Hans-Hermann Hoppe

Hans-Hermann Hoppe explains how the ruling and banking elite steal wealth from the workers and producers of society, and why the OWS protesters should be protesting the privately owned Federal Reserve instead.

Imagine you are in command of the state, defined as an institution that possesses a territorial monopoly of ultimate decision making in every case of conflict, including conflicts involving the state and its agents itself, and, by implication, the right to tax, i.e., to unilaterally determine the price that your subjects must pay you to perform the task of ultimate decision making.

To act under these constraints — or rather, lack of constraints — is what constitutes politics and political action, and it should be clear from the outset that politics, then, by its very nature, always means mischief. Not from your point of view, of course, but mischief from the point of view of those subject to your rule as ultimate judge. Predictably, you will use your position to enrich yourself at other people's expense.

More specifically, we can predict in particular what your attitude and policy vis-à-vis money and banking will be.

Assume that you rule over a territory that has developed beyond the stage of a primitive barter economy and where a common medium of exchange, i.e., a money, is in use. First off, it is easy to see why you would be particularly interested in money and monetary affairs. As state ruler, you can in principle confiscate whatever you want and provide yourself with an unearned income. But rather than confiscating various producer or consumer goods, you will naturally prefer to confiscate money. Because money, as the most easily and widely saleable and acceptable good of all, allows you the greatest freedom to spend your income as you like, on the greatest variety of goods. First and foremost, then, the taxes you impose on society will be money taxes, whether on property or income. You will want to maximize your money-tax revenues.

Stephen Lendman

On December 17, Gerald Celente told On the Edge host Max Keiser:

"The entire financial system is collapsing. Look what's going on in China. All of the empty buildings. Look at the home sales and real estate market. They're in steep decline now."

"The only way they kept this global ponzi scheme afloat following the 2008 panic is for the central banks around the world to keep juicing money into the system to keep it going, and now it's collapsing."

"When all else fails, they take you to war....They're going to do it again."

A year ago, Celente's predictions were spot on. He said "America's trend is nowhere bottomed, and the worst is yet to come." Now it's happening in real time as debt piles on more of it, politicians are gridlocked, and conditions ahead look grim.

He said "(t)eetering economies will collapse, currency wars will ensure, trade barriers will be erected, (and) economic unions will splinter."

Today, Eurozone countries are in sovereign debt crisis. Currency wars are happening, and America and China trade barbs.

Out of work, money and indebted, "legions of on-the-edge desperate (people) will do whatever they must to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table."

Today, "(t)hieves are stealing copper piping and cables, cooking oil and temple donation boxes. Criminal recycling is flourishing. In 2011, a record number of cyber crimes is reported....more than 23,000 per month."

During hard times and growing poverty, "authorities will intensify their efforts" to get funds for their fiscal obligations.

Today, America has a "two-tier" justice system. Corporate crooks get slap-on-the-wrist fines. In contrast, ordinary people are severely punished for "small time crimes." Justice means "just us!"

Stephen Lendman

Millions of Americans now endure protracted Depression conditions at a time half the population is either poor or low income. Long-term unemployment is unprecedented, and federal aid is being cut, not increased.

Two new reports highlight enormous depravation levels and human suffering, getting little or no major media attention. Many affected families used to be middle class. They're now low-income or impoverished by unemployment or spotty low-pay part-time work.

Most important is that much worse conditions are coming during America's greatest ever Depression to last years and devastate many more households than already.

In December, the US Conference on Mayors published its "Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities."

It covered 29 cities. The period between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011 was examined. Key findings reflected dire nationwide conditions.

Only four cities said emergency help wasn't requested in the past year. In two cities, conditions were unchanged. Two others said they improved. Overall, aid requests increased by 15.5%.

Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine

An Arab-Israeli boy looks at the remains of the mosque burned over-
night in an arson attack by Jewish extremists in northern village of
Tuba Zangaria. (Photo/Caption: AFP/The Australian)

As Jewish terrorist attacks on mosques in occupied Palestine are assuming a phenomenal frequency.

Indeed, with the Israeli government and security establishment doing next to nothing to put an end to this wanton and unprovoked terror, a huge fire is being started in the region.

In religious wars, all sides are usually variably culpable and blamable . However, in the occupied Palestinian territories, Jewish fanatics bear nearly 100% of the blame.

Their attacks against mosques are not provoked by similar Palestinian attacks against Jewish religious places. In fact, Jewish terror groups readily admit that arson attacks against mosques are meant to embarrass the Israeli occupation army.

The attacks are perpetrated under the slogan "Price Tag" every time the Israeli army moves to dismantle a Jewish settlement outpost.

So why is it that the Palestinians and their places of worship are attacked, not the Israeli army?

Well, it takes a thoroughly sick mind to rationalize, even glamorize such attacks, but the Israeli settler camp never faces a shortage of virulence, mental depravity and mental sickness.

We are talking after all about the worst of the worst that racist, Talmudic Judaism could breed, people who view the rest of mankind as subhuman.

The practical implications of such a venomous ideology are enormous and absolutely nefarious. If non-Jews are subhuman, then their lives must be worthless, have no sanctity and expendable.

Think not I am making an exaggeration as it is difficult to exaggerate the evilness of these racist thugs who spend a lifetime demonizing and dehumanizing humanity as they celebrate their Chosen-people or Master-race status.