RSDavis
11-28-2007, 12:06 PM
http://laceylibertarian.us/wp-images/rPaulRev.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (11-28-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=332838686&Mytoken=F95ED8D9-51BE-4045-A1925EBAED25320134971549)
Hello Freedomphiles! USAToday is reporting (http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/11/whats-new-15.html) on what I reported on yesterday, which was Politico's report on Friday's moneybomb. Normally, I wouldn't even include it because there is nothing new, but I thought the fact that USAToday picked up on the story was noteworthy.
USADaily is talking (http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=177485) about Rudy's Reading List, as well:
Ron Paul's grass roots volunteers are planning a last minute fund raising push to try and hit the fund raising goal of 12 million before the end of the month. The Paul campaign had set the goal of 12 million for the quarter.
Organized by Trevor Lyman, the grass roots volunteer that set up the website directing people to donate $100 each on November 5th which resulted in a record 4.2 million dollar day for Ron Paul, Rudy's Reading List is a direct attack on Rudy Giuliani's foreign policy.
The website lists several books designed to educate Rudy Giuliani on foreign policy. Ron Paul voted against the Iraq war and promises an immediate withdrawal from Iraq which clashes with Giuliani's pro war views.
In other fundraising news, USADaily is also reporting (http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=177525) about Tea Party 07, the next major money-bomb initiative, and the plans to have a Ron Paul blimp circling high above it. Of course, if you are a regular Freedom Files reader, you know about the plan for the blimp. Here is what they are saying:
The website states that $350,000 is needed to launch the Ron Paul blimp and claims to have over $270,000 pledged for the effort. It also states that it would be the first presidential blimp in history.
The price tag of $350,000 will actually cover the cost of the skyship for 100 hours for the whole month of December. The site appears to be run by a Political Action Committee capping donors at $5000 per person and is only soliciting donations from maxed out contributors to Paul's campaign.
The website states the intended goal of hovering above strategic events and location throughout the month. Ron Paul's Boston Tea Party which already has 21,000 pledges for $100 donations and is likely to be the largest fund raising day in presidential history, is one strategic event mentioned on the website.
Now, Trevor Lyman deserves a lot of the credit for these money-bombs, but some other people were involved, too. Free Market News Network is talking (http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=51889&fb=1) about the concepts, and the idea of decentralized information and the division of labor:
The Ron Paul fund-raising effort continues to be chronicled at various web sites. A site that has helped pioneer the fund-raising effort of Ron Paul, and been instrumental in the spread of the ideas that his campaign embodies is http://www.ronpaulmoneybomb.com.
This site has now placed a fund-raising history on its front page. Music marketer Trevor Lyman has received his share of the credit in the alternative press (including FMNN). But the history presented by the "Money Bomb" site refers to others who apparently helped originate the mass donation day concepts that have proved so popular and raised so much money for Ron Paul - and which amply illustrate a yearning for republicanism that many had believed dead, not dormant.
In fact, the concepts embodied in the Ron Paul campaign likely go back to the beginning of human neolithic history, when humans began to gather together to "specialize," performing disparate tasks and creating what today might be referred to as "civilization." From the very beginning - from a sociopolitical viewpoint, anyway - there were seemingly at least two models of human interactions, and variants of in between. One featured the rule of a single powerful individual and his or her supporters - perhaps found in so-called "river empires" like Egypt. The other featured a far more "open" society that allowed the participation of a diverse elite with many points of view. This model can perhaps be seen in Greece, Rome (for a time), Italy and the United States.
CBSNews is reporting (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/11/27/isp/entry3544769.shtml) about the Bunny Ranch fundraising drive:
It's "Prostitutes for Paul" in 2008. Or, at least a bunch of them at Dennis Hof's Bunny Ranch in Nevada.
Ron Paul is not the first contender to garner a dubious endorsement. The so-called "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss and porn idol Jenna Jameson have already thrown their weight behind Senator Hillary Clinton. It means nothing, really. Any political analyst will tell you that endorsements carry very little heft either for or against a candidate...
...the Bunny Ranch story does lend itself to eye-catching B-Roll, though.
I object to the use of the term "dubious." These girls are hard-working, tax-paying Americans, just like you and me. They just have more fun at work. Unfortunately, CBSNews won't let me embed, but here's a companion video (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3544742n), if you are so inclined.
