Ron Paul's Statement at Hearing on "Free Competition in Currencies Act" (HR 1098)

John Maynard Keynes once stated that “There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.” Such a situation is exactly what faces this country today, as the Federal Reserve seems hell-bent on destroying what little purchasing power remains of the U.S. Dollar...

... Economics teaches that monopolies produce fewer goods and sell them at a greater price than in a competitive market. This leads to inefficiency, deadweight losses, and over time complacency on the part of the monopolist. Most mainstream economists fail to extend the theory of monopoly to the market for money. Government monopolization of the issuance of money fails to produce the sound money the market demands. The poor-quality money that is issued continues to lose its value, and the American people must work longer and harder for money that continues to decline in purchasing power. Meanwhile, government agencies and the banking system benefit from the first use of that money, being able to spend it and lend it before it circulates through the rest of the economy and before prices increase in reaction to this inflation.

The only way to counteract this problem is to break the government monopoly on the issuance of money. The Constitution does not grant the federal government this monopoly, a fact which was not in dispute for nearly a century after this country's founding. The federal government has become complacent, forgetting the need for sound money, and the only way to break this complacency is to break the monopoly. HR 1098, the Free Competition in Currency Act, intends to do just that...

...I hope that this hearing will start a vigorous discussion of currency competition, sound money, and how to return to a sound dollar. HR 1098 is certainly not a panacea, as there remain significant structural problems in our banking and monetary system that still need to be addressed. But allowing for competing currencies will enable Americans to choose a currency that suits their needs, rather than the needs of the government. The prospect of Americans turning away from the dollar towards alternate currencies will provide the necessary impetus to the US government to regain control of the dollar and halt its downward spiral. Restoring soundness to the dollar will remove the government's ability and incentive to inflate the currency, and keep us from launching unconstitutional wars that burden our economy to excess. With a sound currency, everyone is better off, not just those who control the monetary system.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE...

Question to ask at Candidate Forum for Bobby Franklin's seat - @politicalinsidr http://bit.ly/qFG7c8

On Monday, Sept. 12th, there will be a Candidates Forum in the Special Election race for the seat which was left vacant by the untimely death of the late Rep. Bobby Franklin.

Rep. Franklin, you will recall, was the lead sponsor of HB 3, the Constitutional Tender Act (along with many, many other excellent bills).

One of the panelists who will be questioning the candidates is a writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jim Galloway. Now, Galloway has asked his readers to make suggestions for what questions he should ask them.

Here's my suggestion, posted on his wall at the AJC:

Here's a question that's actually relevant to the office they're running for, AND the particular Member's seat they're looking to fill:

If you are elected, you will be required to swear before God this constitutionally-required Oath of Office: "I do hereby solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of this state and of the United States, and on all questions and measures which may come before me, I will so conduct myself, as will, in my judgment, be most conducive to the interests and prosperity of this state."

Since you will be oath-bound to support the U.S. Constitution, as well as the prosperity of the State of Georgia; and since the U.S. Constitution, in Article I, Section 10, mandates that each State use ONLY gold and silver coins in all of its financial transactions; and since the federally-forced use of over-inflated Federal Reserve Notes has destroyed over 95% of the wealth of the citizens of the State of Georgia:

Will you pledge right now to sponsor the late Rep. Bobby Franklin's bill, HB 3, the "Constitutional Tender Act," which would return the State of Georgia to adherence to the United States Constitution's actual legal tender provisions and increase the State's prosperity?

I believe that economically, this is the most important question that could be asked at such a forum, because economically, there is no greater threat to the future prosperity of the State of Georgia and its citizens -- indeed, to the citizens of every single State in the nation -- than the Federal Reserve's destruction of their wealth through its over-inflation of unconstitutional fiat currency.

If you agree, and would like to support the passage of the Constitutional Tender Act in Georgia, please contact Jim Galloway to let him know that you would also like to see this question asked:

Email: jgalloway@ajc.com
Twitter: @politicalinsidr
Web: Political Insider with Jim Galloway

Thanks for your support!