Government continues to run over its citizens with the auto bailout

In a recent interview on CNN, President Bush said he has “abandoned free market principles to save the free market system.” Some call this Orwellian doublethink, and it is this and much more. It is much more sinister than simple double mindedness out of ignorance. This is the person who holds the office of President we are talking about after all. Let me explain.

Dishonesty regarding the principles being fought for and defended has been the cornerstone of the Bush presidency. If Bush even understands free market principles, then he has been exceptionally dishonest. What he has done through his entire time in office is trade fraudulently on the names of philosophies and principles he does not subscribe to. He has governed exactly opposite of the philosophy of liberty and the principle of free markets, while claiming them as his touchstone. The dishonest misbehavior of this administration (Bush is only the figure head of the problem) has given free markets and liberty a black eye. Results include a miss-educated and confused public, markets falling under the weight of inflationary monetary policy and over regulation, and an exponentially expanding welfare state.

The public, realizing something is afoul, choose to set the stage for repetition rather than termination of trend. The majority of the public did not learn that the major media outlets have been giving them dose after dose of miss-education and schizophrenic information for decades. A predictable public response to all of this occurred this past November. Although the change is only a superficial veneer, voters elected an administration they think is philosophically and morally differentiated from the disaster we have seen in Bush. Of course nothing of substance will change, and this is even evidenced by the fact that both Bush and Obama have been led around by Council on Foreign Relations handlers and advisors. We will see a continuation of fiat monetary policy, which is destroying our economy and our dollar. We will see a continuation in interventionist foreign policy. We will see further expansions of the welfare state. Nothing will change except the persona. The only change may be a change in the velocity of the trend, which could accelerate. We will loose the country boy persona and will get a persona of educated enlightenment. Of course, even the personas are mostly frauds designed to get votes. There is no enlightenment in Marxism or Keynesianism.

In 2000, the stated platform of Presidential Candidate George W. Bush was fairly libertarian or as some would say: “old right”. The platform called for a “more humble foreign policy” (no nation building), lower taxes, decreases in the size and scope of government, and for government to let the markets work more freely to solve problems and meet consumer demands. Sounds great, but this was just the sales pitch. The reality is that these statements were a veil covering an antithetical philosophy of a deadly totalitarian mix of socialism and fascism. The proof is in the fruit. Bush has governed in the exact opposite direction of this original platform. The latest evidence is the accelerated pace towards socialism via all the latest bailout schemes.

There is an important realization here. We don’t have a new socialist ready to take over the executive branch because the Republican Party has worked to defend our liberties and simply lost an election in tough times. Obama’s election is a result of major compromises. The Republican Party has compromised so many times it and its leaders have no integrity whatsoever. The Republican Party doesn’t even know what it stands for anymore. The GOP stands in the middle ground of double mindedness and in the bottomless pit of pragmatism over principle. Even so, they aren’t even good at the pragmatism part anymore. Although this trend is a long one, a warning of what was coming should have been early on when Bush stated his admiration for F.D.R. There is no empirical reason for any of us who believe in the philosophy of liberty to count on the Republican Party to work on our behalf. In fact, to do so at this point would be the definition of insanity. We have to wake up, stand up and demand principled leaders – Leaders who will not compromise in their defense of our liberty and the U.S. Constitution; leaders who will work to reduce the size of government, like by cutting it in half or more. If they come from the GOP, then great! We can vote for and fund the individual rather than the party. Ron Paul would have been a great win in this regard, and he could have beat Obama. There would have been no chance for Obama if he would have had to debate clear truths and principles rather than the mindless social gatherings we had to witness between him and McCain where they talked about specific differences in how each would increase the intrusion of government in our lives. If the GOP continues to miserably fail in producing principled leadership, then we must turn to third parties and independents. We must stand up and fight; every individual.

If every individual who believes in the philosophy of liberty and the founding principles of the U.S. Constitution, simply stands up for those principles and beliefs, then there can be no other outcome but to win back our liberty and restore our republic. Don’t become apathetic and complacent now that the latest election is over. That is what got us into this mess. Stand up; get a self education in Austrian Economics (www.mises.org), the U.S. Constitution and the principles and philosophy of liberty (www.campaignforliberty.com). Check in here for additional commentary (www.libertyvoter.blogspot.com), but don’t sit back and forget what is at stake here. Those working from within to further morph this country into something other than the libertarian intentions of the founders are working night and day. We have to stay engaged and educated in order to push back and reverse the deadly trend.

The auto bailout is running us over, but it is only one in a long line of abuses of power and failures to adhere to the law of the land. We must apply the breaks to this trend before it runs us completely off the cliff.

-Markham