Trump endorses corporatism

President Trump has recently endorsed a policy that is arguably as socialist as anything proposed by New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani or Sen. Bernie Sanders — partial government ownership of private corporations.

Making Corporatism Great Again | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

Sep 8, 2025 - "President Trump has recently endorsed a policy that is arguably as socialist as anything proposed by New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani or Sen. Bernie Sanders — partial government ownership of private corporations.

"Earlier this year, as a condition of approving Nippon Steel’s purchase of US Steel, President Trump demanded Nippon give the US government a 'golden share' in US Steel. This golden share allows the US government to overrule Nippon’s management if the government determines Nippon is acting against US 'national security,' which means the government can overrule many decisions made by Nippon‘s management.

"Unfortunately, Nippon was not a 'one-and-done' excursion into corporatism. President Trump recently struck a deal with computer chip manufacturer Intel to give the company 8.9 billion dollars in government subsidies in exchange for ten percent of Intel’s stock. This deal makes the US government Intel’s largest stockholder!

"The Trump administration has promised that it will not use its position to undermine Intel’s board. However, the administration is reserving the right to counter Intel’s board if the administration determines the board is taking an action that would adversely impact the relationship of the company or its subsidiaries with the US government. So, the Trump administration is yet again giving itself power to manage a nominally private company.

"Enabling the government to control a private company (even if the government does not actually exercise its power) means the company’s management will base its decisions on what will please those currently in power, rather than on the desires of consumers.

"Government investment in corporations will cause politicians to make decisions based on what will profit the companies the government has 'invested' in while those companies’ competitors will seek to attract government investment in order to win special privileges for themselves.

"A corporation partially owned by government will be considered 'too big to fail' since its failure would cause the government to lose the money 'invested' in the businesses. So, the argument will be that a bailout will save the taxpayers money.

"According to a 2024 analysis by the World Bank — an organization not known as a supporter of free-market economics, companies of which government owns ten percent or more are six percent less profitable and have workforces that are 32 percent less productive.

"Some members of the Trump administration have suggested that the federal government take a partial ownership interest in defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has pointed out that big defense contractor Lockheed Martin, for example, is “basically an arm of the US government” since almost all its revenue comes from the US government. Secretary Lutnick has a point, but the closeness between the Pentagon and big corporations is an argument for restoring a noninterventionist foreign policy. Giving the government an ownership interest in defense contractors would allow the war party to argue that militarism is good for the taxpayer because it boosts the value of the government’s “investments”!

"Government 'investment' in private businesses will only worsen the twin plagues of corporatism and cronyism that afflict our political and economic systems. Instead of further entangling government and business, those seeking to make America great again should work to end the welfare-warfare-regulatory state and the fiat money system that makes it possible. The only path to prosperity is through a true free market, limited government, and a foreign policy of peace and free trade."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
https://ronpaulinstitute.org/making-corporatism-great-again/

Should U.S. Department of Defense rebrand?

U.S. president Trump wants to rebrand the Department of Defense as the "Department of War," its name before 1947. Ron Paul sees potential risks to the rebrand, but also some potential benefits if it's done right. 

Department of War? | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul: 

Sep 2, 2025 - "Last week President Trump took steps to re-name the Department of Defense the 'Department of War.' The President explained his rationale for the name change: 'It used to be called the Department of War and it had a stronger sound. We want defense, but we want offense too … As Department of War we won everything…and I think we…have to go back to that.'

"At first it sounds like a terrible idea. A 'Department of War' may well make war more likely – the 'stronger sound' may embolden the US government to take us into even more wars. There would no longer be any need for the pretext that we take the nation to war to defend this country and its interests – and only as a last resort. As Clinton Administration official Madeleine Albright famously asked of Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell when she was pushing for US war in the Balkans, 'What’s the point of having this superb military that you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?'

"So yes, that is a real danger. But at the same time, the US has been at war nearly constantly since the end of World War II, so it’s not like the 'Defense Department' has been in any way a defensive department. With that in mind, returning the Department of Defense to the Department of War, which is how it started, may not be such a bad idea after all – as long as we can be honest about the rest of the terms around our warmaking.

"If we return to a 'War Department,' then we should also return to the Constitutional requirement that any military activity engaged in by that department short of defending against an imminent attack on the US requires a Congressional declaration of war. That was the practice followed when it was called the War Department and we should return to it.

"Dropping the notion that we have a 'Defense Department' would free us from the charade that our massive military spending budget was anything but a war budget. No more 'defense appropriations' bills in Congress. Let’s call them 'war appropriations' bills. Let the American people understand what so much of their hard-earned money is being taken to support. It’s not 'defense.' It’s 'war.' And none of it has benefitted the American people.

"Trump misunderstands one very important thing in his stated desire to return to a 'War Department,' however. A tougher sounding name did not win the wars. Before the name change, which happened after the infamous National Security Act of 1947 that created the CIA and the permanent national security state, we won wars because for the most part we followed the Constitution and had a Congressional declaration of war. That way the war had a beginning and end and a clear set of goals. Since World War II the United States has not declared war even though it has been in a continuous state of war. It is no coincidence that none of these 'wars' have been won. From 1950 Korea to 2025 Yemen and everything in between.

"So go ahead and change it back to the 'Department of War.' But let’s also stop pretending that maintaining the global US military empire is 'defense.” It’s not."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
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America needs an 'America First' foreign policy

"Americans elected Donald Trump in part for his promise to put America first at home and overseas. He promised a war-weary America that he would start no new wars and would get us out of the existing ones. Eight months into his second Administration it appears his promise remains to be fulfilled," 

 

President Trump Should Return to an ‘America First’ Foreign Policy | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

August 25, 2025 - "After four years of unnecessarily confrontational foreign policy under President Biden, Americans elected Donald Trump in part for his promise to put America first at home and overseas. He promised a war-weary America that he would start no new wars and would get us out of the existing ones. Eight months into his second Administration it appears his promise remains to be fulfilled, as his approval rating continues to slip.

"On Ukraine, President Trump wisely observed coming into office that the conflict is 'Joe Biden’s war' not his own. Unfortunately he could not resist the temptation to get involved in the conflict, even under the guise of 'peacemaker.' I’ve often said that getting out of conflicts overseas is not that complicated: we should just come home. Even when there are no troops involved, 'just come home' means disengage from the conflict. But President Trump wants to play referee in the war while arming and supporting one side. Is it any wonder he is making no progress in ending the war?

"Likewise with Israel and Gaza, Trump’s promise to put America first has faltered. President Biden put Americans on the hook for additional billions of dollars to support Israel’s actions in Gaza without even a word about the slaughter and destruction. As more Americans become disgusted by Israel’s obliteration of the property and population of that tiny strip of land, Trump shows no signs of shifting from Biden’s approach. More money and more weapons are sent as starvation claims more and more children each day. Trump has reportedly remarked to a donor that his own base is turning against him because of his Israel policy. Yet he refuses to alter course and 'just come home.'

"Trump has even returned to the failed Latin America policy of his first Administration, in last week’s move toward a military confrontation with oil-rich Venezuela. Trump sent two warships and 4,000 US troops to the waters near Venezuela under the highly suspect accusation that the country’s president is actually head of an international drug cartel. He should have learned from the almost comical recognition of Juan Guaido as the real president of Venezuela in his first term that meddling in that country is not in America’s interest. It seems the neocons around him, including warhawk Marco Rubio, are sucking him into another unnecessary conflict.