The Chronicle of Higher Education is talking (http://chronicle.com/blogs/election/1087/iowa-state-students-feel-the-love-for-barack-obama-and-ron-paul) about Ron Paul's support among Iowa college students, and the unusually high college turnout expected:
A slight majority of college students at Iowa State University -– 58 percent — plan to participate in their state's caucuses in early January, according to a poll of 2,185 students there...although Ron Paul may be lagging in national support, he is a favorite of Iowa State Republicans, garnering top marks from 27 percent of those surveyed.
I haven't given Dr Paul much of a chance in Iowa, because it's Religious Right country, but perhaps the young vote will counter that some. Young people typically don't show up at the polls, but Ron Paul supporters are very dedicated. So, like everything else, this is hard to judge. We'll find out soon enough, though, won't we?
Ron Paul is now officially on the ballot in New York and California. The Nolan Chart reports (http://www.nolanchart.com/article327.html):
The announcement from the Ron Paul campaign today that Dr. Paul has been added to the primary ballots in California and New York for Super Duper Tuesday, February 5, 2008 comes as no surprise. However, there is a mild surprise in what the respective governing bodies had to say. The Republican commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections, "ruled Dr. Paul to be a 'nationally known and recognized' candidate who is 'generally and seriously advocated or recognized according to reports in the national or state news media,' in accordance with Election Law section 2-122-b(3)(b)," according to an email sent from Paul campaign headquarters. The email also says:
"On October 5, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen released the list of 'generally recognized' candidates whose names would be placed on the February 5, 2008 presidential primary ballot, with Dr. Paul among those named."
"Dr. Paul's ballot success in New York is great news for the campaign and for our many grassroots supporters there," said Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. "His message of freedom, peace, and prosperity is enjoyed statewide, and we are ready to compete in the primaries."
While his name was being added to the ballots, Dr Paul was in Charleston, rocking (http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/1107/475839.html)sold out crowds like he sold his soul to the devil:
As Ron Paul, Republican presidential candidate and Texas congressman, speaks to a sold out crowd at the College of Charleston, two states make him an official candidate.
New York and California have recognized Ron Paul as a serious contender in the '08 election by adding his name to the '08 primary ballot.
California's ballot list will be officially certified on November 29.
The Washington Post has an online Q&A (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/21/DI2007112101734.html)with Matt Welsh and Nick Gillespie, following up on the op-ed (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301299.html)they penned for the publication last Sunday. Here's an excerpt:
Nashua, N.H.: How has the Internet influenced the Ron Paul phenomenon in particular and the resurgence of libertarianism in general?
Nick Gillespie: I think the Internet in general has greatly facilitated decentralization in virtually every aspect of American life: It allows more people further apart to communicate, transact business, share information, you name it.
That has been central to Ron Paul's fundraising success (as it was to Howard Dean's a few years back); and it allows for work-arounds around traditional gatekeeper institutions in the media and elsewhere.
More fundamentally, the decentralization of knowledge, information, and more made possible by the Internet has made libertarianism a reality regardless of ideology. We're all living much individualized lives thanks to it.
Clifford F Thies of the prestigious Ludwig von Mises Institute is taking a look (http://www.mises.org/story/2785) at the case against the Ron Paul Liberty Dollar:
As to how the totality of imagery, words, size, weight and feel of the NORFED coins compare to those of the United States, the matter could — it seems to me — have been resolved without a disruption of the business of the company, if this had been the only concern of the federal government. When the US Treasury sent a notice to the company to cease and desist, the company filed a motion in a court seeking a permanent injunction. But, instead of going this route, the feds simply showed up and effectively shut the company down.
It has been said by some that people who bought the Ron Paul silver coin were defrauded because they acquired something like $10 worth of silver at the price of $20. While there are ways to buy silver and gold coins at very small mark-ups (these would be called "bullion coins"), people have been known to buy commemorative coins at significant mark-ups over melt value. Buyers of commemorative coins, such as coins with depictions of the Twin Towers and Princess Diana, see in the coins something of emotional value, and willingly pay a premium.
This case isn't really about the company or the details of its specific business practices, or whether and to what extent it might have misled customers on what they were buying. I suppose that some people think anyone who is willing to pay a premium for the Ron Paul silver coin, thinking it represents something important that this country once stood for, is a fool. History is repleat with another kind of fool: those who believe that paper money can create wealth and that hard money is holding us back. I should disclose that I wrote the introduction to a book edited by the head of NORFED four years ago, for which I received a certificate for one ounce of gold marked $500. At the time, gold was selling for about $320 an ounce. At the time, I thought receiving the certificate was amusing. Now, I am wondering what the feds are doing with my gold.
