year!!

Anyway, with such harsh economic conditions, there was of course again a movement to vote out Mugabe and his party. This time there was nothing Mugabe could do but cheat in the elections, incite violence and intimidation, etc. And that is where we stand today… Zimbabwe is a huge mess and its people are suffering.

Here is my question. At what point should outside parties ACTUALLY get involved. I don’t think we should, as the USA, go medal around in other people’s domestic affairs. Maybe it would be a good time for the UN to get involved. After all, if there was ever time the UN charter would apply, I would think this is it. I quote from the preamble of that charter “WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples”.

Yet we know they are totally ineffective in dealing with anything of this scale (Cambodia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Somalia, Liberia, Chechnya, and others come to mind). I DO NOT have an answer for this question, odd as that seems to hear me say. I do know that the people of Zimbabwe were great and don’t deserve what they are living through. I do know that it is a crying shame that the whole world is scared to visit one of the world’s most prolific natural wonders because of the situation. I do know that when people have had enough and that when they try to stand up for themselves (which they clearly are doing), it is probably time to help them out.

What I do encourage most is awareness… so watch BBC news instead of the crap local news. Besides, it’s commercial free! Maybe one day when international consciousness is higher, we can have an effective international organization to protect basic human rights around the globe.

It is today that with a heavy heart I can say that Dr. Ron Paul is officially ending his campaign for the presidency of the United States. While it is quite literally painful for me to see him go and leave only a sad choice of two candidates who, when you really push aside the superficial and the difference in party affiliation, offer no real change for America, I am proud to say that Dr. Paul cured my apathy.

I feel like prior to the Ron Paul campaign I was nothing but a disenfranchised American youth who was actually (at least to some degree) laughed at if I were to sound my TRUE political beliefs. A long time registered Republican who felt totally betrayed by “his” party and looking for a group to associate with (perhaps the “red-headed step child” of current American politics, the Libertarians). Dr. Paul changed this for me. I am not a republican or a libertarian or any other bullshit term the political establishment would like to assign to me. I am an American that devoutly believes in freedom, personal liberty, the constitution, and the vision the founders of the United States of America laid out for us all those years ago. And guess what… I am not alone. There are millions of me. There millions of us, from all across the political spectrum. There are millions of us, from all across the racial, gender, and religious spectrum. We are easily the most diverse and yet most homogenous group making noise in politics today. And we are getting loud.

Thanks to the Ron Paul campaign we have united and we have a voice. We can raise millions of dollars any given day. We can get the mass media to talk about us, no matter how badly they wish they could exclude us from the conversation. We even garner the vocal support of non-Americans all over the world via the internet who plead with America to mind its own business and disengage in nation building.

The democrats’ nomination process was perhaps the most painful thing I have ever been through. The republicans’ nomination process managed to take someone I once thought really had backbone and was a true patriot and turned him into another religious, nation-building, freedom-infringing nut. Yet no matter how terrible this presidential campaign gets, I don’t care. I will not become apathetic like last time. I am not yet sure if I actually care who wins, since there really are no major differences between them (other than race and age, the only two things anyone seems to care to talk about).

There is one campaign though that will offer “Change we can believe in”. It mostly certainly is not that of Barack Obama but rather the Campaign for Liberty. The Campaign for Liberty is Dr. Paul’s effort to turn the ground gained as a result of his presidential campaign into long term results. The presidential campaign launched a rEVOLution, the Campaign Liberty is what will make it really happen. I SINCERELY encourage everyone onboard with me to go to http://www.campaignforliberty.com/ and sign up. I already have.

“In the final analysis,” Dr. Paul wrote in his new book The Revolution: A Manifesto (a MUST read), “the last line of defense in support of freedom and the Constitution consists of the people themselves. If the people want to be free, if they want to lift themselves out from underneath a state apparatus that threatens their liberties, squanders their resources on needless wars, destroys the value of their dollar, and spews forth endless propaganda about how indispensable it is and how lost we would all be without it, there is no force that can stop them.”

To quote Dr. Paul: “Our time has come to act on these words. May future generations look back on our work and say that these were men and women who, in a moment of great crisis, stood up to their politicians, the opinion-makers, and the establishment, and saved their country.”

My apathy is gone. It is time to fight. Thank you Dr. Paul for starting the rEVOLution, I promise I will help see it through to the end. For liberty!