Did the Tea Party really shut down the government? With the last federal shutdown behind us and the possibility of another one looming in the months to come, there is a lot of misunderstanding and blame-shifting going on. I hope to clear up the smoke and mirrors both parties, and the media throw up. Please understand there is a big difference between political theory and political reality (most of the time). I’m going to save us all time and myself some embarrassment by leaving out, for the most part, political reality. I’m not going to get into political reality because it is rarely taught in college or high school, and most people who are involved with politics or follow it closely are truly clueless about how things work. Let’s not pretend we are an informed public; instead, let’s ensure we all are on the same page with how things are supposed to work. In theory, how our government was designed to function “of the people, by the people, and for the people” is much b...

Here is a recap of the president’s speech for those who missed it. The government is open thanks to Democrats and Republicans that realized we were right. None of this was necessary; Republicans should have simply given me my way from the beginning, and their refusal to submit to my will led to the closure. (What was not said: While it is true that the Democrats could have gone along with Republicans and the government would never have shut down.) As long as the American people continue to dig their graves, the government will haphazardly support the walls. The government will bring food and keep the rain out of your holes. But if you ever stop digging to question the wisdom of those who profit from your labor, if you ever try and climb your way out, the walls will fall in on you, and darkness will swallow you. Together we have a bright future; as long as you keep digging, we will keep printing. The premise of the president’s speech is derived from logical fallacies. The claim tha...

By Matthew Hayward Most Americans suffer from a conditioned physiological state similar to those with Stockholm syndrome (“a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.”). But in this case, the government is the perpetrator that is intermittently harassing, abusing its power, intimidating, threatening, stealing from people and sending children to foreign countries to kill and die for perverse incentives. We are bought off with social security, food stamps, Medicare and other forms of financial aid. A strong emotional bond builds, one of dependency, powerlessness and a lack of skills, abilities and the rights to succeed.    As the coming generations are facing the real possibility of debt slavery, those who are receiving subsidies of any form tend to feel entitled to what they are receiving, and why wouldn’t   they, after all, their freedoms are...

I have been exposed to Television the last couple of nights. I could not help but flip through the so called news stations and was shocked when I did. With all the major events taking place, there was absolutely nothing of substance being covered, none of it was being talked about in a meaningful way or at all. Locally in America with the FED, the economy and with the scandals in DC, nor much meaningful talk about major global matters. Okay, I will grant you the fact that a major part of the new health-care act delay is significant, I think we can all agree in light of recent events the fact that the IRS being a major player in collecting data regarding the new health-care law is important.  So what is the media reporting? Not worthy of coverage, the Trayvon Martin trial with several stations holding panels to waste our time talking about it, 99% of the immigration debate, and all of the talk about Edward Snowden rather than the information he has brought to light, a plane a...

By Matthew Hayward In today’s USA Today, there is a brief commentary about   investing in Gold written by Matt Krantz. He claims that “Gold is an extremely risky asset,” and he hopes investors are ready with a backup plan if Gold crashes. He qualifies the risky asset based on current and past market volatility regarding Gold. He also writes his commentary based on recent investors; though he does not directly say that, he does comment that he is looking at this year’s yield. If I were to get a chance to speak with Matt, I might ask him how Gold is doing compared to the dollar. I would ask him why he believes Gold investors have lost big time and hopefully had a backup plan. First of all, Gold has dropped nearly $800 in the last year, but that was only after a rise of nearly $1500 an oz . If you invested before July 2010 , you are still in the green with your investment.  I was screaming at friends and family to invest in Gold, even to liquidate their retirement and...

By Matthew Hayward Agreeing with the following video during the Bush administration would have made me a left-wing nut job. Now I am just an American that believes in the rule of law.  This Fourth of July, I celebrate being an American who believes freedom is based on government limits. Liberal or Conservative, I don't care what you call me; I just want to live in a society and country where I can have faith in my elected officials and have a functional process to remove them when they have lost the people's trust. Sadly this is not that Country.  America is so far from being a true Democratic Republic that it is disgusting. We live in the illusion of a free society where markets are manipulated, interest rates set, and competition legislated away. We live in a time where if given a choice, more than 50% of adults in the US would vote to throw out all elected officials if given the option to do so.   Unforchantly not everyone is allowed to vote, and those who...