pillars of prosperity free markets, honest money, private property

[...]... also requires rethinking the merit of the redistributionist welfare state? Dr Paul writes that freedom is all of a piece You can’t pick and choose Moreover, it is impossible to speak of the future or of human needs without trusting economic freedom and disempowering the state to intervene in every area of life Without sound money, there is no protection for savings and property, nor capital accumulation,... voluntary agreements between two parties must be strictly prohibited Enforcement of those contracts in event of a violation invites the government’s participation in settlement of the dispute This limited involvement of government in voluntary contracts is necessary in a free society 8 Pillars of Prosperity The strict limitation of government power imposed by the Constitution must be respected We must accept... of circumstances of race, color, or creed Equal rights cannot, however, be defined vaguely to include demands on another’s life or property The goal of freedom must surpass our obsession with material wealth and its forced redistribution Sixth, prosperity with freedom for the individual is the only humanitarian system ever offered that prevented mass starvation and suffering Refusal to accept the free. .. needs of people made dependent by a defective political system of government intervention while perpetuating their own power Anything that can help the people to avoid facing the reality of the shortcomings of the welfare/warfare state is welcomed Thus our system is destined to perpetuate itself until the immutable laws of 14 Pillars of Prosperity economics bring it to a halt at the expense of liberty... scenario sounds utopian, yet it’s more practical than the ill effects of the planned society financed by fiat money and debt creation It’s difficult to understand the persistence in following the impractical ideas of runaway government coercion The philosophy of the free market, sound money, private property ownership, and equal rights, offers the only real “compromise” to the impasse existing in Washington... hike in property taxes Now in the division of labor in the battle of ideas, is there a place for someone in the U.S Congress?! I have to admit I wouldn’t have thought so had you asked me five years ago But even the purest of libertarians can’t deny that the Ron Paul movement is exciting, and is bringing the message of liberty to people who otherwise wouldn’t have heard it xi xii Pillars of Prosperity. .. sound money, low interest rates, the removal of the bankers’ monopoly over credit, and peace and prosperity will restore trust in the politicians, the money, the future, and in ourselves More government cannot possibly offer the solution to the problems we face Big government is the cause; freedom is the answer Challenge to America: A Current Assessment of Our Republic Congressional Record—U.S House of. .. remains: Is there really anything new being offered? The demand for bipartisanship is nothing more than a continuation of the Third Way movement of the last several decades The effort always is to soften the image of the authoritarians who see a need to run the economy and regulate people’s lives, while pretending not to give up any of the advantages of the free market or the supposed benefits that come... continue for all of us Ideas do count; all government action is a result of ideas It’s incorrect to suggest that freedom ideas must be rejected because they are idealistic—the planned economy is also a result of an idea It’s only a choice between good and bad ideas The job of the true believer in liberty is to convince the majority of our leaders that freedom ideas are superior to the ideas of government... bipartisanship of the last 50 years has allowed our government to gain control over half of the income of most Americans Being enslaved half the time is hardly a good compromise But supporters of the political status quo point out that, in spite of the loss of personal freedom, the country continues to thrive in many ways But there are some serious questions that we as a people must answer: Is this prosperity . JR. Pillars of Prosperity F REE MARKETS, HONEST MONEY, PRIVATE PROPERTY Ludwig von Mises Institute AUBURN, ALABAMA RON PAUL All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the pub- lisher. solid under- standing of Ron Paul s views on various economic issues. The core of the book concerns Dr. Paul s strong support for honest money. (It was, after all, Nixon’s closing of the gold. 2007 xviii Pillars of Prosperity The Economics of a Free Society These selections lay out my views of the proper role of government, namely that it should serve only to protect the life and property of