The godfather of the Tea Party movement and perhaps the most prominent right-leaning libertarian in America, Ron Paul, believes the economic boom the United States experienced under President Trump could be a “bit of an illusion.”
Mr. Paul sees inequality, inflation, and debt as real threats that could potentially cause a turmoil.
“the country’s feeling a lot better, but it’s all on borrowed money” and that “the whole system’s an illusion” built on corporate, personal, and governmental debt.
“It’s a bubble economy in many many different ways and it’s going to come unglued,”
In a recent interview with the Washington Examiner, Paul said,
“We’re on the verge of something like what happened in ’89 when the Soviet system just collapsed. I’m just hoping our system comes apart as gracefully as the Soviet system.
We have ownership of these countries, but it’s not quite like the Soviets did. I think our stature in the world and our empire will end, and that’s when, hopefully, the doors will be open.”
The crumbling of America’s “overseas empire,” as Mr. Paul calls it, could be a chance for the libertarian movement to captivate the country’s imagination by 2020.
The fact that the system is coming apart could be a big opening for the libertarians, Paul claims. However, it is not just Trump administration’s foreign policy that could play a part in this.
“I think the foreign policy is a total disaster. Trump’s approach sounds good one day but the next day he’s antagonizing everyone in the world and thinks we should start a war here and there," he said.
The former politician and host of the popular Ron Paul Liberty Report podcast has been a vocal critic of the NSA’s surveillance program, the USA PATRIOT Act, the War on Drugs, and the government’s fiscal policies as a whole. Interestingly, the topic of one of Mr. Paul’s recent podcasts was bitcoin.
“The government, for its own reasons, monopolized the creation of money. Money originated in the marketplace. Let people sort it out,” he says.
Apart from criticizing Donald Trump, the “Tea Party’s Brain,” as some journalists have called him, criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Mr. Paul considers Sessions to be a threat to civil liberties. According to Paul, Trump’s foreign policy is a “total disaster,” as well as the war on terrorism and the “war on immigrants,” as Mr. Paul puts it. He went as far as calling these policies authoritarian-fascism.
The former U.S. Representative, author, and physician is cautiously optimistic about the future of the libertarian movement. Although he sees Trump’s policies and what he predicts to be the imminent crumbling of the American economy and the country’s overseas empire as an opening for the libertarians, he admits that the movement has a lot of work to do before American voters accept a true libertarian. Still, Paul thinks having a popular candidate in 2020 is very possible.
Comments
everything is great and is getting better.
Amidst all the doom and gloom, finally a ray of hope.
Fuck war mongers.
In reply to everything is great and is… by DEMIZEN
A very compelling analysis of this is at www.macrovoices.com in a 5-part series called "Anatomy of the US Dollar Endgame".
In reply to Amidst all the doom and… by ThirdWorldNut
Trump is an expert at bankruptcy and insolvency ... himself said that he is the best expert in the World ... he will know what to do ... probably thats why he is there ... my two cents
In reply to A very compelling analysis… by YUNOSELL
Giant corporations and politicians can't make illegal, insanely high profits with liberty, sound money, freedom and peace.
In reply to Trump is an expert at… by Pandelis
Has Ron Paul been tested for Alzheimer's?
In reply to … by BennyBoy
I'm making over $16k a month working part time. I kept hearing other people tell me how much money they can make online so I decided to look into it. Well, it was all true and has totally changed my life. This is what I do... http://disq.us/url?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Jobzon3.com%3Ab8eR_DQLwGRPVGtFv…
In reply to Has Ron Paul been tested for… by IH8OBAMA
hey both suckers above, we don't care about your meaningless participation that could frankly be ignored. Besides Ron Paul is a true American patriot who deserves respect from everyone including Russians and Chinese. He's one of the last Americanos who still remember the sense of the word honor. A rare occurrence by those days.
In reply to I'm making over $16k a month… by LooneyGhost
Have you been tested for ADD?
In reply to Has Ron Paul been tested for… by IH8OBAMA
Ding ding ding! A winner. That and that alone is why nothing will change. The filthy rich will get even filthier and the poor will continue to be stomped in the ground, maybe with the boot twisting a little on 'em at the bottom.
In reply to … by BennyBoy
Enslave the goyim?
In reply to Trump is an expert at… by Pandelis
you mean they are free?
In reply to Enslave the goyim? by Alexander De Large
you mean they are free?
In reply to Enslave the goyim? by Alexander De Large
Ol' Ronnie just wants you to open more bitcoin-backed IRAs.