Ron Paul, while still running for president, has introduced a new bill on the House floor, The Affordable Gas Price Act (HR 2415), (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h2415/show)which would suspend federal fuel taxes when the price of gas goes over $3.00 a gallon. A brilliant idea. Here's an excerpt (http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul426.html) from his proposal:
This past week Americans traveled approximately 2 billion miles to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family and loved ones. While you cannot put a price on time with family, Americans sure felt the pain of higher fuel prices at the gas pump. It is time to take an honest look at the government's direct and indirect role in inflating those prices.
Taxation is the most direct way government increases Americans' cost at the pump. The national average price of gas now is well over $3.00 per gallon, $4 in some areas. Federal taxes take 18.4 cents, while state and local taxes average another 28.5 cents per gallon. That's an average of 47 cents per gallon Americans are paying just for government, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Less directly, our loose monetary policy gives taxpayers double jeopardy at the pump, simultaneously increasing prices and undermining purchasing power. Wages always lag behind price increases, making average Americans feel as though they can never quite keep up, never quite get out of debt. Not to mention the ripple effect of higher diesel costs on the trucking industry. When trucking and shipping is more expensive, everything is more expensive.
The indirect costs government imposes on gas prices are much more serious. A major bottleneck that causes gas prices to surge is our very meager and vulnerable refinery capacity due mostly to regulatory red tape. Environmental regulations and litigation have kept our existing refinery capacity barely adequate. In fact, no new refineries have been built since the 70's and these are operating at capacity, which makes our gasoline market especially vulnerable as demonstrated by skyrocketing gas prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when many coastal oil facilities were brought to a halt. In addition, many foreign refineries don't have the ability to produce the specialized blends of gasoline mandated by our government, and therefore 90% of our gasoline is refined in the United States under extreme regulatory burden. When our domestic refineries are damaged or jeopardized, there are few options other than soaring prices or long lines.
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg
Ron Paul Roundup (11-28-07)
by RS Davis (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194780914&blogID=332838686&Mytoken=F95ED8D9-51BE-4045-A1925EBAED25320134971549)
Hello Freedomphiles! USAToday is reporting (http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/11/whats-new-15.html) on what I reported on yesterday, which was Politico's report on Friday's moneybomb. Normally, I wouldn't even include it because there is nothing new, but I thought the fact that USAToday picked up on the story was noteworthy.
USADaily is talking (http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=177485) about Rudy's Reading List, as well:
Ron Paul's grass roots volunteers are planning a last minute fund raising push to try and hit the fund raising goal of 12 million before the end of the month. The Paul campaign had set the goal of 12 million for the quarter.
Organized by Trevor Lyman, the grass roots volunteer that set up the website directing people to donate $100 each on November 5th which resulted in a record 4.2 million dollar day for Ron Paul, Rudy's Reading List is a direct attack on Rudy Giuliani's foreign policy.
The website lists several books designed to educate Rudy Giuliani on foreign policy. Ron Paul voted against the Iraq war and promises an immediate withdrawal from Iraq which clashes with Giuliani's pro war views.
In other fundraising news, USADaily is also reporting (http://www.usadaily.com/article.cfm?articleID=177525) about Tea Party 07, the next major money-bomb initiative, and the plans to have a Ron Paul blimp circling high above it. Of course, if you are a regular Freedom Files reader, you know about the plan for the blimp. Here is what they are saying:
The website states that $350,000 is needed to launch the Ron Paul blimp and claims to have over $270,000 pledged for the effort. It also states that it would be the first presidential blimp in history.
The price tag of $350,000 will actually cover the cost of the skyship for 100 hours for the whole month of December. The site appears to be run by a Political Action Committee capping donors at $5000 per person and is only soliciting donations from maxed out contributors to Paul's campaign.
The website states the intended goal of hovering above strategic events and location throughout the month. Ron Paul's Boston Tea Party which already has 21,000 pledges for $100 donations and is likely to be the largest fund raising day in presidential history, is one strategic event mentioned on the website.
