Labor Policies During The Great Depression

What was the U.S. government doing about labor policies during The Great Depression?  Very early in the recession the U.S. passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930.

In this video clip Thomas Sowell highlights its effects...

*clip from the Hoover Institution

Humpday Humor: How To Solve Unemployment

An American Farmer's 
World War II Draft Card

What is a politician to do about high rates of unemployment???  Conscription!

Thomas Sowell explains how to solve unemployment...

*clip from the Hoover Institution

Happy 'Bill of Rights' Day

On this day in 1791 the Bill of Rights was ratified by Virginia.  According to their by-laws this made it legal in the United States.

While not a complete list of your rights (there are many millions of those) it was a good start.  The 9th amendment makes this concept clear:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

13 Critical Issues You Are Forbidden From Voting On

The voting privileges granted by the political class during the civil rights movement have pacified nearly every American.  It’s a shame as to this day the very act of casting your ballot on meaningful issues is actively suppressed in the United States. 

 Here are 13 critical issues you are forbidden from voting on:

1. Which foreign lands the U.S. military should occupy
2. Taxpayer bailouts for the banks 
3. The definition of “torture”
4. Interest rates and monetary policy of the Federal Reserve
5. Military grade weapons supplied to your local police employees
6. TSA screening procedure at the airports
7. Nuclear weapons production, storage locations and usage
8. Number of field agents employed by the FBI
9. Medicare tax rates
10. The Supreme Court justices
11. Limits to NSA spying
12. Who is sentenced to death by drone strike
13. The enforcement of the “Bill of Rights”  

Clearly citizens of the United States of America were never given the vote. 

It’s been five decades since the last voting rights movement in America and no one has thought to ask “On What are we getting the right to vote”?

Dependence as a Key to Holding People Back

A person's historical level of self-sufficiency is often predictive of future well-being.  The inverse of self-sufficient is dependency, which Thomas Sowell argues is a key to holding people back economically...

The Root Cause of Bin Laden's Anti-Western Crusade

A PBS documentary titled "House of Saud" is a must-see for anyone wanting an understanding of Saudi Arabia.   Produced in 2005, the show provides an overview of the founding of the kingdom, points of tension within the citizenry and it's crucial relationship with the U.S.

The producers also do a great job summarizing the root cause of Osama bin Laden's beef with the U.S.  See this fact-filled clip to learn more:

Also, of special surprise are interviews with former executives of the largest oil company on earth, ARAMCO.  

Link to the doc here.

Imagine Non-Intervention in Iraq

 "If we developed a non-interventionist foreign policy in 1990 there would be no death's in Iraq".

-Ron Paul


With the U.S. once again attacking Iraq with military force it is a good time to review history.

How could the lives of 4,804 coalition troops have been saved?

*data from iCasualties.org 

The Real Author of the Declaration of Independence

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

The British Colonies secession document known as the Declaration of Independence was signed 238 years ago.  Authorship is commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson.  While this is possible it is not certain.

An investigative essay published over a century ago entertains the idea that Jefferson's good friend Thomas Paine was the real author of the Declaration of Independence.  In support of this claim Walton Williams wrote:

The opening and closing sentences and certain alterations he may have actually originated, but as to the main body of the document it can be said as it was said of old: "The hand is the hand of Esau, but the voice is the voice of Jacob." The hand is the hand of Jefferson, but the voice is the voice of Thomas Paine.

Other evidence includes Jefferson's misquoting a passage from the document, the overall writing style to be more similar to Paine than Jefferson and a New Jersey newspaper threatening to reveal the name of the "real author".

Williams essay is worth a read.

    

The People Are Awake: Cuba

Daniel Sewer from Johns Hopkins was on C-SPAN's Washington Journal last week to discuss Cuba-U.S. relations.  At least one caller (from The Bronx) is wide awake to the history between the two state's.

Take a listen...