"Add in Trump’s military attacks on Yemen and Iran and the balance sheet thus far does not point to an 'America first' foreign policy.

"There is still time for President Trump to change course and fulfill his promises to the American people. 

• Put Ukraine and Russia on notice that from this point the US is withdrawing from any role in the conflict. Let the Europeans work it out if they feel it is in their interest. Getting us out of NATO is also a good idea.
• End US financial and military support for an Israel that cannot seem to get along with its neighbors. Perhaps without the US backstopping Israel’s warmongering, the country and its leadership would start to reflect on the wisdom of starting wars with multiple countries in its neighborhood.
• Stop trying to overthrow Venezuela’s Maduro and everyone else the neocons have placed on the 'hit list.' End all sanctions and open up trade instead. Maduro’s failed socialist economic policies will be his undoing, not American sanctions or saber-rattling.

"America first above all means 'just come home.' It’s that simple."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

https://ronpaulinstitute.org/president-trump-should-return-to-an-america-first-foreign-policy/

Government statistics downplaying U.S. inflation

A recent survey found almost half of American parents taking on increased debt to buy their children's back-to-school supplies 

Another Reason to Ban Tik-Tok? | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

Aug 18, 2025 - "According to the July Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, prices rose by 2.7 percent over the past year, and by 3.1 percent when the 'volatile' food and housing sectors are removed from the calculation. Markets rose following the release of the CPI since the increase in price inflation was not as high as expected. This led to an increase in expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month.

"Of course, the CPI numbers are manipulated to understate the true rate, and effects, of inflation. One way this is done is by 'Chained CPI.' This is where the government does not consider consumers impacted by price increases that make their favorite products unaffordable if there are affordable substitutes available – as if government bureaucrats can determine what is and is not an adequate substitute for a good made unaffordable by the Federal Reserve.

"The official government figures do not take into account 'shrinkflation.' This is when a business responds to price inflation by reducing product size and otherwise reducing a good’s quality. Shrinkflation makes it appear that consumers are paying the same prices but in fact they are paying more since they are getting less of the product.

"Examples of 'shrinkflation” include increases in the size of cardboard toilet paper holders by 25 percent. This allows toilet paper companies to reduce the amount of paper per roll while maintaining the same number of rolls per package. 

"Other examples of shrinkflation include using wider bottles with concave bottoms for liquid soap, thus enabling soap manufacturers to hide the 15 percent reduction in the amount of soap per bottle, substituting cheaper vegetable oil for dairy milk in chocolates, and substituting foam pool noodles with an 'angel' hair noodle that contains 40 percent less material. Shrinkflation also exists in the airline industry. Ticket prices may have remained steady, or even declined, but travelers now must pay a fee for many 'frills‘ that used to be included with the ticket, such as baggage check-in, on-flight food and beverage service, and seat selection.

"Those looking for evidence of how inflation is affecting Americans might want to stop looking at CPI reports and instead go on Tik-Tok and other popular social media sites. There they will find videos of parents highlighting the burden placed on the family budget by the skyrocketing price of school supplies. A survey by Bankrate found that 29 percent of family budgets were strained by the growing costs of school supplies, while a survey by Intuit Credit Karma found that 44 percent of parents were going into, or increasing, their family’s debt in order to buy their children school supplies. School supplies prices have even risen at big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Target. Even Dollar Tree has raised some prices to over a dollar!

"The reason so many parents are struggling to afford school supplies is not corporate greed, but the Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies. The best thing Congress can do for America’s families is cut spending, thus reducing the pressure on the Fed to monetize the federal debt thus further weakening the dollar.

"Congress should also reform the monetary system by passing the Audit the Fed bill and repealing all laws that discourage the use of competing currencies such as precious metals and cryptocurrencies. 

"Sadly, even Tik-Tok videos of parents struggling to afford school supplies will likely not cause Congress to take these steps. Instead, the videos are more likely to cause Congress to renew efforts to ban Tok-Tok."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
https://ronpaulinstitute.org/another-reason-to-ban-tik-tok/

U.S. cold war with Russia heats up

The cold war between the United States and Russia heated up last week, with President Trump ordering nuclear-armed submarines deployed "in the appropriate regions."

Cold War 2.0 Heats Up | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

August 4, 2025 - "Last week the nuclear rhetoric between the US and Russia made some of us feel like we were transported back to 1962. Back then, Soviet moves to place nuclear-capable missiles 90 miles off our coast in Cuba led to the greatest crisis of the Cold War. The United States and its president, John F. Kennedy, could not tolerate such weapons placed by a hostile power on its doorstep and the world only knew years later how close we were to nuclear war.

"Thankfully both Khrushchev and Kennedy backed down – with the Soviet leader removing the missiles from Cuba and the US president agreeing to remove some missiles from Turkey. Both men realized the folly of playing with 'mutually assured destruction,' and this compromise likely paved the way to further US/Soviet dialogue from Nixon to President Reagan and finally to the end of the Cold War.

"Fast forward more than 60 years later and we have a US president, Donald Trump, who last week stated that he had 'ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,' meaning nearer to Russia. Had Russia attacked the US or an ally? Threatened to do so? No. The supposed re-positioning of US strategic military assets was in response to a sharp series of posts made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on social media....

"The war of words started earlier, when neocon US Senator Lindsey Graham’s endless threats against Russia received a response – and a warning – from Medvedev. Graham, who seems to love war more than anything else, posted 'To those in Russia who believe that President Trump is not serious about ending the bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine… You will also soon see that Joe Biden is no longer president. Get to the peace table.'

"Medvedev responded, 'It’s not for you or Trump to dictate when to "get at the peace table". Negotiations will end when all the objectives of our military operation have been achieved. Work on America first, gramps!' That was enough for Trump to join in to defend his ill-chosen ally Graham and ended with Medvedev alluding to Soviet nuclear doctrine which provided for an automatic nuclear response to any first strike on the USSR by US or NATO weapons.

"The message from the Russian politician was clear: back off. It was hardly Khruschev banging his shoe at the UN screaming 'we will bury you,' but it was enough for Trump to make a rare public pronouncement about the movement of US nuclear submarines.

"Trump is understandably frustrated that his promise to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours has not been fulfilled after six months in office. President Trump doesn’t seem to understand that you cannot arm one side in a war and then demand that the other side – the side that’s winning – stop fighting. That has never happened in history.

"What is most tragic is that the war in Ukraine could have likely been ended if not in 24 hours, then surely in six months if Trump simply ended Joe Biden’s policy on Ukraine. It is continued US support for the war that keeps the war going. Even the US mainstream media admits that Ukraine will lose. But Trump seems under the spell of the neocons who can never reverse a failed policy.

"Hopefully the return of nuclear rhetoric will awaken some in DC to the danger that the neocons pose to our country. We are no longer in 1962."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
https://ronpaulinstitute.org/cold-war-2-0-heats-up/

Nobody would be the ideal Federal Reserve chair

Nobody knows best how to manage the U.S. economy. Nobody even knows what the correct interest rate should be. Nobody would make the perfect Federal Reserve chairman.

