“Today Chairman Bernanke testified that our nation’s long term economic outlook has improved and that consumer inflation is a modest one percent. Chairman Bernanke is grossly misleading the American people when he calls inflation ‘subdued.’

“Just yesterday, it was reported that the median home price in Houston is at an all-time high, having risen 14.5 percent in the last year alone. Americans are struggling with soaring food and energy prices that the federal government conveniently chooses to ignore in its measure of inflation in order to hide the true effects of its policies from the American people.

“The real measure of inflation is the increase in the monetary supply, and the Federal Reserve has increased the Federal Reserve credit by 17.4 percent in the last year alone. The reality is, the Federal Reserve’s policy of monetary expansion through the buying of up to $100 billion of securities each month may help the big-spenders in Congress and their cronies in the banking sector, but it is harming the rest of America.

“Make no mistake, despite Chairman Bernanke’s claims; the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented monetary expansion has created a significant amount of pent-up inflation that, when released, will cause prices to rise even higher and the average American’s standard of living to decline.

“Until our leaders understand that we cannot print our way to prosperity, the American people will continue to suffer the disastrous effects of higher prices, higher unemployment, and lower standards of living and qualities of life for years to come.”

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The post Ron Paul: Bernanke Grossly Misleading American People appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

This Saturday at the Virginia Republican State Convention, I noticed a number of attendees with Ron Paul shirts, hats, and buttons…but no one wearing any Romney shirts, Gingrich buttons, or Santorum swag. I have also noticed this at other political events. Maybe it is because supporters of other candidates don’t want to remind people they backed an unsuccessful statist in 2012, whereas Ron Paul supporters are proud to still be part of the continuing liberty r3VOLUtion.

The post Rick, Who? appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

What do you expect when you target the President?” This is what an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent allegedly said to the head of a conservative organization that was being audited after calling for the impeachment of then-President Clinton. Recent revelations that IRS agents gave “special scrutiny” to organizations opposed to the current administration’s policies suggest that many in the IRS still believe harassing the President’s opponents is part of their job.

As troubling as these recent reports are, it would be a grave mistake to think that IRS harassment of opponents of the incumbent President is a modern, or a partisan, phenomenon. As scholar Burton Folsom pointed out in his book New Deal or Raw Deal, IRS agents in the 1930s where essentially “hit squads” against opponents of the New Deal. It is well-known that the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson used the IRS to silence their critics. One of the articles of impeachment drawn up against Richard Nixon dealt with his use of the IRS to harass his political enemies. Allegations of IRS abuses were common during the Clinton administration, and just this week some of the current administration’s defenders recalled that antiwar and progressive groups alleged harassment by the IRS during the Bush presidency.

The bipartisan tradition of using the IRS as a tool to harass political opponents suggests that the problem is deeper than just a few “rogue” IRS agents—or even corruption within one, two, three or many administrations. Instead, the problem lays in the extraordinary power the tax system grants the IRS.

The IRS routinely obtains information about how we earn a living, what investments we make, what we spend on ourselves and our families, and even what charitable and religious organizations we support. Starting next year, the IRS will be collecting personally identifiable health insurance information in order to ensure we are complying with Obamacare’s mandates.

The current tax laws even give the IRS power to marginalize any educational, political, or even religious organizations whose goals, beliefs, and values are not favored by the current regime by denying those organizations “tax-free” status. This is the root of the latest scandal involving the IRS.

Considering the type of power the IRS excises over the American people, and the propensity of those who hold power to violate liberty, it is surprising we do not hear about more cases of politically-motivated IRS harassment. As the first US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall said, “The power to tax is the power to destroy” — and who better to destroy than one’s political enemies?

The US flourished for over 120 years without an income tax, and our liberty and prosperity will only benefit from getting rid of the current tax system. The federal government will get along just fine without its immoral claim on the fruits of our labor, particularly if the elimination of federal income taxes are accompanied by serious reduction in all areas of spending, starting with the military spending beloved by so many who claim to be opponents of high taxes and big government.

While it is important for Congress to investigate the most recent scandal and ensure all involved are held accountable, we cannot pretend that the problem is a few bad actors. The very purpose of the IRS is to transfer wealth from one group to another while violating our liberties in the process, thus the only way Congress can protect our freedoms is to repeal the income tax and shutter the doors of the IRS once and for all.

The post The IRS’s Job Is To Violate Our Liberties appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

Glenn “Kane” Jacobs has challenged Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey to publicly debate the National Internet Sales Tax Mandate:

“Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey claims that the Internet sales tax mandate is not a new tax. Nor, according to Ramsey, is it an unfair tax,” Jacobs, whose stage name is Kane, said. “Ramsey is wrong on both counts. I, therefore, invite Lt. Gov. Ramsey for a policy debate on the issue of the Marketplace Fairness Act in a public forum at his convenience.”

