But is immediate withdrawal from Iraq really a viable option? Will it not leave a power vacuum?
For that matter, this gold standard business seem odd to me. Or am I just not “conservative” enough for it?
The rest of the region could be with our withdrawal from Iraq. If other Western nations or the UN want to step in, by all means they can have it. I think Dr. Paul’s position is that we’d first allow gold and silver to compete with the dollar. A return to gold would have to be gradual. The first step is to strengthen the dollar and stop purposely using inflation to drive consumption.
Eh... gold has never been worth ZERO. Not in the entire history of humankind. That alone should say something.
What kind of power are the Iraquis exhibiting now? I see them not helping much, at least from the "news" reports. Could be that when we decide we have had enough, then they will step up. But probably not.
"For that matter, this gold standard business seem odd to me. Or am I just not “conservative” enough for it?"
Yes, it seems "odd" because we have not personally lived it. You don't have to completely buy into a gold standard just now, but do have a look at what the Federal Reserve is doing to our money. The U.S. dollar has been inflated to an embarrassing and dangerous degree, and the only answer coming out of Washington is to inflate it some more. I say that has got to cease.
The gold standard is great if you want your economy to be directly tied to power failures and lack of coal in South Africa.
Sure.
Much like the vacuum in Paul's HEAD!
It doesn't have to be gold, but we have to have a standard. Fiat money empowers tyrants, and permits oligarchy. The real world value of our paper investments has been depleted by 30% in the past year by the decline of the dollar. How much more do you want to give to the banking cartel?
Ron has a point.