Nobody for Fed Chairman | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul: 

July 28, 2025 - "President Trump has recently suggested that, unless Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell cuts interest rates, the president might revert to his The Apprentice days and tell Powell, 'you’re fired.' President Trump backtracked on firing Powell after the president’s comments caused stock markets to fall. However, it is almost certain that President Trump will not reappoint Powell when Powell’s term ends in May.

"Media reports indicate the leading candidates to replace Powell include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, former Federal Reserve Board Governor Kevin Warsh, and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. A more interesting question than who will replace Powell is why would anyone want to, since the next Fed chairman will likely face another Fed-caused meltdown.

"The national debt is over 37 trillion dollars and rising. Yet few in Congress are serious about cutting federal spending. This puts pressure on the Fed to keep interest rates low to limit the cost of ongoing debt interest payments. So, the Fed continues monetizing the debt, pumping more money into the economy, weakening the dollar’s purchasing power, and eroding the American people’s standard of living. 

"The Federal Reserve’s low interest rate policy also distorts the market, leading to the bubble-boom-and-bust business cycle that has plagued the American economy since the last link between the dollar and gold was severed in 1971.

"The Fed’s job is also made more difficult by a reduced demand for Treasury securities among investors, causing the Fed to increase its purchases. This pumps more money into the economy, further eroding the dollar’s value.

"Concerns about the national debt’s effect on monetary policy are a key factor behind the recent increase in gold prices and the interest in cryptocurrencies. The danger posed by the national debt is one reason why foreign countries are increasing their gold holdings and considering challenging the US dollar’s world reserve currency status.

"Whoever succeeds Jerome Powell as Fed chairman will face a no-win choice. He could try to keep interest rates low to ensure the federal government’s interest payments remain manageable, at the cost of making it more likely the US economy will face another Federal Reserve caused meltdown. Instead, he could try increasing rates to limit price increases thus raising the cost of managing government (and private sector) debt to unsustainable levels, throwing the economy into a severe downturn.

"Congress members and President Trump are attacking Chairman Powell for spending over two billion dollars on Federal Reserve headquarters renovations. This is a waste of taxpayer money, but it pales in comparison to the harm suffered by the American people because of the Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies.

"Treasury Secretary Bessent has suggested expanding the investigation beyond the costs of renovating the Fed headquarters to examination of 'the entire Federal Reserve institution' to determine if the Fed has 'succeeded in its mission.' This suggests Secretary Bessent would support passing the Audit the Fed legislation, which is a step toward returning to a constitutional and sound monetary policy. However, anyone who understands Austrian economics knows a fiat money system managed by a secretive central bank can never succeed in creating lasting prosperity and will eventually crash the economy.

"No person or persons can know the 'correct' interest rates, and the Federal Reserve’s attempts to control interest rates are destructive like other central planning. The proper answer to who should be Fed chairman is … nobody."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
https://ronpaulinstitute.org/nobody-for-fed-chairman/

U.S. foreign policy led to chaos in Syria

The civil war in Syria is the result of more than 13 years of U.S. government foreign policy.

America’s Syrian Civil War | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

July 21, 2025 - "As Syria descends into full-scale civil war, with more than a thousand people killed in just the last few days, it may be a good time to remember the phrase, 'Assad must go.' That was the slogan the regime-changers rolled out some 14 years ago during the 'Arab Spring' that was supposed to usher liberal democracies into power throughout the region.

"From Tunisia to Egypt to Libya and on to Syria, the plan was to remake the Middle East according to the will of Washington’s 'master planners.' The State Department, the media, the Pentagon, and the think tanks fed by the military-industrial complex were all enthusiastically on-board the program because making war and overthrowing governments is their bread and butter.

"If the United States pursued a foreign policy of non-interventionism as laid out by our Founders the massive 'national security state' would cease to exist. We would return to being a republic and they would have to return to honest work.

"Instead, a determined effort that took nearly 14 years finally produced the 'regime change” in Syria last December that the neocons wanted. Assad did finally go – to exile in Russia – but as is always the case with US-directed regime change, his replacement was even worse. Imagine all those years fighting the 'war on terror' and then cheering when a branch of al-Qaeda takes power in Syria. Yet that’s exactly what happened, with President Trump going so far as to praise Syria’s self-appointed president as, 'a tough guy, a fighter, with a very strong background.'

"Assad, like Libya’s Gaddafi and the others targeted for 'regime change,' was no saint. But as with Libya, we are seeing the chaos unleashed by US intervention in Syria is making the country far worse than before. Libya has remained in chaos and civil war for the past decade, with no future for its people. That seems to be what is in store for Syria as well. The new, unelected regime has slaughtered Alawites and Christians from nearly day one, and last week turned its guns on the Druze minority. A country of many different faiths and ethnic groups has been ripped apart, probably for good.

"Those pushing regime change all these years called us 'Assad apologists' when we cautioned against intervention. We should not expect an apology now that their regime change has achieved the opposite of what they promised....

"Centrally-planned economies produce luxury for the elites and poverty for everyone else. Yet the US foreign policy establishment believes it can centrally plan the government, economy, and even religion of countries thousands of miles away and about which it knows nothing. Once again we can see how wrong they are and what destruction their actions cause.

"Syria’s descent into mayhem and violence is another tragic reminder that Washington’s neocons are very good at undermining and overthrowing governments abroad that refuse to 'play ball' according to DC rules, but when it comes to actually bringing anything of value from the chaos they create they are hopelessly incompetent. In Syria the damage is done, and future generations will continue to suffer from the cruel folly of those convinced they know how to run everyone else’s lives."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

https://ronpaulinstitute.org/americas-syrian-civil-war/

The People v. the Permanent Government (2)

Part 2 of the story behind the Trump administration's battle with the U.S. administrative state

[continued from part 1].

The Systematic Unraveling of the Administrative State | Brownstone Institute | Jeffrey Tucker:

July 13, 2025 - "After four years in exile, Trump and his team plotted their revenge. It was clear to everyone that this issue was fundamental. He would have to risk it all by putting the question to the Supreme Court. He did this by issuing a record number of executive orders that pertained to the executive branch, all of which would presume that he could act like a president. 

"Trump’s team had predicted a flurry of lawsuits followed by injunctions, very much like what had happened in 2019-2020. This time, however, they would lawyer up and drive the question to the top. It was a huge gamble but it has turned out well. They knew that the structure of the status quo was completely indefensible from a Constitutional point of view. 

"The most recent blow to the administrative state gets to the heart of the issue. In Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees (July 8, 2025), the Supreme Court backed the right of the president to engage in mass firings of federal employees. There was only one dissenting vote from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the judge who had reversed other Trump orders when she was a DC district judge. 

"Jackson’s dissent tries to make sense of the 4th branch of government. 'Under our Constitution, Congress has the power to establish administrative agencies and detail their functions,' she wrote. Thus, over the past century, Presidents who have attempted to reorganize the Federal Government have first obtained authorization from Congress to do so.' Lacking such authorization, she says, the Court should embrace the 'harm-reducing preservation of the status quo.'

