TMR: Defending Mitch McConnell, Switzerland To Vote On Gold Standard, PA Governor Stumbles When Trying To Liberate Liquor From State Control
Good morning liberty lovers and random Google searchers. Welcome to the Thursday, August 28, 2014 edition of The Morning Roar!Defending Mitch McConnellFor many good reasons, libertarians and conservatives have been critical of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on issues ranging from his neoconservative foreign policy to his backing of the drug war. These efforts to hold McConnell accountable to his pledged oath to uphold the Constitution should be applauded.It bears recognition that McConnell’s message, at least on the surface, is not always at odds with liberty.It turns out that the elder senator from Kentucky at least pays lips service to principles that are near and dear to the heart of liberty lovers. Unsurprisingly, the liberal media has pounced on McConnell with a vengeance for mentioning these ideas.The senior senator from Kentucky was recently attacked by liberals for making a promise to wealthy GOP donors that he would not raise the minimum wage. The Democratic machine must believe they have Mitch McConnell caught in a campaign defining “gotcha moment” for the words he uttered during a secret strategy conference hosted by the Koch Bothers, which has been leaked to the press.Think Progress reports on the recording:
McConnell spoke at an annual event hosted by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch at the St. Regis Monarch Bay resort in Dana Point, CA. The conference, titled “American Courage: Our Commitment to a Free Society,” reportedly attracted hundreds of the nation’s wealthiest individuals and aimed to raise $500 million toward making McConnell the Senate majority leader next year and another $500 million to defeat a potential Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.McConnell, who has been attacked by his opponent for voting 17 times against minimum wage increases, made it clear that under his leadership there would not be any increase in the current $7.25 federal minimum wage. “And we’re not going to be debating all these gosh darn proposals. That’s all we do in the Senate is vote on things like raising the minimum wage,” he told the billionaires in attendance.
Let’s not kid ourselves. We all know Mitch McConnell is not a man of principle. He is probably defending the minimum wage because it favors his political goal of maintaining his position in the US Senate or even becoming the Majority Leader if the GOP is able to overtake the Democrats. His reasoning for defending the minimum wage is not what is paramount in this situation.Liberals are using this leaked tape as an opportunity to expose McConnell and anyone that is against raising the minimum wage as an enemy of the “common man.” Unfortunately for liberals, when logic and reason are applied to the minimum wage discussion the facts obliterate liberal talking points.Minimum wage laws do not help the low-income “common man.” In fact, minimum wage laws make it much more difficult for low wage earners to find jobs. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why this occurs. As the minimum wage is raised, jobs at that level are outlawed.When jobs at a certain rate are outlawed, the business owner is faced with a decision. An employer can choose to pay the increased rate, re-assign the duties to another employee, or eliminate the job in favor of automation. Each option has a varied impact on the customer ranging from increased prices to a reduction in customer service.Nobody is going to mistake Mitch McConnell for a libertarian, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. It is only fair to support Mitch McConnell in his defense of wage freedom as viciously as we oppose him when he supports encroachments on liberty.Switzerland To Vote On Reinstituting Gold StandardIn May 2000 the Swiss government removed the legal requirement that 40% of all Swiss Francs be backed by gold. Over the next 14 years the people of Switzerland have grown to understand the harsh reality accompanied with living under a fiat money system.Unlike citizens of every other developed country, the Swiss people are not content to sit by and watch as their quality of life is reduced by the printing press.From ETF Daily News:
On November 30th, the people of Switzerland will stand up and make their voices heard.The “Swiss Gold Initiative” will be held and the people of Switzerland will once again attempt to take control of their nation’s wealth.T. Ferguson of the TFMetals report explains this upcoming event:Interest is beginning to build, awareness is growing and the date of the national referendum has been set. Later this year, on November 30, the good people of Switzerland will finally get an opportunity to make their voices heard. The Swiss Gold Initiative can be roughly stated in three parts:1. The halting of all Swiss gold sales2. The repatriation of all Swiss gold that is held in foreign vaults3. Resume backing the Swiss Franc with gold, at a minimum level of 20%
People the world over would be prudent to pay attention to this initiative. Not only is the dollar’s place as reserve currency of the world under duress, but the Swiss people could be placing the Swiss Franc in a position to grab some of the market share.Politicians and bankers in Switzerland are not in favor of the switch back to a gold standard because it will constrain government spending, but the Swiss people are savvy enough to understand the benefits of at least a partially backed Swiss Franc.While a gold backed Swiss Franc does not fully legalize free competition in money it does at least serve to constrain government spending.A gold standard does not go far enough, but money being tied to gold is better than it being tied to nothing at all.PA Governor Stumbles When Trying To Liberate Liquor From State ControlHaving grown up and lived the majority of my life in Pittsburgh, PA, I understand how frustrating it is to make a trip to buy steaks, beer, and liquor. In a normal marketplace a consumer could probably find these three items in one store, or at least split between two stores. In Pennsylvania a customer is forced to make three separate stops in order to make these purchases.The reason for this is simple. In Pennsylvania all liquor sales go through the state. The entire liquor and wine supply chain in controlled by the state. This is one of the reasons why liquor prices in Pennsylvania are so inflated.Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Corbett ran for office back in 2010 on changing the liquor laws. He’s had three years and nothing has changed significantly. Now he is facing a tough battle for reelection andis trying to resurrect old issues in order to revive a disillusioned GOP voter base.Talking Points Memo reports on the sexist angle Corbett has taken while trying to win votes for reelection:
Corbett made the argument in July during an appearance on The Sam Lesante Show. The clip of him making those comments were reposted Tuesday by the Democratic political PAC Fresh Start PA, which supports Corbett's opponent Tom Wolf (D)."I think a lot of people want to be able to walk into a grocery store," Corbett said. "Particularly, a lot of the women, want to be able to go in and buy a bottle of wine for dinner, go down buy a six pack or two six packs, buy dinner, and go home. Rather than what I just described, is at least three stops, in Pennsylvania."
Ugh. Sometimes it's painful to listen to a politician pander for votes and fail miserably.Corbett has had almost four years to make a change to liquor laws and he’s done nothing. When he had a chance to revive an old campaign promise he proceeded to turn it into an issue that demeans women. The guy obviously doesn’t understand markets, and is just attempting to say whatever his advisors claim will get him reelected.When it comes to state control of liquor, the issue is pretty straightforward. Consumers receive the best quality, service, and price when the state gets out of the way and allows the market to meet demand. State intervention in liquor sales has diminished quality, degraded service, and increased the price of liquor.It’s not that difficult to explain Tom.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