Hopefully Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey will accept the challenge, but I suspect the Lieutenant Governor does not want to see Mr. Jacobs deliver a Tombstone Piledriver to the arguments for the National Internet Tax Mandate.

Perhaps C4L members in Tennessee should contact Lieutenant Governor Ramsey and ask him to accept Glenn Jacobs’ challenge.

The post Glenn Jacobs issues a challenge appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

Campaign for Liberty members will not be surprised to learn that the Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing program is benefiting wealthy investors while doing nothing to help middle class or lower income Americans.

Americans need to know the full details regarding who is benefiting from the Federal Reserve’s policies, which is why Campaign for Liberty is continuing to push Harry Reid to hold a vote on Audit the Fed. Campaign for Liberty members must keep the heat on the Senate until there is an up-or-down, roll call vote on Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill (S. 209), introduced by Senator Rand Paul.

The post Quantitative Easing: Welfare for the Rich appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

C4L applauds the efforts of these members for taking a stand against what amounts to a National Internet Tax Mandate, when so many others opposed to this legislation are keeping a low profile out of fear of the special interest groups pushing this legislation.

The post VIDEO: Rep. Massie’s Special Order Floor Speech appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

“Senate Democrats blocking Senator Paul’s resolution calling for a full investigation of the IRS for targeting groups based on their political ideology is almost as insulting as the IRS’ harassment of conservative groups itself,” said John Tate.

“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It concerns all Americans who value the First Amendment and free speech. Senate Democrats should be ashamed for blocking Senator Paul’s resolution and for their apparent willingness to keep the American people in the dark about the clear, unconstitutional actions the IRS committed.

“The resignation this evening of acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller in no way absolves Congress of its responsibility to conduct a full investigation into what took place at the IRS and to hold those involved responsible.

“Campaign for Liberty joins Senator Paul in demanding a thorough investigation and expects Congress to hold all guilty parties accountable for their inexcusable actions.”

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The post John Tate Calls for Action in IRS Scandal appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

Senate Democrats have placed a “hold” on Senator Rand Paul’s resolution condemning the Internal Revenue Service’s harassment of free-market, limited government organizations. Apparently these senators do not want to be forced to publicly choose between defending the IRS (and the Obama Administration) or upholding the rights of the people to engage in political activity without being harassed by government bureaucrats. The text of the resolution is here.

Campaign for Liberty members may want to call their senators and ask that they Stand with Rand to hold the IRS accountable.

The post Democrats Blocking Senator Paul’s Efforts to Hold IRS Accountable appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

If you have not yet, set your DVRs for Representative Thomas Massie’s half-hour special order on the National Internet Tax Mandate tonight. The special order is expected to start sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 pm ET.

Rep. Massie’s office just announced that Reps. Ron DeSantis and Steve Daines will join him on the floor. This is a spectacle you won’t want to miss if you’re opposed to the so-called “Marketplace Fairness Act.”

Be sure to follow Campaign for Liberty on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook for updates on the special order and other breaking developments relating to the Liberty movement.

The post Representative Massie’s Special Order Tonight appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.

Good question, as asked by Glen “Kane” Jacobs in his latest piece on the National Internet Sales Tax Mandate:

“Republicans claim that the best way to stimulate the economy is to cut taxes and government spending, and let the market work its magic. Those Republican senators who voted in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act voted against the free market and failed to live up to their limited-government rhetoric.

If this Internet Tax Mandate passes the House and is signed into law, not only will it effectively raise taxes on millions of Americans, it will destroy jobs and further burden an economy that is already creaking along under the weight of too much government.

That so many Democrats are for this is outrageous enough — but if the GOP can’t even stand against more government and taxes, what is the point, exactly, of even having a Republican Party?”

One Republican who has not forgotten that the GOP is supposed to oppose new taxes and regulations is Representative Thomas Massie.  As I blogged yesterday, tomorrow, Representative Massie, along with other freshman representatives, will be holding a half-hour special order to highlight their opposition to the National Internet Tax Mandate.  The time of the special order is still to be determined but will most likely be sometime in the late afternoon/early evening. Under the House schedule, a Democrat member gets to deliver the first special order tomorrow (the first special order slot rotates between the parties), so Mr. Massie will be the second special order of the day.

The post If Republicans support Internet Sales Taxes, then what is the point of having a GOP? appeared first on Campaign for Liberty.