"After all, she warns, 'This executive action promises mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as Congress has created it'.... There we go: the very core of the central-planning beast is at risk. At least she does understand the stakes. 

"This latest ruling – with many more likely to follow – comes on the heels of a flurry of similar decisions including: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (June 28, 2024), which overturned Chevron deference (1986), reducing agency interpretive authority, shifting power from agencies to other branches (judiciary and executive, respectively); SEC v. Jarkesy (June 27, 2024), which limited agencies’ use of in-house adjudication, enhancing judicial oversight; Corner Post, Inc. v. Federal Reserve (July 1, 2024), which expanded opportunities to challenge old regulations; Ohio v. EPA (June 27, 2024), which enforced strict APA compliance, curbing regulatory overreach; Garland v. Cargill (June 14, 2024), involving restricted agency statutory interpretations; Trump v. CASA (June 27, 2025), which curbed nationwide injunctions, strengthening executive action; and City and County of San Francisco v. EPA (March 4, 2025), which narrowed the EPA’s regulatory scope.

"This has all happened with remarkable speed – in the course of one year. The regime of one hundred years has suddenly fundamentally changed to fit more precisely with what the Framers designed. It amounts to a counter-coup against the tyranny of experts and the convoluted systems of compulsion and control they had carefully constructed. Even if we do not yet feel the effects, the ground has shifted beneath our feet. 

"It’s a myth that courts are merely looking at the law and ruling cases on their merits. They are subject to the pressures of public opinion and have proven deferential to the ethos of the times. That ethos has changed, suddenly and dramatically, and why? 

"From 2020 to 2023, with continued fallout today, the administrative state that had long ruled out of the public eye reached deep into the private affairs of every American. It closed the schools, churches, and businesses. It issued stay-at-home orders. It kidnapped family members into medical institutions, allowing no contact with family. It then mandated the injection of multitudes with an experimental shot that achieved nothing but left many harmed and others dead. 

"It is a measure of the arrogance and perceived hegemony of this machine – which extends from agencies to corporations to academia and the nonprofit sector – that so many within its ranks believe they could get away with all these outrages without consequence. Public rage followed, expressing itself in every possible way and demanding change. That change has begun. The conditions are in place for a much more dramatic change, which could happen later or possibly sooner. 

"The intricate networks of influence, graft, and quid pro quo, and surreptitious pillaging of the people’s resources and power, believed itself to be invulnerable, somewhat like the rulers of the old Soviet empire in the months before it fell apart. Every old regime has believed itself to be secure up to the moments when its leaders seek sanctuary and its minions flee to the hills....

"We’ve wondered for many years what the revolution would look like when it came home. We got a glimpse of this last week, when iPhone cameras recorded thousands of State Department employees carrying their belongings out in bankers’ boxes out the front doors of the palace that had long been their home. Live by administrative edicts; die by them." 

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Canadian gov't rescinds Digital Services Tax

Happy Canada Day! The Canadian government has rescinded its Digital Services Tax, one day before it was to go into effect.

Canada Rescinds Digital Services Tax After Trump Halts Trade Talks | Epoch Times | Omid Ghoreishi:

June 30, 2025 - "The Canadian government is rescinding its digital services tax to avoid stalling trade talks with the United States, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would end negotiations over the levy. Ottawa says that removing the tax will put Canada back on track to reach a trade deal with the United States by July 21.

"Trump said on June 27 that he is ending all trade negotiations with Canada over Canada’s digital services tax (DST), which would impact U.S.-based tech companies such as Amazon, Google, and Netflix.... The DST imposed a 3 percent tax on revenue that tech companies earn from digital services provided to Canadian users. It was scheduled to go into effect on June 30, and was retroactive to 2022, leaving U.S. tech companies with a $2 billion bill to pay by the end of June. The Canadian tax had been an irritant to both the Biden and Trump administrations....

"The Trump administration has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian products, though goods falling under the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement have been exempted. Washington has also imposed blanket tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.... Ottawa has been seeking new trade negotiations with the United States to minimize U.S. tariffs. In announcing the removal of the DST, Canadian Minister of Finance François-Philippe Champagne said the move would allow trade negotiations with the United States to go forward....

"Champagne had insisted up until recently that Ottawa wouldn’t be putting the tax on hold, after pressure from Canadian and U.S. business groups as well as U.S. politicians to remove the tax. Canada’s Liberal government had said that the tax is in line with similar measures from a number of other countries, and that corporations should pay their 'fair share' of taxes in Canada.

The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated that the tax would bring in $7.2 billion over five years in revenue for Ottawa."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/canada-rescinds-digital-services-tax-after-trump-ends-trade-talks-over-the-levy-on-american-tech-companies-5880090

NO NETFLIX TAX - But Carbon Tariff is NEXT! | Canadian Taxpayers Federation | June 30, 2025:

Digital Services Tax derails trade talks with USA

The U.S. government abruptly broke off trade negotiations with Canada after the Carney government announced it was going forward with its Digital Services Tax, aimed at U.S. companies who operate online in Canada.

What is Canada's digital services tax and why is it infuriating Trump? | Financial Post | Yvonne Lau:

June 27, 2025 - "U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly cut off all trade negotiations with Canada on Friday, citing Ottawa’s Digital Services Tax (DST) for the decision. The tax, enacted last June, targets U.S. technology companies that operate in Canada but pay little tax here. Under the new tax regime, the first payments are set to be collected on Monday, June 30.... 

"Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted Canada’s Digital Services Tax Act in June 2024.... The federal tax is applicable to large businesses — both foreign and domestic — that meet two specific criteria: a total global revenue of €750 million and up, and over $20 million of profits earned in Canada annually. The legislation levies a three per cent tax on digital services revenue over $20 million, and is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022.... Taxable revenue includes those of online marketplaces, digital advertising, social media, and user data — which will primarily affect American Big Tech giants such as Amazon.com, Inc., Apple Inc., and Meta Platforms, Inc.

"Under the DST, companies were required to register with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) by Jan. 31, 2025 and are obligated to file their first DST returns on June 30, 2025. The CRA has said that more than 500 companies have already applied to register for DST purposes, and expects more than 100 companies to pay the tax. If applicable companies fail to register with the agency, they could be fined $20,000 per year. If they fail to file a DST return, Canada could dole out a penalty equal to five per cent of the unpaid tax for the year, plus one per cent of the unpaid tax for the year for each month, not exceeding 12 months, in which the return hasn’t been filed....

"The legislation however, has come under fire from business groups on both sides of the border, with critics warning that the rules could further inflame Canada-U.S. ties. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has argued that the tax could increase costs for consumers and risks 'damaging our beneficial and lucrative trade relationship with the U.S.' The U.S. meanwhile, has long denounced Canada’s proposed rules, claiming that they unfairly discriminate against American firms. Last August, under the former Biden administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) launched dispute settlement consultations with Ottawa under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement over the DST.... 

"Tech giant Google LLC responded to Canada’s digital services tax rules by introducing an additional 2.5 per cent fee for ads shown in Canada starting in October 2024. Called the 'Canada DST Fee,' Google said the surcharges will “cover part of the costs of complying with DST legislation in Canada'....