In reply to everything is great and is… by DEMIZEN
i just google mapped east LA near 5th street and san pedro...
unreal tent cities going for blocks and blocks.
it looks like the bad part of nairobi
In reply to Ol' Ronnie just wants you to… by vortmax
Very true. Downtown Los Angeles has a sidewalk tent city. I should donate my old tent to a church near there.
In reply to i just google mapped east LA… by wildbad
Ok then, please tell me how to arrange ZH comments as “newest first” or “oldest.”
And how to edit.
In reply to everything is great and is… by DEMIZEN
let them upgrade and bootstrap their drupal script and it will be back.
In reply to Ok then, please tell me how… by Lost in translation
And crazy Ron ended his interview with, "... and don't forget to buy my food dehydrators, you fucking morons!"
In reply to everything is great and is… by DEMIZEN
I can see it now.
Graceful ghettos.
As always, Ron Paul nails it!
He is right about an opening for a new party, and he is right that economic inequality is stoking instability. But his assertions that opposition to mass-scale, illegal, welfare-buttressed immigration is a “war on immigrants” is wrong and not too libertarian.
There is nothing libertarian about government paying the rent and food bills of immigrants, while handing them refundable child tax credits if ip to $6,444 that equal 1/3rd of the per-capita income of citizens across many states, including his state of Kentucky, with its rock-bottom per capita income of $18,093.
Kentucky — per capita income — $18,093
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kentucky_locations_by_per_capit…
The Swamp is controlling inequality, like the Fed controls the money supply, by pumping up the income of single moms and immigrants with more monthly welfare and tax welfare per birth, when they stay below the earned-income limit for welfare. For the most part, the now 62% majority of unwed moms and illegal immigrants are not the groups who are likely to cause unrest.
It is a stupid and unfair-to-the-max way to undermine citizenship with the welfare state, making citizenship meaningless, so yes, the whole concept of citizenship is breaking down, especially when rent takes more than half of monthly income for citizens without unearned income for womb productivity who are often men.
It goes beyond basic rights. Low-income immigrants in this country — legal and illegal — are treated better than citizens, assuming their women’s wombs are productive and the sole, male breadwinners stay below the earned-income limit for welfare. They are treated better than citizens with earned-only income.
I do not think Deplorables will cast votes mainly on foreign policy anything. They cannot afford to.
https://fairus.org/press-releases/new-fair-study-illegal-immigration-co…
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/dec/10/chi…
https://cis.org/Child-Tax-Credits-Illegal-Immigrants
In reply to As always, Ron Paul nails it! by tripletail
When he was a congresscritter, Ron Paul represented Texas, not Kentucky. You are thinking of his son, Rand Paul.
In reply to He is right about an opening… by Endgame Napoleon
Libertarians con not win as long as the deep state controls the main stream media.
Jeezus why the fuck are you here? The MSM is dead and dying! No one believes any of the pablum they spew. It is the equivalent of Pravada. Everyone watches so we know what the deep state expects us to believe.
In reply to Libertarians con not win as… by laser
No one on ZH believes what the MSM is spewing but we are a small subset of the general population, the majority of which are still watching that shit and thinking it is the truth. Sad but true.
In reply to Jeezus why the fuck are you… by HRH of Aquitaine 2.0
If that were true, Hillary would POTUS. {shudder}
In reply to No one on ZH believes what… by chubbar
Actually, most Americans do not watch the MSM at all. They have a limited viewership, but likely voters probably watch them in greater numbers.
They are less like a state-owned media and more like an oligatchy-owned media, a corporate-controlled press that says whatever is good for business.
I am not anti business at all. I had a small shop for awhile. But I prefer ZH, because while socialism always ends like Venezuela, with a bunch of unpalatable consumer choices that cost too much and political repression, businesses are so unequal in this country, the USA, that there is really not much freedom in self employment.
The government rigs the system for some businesses, making it close to impossible for Main Street to compete with big boxes unless they have very deep pockets and a lot of cash flow to begin with, just like government rigs workplaces for child-tax-credit and welfare-bolstered employees who do not need a wage sufficient to cover rent.
The whole system is rigged, and some parts of American foreign policy were flawed for sure. But if libertarians are counting on Deplorables to vote in the interests of foreign countries who have been so mistreated by Americans, I doubt that theme will work.
In reply to No one on ZH believes what… by chubbar
When you hear something repeated over and over you are being programmed. This is the power msm still has. While many are waking up plenty still believe them or their subconscious minds get programmed to retain just enough bits of misinformation to make a difference. Lets not forget the social media take over of information flow and the extreme bias they have with their selective censorship. Information is power so the ability to harness that and control the information is probably the greatest weapon ever created.
