The Ron Paul Campaign: The Glass is Half Full, by Rand Paul

by Rand Paul MD | March 17, 2008

Analysis of Ron Paul's success or failure seems to miss the mark. Many critics point to this or that ad or this or that tactic that prevented victory. I think such analysis misses the forest for the trees.

I believe that no candidate can win the presidency without day-in and day-out, constant television coverage. In other words, unless the media grants you first tier coverage, the electorate will not vote for you in significant numbers. A large percentage of voters will not vote for a candidate they don't believe can win and that belief in "winnability" is still entirely controlled by the MSM.
That said, I think we should revel in the extraordinary successes of the campaign.

Ron Paul began with nearly zero name recognition and was relegated from the beginning by all MSM media to the second tier. I believe pundits should recognize the great strides in achieving between 5 and 10% of the vote in almost every state and receiving 11% in a Rasmussen poll running as a third party candidate. Not to mention over 20% in several caucus states, including second place in Nevada, Montana, and Louisiana.

Ron Paul's name recognition nationally now likely exceeds 50% of the electorate.

Do You Hear the People Sing? - Ron Paul Edition

The prospect of American citizens 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. -Ron Paul

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/articles/1057/statement-on-competing-currencies/

Do You Hear the People Sing? They're singing the praises of Congressman Ron Paul, the only presidential candidate who is a true advocate of liberty and the Constitution. His campaign has sparked a real Revolution all across America and it's not over yet by a long shot.

www.ronpaul2008.com

Audio is from the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert: performed by Michael Maguire, cast, company and chorus.

Ron Paul: What the Price of Gold is Telling Us

The financial press, and even the network news shows, have begun reporting the price of gold regularly. For twenty years, between 1980 and 2000, the price of gold was rarely mentioned. There was little interest, and the price was either falling or remaining steady.

Since 2001 however, interest in gold has soared along with its price. With the price now over $1000 an ounce, a lot more people are becoming interested in gold as an investment and an economic indicator. Much can be learned by understanding what the rising dollar price of gold means.

The rise in gold prices from $250 per ounce in 2001 to over $1000 today has drawn investors and speculators into the precious metals market. Though many already have made handsome profits, buying gold per se should not be touted as a good investment. After all, gold earns no interest and its quality never changes. It’s static, and does not grow as sound investments should.

It’s more accurate to say that one might invest in a gold or silver mining company, where management, labor costs, and the nature of new discoveries all play a vital role in determining the quality of the investment and the profits made.

Buying gold and holding it is somewhat analogous to converting one’s savings into one hundred dollar bills and hiding them under the mattress – yet not exactly the same. Both gold and dollars are considered money, and holding money does not qualify as an investment. There’s a big difference between the two however, since by holding paper money one loses purchasing power. The purchasing power of commodity money, i.e. gold, however, goes up if the government devalues the circulating fiat currency.

Holding gold is protection or insurance against government’s proclivity to debase its currency. The purchasing power of gold goes up not because it’s a so-called good investment; it goes up in value only because the paper currency goes down in value. In our current situation, that means the dollar.

One of the characteristics of commodity money – one that originated naturally in the marketplace – is that it must serve as a store of value. Gold and silver meet that test – paper does not. Because of this profound difference, the incentive and wisdom of holding emergency funds in the form of gold becomes attractive when the official currency is being devalued. It’s more attractive than trying to save wealth in the form of a fiat currency, even when earning some nominal interest. The lack of earned interest on gold is not a problem once people realize the purchasing power of their currency is declining faster than the interest rates they might earn. The purchasing power of gold can rise even faster than increases in the cost of living.

The point is that most who buy gold do so to protect against a depreciating currency rather than as an investment in the classical sense. Americans understand this less than citizens of other countries; some nations have suffered from severe monetary inflation that literally led to the destruction of their national currency. Though our inflation – i.e., the depreciation of the U.S. dollar – has been insidious, average Americans are unaware of how this occurs. For instance, few Americans know nor seem concerned that the 1913 pre-Federal Reserve dollar is now worth only four cents. Officially, our central bankers and our politicians express no fear that the course on which we are set is fraught with great danger to our economy and our political system. The belief that money created out of thin air can work economic miracles, if only properly “managed,” is pervasive in D.C. .

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