"Around half of all European OECD countries have announced, proposed, or implemented a DST, according to the Tax Foundation Europe. The U.S. has met those proposals with threats of retaliatory tariffs. Some countries’ DST regimes could be on the chopping block. France’s Council of State, which advises the government on the preparation of bills and other matters, recently referred the country’s DST to the Constitutional Council for review, marking the first constitutional challenge to the DST since the legislation passed in 2019.

"For months, executives of U.S. tech giants have pressured American policymakers over Canada’s DST. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian business groups have also pressed the Carney government to abandon the DST. And while businesses and industry groups were holding out for a last-minute suspension of the DST, finance minister François-Philippe Champagne reconfirmed last Thursday that Canada is 'going ahead' with the tax. 'The (DST) is in force and it’s going to be applied,” he said.... 'Obviously, all of that is something that we’re considering as part of broader discussions that you may have,' Champagne said last week, suggesting that the DST could be renegotiated given the ongoing trade talks between Canada and the U.S."

Read more: https://financialpost.com/technology/canada-digital-services-tax-infuriating-donald-trump

What is Canada’s digital services tax, and who pays it? | CBC News: The National | June 27, 2025:

U.S.-Iran war averted for now

War between the U.S. and Iran did not happen this week. However, it is not yet off the table. 

President Trump: End the War Now! | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

June 23, 2025 - "Just a few weeks ago in this space I urged President Trump to accept a deal with Iran allowing it to continue pursuing civilian nuclear power while ensuring that it would not pursue nuclear weapons. Iran signaled it was ready to sign such a deal, yet suddenly Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff changed the US position to demand no civilian nuclear enrichment at all. The US Administration understood that Iran could not accept such a demand – that it had that right as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty – but Witkoff shifted the position anyway. 

"Just days before the sixth round of negotiations were to take place, Israel blew up the whole process by launching a surprise attack on Iran and here we are just over a week later staring right into the face of World War III. Had the 'bait and switch' and subsequent Israeli attack not taken place, we likely would be seeing rapidly improving trade relations with Iran and throughout the region that would have enriched all parties.... 

"But the neocons and ... Benjamin Netanyahu, couldn’t stand the prospect of peace breaking out in the region so they dusted off their old lies about 'weapons of mass destruction' from the lead up to the Iraq war and soon enough the talks were sunk beneath a barrage of Israeli – and as of this past weekend American – bombs and missiles.

"President Trump’s decision to spend untold billions of dollars on what appears to be not much more than a 'symbolic' bombing of Iran’s already-vacated nuclear facilities was no doubt made with the intention of making himself look tough. Unfortunately for him, it has had the opposite effect. He has shown the world that he was no more able to resist the demands of the neocons and warmongers than his predecessors, and in abandoning his promises to be the president that ends wars instead of starting new ones he has also abandoned the most enthusiastic part of his base.

"What President Trump does not seem to understand is that true strength is not measured in how many missiles you can send to the 'Hitler of the month' as designated by the warmongers. True strength comes from standing up for your stated principles in the face of the enormous pressure that will inevitably be placed on you. Real strength is strength of character. It often comes from the ability to say 'no' when everyone around you demands that you give up a little bit of your principles for promises of riches or glory.

"As of this writing, we are standing on the precipice of a major war in the Middle East that threatens to bring in much larger actors such as Russia and China. The neocons, filled with unwarranted vainglory, welcome such a clash because they won’t be doing the fighting and dying. They will be the ones reaping the financial and other rewards. As usual.

"Unfortunately, President Trump has severely damaged his credibility by embroiling us in a war that is not our war. He would do well to immediately change course, search for off-ramps, make peace with Iran, and once and for all banish all neocons and warmongers from anywhere near his Administration. Otherwise 'MAGA' will go down in history as nothing but a cruel joke."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/president-trump-end-the-war-now/

America faces a Great Big Ugly Surveillance State

Trump's March executive order on "Eliminating Information Silos" seems designed to enable a Great Big Ugly Surveillance State.

Great Big Ugly Surveillance State | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

June 16, 2025 - "On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order 'Eliminating Information Silos.' The order directed heads of federal agencies to make sure officials designated by the president 'have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems.' The executive order did not attract much attention until it was more recently revealed that the administration was working with tech company Palantir to create a database containing all information collected by all federal agencies on all US citizens.

"A database consisting of all the information of American citizens collected by the various federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Pentagon would be a major step in creating a total surveillance state. This database could come in handy to future Dr. Faucis seeking to enforce mask and vaccine mandates. 

"Those with access to this database could see personal health records, education records, and tax returns. They may even be able to see how many firearms individuals have purchased and if they were associated with any organizations the government had labeled 'extremist.'

"Despite the obvious threat to liberty the 'big ugly database' poses, some commentators and 'influencers' who would normally oppose, or at least be skeptical of, expansion of the surveillance state are supporting it because they believe it will be used to locate illegal immigrants. Some conservatives are supporting this proposal because it will help identify students who have publicly opposed the U.S. government’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Ironically, many of those supporting government cracking down on 'anti-Israel' students came to fame (and in some cases fortune) as critics of 'wokeness' and cancel culture.

"The abandonment of liberty because fear drives people to trust government promises of safety is a phenomenon we have witnessed several times.... An obvious example is the way many former friends of freedom supported the PATRIOT Act and other infringements on liberty following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. We also saw it during the covid hysteria when many embraced mask and vaccine mandates. Following the 2008 market meltdown, normally rather staunch opponents of government intervention supported the bailouts because they agreed with then-President George W. Bush who said he had 'abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system.'

"Palantir, founded in 2003, has worked on helping government become more efficient at collecting and storing information about US citizens. The company, which was named after the seeing stones from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, is ... literally the creation of the surveillance state since one of its early investors was In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm controlled by the CIA.

"Those discouraged by the surveillance state’s continued expansion under President Trump should be encouraged that more Americans than ever, including many who voted for President Trump, are seeing through the lie that the only way we can be safe is to surrender our liberty to politicians, bureaucrats, and crony capitalism. This should inspire us to redouble our efforts to spread the message of liberty."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/great-big-ugly-surveillance-state/

What's up between Musk and Trump?

 After Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," conflict between Trump and Elon Musk was only a matter of time.

Can Trump and Musk Make Up? | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

June 9, 2025 - "Last week’s dramatic blowout between President Trump and his one-time top collaborator Elon Musk was shocking yet predictable. According to media reports, a cold war had been brewing between Musk’s people and Trump’s appointees and it was bound to break out into the open. It was only a matter of time.

Trump and Musk. Composite by Buadh, Wikimedia Commons.

"On the campaign trail, Musk provided much energy and helped ramp up enthusiasm for Donald Trump. His support for Trump made him a lightning rod for Trump-haters and he saw his personal wealth take a hit for his troubles.

"After Trump’s victory, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] project was truly revolutionary. Americans were able to see up close and in real time just how government operates. Not only did the billions and trillions of dollars spent by the federal government not achieve the stated goals, but much of the spending actually harmed the United States.

"Americans were able to see that the 'aid' they send overseas does not provide food and relief for those suffering through disasters but is actually used to create a global US empire encompassing everything from the media to military spending to non-profits. 

