Pillars of Prosperity: Free Markets, Honest Money, Private Property

Finally, a man I would love to see as the president of the United States - the world would certainly be a more safer, peaceful, wealthy, prosperous and free! I would also be very glad if my country (Portugal) would take him as prime-minister! Ron Paul is a strong constitutionalist and advocate for the free market, individual liberty, sound money, small government and small taxation. How the US Founding Fathers would feel ashamed today to observe what the government has become and how the constitution has been systematically violated and corrupted. It's quite remarkable to see how Ron Paul has managed to stay so consistent, so perseverant, so determined to stand for the ideals of freedom against all the deficitary, inflationary, big spending, big meddling, highly interventionist, highly corrupt, highly corporatism form of US government. The only downside of the book is that it's rather long, and it repeats itself several times (a proof of consistency :)).

"I decided to run for Congress because of the disaster of wage and price controls imposed by the Nixon administration in 1971. When the stock market responded euphorically to the imposition of these controls and the closing of the gold window, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many other big business groups gave enthusiastic support, I decided that someone in politics had to condemn the controls, and offer the alternative that could explain the past and give hope for the future: the Austrian economists' defense of the free market. At the time I was convinced, like Ludwig von Mises, that no one could succeed in politics without serving the special interests of some politically powerful pressure group. Although I was eventually elected, in terms of a conventional political career with real Washington impact, he was absolutely right. I have not developed legislative influence with the leader- ship of the Congress or the administration. Monies are deliberately deleted from routine water works bills for my district because I do not condone the system, nor vote for any of the appropriations. My influence, such as it is, comes only by educating others about the rightness of the free market. The bipartisanship of the last 50 years has allowed our government to gain control over half of the income of most Americans. Being enslaved half the time is hardly a good compromise. But supporters of the political status quopoint out that, in spite of the loss of personal freedom, the country continues to thrive in many ways. But there are some serious questions that we as a people must answer: Is this prosperity real? Will it be long-lasting? What is the cost in economic terms? Have we sacrificed our liberties for government security? Have we undermined the very system that has allowed productive effort to provide a high standard of living for so many? Has this system in recent years excluded some from the benefits that Wall Street and others have enjoyed? Has it led to needless and dangerous U.S. intervention overseas and reated problems that we are not yet fully aware of? Is it morally permissible in a country that professes to respect individual liberty to routinely give handouts to the poor, and provide benefits to the privileged and rich by stealing the fruits of labor from hard-working Americans? As we move into the next Congress, some worry that gridlock will make it impossible to get needed legislation passed. This seems highly unlikely. If big government supporters found ways to enlarge the government in the past, the current evenly split Congress will hardly impede this trend and may even accelerate it. With a recession on the horizon, both sides will be more eager than ever to cooperate on expanding federal spending to stimulate the economy, whether the fictitious budget surplus shrinks or not." Ron Paul Quoted from Pillars of Prosperity If you liked this book you will like: The Revolution: A Manifesto Human Action: A Treatise on E

I absolutely love this book. His views of the economy are dead on but unfortunately I don't see a scenario where his policies and views will ever be taken completely seriously. The current economic policy of the US will eventually cause an economic collapse. The people who benefit most from currency debasement know this and are positioning their assets accordingly while still hyping the US dollar which is destined to fail under current policy. I just hope the publisher doesn't print too many copies of the book out of thin air and debase my book!

Not only has Dr. Ron Paul updated F.A. Hayak's The Road to Serfdom and applied it to the modern age - he has done so in an honest effort to safe the United States from ruination. As shown within these pages with some of his showdowns with Greenspan and Congress and many of with his speeches Dr. Ron Paul cares greatly about defending the freedoms that are little by little being taken from us Americans right before our very eyes. Like his other books - this is a must have for any library - nearly 500 pages. Economics 101. And this book shows once again why I will be voting for Dr. Ron Paul for Presidency - even if I have to write in his name. Understanding Apples Gathering Leaves: Understanding Apples Book Two

PILLARS OF PROSPERITY by Dr. Ron Paul I am very happy to review the latest book from Texas congressman Ron Paul. His last book, A Foreign Policy of Freedom, consisted of speeches regarding U.S. interventions from the 1970s to the present day. Similarly, this title collects a career's worth of writings on economics, monetary policy and trade. Economics might not sound like a very exciting topic but Dr. Paul has said many times that his interest in politics really started after he read The Road to Serfdom, which is about the dangers of a controlled economy. This book is published by the Mises Institute, whose founder Lew Rockwell provides a brief forward. This book is quite extensive and has nine chapters. The first two are more about principles are less about the "nuts and bolts". In the first chapter, Dr. Paul connects capitalism with individual freedom. Government intervention into the economy diminishes our freedom in that it not only leaves us with less money to spend as we choose, but that it also funds policies which are often against the interests of the individual. I believe that chapter two is a direct reprint of an earlier book 'Mises and Austrian economics: A personal view', which is a straightforward explanation of the Austrian School and how Dr. Paul came to identify with Ludwig von Mises. Although economics can be difficult, I did not have any trouble making my way through these explanations. These sections prepare you for the rest of the book, which has more to do with specific policies. Chapter Three is exclusively dedicated to Social Security. This is the shortest chapter, but it contains a few ideas on how to repair the social security system. Chapter four is about taxes, or more specifically tax burdens. Dr. Paul has been a longtime supporter of the idea that the IRS should be abolished. It is for this reason that he also supports the 'Liberty Amendment' - an important totem of the "Old Right" that seeks to return the country to true Constitutional law and repeal the sixteenth amendment. The speeches in this section are not that radical however and simply show many of the confusing and frustrating ways that taxes affect us all. But it isn't all complaining, we also hear some good solutions such as the 'Family Health Tax Cut Act' which would provide much needed tax credits to parents who pay for their children's health care expenses. Previously, Dr. Paul contributed to populist lawyer Michael Minns' book How to Survive the IRS. Next we have a king-size chapter on "sound money", Dr. Paul's signature economic issue. You will notice that the writings in this section go back to the mid-1970s. If you've never heard terms like "fiat money" or "inflation tax" then this chapter is a great starting place. What he advocates here is currency that has a real redeemable value attached to gold. What has happened is that the U.S. dollar's connection to gold has been severed, and now the controversial Federal Reserve i