Now, Trevor Lyman deserves a lot of the credit for these money-bombs, but some other people were involved, too. Free Market News Network is talking (http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=51889&fb=1) about the concepts, and the idea of decentralized information and the division of labor:
The Ron Paul fund-raising effort continues to be chronicled at various web sites. A site that has helped pioneer the fund-raising effort of Ron Paul, and been instrumental in the spread of the ideas that his campaign embodies is http://www.ronpaulmoneybomb.com.
This site has now placed a fund-raising history on its front page. Music marketer Trevor Lyman has received his share of the credit in the alternative press (including FMNN). But the history presented by the "Money Bomb" site refers to others who apparently helped originate the mass donation day concepts that have proved so popular and raised so much money for Ron Paul - and which amply illustrate a yearning for republicanism that many had believed dead, not dormant.
In fact, the concepts embodied in the Ron Paul campaign likely go back to the beginning of human neolithic history, when humans began to gather together to "specialize," performing disparate tasks and creating what today might be referred to as "civilization." From the very beginning - from a sociopolitical viewpoint, anyway - there were seemingly at least two models of human interactions, and variants of in between. One featured the rule of a single powerful individual and his or her supporters - perhaps found in so-called "river empires" like Egypt. The other featured a far more "open" society that allowed the participation of a diverse elite with many points of view. This model can perhaps be seen in Greece, Rome (for a time), Italy and the United States.
CBSNews is reporting (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/11/27/isp/entry3544769.shtml) about the Bunny Ranch fundraising drive:
It's "Prostitutes for Paul" in 2008. Or, at least a bunch of them at Dennis Hof's Bunny Ranch in Nevada.
Ron Paul is not the first contender to garner a dubious endorsement. The so-called "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss and porn idol Jenna Jameson have already thrown their weight behind Senator Hillary Clinton. It means nothing, really. Any political analyst will tell you that endorsements carry very little heft either for or against a candidate...
...the Bunny Ranch story does lend itself to eye-catching B-Roll, though.
I object to the use of the term "dubious." These girls are hard-working, tax-paying Americans, just like you and me. They just have more fun at work. Unfortunately, CBSNews won't let me embed, but here's a companion video (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3544742n), if you are so inclined.
The Chronicle of Higher Education is talking (http://chronicle.com/blogs/election/1087/iowa-state-students-feel-the-love-for-barack-obama-and-ron-paul) about Ron Paul's support among Iowa college students, and the unusually high college turnout expected:
A slight majority of college students at Iowa State University -– 58 percent — plan to participate in their state's caucuses in early January, according to a poll of 2,185 students there...although Ron Paul may be lagging in national support, he is a favorite of Iowa State Republicans, garnering top marks from 27 percent of those surveyed.
I haven't given Dr Paul much of a chance in Iowa, because it's Religious Right country, but perhaps the young vote will counter that some. Young people typically don't show up at the polls, but Ron Paul supporters are very dedicated. So, like everything else, this is hard to judge. We'll find out soon enough, though, won't we?
Ron Paul is now officially on the ballot in New York and California. The Nolan Chart reports (http://www.nolanchart.com/article327.html):
The announcement from the Ron Paul campaign today that Dr. Paul has been added to the primary ballots in California and New York for Super Duper Tuesday, February 5, 2008 comes as no surprise. However, there is a mild surprise in what the respective governing bodies had to say. The Republican commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections, "ruled Dr. Paul to be a 'nationally known and recognized' candidate who is 'generally and seriously advocated or recognized according to reports in the national or state news media,' in accordance with Election Law section 2-122-b(3)(b)," according to an email sent from Paul campaign headquarters. The email also says:
"On October 5, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen released the list of 'generally recognized' candidates whose names would be placed on the February 5, 2008 presidential primary ballot, with Dr. Paul among those named."
"Dr. Paul's ballot success in New York is great news for the campaign and for our many grassroots supporters there," said Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. "His message of freedom, peace, and prosperity is enjoyed statewide, and we are ready to compete in the primaries."
While his name was being added to the ballots, Dr Paul was in Charleston, rocking (http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/1107/475839.html)sold out crowds like he sold his soul to the devil:
As Ron Paul, Republican presidential candidate and Texas congressman, speaks to a sold out crowd at the College of Charleston, two states make him an official candidate.
New York and California have recognized Ron Paul as a serious contender in the '08 election by adding his name to the '08 primary ballot.
California's ballot list will be officially certified on November 29.