"Once USAID was targeted by DOGE, for example, we learned that 90 percent of the 'independent' media in Ukraine was US government controlled. Other countries chimed in to say that much of their own 'independent' media is propped up by the US government. Foreign 'journalists' paid by the US government are going to publish what the US government wants to be published. That is one reason Americans to this day are so ill-informed about Ukraine and what started the war. For example, how many Americans know that their own government staged a coup in Ukraine in 2014 that directly led to the disaster we have seen these past three years?

"The message was there for anyone who wanted to see it: The United States is being undermined by a government that demands the right to intervene in every aspect of our lives – and of the lives of everyone on the planet. It is not sustainable.

"In the end it was Trump’s 'Big Beautiful Bill' that broke it all apart. The US House served up a massive funding bill that, as usual, blew up the national debt with more spending and promised that sometime down the road spending cuts would kick in and we would start saving money. We’ve seen this movie many times before.

"In a post seen by over a hundred million people on his social media platform X, Elon Musk finally could hold his tongue no longer. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,' he wrote.... Musk was no-doubt frustrated that despite all of the work he and his team did to uncover government waste, he hit a brick wall in a Washington that recoils from any attempt to shrink its size and level of interference in our lives.

"Can Trump and Musk 'make up' and find a way to work together in the future? After the smoke has cleared we can only hope for a return to the principles of DOGE and the idea that current levels of spending and debt are unsustainable. Surely both men can agree on that."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/can-trump-and-musk-make-up/

Ron Paul to US Steel: beware the 'Golden Share'

President Trump will allow the Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel, but wants a "Golden Share" that will let him dictate company policy when national security is at stake. In fact, as Ron Paul notes, "there is almost no decision US Steel’s management could make that cannot be labeled as involving 'national security.'" 

A Golden Share Will Not Make America Great Again | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

Jun 2, 2025 - "Japanese company Nippon Steel’s plan to purchase US Steel was bound to provoke a strong reaction from left- and right-wing economic nationalists. After all, US Steel was once the world’s largest company, and it was the first company to be valued at over a billion dollars. US Steel was thus a symbol of America’s economic dominance. So it was not surprising that Nippon Steel’s purchase of US Steel was blocked by both the Biden and Trump administrations. This was disappointing — especially since Nippon Steel planned to invest billions in modernizing US Steel’s facilities.

"Last week, President Trump praised the deal with some added conditions. One major condition is that the US government will receive a 'golden share' in US Steel. This will enable the government to overrule any business decision made by the company’s management if the government determines the business decision threatens 'national security.' This power could be used to prevent US Steel from exporting steel to certain countries, as well as to require US Steel to prioritize production for the military and other government agencies. It could also be used to interfere with labor-management relations based on the idea that a labor dispute can disrupt production and thus harm national security. In fact, there is almost no decision US Steel’s management could make that cannot be labeled as involving 'national security.'

"Supporters of the 'golden share' have forgotten (or never learned) the lessons from the failures of allowing politicians and bureaucrats to run private businesses. When government takes a full or partial ownership interest in a business, the result is decisions made based on political considerations rather than on seeking to improve the company’s productivity and profits. This causes the company to lose money, resulting in laid off workers unless the government tries to cover up failures with subsidies. It also distorts the signals sent to other market actors via the price system because the government-run company is allocating resources based on considerations other than their most efficient use.

"This is not the only case where the Trump administration is harming the economy by interfering with businesses. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored enterprises created to support the housing market, may soon go public. President Trump has stated that the government would nonetheless continue to guarantee Fannie and Freddie backed mortgage loans. This will cause over-investment in housing as investors see only an upside from investing in Fannie and Freddie since the government will bail out Fannie and Freddie if they lose money while investors will keep the profits. The result will be a housing bubble, followed by a housing crash that may be worse than the one Fannie and Freddie — along with the Federal Reserve — helped cause in 2008. Once again, President Trump and his advisors have failed to learn from history.

"Government involvement with businesses may be promoted as intended to protect national security, or to protect 'great American companies' from being taken over by foreign companies, or to make the American dream of homeownership possible for every American, or to accomplish a myriad of other goals that may sound good in sound bites on the campaign trail. However, the result will be economic stagnation, recessions, or even depressions. To ensure a strong economy, government can get out of the way. A policy of limited government, free markets, free trade, peace, and sound money is the path to prosperity."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/a-golden-share-will-not-make-america-great-again/

Ron Paul: Can Trump secure a Deal with Iran?

After five years of futile negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over the latter's nuclear enrichment program, it's time for President Trump to use his vaunted dealmaking powers.

Take the Deal, President Trump | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

May 26, 2025 - "Deal-making is said to be President Trump’s specialty, yet after five rounds of indirect talks with Iran – most recently just days ago – we seem as far away from an agreement as ever. The fifth round ended last Friday with no breakthrough, but at least no breakdown. However, each day that passes without a document signed on the table is another day for the neocons to maneuver the US president toward an attack on Iran.

"One way the war party does this is to continuously move the goal posts and change the rules of the game. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, under great pressure from the neocons, has himself signaled at least three position-shifts: from no enrichment at all, to low-level enrichment for civilian uses, back to no enrichment at all.

"The neocons know that Iran will not give up its right to the civilian use of nuclear power and that is why they are applying maximum pressure to force Trump to officially adopt that position. They know if that becomes the US 'red line' then they will win and they will get their war.

"Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, in league with US neocons, has been warning us for 20 years that Iran is “months away” from a nuclear weapon – even though our own Intelligence Community recently re-affirmed that Iran is not working on a nuclear weapon at all.

"Of course this is the same Netanyahu who promised Congress in 2002 if the US would just invade Iraq, peace and prosperity would break out in the Middle East. 'If you take out Saddam, Saddam’s regime,' he told Congress in March of that year, 'I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region.' We know how that worked out.

"Poll after poll shows that the American people are tired of intervention and tired of Middle East wars. President Trump himself recognized this in his scathing rebuke of neocons and interventionists during a recent speech in Saudi Arabia. But rebuke in a speech is not enough. President Trump must actively turn away from the neocons – many of whom are prominent in his own administration.

"The recent US debacle in Yemen – where billions were wasted, civilians killed, and US military equipment destroyed – is just a taste of what the US would be in for if the neocons get their way and take us to war with Iran.

"The Iranian foreign minister laid down in the simplest terms how the impasse could be solved, posting on X that, 'Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal; Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal.'

"My own preference is non-intervention and I do not believe Iran has the desire or the ability to militarily harm the United States. I share President Trump’s view that it would be far better to re-establish relations with Iran and begin mutually beneficial trade with the country. But if a mutually acceptable nuclear deal is the best way to take the neocon war with Iran off the table, then a deal is worth supporting.

"President Trump should make his position clear to his negotiators: no more waffling or contradictions, get this agreement signed and put one in the 'win' column."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

https://ronpaulinstitute.org/take-the-deal-president-trump/

Ron Paul: USA needs to rein in military spending

Cutting spending wasted on a futile pursuit of a global empire is not just a fiscal necessity. It is also the best thing Congress can do to promote peace and prosperity.

