Monday, September 28, 2009

Social Security running annual deficits now

It was reported over the weekend that SS is now paying out more than it will take in because the recession has taken a heavy toll on revenues and more and more old people have been calling it quits because there are no jobs left in the country and have opted into the program earlier than they would have otherwise.

I found the article biased in my opinion. In the second paragraph the AP appeared to praise the federal government for running a cumulative $2.5 trillion SS surplus over the years. The only problem with that is...all that money was spent. It's not there anymore, just a bunch of IOU's sitting in a vault somewhere. So there is no money. SS is the epitome of failed government programs. The situation is so bad I seriously I doubt our parents who have been paying in the system of 30, 40 years will get more of a fraction of what they paid in back.

The other part I found unrealistic was that it claimed after the next two years of annual deficits, SS will run annual surpluses again until 2016 (down from 2040 as of 2 yrs ago I think). This is looking through a rose-colored lens as government always does, just like the CBO budget deficits that get revised a few trillion up every few months. That 2016 date assumes we get out of recession this year and have a substantial recovery. Of course though, through all of the policies being pursued now by the Obama administration we will be guaranteed to be in an economic black hole for years to come. So I'll predict right now on the record that SS will never run an annual surplus again...EVER.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Mothers waking up to Ron Paul

Glenn Beck recently hosted a town hall with mothers, who he feels really get the long-term picture of what's happening in the country more than fathers do. In one part a woman says Ron Paul is the only one in Washington representing the people and then for a second or two pauses to reflect on Dr. Paul before proclaiming in wonderment "What he has done for our country is just amazing." In this next part Angel Robinson from Campaign for Liberty takes it to the Fed for about a minute and half starting at 2:20.

Go Moms!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Student Organization Fair

A few weeks ago, put right across from the International Socialist Organization table, we were at the campus student org fair. Despite being surrounded by arch-enemies, it was tremendously successful. At least a dozen people had recognized our name from the chalking we had been doing for about a week, and we got over 60 new signatures, nearly all of which said that they completely agreed with us. Just goes to show you that there are more liberty streaks than you think, as long as you're willing to unearth them.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

We're Getting Noticed!

Working towards the ideals of liberty at the UW Madison campus can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming when you're faced against a student body that can most correctly be characterized as dominated by socialist-liberals, some who have even come to the conclusion that health care is a natural "right". We'll save the health care debate for another day, however I think its important to talk about the challenge of this uphill battle. I often find my own enthusiasm for our message of "freedom from government" a bit bogged down by the apparent lack of support for the subject at our campus, but it's days like today that keep the fire in my belly churning. I opened the opinion section of the Badger Herald today and found a most inspiring article titled: "Realignment coming with Young Americans for Liberty"! I almost didn't believe it, but the author of the article cited our group as, "the right-wing student organization likeliest to effect genuine realignment within the Republican Party". A mention of our passionate tabling efforts on State Street mall for Constitution Day was mentioned as bringing a smile to his face. Well let me say that this article brought a smile to mine. I hold this article with great pride and as a showcase for the momentum of our group, showing us all that we're getting noticed, and more importantly, hopefully inspiring us so that we can achieve even more in the near future! I recommend reading the article for yourself, just try not to smile too much.

Constitution Day Project

On Friday September 18th, (the day after Constitution Day) our chapter set up a table at the end of State Street mall in order to hand out free constitutions, spread the message of liberty, and spread awareness of our organization on campus. We successfully handed out over 100 pocket constitutions, (we could have done a lot more if we had the resources) and also gave away other important information including Audit the Fed flyers. I recommend checking out the video posted in the link below to get the full picture of what we were about on Constitution Day of this year at UW Madison!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Drinking age of 21 doesn't work


There was a great opinion piece about the absurdities of the drinking age on CNN today by John M. Cardell. Over the summer, I met a Danish fellow who said that dangerous college binge drinking is entirely unheard of in Denmark - they're secret? the drinking age is 15. There, the phenomenon of rebellious drinking dies at age 14-16, while they are still in care of their parents. By the time they're living on their own, drinking is seen as a lubricant for social settings at most. This friend of mine even went so far as to cite the popularity of drugs in America as a side effect of our rediculous drinking laws, which make illegal drugs just as easily obtainable as alcohol for most people under 21. It really makes me wonder if "adults" will ever look at us hopeless, rauckus youths and realize that freedom and responsibility flow in both directions.