In reply to Jeezus why the fuck are you… by HRH of Aquitaine 2.0
Yes, I fully understand the power of the MSM to program people. Thankfully many people are ditching cable. It is something that only the old fogies will still watch (and pay for). However the grip of the MSM on the minds of the populace grows weaker with each passing day.
Does anyone take anything posted on Fuckbook or Twatter seriously? Not if you have an IQ that is greater than room temperature!
I grow weary having to deal with ignorant people. I simply don't expect them to show up here.
In reply to When you hear something… by overbet
The MSM are trying to be programmers without studying hard like programmers. They are feeding us these narratives, over and over and over and over and over, attempting to make us learn it — robot style — like we are Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is one more reason to call them the Fake News Media (FNM). There should be a wikipedia page for this acronym.
Oh, there is: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_news
This is a good synopsis of the FNM ethos. It is from Claire Wardel’s list:
In reply to When you hear something… by overbet
The Jews control media and Hollywood. They also control the banking interests. The 'tribe' is a criminal cabal. We aren't allowed to criticize them because if we do we are anti-semitic.
"You know who your rulers are because you aren't permitted to criticize them."
Voltaire
In reply to Libertarians con not win as… by laser
Libertarians can not win as long as the deep state controls the main stream media.
Please reestablish the edit function.
In reply to Libertarians can not win as… by laser
Why not? Trump won by dominating Twitter and Breitbart, and ZH probably helped, too. The FNM is not a monolith. Trump also used them. Remember his hilarious entry into the race, staging an infomercial, using his Trump Steaks and Trump Water as his credentials to the holier-than-though snobs on the MSM? Much more than people think, Trump won on the issues, but stuff like that did endear him to Deplorables.
In reply to Libertarians can not win as… by laser
Hangover induced nihilism, he'll be happy as Larry in a few days. Hic
Hangover induced nihilism, he'll be happy as Larry in a few days. Hic
I do expect the US to break up into regions. Ron Paul is overly optimistic.
When the tectonic plates shift, perhaps the left coast esp SEA, PDX, SFO & LAX will be engulfed by the Pacific ocean. No loss.
In reply to I do expect the US to break… by HRH of Aquitaine 2.0
I'd like a referendum on Rust Belt accession to the Russian Federation, please.
In reply to I do expect the US to break… by HRH of Aquitaine 2.0
Why not? I fully support the right of people to choose their own destiny!
In reply to I'd like a referendum on… by Shemp 4 Victory
Can we put the South with the Third World countries where its per-capita income proves it belongs, with its assortment of gated McMansion communities likewise proving the point.
Kentucky — per capita income — $18,093
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kentucky_locations_by_per_capit…
Tennessee — per capita income — $19,393
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tennessee_locations_by_per_capi…
Alabama — per capita income — $18,189
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alabama_locations_by_per_capita…
Mississippi — per capita income — $20,670
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mississippi_locations_by_per_ca…
South Carolina — per capita income — $18,795
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_Carolina_locations_by_per…
In reply to I'd like a referendum on… by Shemp 4 Victory
Good!
The soviet union didn't expect to break into a bunch of small countries either.
i think there was a russian guy predicting the US breakup in Vienna in late 1990s ...
democrats might be into something with these few well thought facebook ads that changed the fate of US elections
In reply to The soviet union didn't… by MusicIsYou
Maybe, that Russian guy just noticed how the Nineties separatists that morphed into the multiculturalists of today were destroying the concept of e pluribus unum. He was not the only one.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Disuniting_of_America
https://www.amazon.com/Disuniting-America-Reflections-Multicultural-Enl…
In reply to i think there was a russian… by Pandelis
The one thing most people ignore is the fact that JPMorgan, Goldman-Sachs, Citi, and others all have offices in United States, Europe, Russia and China, etc. They do not fight each other; but when financial sociopaths decide to pull the credit plug on a country, that's it. They practiced on Zimbabwe, Greece, Venezuela, etc. They're the ones who pulled the plug on Russia, too. Ron knows that, too.
Mr. Putin knows this, too...
Like Mr. Paul, Mr. Putin also is very cognizant of what happened in the immediate aftermath of 1989 - the $looting of his home country by Western banking & financial interests and the follow up color-revolutions to ensure that Russia remained 'Yeltsin-ed' and stayed on its knees in deference to the PNAC doctrine...
I think it would be an understatement to suggest that this is in fact, a New Day on the geopolitical stage, which bears little resemblance to the period of Yeltsin...
In reply to The one thing most people… by GRDguy
It is easier to see his point on the former parts of the USSR, not on Eastern Europe, which was conquered in WWII. The US gave its conquered territories back.
In reply to … by Consuelo
A soviet union style collapse of the U.S will be ugly because Americans have a complacency in the state taking care of them that Russians did not have.
Pagination