Cutting Military Spending Would Make for a Big and Beautiful Bill | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

May 19, 2025 - "Last week, Moody’s Ratings lowered the United States credit rating. Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings had already lowered the US rating. This new downgrade was driven by Congress’s failure to make any efforts to reduce the almost 37 trillion dollars national debt. When Moody’s made its announcement, the House Budget Committee was scrambling to get the votes to pass legislation extending the 2017 tax cuts.

"President Trump has dubbed this the “big beautiful bill.” The bill also has new tax cuts including repealing federal taxes on tips and overtime. The bill 'offsets' the 'lost' revenue from the cuts by making some cost saving reforms in domestic welfare programs, most notably Medicaid and food stamps. However, it increases spending in other areas, most notably military spending.

"According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the 'big beautiful bill' would increase the national debt by at least 3.3 trillion dollars over ten years. This number is likely to rise because several moderate Republicans are threatening to vote against the bill unless the Medicaid and food stamps 'reforms' are limited or dropped.

"Tax cuts are always worth supporting because they advance liberty and sound economics by ensuring the people have more and the government has less. However, tax cuts that are not combined with real spending cuts are delayed tax increases. This is because cutting taxes without cutting spending leads to more debt that leads to higher taxes. These tax increases are likely to come from the Federal Reserve’s monetization of debt, which weakens the dollar’s purchasing power. This 'inflation tax' benefits political and financial elites while hurting most Americans.

"The reason Republicans are finding it difficult to offset their tax plan in a way that is politically palatable is that they are following exactly the opposite of the politically smart path to cut spending. Instead of starting by cutting welfare for the poor, Republicans should have started by cutting welfare for the rich, particularly the military-industrial complex.

"Last week, while visiting the Middle East, President Trump delivered an important speech refuting the neocon crusade that has dominated American foreign policy thinking since 9-11. Yet, President Trump is proposing to increase the military budget to one trillion dollars.

"President Trump and congressional Republicans will never cut spending until they stop pretending they can pay down the national debt, cut taxes, and continue massive spending on militarism. Similarly, fiscal conservatives need to stop targeting single mothers on food stamps while increasing federal spending on foreign intervention.

"The debt that caused Moody’s and other credit rating agencies to lower the US government’s credit rating is because of spending, not tax cuts. Congress should be giving the people more tax cuts and offsetting them with deep cuts in military spending. Cutting spending wasted on a futile pursuit of a global empire is not just a fiscal necessity. It is also the best thing Congress can do to promote peace and prosperity. Congress should then begin phasing out welfare programs in a manner that does not harm those currently reliant on the programs. Congress should also rein in the welfare-warfare state’s great enabler by auditing then ending the Federal Reserve. It should also repeal the 16th Amendment. These actions would free the people from 1913’s great mistakes — fiat money and income taxes."

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/cutting-military-spending-would-make-for-a-big-and-beautiful-bill/

Don't use tariffs to fund income tax cuts

It's folly to use tariffs to fund income tax cuts, warns Ron Paul. Tax cuts require spending cuts.

Tariff and Spend | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

May 5, 2025 -"President Trump has proposed using the revenue from his increased tariffs to lower or even eliminate income taxes — with a priority on removing Americans making less than 200,000 dollars a year from the tax rolls. Exempting more Americans from income taxes — and lowering taxes on other Americans— is certainly a worthwhile endeavor. However, replacing income taxes with tariffs may have negative consequences for the very Americans President Trump wants to help.

Ron Paul, 2007, Photo: R.D. Young. CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons.

"Replacing with tariffs what the government raises from income taxes may require raising tariffs even higher than President Trump’s 'liberation' tariffs. This would cause more price increases and encourage other governments to retaliate by raising their tariffs, further disrupting supply chains and leading to even higher prices and shortages. The negative impacts of tariffs could dwarf the benefits of lower, or even no, income taxes.

"Consumers can try to avoid tariffs on goods. Massive avoidance of tariffs could lead to the imposing of higher tariffs or new taxes. The reason politicians must play the game of 'offsetting' tax reductions with tax increases is they refuse to make meaningful reductions in government spending. The politicians’ favorite tax is the Federal Reserve’s inflation tax because it is hidden. It is also regressive, making it the worst type of tax.

"The media and big spenders in both parties are screaming about how President Trump’s budget proposal contains large reductions in federal spending. However, even if all of President Trump’s 163 billion dollars of proposed cuts are enacted in law, the federal government will still spend about 1.7 trillion dollars next year in its 'discretionary' budget. The cuts would be less than eight percent.

"While President Trump is proposing many necessary cuts in federal agencies and programs, including those concerning the use of taxpayer money to promote 'wokeness,' his budget increases military spending to around a trillion dollars. It also makes no changes to Social Security or Medicare. This means President Trump’s supposed radical spending plan does not reduce spending on three of the four largest items in the federal budget. The fourth is interest payments on the national debt, which Congress cannot reduce except by cutting spending.

"Of course, it is unlikely that all, or even most, of President Trump’s spending cuts will be enacted into law. Prominent Republicans have already announced opposition to some of President Trump’s spending cuts. Some Republican defense hawks, including the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have criticized President Trump’s budget plan for not spending enough on the military!

"The truth is that, if the president and Congress were serious about cutting spending, they would start by slashing the Pentagon’s budget. Very little of the military spending actually goes to defending the American people. Instead, much military spending goes to maintaining a global empire and lining the pockets of the military-industrial complex. Does anyone believe the safety of Americans depends on the US government maintaining over 700 military bases abroad?

"The fiscal crisis facing America is rooted in a larger philosophic crisis. Too many Americans have embraced the notion that the US government has the moral right and competence to run the economy, run the world, and even run our lives. This system will not change until a critical mass of people embrace the ideas of liberty. Those of us who know the truth must do all we can to spread the message of liberty, peace, and prosperity."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/tariff-and-spend/

Elon Musk's departure signals end of DOGE

Elon Musk's reported imminent departure from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project signals the end in failure of that attempt to limit government.

The Empire Strikes Back | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

April 28, 2025 - "News this week that Elon Musk will soon be departing his 'Department of Government Efficiency' (DOGE) is a grim reminder of what happens when you challenge big spending DC.... President Trump rode into office with the help of Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to cut two trillion dollars in spending and slash useless and bloated government bureaucracies. Opinion polls demonstrated the huge popularity of the 'Department.' Americans were excited when DOGE came to DC.

"The exposure of the real harm being done to the country by agencies like USAID and others reinforced the idea that much of the 'Federal bureaucracy' was simply not needed. Although Musk became a figure of hate for the entrenched special interests, to the large chunk of America forced to pay for Washington’s excesses he became a hero.

Trump and Musk. Composite by Buadh, Wikimedia Commons.

"Many in Congress, seeing its popularity, actively embraced DOGE. Suddenly those who helped us rack up $37 trillion in debt were talking about making huge cuts and posing for photos with Musk. 

"Unfortunately, after the photos were taken and the hoopla had died down, Congress returned to doing what it usually does: nothing. There is no way for a DOGE to succeed without the Legislative Branch enshrining those cuts in legislation. But when the massive 'Big Beautiful' spending bill was introduced, the spending cuts were nowhere to be found.

