The fallout of the Supreme Court decision will be felt for months… In essence, the decision opens the floodgates for a bigger, more intrusive, more dangerous government.
As George Washington warned, “Government is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
Last week, I taught a group of Scouts about the U.S. Constitution. I pointed out that the Founders of the Constitution (Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and Franklin) were passionate believers in “limited” government, or laissez faire. To quote Henry David Thoreau: “Government governs best which governs least.”
Unfortunately, the document they created and signed on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution, easily could be interpreted as supporting “unlimited” government.
The Scouts’s eyes drew big in disbelief. “How so?” they asked. The answer is easy.
Article I, Section 8, is the culprit. You can drive a truck through Section 8 when it comes to what government can do. It contains the infamous “common defense,” “general welfare” and “commerce” clauses, which justify practically anything Congress decides.
And then there’s the 16th Amendment, which gives the government the right to tax incomes. That’s the nail in the coffin.
So between Article 1, Section 8, and the 16th Amendment, there really is no limit to government power to tax, regulate and prohibit.
Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the Supreme Court ruled today, 5-4, in favor of ObamaCare and the individual healthcare mandate as a “tax,” even though the Obama administration tried to argue it wasn’t a tax.
This egregious decision is a landmark because it expands dramatically what government can do. If it can tell people they must have healthcare, what next? Will government officials soon tell us what we can eat, drink, buy, sell, etc.?
It won’t be long before everything is either prohibited or mandated!
What are the consequences? Loss of freedom and prosperity! As Thomas Jefferson said, “Should Washington [the government, not the man] decide when we sow and when we reap, we should soon want bread.”
Our country is in deep trouble, and this ruling is symptomatic of the dangerous road we are headed down.
Emergency Meeting at FreedomFest!
It’s time we freedom lovers joined forced to fight back by voting for candidates who favor a return to economic and personal liberty in November.
But there’s also something you can do now, within the next two weeks. I urge you to come to my big conference, FreedomFest, “the world’s largest gathering of free minds.”
We are holding an “emergency session” on the first day of FreedomFest, July 12. Several experts will be there to respond to the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare — Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, the libertarian judge at Fox News, will hold a private luncheon with Steve Forbes and will give us his keen analysis, followed by a timely talk, “A Government of Waste and Lawlessness.” (Call Tami Holland now if you want to join us for this private luncheon –we are almost sold out! Call 1-866/266-5101.)
John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, is the foremost authority on healthcare issues, and the author of the new book, “Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis.” In a general session address, he will update us on the health-care crisis and what the Supreme Court ruling really means.
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, also will assess the response of the business community to the rule, and how ObamaCare will hurt business unless it is repealed. (Whole Foods offers the most advanced health savings accounts in the country.)
Sen. Rand Paul will tell us what’s happening on Capitol Hill in response to the Supreme Court decision about Obamacare.
More than 100 top free-market economists and political forecasters from around the world will give you the straight scoop on the real dangers we’re facing and how best to protect yourself: Steve Moore, Steve Forbes, Peter Schiff, John Mackey, Donald Smith, Rick Rule, Bert Dohmen, Grover Norquist, Richard Viguerie, Floyd Brown, Dinesh D’Souza, Alex Green, Doug Casey, Keith Fitz-Gerald, David McAlvany, David Boaz, Richard Rahn, and Wayne Allyn Root.
At FreedomFest’s Anthem film festival, we are showing an important film on the Constitution, “Nullification: The Rightful Remedy.” It will be followed by a discussion with director Jason Rinks and Tom Woods (Mises Institute).
All of the top free-market think tanks and freedom organizations are coming — Cato, Reason, Heritage, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investors Business Daily, FEE, Americans for Tax Reform, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, Newsmax, Manhattan, Koch, Heartland, Atlas, Horowitz Freedom Center, Human Events, Students for Liberty, Media Research, PERC, Liberty Fund, FIRE…
I urge you to call Tami Holland, toll free 1-866/266-5101, to sign up, but please be patient. She’s getting more than 100 calls a day! It is better to sign up online at www.freedomfest.com.
The full, three-day agenda is now posted online at http://freedomfest.com/detailedagenda/ and so is our powerful, three-minute video here: https://vimeo.com/43399590.
For we must either hang together, or we shall surely hang separately (to quote Dr. Franklin).
See you in Vegas! Fly there, drive there, bike there, be there!
You Blew It! Hate Speech Should Be Illegal?
“A vigilant police force and a Justice Department may still keep people from being [verbally] attacked and excluded.”
–Jeremy Waldron, “The Harm in Hate Speech”
Legal philosopher Jeremy Waldron argues in his new book that we should make an exception to the First Amendment freedom of speech by banning hate speech. Canada, Britain, Denmark, Germany and New Zealand already have such laws… but then again they don’t have the Bill of Rights like we do in the United States. These countries also forbid citizens from exercising the right to bear arms to protect themselves from violent crime.
As a result, European countries are punishing individuals for all kinds of violations of their rights to speak their minds. In 2009, a member of the Belgian Parliament was convicted of distributing leaflets with the words, “Stand up against the Islamification of Belgium” and “Send non-European job-seekers home.” In Poland, a Catholic magazine was fined $11,000 for inciting “contempt, hostility, and malice” for comparing a woman’s abortion to medical experiments at Auschwitz. Dutch politician Geert Wilders was barred from entering Britain because he made a movie that called the Koran a “fascist” book. The list goes on and on. Once you open the door to forbidding “hate speech,” everything is open to being either forbidden or mandated.
The United States is exceptional. Our Bill of Rights enshrines the controversial freedoms of speech, religion, bearing arms, privacy, etc. And even then they are constantly under attack.
There are always unintended consequences when you force your views on someone else rather than attempting to persuade them. Persuasion is always preferably to the force of law. In fact, passing a law forbidding hate speech or anything else is a sign of a failure to create a civilized society. Read my pamphlet, “Persuasion vs. Force.”
Yours for peace, prosperity, and liberty, AEIOU,
Mark Skousen, Ph.D.
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P.S. I just found out that my book, “Economics on Trial” is up for Freedom Book of the Month for July. To vote, go to
http://freedombookclub.com/vote.html.
Upcoming Appearances
• Today’s challenging market conditions require even more knowledge than ever for investors and traders like you to keep pace with the latest market intelligence to safeguard your portfolio and to profit from opportunities that only may be available for short periods of time. Join me at this year’s MoneyShow San Francisco, August 24-26, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis to hear recommendations and advice about how best to profit in 2012 and beyond! Register FREE today by clicking here, by going to MarkSkousen.sanfranciscomoneyshow.com or by calling 1-800/970-4355 and mentioning priority code 027882.