The Washington Post has an online Q&A (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/11/21/DI2007112101734.html)with Matt Welsh and Nick Gillespie, following up on the op-ed (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301299.html)they penned for the publication last Sunday. Here's an excerpt:
Nashua, N.H.: How has the Internet influenced the Ron Paul phenomenon in particular and the resurgence of libertarianism in general?
Nick Gillespie: I think the Internet in general has greatly facilitated decentralization in virtually every aspect of American life: It allows more people further apart to communicate, transact business, share information, you name it.
That has been central to Ron Paul's fundraising success (as it was to Howard Dean's a few years back); and it allows for work-arounds around traditional gatekeeper institutions in the media and elsewhere.
More fundamentally, the decentralization of knowledge, information, and more made possible by the Internet has made libertarianism a reality regardless of ideology. We're all living much individualized lives thanks to it.
Clifford F Thies of the prestigious Ludwig von Mises Institute is taking a look (http://www.mises.org/story/2785) at the case against the Ron Paul Liberty Dollar:
As to how the totality of imagery, words, size, weight and feel of the NORFED coins compare to those of the United States, the matter could — it seems to me — have been resolved without a disruption of the business of the company, if this had been the only concern of the federal government. When the US Treasury sent a notice to the company to cease and desist, the company filed a motion in a court seeking a permanent injunction. But, instead of going this route, the feds simply showed up and effectively shut the company down.
It has been said by some that people who bought the Ron Paul silver coin were defrauded because they acquired something like $10 worth of silver at the price of $20. While there are ways to buy silver and gold coins at very small mark-ups (these would be called "bullion coins"), people have been known to buy commemorative coins at significant mark-ups over melt value. Buyers of commemorative coins, such as coins with depictions of the Twin Towers and Princess Diana, see in the coins something of emotional value, and willingly pay a premium.
This case isn't really about the company or the details of its specific business practices, or whether and to what extent it might have misled customers on what they were buying. I suppose that some people think anyone who is willing to pay a premium for the Ron Paul silver coin, thinking it represents something important that this country once stood for, is a fool. History is repleat with another kind of fool: those who believe that paper money can create wealth and that hard money is holding us back. I should disclose that I wrote the introduction to a book edited by the head of NORFED four years ago, for which I received a certificate for one ounce of gold marked $500. At the time, gold was selling for about $320 an ounce. At the time, I thought receiving the certificate was amusing. Now, I am wondering what the feds are doing with my gold.
Ron Paul, while still running for president, has introduced a new bill on the House floor, The Affordable Gas Price Act (HR 2415), (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h2415/show)which would suspend federal fuel taxes when the price of gas goes over $3.00 a gallon. A brilliant idea. Here's an excerpt (http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul426.html) from his proposal:
This past week Americans traveled approximately 2 billion miles to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family and loved ones. While you cannot put a price on time with family, Americans sure felt the pain of higher fuel prices at the gas pump. It is time to take an honest look at the government's direct and indirect role in inflating those prices.
Taxation is the most direct way government increases Americans' cost at the pump. The national average price of gas now is well over $3.00 per gallon, $4 in some areas. Federal taxes take 18.4 cents, while state and local taxes average another 28.5 cents per gallon. That's an average of 47 cents per gallon Americans are paying just for government, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Less directly, our loose monetary policy gives taxpayers double jeopardy at the pump, simultaneously increasing prices and undermining purchasing power. Wages always lag behind price increases, making average Americans feel as though they can never quite keep up, never quite get out of debt. Not to mention the ripple effect of higher diesel costs on the trucking industry. When trucking and shipping is more expensive, everything is more expensive.
The indirect costs government imposes on gas prices are much more serious. A major bottleneck that causes gas prices to surge is our very meager and vulnerable refinery capacity due mostly to regulatory red tape. Environmental regulations and litigation have kept our existing refinery capacity barely adequate. In fact, no new refineries have been built since the 70's and these are operating at capacity, which makes our gasoline market especially vulnerable as demonstrated by skyrocketing gas prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when many coastal oil facilities were brought to a halt. In addition, many foreign refineries don't have the ability to produce the specialized blends of gasoline mandated by our government, and therefore 90% of our gasoline is refined in the United States under extreme regulatory burden. When our domestic refineries are damaged or jeopardized, there are few options other than soaring prices or long lines.
http://www.brendangates.com/forumlogo.jpg