Michael E. Newton's Blog, page 34

Possible new gold disclosure rules. Hurting you in the name of consumer protection.

With gold hitting record highs, it is obviously time for Congress to do something stupid. Seeking Alpha reports:

A press release from Rep. Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York, not yet (as of this instant) posted on Mr. Weiner's Web site, announces that a September 23 hearing of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection (a subcommittee of Rep. Henry Waxman's Commerce Committee) will focus on "legislation that would regulate gold-selling companies, an industry who's...

Time to support the independents. Time to support the Constitution!

For years we've heard anger directed at the two-party system. "The parties don't represent us." "They are all just a bunch of crooks." Even I have said on many occasions, "There is only one thing I hate more than a Republican; and that's a Democrat!"

Now American's will have to put up or shut up. After the remarkable success of tea party candidates in the primaries, let's see how these naysayers vote. We now have candidates who are well-educated in American values, whose stated goal is to...

Professional Review of The Path to Tyranny at The LL Book Review

http://llbookreview.com/2010/09/revie...

By Shannon Yarbrough on September 11, 2010

I’ve said it before in other historical or nonfiction books I’ve reviewed here: I was not a fan of history class back in school, and I blame the bland teachers who doubled as coaches and only taught history because they had to teach something besides kick ball. History was boring to me thanks to those boring teachers. But I have authors like Michael E. Newton to thank for bringing me back to the fold. If you are not a fan of historical nonfiction, I absolutely beg you to pick up his book and at least give it a try. I have only two words to describe it: Brilliant and Intelligent!

First, I had an idea what tyranny was and I admit I almost looked it up before I started to read Mr. Newton’s book. I assumed his book was written for a specific group of people who should probably already be well versed in the subject. I was wrong. Tyranny is defined right on page 4, and Newton doesn’t use “over your head” terms that you’ll find yourself going glassy eyed over. In fact, the text is laced with infamous quotes from George Santayana (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) to James Madison (“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”) which help you become quite comfortable with the material. Newton draws you and obviously knows how to relate to his reader. A sign of a good teacher, perhaps? As for that definition of tyranny:

The word comes from the ancient Greek tyrannos, meaning “absolute ruler.” With time, the definition of tyrannos changed from “absolute ruler” to “illegitimate, cruel, and oppressive ruler.” Today, the dictionary definition of tyrant is “an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution” and tyranny is “oppressive power” especially as “exerted by government.”

Still too much to wrap your head around? Don’t worry. From there, Newton spends a chapter each on Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel, Ancient Rome, Communist Russia, Fascist Italy, and even Nazi Germany explaining how each free society descended into tyranny. Newton ultimately ends with the United States and the jagged path they may just be leading us in the same direction. Readers will be shocked but informed at the evidence of our destiny, which is actually already happening right in the headlines. We’ve just been too blind to see it. But we aren’t necessarily the ones to blame.

Newton stretches all the way back to our forefathers and the signing of the constitution. The taste of wealth and freedom has shielded our eyes from the same demise that all of the other societies mentioned in the book eventually met, so this descent has been slow going, but has happened throughout our history. Newton even sites examples of when tyranny isn’t such a bad thing, but ultimately a single leader even gets greedy.

Newton’s book is impressive on all accounts. It’s solid – inside and out. The book’s cover is beautiful and eye catching. Although it only contains 8 lengthy chapters, each is informative and not a page is wasted. Newton had my full attention throughout. And while Newton does lightly input his own opinions throughout the text, his facts are in plain sight. The citations and bibliography sections in the back of the book take up an impressive 40 pages! Newton did his homework. This is another book I’m going to call the attention of other indie authors to – buy Newton’s book for a reference on how self-publishing should be done!

His solution to our problem is limited to just two pages in the last chapter on the U.S. And it’s quite simple. I won’t reveal it here because I don’t want to ruin the book for readers, but this is not a how-to-get-out-of-tyranny book anyway. Newton just peels back the layers of history – the pop quiz questions on who fought who – and shows us what the world’s history sadly had in common, and that in the end, as a country we are no different. With politics and “change” all over the news lately, Newton’s book is for the voter. Yes, it’s a wake up call. It’s informative. And it encourages us to use the two freedoms we’ve fought the most for: the right to vote and the right to speak.

History buffs, political junkies, conspiracy theorists, or just those who enjoy a good nonfiction read or like to be informed – there’s a little bit of everything for everyone here. Ten years ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about this book. But in today’s society, today’s economy, today’s America, this is a book that I will be suggesting for a long time to come. If you loved history back in the day, or even if you hated it, Newton’s book will astound you and open the eyes of the student inside all over again.

Did World War II lift us out of the Great Depression?

We are constantly told that the economy was lifted out of its Great Depression because of World War II. While it is certainly true that the economic production recovered thanks to war production, I do not believe that the economy actually "recovered" during the war. Of course, it all depends on how you define an economic recovery. The statistical method of doing so is to look at Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or industrial production. However, looking at those figures, even adjusting for...

Big government is producing high unemployment and stagnant wages.

Marketwatch reports Salaries and wages are rising, but not by much. Even that subdued headline is upbeat when you read some of the details:

Want some more bad news? Average wages today are lower than a decade ago when adjusted for inflation, according to an analysis earlier this year by the Economic Policy Institute.

For high school graduates, median inflation-adjusted wages were $626 per week in 2009, compared with $629 in 2000. If you assume a worker gets paid for a full year that totals...

Record number in government anti-poverty programs. Fewer people to support them.

In The Path to Tyranny, I wrote:

Why work if the government will provide free food, subsidized housing, free health care, and a welfare check?

It turns out that fewer people are working and more are relying on government assistance. The USA Today reports Record number in government anti-poverty programs. Here are some of the numbers:

"More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid.""The new health care law adds about 16 million people, beginning in 2014.""More than 40 million people get food...

The Fall of Civilization is spreading

In a follow-up to The fall of civilization spreads to Oakland, USA Today reports:

Budget cuts are forcing police around the country to stop responding to fraud, burglary and theft calls as officers focus limited resources on violent crime.

Cutbacks in such places as Oakland, Tulsa and Norton, Mass. have forced police to tell residents to file their own reports — online or in writing — for break-ins and other lesser crimes.

In Tulsa, which lost 110 officers to layoffs and retirements, the...

Classic quotes against the income tax

Plato: "When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income."

Adam Smith in the section "Taxes upon the Wages of Labour" of The Wealth of Nations:  "Absurd and destructive as such taxes are, however, they take place in many countries."

Albert Einstein: "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."

Will Rogers: "Income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf."

Please post more quotes in the comments.

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Why can't the US be like the US of the 1950s?

Sam Zell says Brazil is like 'US in the 1950s.' CNBC reports:

Brazil is booming and brimming with business opportunities—like the "US in the 1950s"—billionaire businessman Sam Zell told CNBC Wednesday. He said if Brazil continues on the same course, he predicts that the "fiscally conservative" nation will soon be one of the top two countries in terms of growth.

The real estate tycoon said Brazil has 8 percent debt, compared to 70 percent (of GDP) in the US. The country has a AAA rating from...

Making Charity a Crime

Capitalists argue that government spending on welfare, food stamps, housing subsidies, etc. crowds out charities. If government is providing the poor with everything they need, then what is there for charities to do?

Now, the socialists have turned that argument on its head:

SPIEGEL: Forty super wealthy Americans have just announced that they would donate half of their assets, at the very latest after their deaths. As a person who often likes to say that rich people should be asked to...