"In the end it was the Beltway addiction to the global US military empire that may have hammered the final nail in DOGE’s coffin. The 'Big Beautiful' spending bill actually increased military spending even after President Trump hinted that a 50 percent cut was possible. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bragged about presiding over the 'first' trillion-dollar defense budget. Starting a war on Yemen – at over a billion dollars a month – and saber rattling over Iran are the most obvious evidence that the empire has struck back. And of course the DC hawks want to 'confrontz' China.

"This isn’t the first time a populist, popular movement to tame the Beltway beast was embraced then defeated by that same beast. The 'Tea Party' movement was launched in December, 2007, with volunteers supporting my 2008 Presidential campaign holding a record-breaking 24 hour “money bomb” on the anniversary of the 1773 Boston Tea Party.... The 'money bomb' success got Washington’s attention – money is the lifeblood of the political class – and before too long politicians of all stripes declared themselves to be part of the 'Tea Party'.... But actually cutting government? Not so much.

"The first thing these newly-minted 'Tea Party' members rejected was our demand for an end to the unsustainable, bloated military budget and our aggressive foreign policy. Eventually they backed away from other spending restrictions and within a few years the “brand” was diluted and tossed away.

"What is the lesson here? Is it all futile? Hardly. The popularity of DOGE shows that Americans still want a much smaller government. That is great news, and the country owes a debt of gratitude to Elon for reminding us of this. But until Americans elect Representatives who have the courage to follow through beyond photo-ops, we will sadly continue down the path toward bankruptcy and collapse."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/the-empire-strikes-back/

REAL ID enables real authoritarianism

REAL ID: Phony Security, Real Authoritarianism | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

April 21, 2025 - "Those who hoped the second Trump Administration would reject big spending, war, and restrictions on liberty continue to be disappointed. A new disappointment came when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced her department would in May begin enforcing the REAL ID law.

Ron Paul, 2007, Photo: R.D. Young. CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons.

"Passed in 2005, the REAL ID Act created federal standards for driver’s licenses. The law requires everyone applying for a driver’s license to provide the DMV with his social security number, proof of legal residence, and two proofs of his home address. 

"The REAL ID Act allows the Homeland Security Department to mandate, as it sees fit, the including of addition[al] items in the related government database, including 'biometric' identifiers. Biometric identifiers include personal data such as retina scans, fingerprints, and DNA.

"People who doubt that this database will be used to violate the rights of US citizens should ask what a present-day J. Edgar Hoover — a former FBI director who was notorious for collecting private information on politicians and other prominent individuals — would do with a database containing personal and even biometric information on American citizens. They should also consider the IRS’s history of targeting presidents’ political opponents. 

"Americans also have the threat of violations of their rights by hackers. The government has a poor track record of protecting data of US citizens.

"REAL ID’s supporters deny the law turns state driver’s licenses into national ID cards because states have no mandate to implement REAL ID. However, citizens of any state that refuses to adopt REAL ID will be unable to use their state-issued IDs for boarding an airplane or riding on a train. Once the initial uses of REAL ID are established, the government will then require REAL ID for other activities. For instance, local transportation authorities may be offered federal funds to implement REAL ID requirements for public transportation. 

"Several pro-Second Amendment organizations oppose REAL ID because it could be used to monitor gun owners. There is nothing in the law prohibiting a future progressive Homeland Security secretary from requiring REAL ID for a firearms purchase. Imposing a REAL ID mandate on gun ownership would further the authoritarian objective of having a database containing the name and address of, and how many and what type of firearms are owned by, every law-abiding gun owner in the country.

"REAL ID also menaces health freedom. One of the few victories for liberty during the covid hysteria was the failure of 'vaccine passport' schemes to be more widely imposed. These schemes attempted to forbid people from returning to their normal lives unless they proved they were 'fully vaccinated' against covid.

"REAL ID was marketed as a weapon in the 'war on terror.' However, Thomas Massie, the most consistent and courageous defender of liberty in the House of Representatives, pointed out that 9-11 hijackers used passports from their own countries.... 

"Like most post-9-11 security bills, REAL ID does nothing to protect the American people’s safety. It does, though, do much to endanger their liberty. REAL ID could even be the final piece of the transformation of America into a total surveillance society where government monitors, and thus controls, our actions. Americans who understand the danger must work to get the Trump administration to reverse its position."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/real-id-phony-security-real-authoritarianism/

Trump Tariffs: Liberation or Obliteration?

 President Trump called the day he announced his tariff plan 'Liberation Day.' Renaissance Macro Research head of US economic research Neil Dutta more appropriately labeled it 'Obliteration Day.'"

Liberation or Obliteration? | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

April 7, 2025 - "President Trump was elected in part because he promised to reduce prices and not drag the country into foreign wars. Sadly, President Trump has adopted a tariff policy that will raise prices and abandoned his 'America First' foreign policy in favor of a return to Bush-era neoconservatism.

Ron Paul, 2007, Photo: R.D. Young. CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons.

"Despite criticizing President Biden for bombing Yemen, President Trump has authorized bombing that country under the false pretense that Yemen’s Houthis are threatening international shipping. President Trump has also threatened to bomb Iran. A false justification for this threat is that Iran is controlling the Houthis. If President Trump follows through on this threat against Iran, it could lead to another 'forever war.' He has also continued US support for Israel and Ukraine’s wars.

"President Trump started a trade war by imposing a ten percent universal tariff on imported products and other tariff expansions. Chinese imports will face a tariff of 54 percent, while goods imported from the European Union will 'only' be assessed a 20 percent tariff. 

"The day following President Trump’s tariffs announcement, US stocks lost 3.1 trillion dollars in value, while the dollar fell to its weakest level since October.

"China responded to the tariffs by imposing a 34 percent tariff on US imports along with other measures increasing the costs of US products in China. Canada imposed a 25 percent tariff on cars imported from the US. France['s] President Emmanuel Macron called on European businesses to refrain from investing in American businesses.... 

"President Trump’s actions are setting off a global trade war that means US consumers will suffer from increased prices for many products both foreign and domestic. Manufacturing and other American businesses that rely on imported raw materials and other inputs from abroad will have to pay more for these inputs, assuming they are able to get them at all. US exporters will suffer from decreased demand for US products in overseas markets.

"According to estimates by the Budget Lab at Yale University, President Trump’s tariffs will cost the average American household a 3,800 dollars loss of purchasing power. The Tax Foundation estimates the tariffs will reduce US GDP by at least 0.7 percent and decrease the average American’s after-tax income by about two percent. Middle- and lower-income Americans will obviously be hardest hit. The decrease in income, combined with the increase in prices and increase in the unemployment rate, will raise demand for government welfare programs and thus put pressure on Congress to reject attempts to cut spending.

"Thus far, Trump’s response to the economic chaos he has unleashed is to say everything will work out as other countries will negotiate 'beautiful' trade deals with the US. President Trump, on the same day he announced the new tariffs, called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, saying it was a 'perfect time' to do so. The interest rate cut, though, would only further degrade the dollar.... 

"President Trump called the day he announced his tariff plan 'Liberation Day.' This may be the most misleading name since the Affordable Care Act. Renaissance Macro Research head of US economic research Neil Dutta more appropriately labeled it 'Obliteration Day.' President Trump’s tariffs, along with his support for war, could obliterate what is left of America’s peace and prosperity."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

Read more: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/liberation-or-obliteration/