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Freedom is Golden
As the Olympics wind down, I am amazed at how things change every four years. Many Americans were glued to their televisions to watch the excitement from Beijing, and also heard announcers wax nostalgic with memories of times when the Soviet Union was the USA's biggest competitor for Olympic gold. There was a time when it was unthinkable that a government as powerful as that of the Soviet Union's could possibly crumble, yet crumble it did. The irony is that the strength of the Soviet government was also its weakness, as no country, no economic system can remain strong under the crushing burden that is central planning.
Central Planning is sold to a hopeful people as a way to solve societal problems, to right wrongs, and bring about perfect justice and equality. Central Planning promises you everything you are entitled to. As a bonus, goods and services produced by others are added to the list of commodities that everyone has a "right" to. Suddenly everyone is entitled to healthcare, housing, education, food, et cetera. It might sound nice that the state will magically provide all these wonderful things, but these rosy promises mask a dehumanizing, ugly reality. The other side of these entitlements is that now the doctor, the builder, the teacher, the farmer are slaves to the all-powerful state. No longer do they serve patients, students, or customers. They work in complete obedience to the state, their only customer.
Central planning will tell you that you are entitled to many things. Liberty tells you that you are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to whatever you earn, and nothing that you don't. While it may seem harsh to some, we must look to basic economic truths and to history to see which model is cruel and which model is kind.
The truth is that central planning cannot provide for economic success like freedom can. Central planning makes promises it cannot possibly keep. We live in a world of unlimited wants and limited resources. If you put a massive and powerful government in charge of distributing those resources, it is not a surprise that government and those in bed with government are first in line for those resources. The poor and the middle class – the most hopeful and trusting – are hurt the most, as the state always underestimates their needs and overestimates their ability to pay taxes and absorb inflation.
The Soviet Union's collapse is a dramatic example of the failure of central planning. Americans celebrated this collapse, not only because it meant less competition for Olympic gold, but it provided hope that with the end of the Cold War, our policy makers could drastically reduce overseas commitments and out of control military budgets. Most especially, we celebrated because with the collapse of Soviet communism it was apparent that liberty, not central planning, is stronger. Freedom empowers the individual. Central planning dehumanizes the masses. There may always be a struggle for power and government, but for this reason, freedom will always win out in the end. And as we celebrate the accomplishments of our individual athletes in Beijing this year, we must continue to go for the gold here at home, and keep the flames of liberty burning bright.
-Ron Paul-
Comments
Been getting bands like this lately. Mogger Reverand Atman has really got me into this sound. Been hunting around the net for bands with this sound. Can't find any of this stuff in any music store chains like best buy.
kyuss - green machine
Not really to my taste, but i can see where it could appeal.
(Parenthetically - i wonder how many dollars of rubber that guy in the Ranchero burnt off his tires?)
By JOE McDONALD
BEIJING (AP) - Customers in China of Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store were unable to download songs this week, and an activist group said Beijing was trying to block access to a new Tibet-themed album.
In Internet forums, iTunes users complained they had been unable to download music since Monday. That was a day after the Art of Peace Foundation announced the release of ``Songs for Tibet,'' with music by Sting, Alanis Morissette, Garbage and others, and a 15-minute talk by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader.
Michael Wohl, executive director of the New York City-based group, said he believed the album was the reason for the iTunes interruption, though he had no proof.
``We issued a release saying that over 40 (Olympic) athletes downloaded the album in an act of solidarity, and that's what triggered it. Then everything got blocked,'' Wohl said by phone.
Beijing encourages Internet use for education and business use but tries to block access to foreign sites run by dissidents and human rights and Tibet activists.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which regulates Internet use, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Security said she had no information.
Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., acknowledged that customers were having trouble.
``We are aware of the log-on problems but we have no comment at the moment,'' said Huang Yuna, an Apple spokeswoman in Beijing. She declined to say how many customers were believed to be affected.
Blocked iTunes users poured out their frustration on Internet bulletin boards.
``It seems like suspending iTunes is punishment for iTunes, but really it doesn't hurt iTunes, it hurts us,'' said a note on macfans.com.cn, a Chinese site for Apple users.
The Dalai Lama has been vilified by Chinese authorities, who claim he is trying to split Tibet from China. He says he only wants greater autonomy for the Himalayan region to protect its Buddhist culture.
Violent protests broke out in March in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. Many Tibetans insist they were an independent nation before Communist troops invaded in 1950, while Beijing says the Himalayan region has been its territory for centuries.
Wohl said his group contacted Olympians ahead of the games and offered free copies of the 20-song album. He said those who downloaded it included competitors from the United States, Canada, Britain, Spain, France and Australia.
Most got the album before entering China, but ``some in Beijing did download, and I think that's what spooked the Chinese government,'' Wohl said.
Wohl declined to identify the athletes by name, saying he wanted to avoid making trouble for them with the Chinese government or the International Olympic Committee.
China has the world's largest population of Internet users, with 253 million people online as of June, according to the government. The United States is in second place with 223.1 million people online, according to research firm Nielsen Online.
Apple has no China-based iTunes service. Users must log on to sites for the United States or other markets. Despite that, the company's iPod digital music player is hugely popular in China.
On the Net:
The Art of Peace Foundation: http://www.artofpeacefoundation.org
Apple Inc.: http://www.apple.com
Comments
I'm a bit surprised there aren't more incidents, not sure where I stand on the Tibet issue, I just know it's not good, but any censorship anywhere is wrong in my book.
Ooopps, Ray. You just said Tibet, now I've said Tibet, Ohh I've said Tibet again....arrggghhh. MOG will now be blocked for sure.
Censorship, just look where it got the Kights who say, 'Ni'.
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freedom is why I get up in the morning, great post
Damn right Q-ball -> sad thing is, though we cheered for the fall of that system, hundreds of thousands of poor and middle class suffered immensely ->
but you have given me a new band name, if I ever get around to getting another one together. DEHUMANIZING THE MASSES, I've used this term many times, and though I've been called a conspiracy theorist, a paranoid-over-opinionated-moron, I have only heard a few others use those words in that order -> good choice ->
FREEDOM OR DIE TRYING OR KILAMANJARO
Rawkkiddoh : Same here bud...
TylerDurden : He you conspiracy theorist, paranoid over opinionated-moron ha,ha,ha, welcome to the club! I've been called worse though, Glad I could help with your band name. I'm throwing away my vote by writing Ron Pauls name.