Dear Dr.
Paul,
I commend
you on your new book: The Revolution.
On your courage to be the lone voice of dissent. On your faith in the Constitution. Your
grasp of economics. And not least of all: your prose. As I finished up
the final chapter I knew that I would spend the next few weeks helplessly
fueling the flames of your intellectual napalm. Nearly everything you say is
right. Nearly every claim you make is accurate. They make sense to an average reader
even though he may have paid more attention to his attractive classmates than
his economics lectures.? And yet, I could
not help but see the great harm that your manifesto could bring.
You see, Dr.
Paul, there are some ideas that mean well but are still so dangerous that they
are best abandoned before they unleash an epidemic. Communism comes to mind. As does religion. In theory, both work for improvement in
the condition of human societies, but in practice, have done little except
systematically enslave and exterminate most of humanity. Your ideas, although nothing
like the two killers aforementioned can certainly exterminate our way of life.
When I was
learning how to formulate a thesis, the instructors never let the students read
the critics until they had a thesis of their own. The reason is that many young
people read a brilliantly argued position and gravitate towards it even though it
could very well be wrong. Dead wrong. Because young
brains are filled with last night?s football scores, social networking profiles
and Britney Spears, they have limited perspective to bring to bear on a
hypothesis. But yours is here and it sounds great so why not sign up? All the
cool people are doing it. Their brains are desolate, and to the thirsty, even sea
water tastes delicious.
Our
disagreement is simple. You believe in the inherent good of your countrymen
whereas I am convinced of their incredible, unbelievable stupidity. It is one
thing to seek the ?spirit? of a 2 century old document in guiding modern government
but it is a whole other matter to delay action while seeking consensus from 300
million imbeciles. I understand the concept of representative democracy but
each time I see it play I cannot help but feel sorry for the dog that has a
constitutional obligation to let the tail wag it. Please understand that I do
not regard our Constitution as broken. What?s broken is our population. They
can?t be bargained with, they can?t be reasoned with but they?re not goal-driven
like the Terminator. They?re as care-free as the house cats. ?And since their walnut brains lack the
necessary interface for reason the only way to govern this feline herd is through
deception and obfuscation. Shine the laser dot in the direction you want them
to go and watch them run! Gay marriage over there! RUN! VOTE! Tax Cut X over
here! VOTE! The framers designed a government to serve a people
that is concerned, informed and intelligent. If you look at America today
and see it to be even one of the three then I believe
your passion has triumphed over reason.
The same
applies to your position on sound money. Surely, the best way to avoid spending
is to ACTUALLY spend. Warfare may rest in peace. How many of our countrymen
would cheerfully write a check for their share of Iran? Or
Iraq? Or Afghanistan? Now ask yourself how many
would pony up for Rwanda, or Yugoslavia or even the ship pirated off of the Somali
coast. I bet fewer than you think. Non-intervention sometimes carries a steep
price denominated in human suffering. Wait long enough and it?s lapping at our
shores. Are you so certain that your constituents would not rather live the
illusion of benevolent heroes than face their true reflections as petty monsters?
Such illusions are not cheaply bought and what better way to pay than to
institute a tax that few know about and even fewer understand? It?s the
government?s money! Let?s spread it around!
It is true
that armies and warfare have always been, due to their
cost, the exclusive domain of governments. They would clearly decline with a
Paul monetary policy. But what about science? I hate
to imagine the decline in research of all kinds that would occur as soon as the
bulk of our citizens knew how much it cost them. Cancer?
Why should I pay? I don?t know anyone with it. AIDS? Only
gay people get it. Malaria? I don?t visit the tropics.
I would be shocked if, with completely sound money, humans could have ever
launched a satellite, made it to the moon or built a Large Hadron Collider. Who
would pay for something they don?t understand and/or failed in high school? The
veil of private enterprise is quickly pierced by the repeated failure that is
characteristic of all great journeys of discovery and nothing but inflationary
government can long endure its filthy wake and deadly undertow. You and I both
know that it would not end there. Mass population requires mass production
which requires mass consumption which, whether we like it or not, requires a
spender of last resort. With no credit limit.
All that
aside, I was impressed by your manifesto. It was the first,
and likely last, time in my lifetime that a bona-fide politician has brought up
real issues instead of regurgitating the stupid petty garbage currently enlisted
to divide the flock and win elections. Thank you. But so long as voting is as
much a right as breathing, the ballot box will ever be the scythe with which the
foolish cut down the intelligent. The penalty is steep and growing. Eventually,
enough people might notice. But so what if they do? Our society operating on
truth and sound economic principles will always be reduced to the lowest common
intellect.
Joseph Marie
de Maistre wrote that every country has the
government it deserves. We certainly deserve every pork-barrel of ours. Leaders
should not be judged on the eloquence of their voice, nor the color of their
skin, nor, with apologies to Dr. King, even the contents of their character.
They, as all people, should be judged exclusively on the contents of their
minds and when we collectively wise up and realize this, perhaps then, we will
deserve a president like you.
Dr. Paul, may
you live so long.
Sincerely,
Simon Aloyts