A new episode of Five Minutes Five Issues posted on Saturday. You can listen to it, and read a transcript, below. You can also find previous episodes of the show at Stitcher, iTunes, YouTube, and SoundCloud.
Listen to the new episode here:
Read a transcript of the new episode, including links to further information regarding the topics discussed, here:
The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity welcomes you to Five Minutes Five Issues.
Starting in five four three two one.
Hello, I am Adam Dick, a Ron Paul Institute senior fellow.
Let’s start.
Issue one.
The threat to the United States dollar’s common use in international trade does not come only from nations like Russia and China that are often viewed as adversaries of the US. The threat also comes from governments generally seen as US allies. For example, consider the State of the Union speech delivered last week by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. In the speech, Juncker says:
It is absurd that Europe pays for 80% of its energy import bill – worth 300 billion euro a year – in US dollar when only roughly 2% of our energy imports come from the United States. It is absurd that European companies buy European planes in dollars instead of euro.
This is why, before the end of the year, the Commission will present initiatives to strengthen the international role of the euro. The euro must become the face and the instrument of a new, more sovereign Europe.
Issue two.
During the September 13 episode of the Ron Paul Liberty Report, co-host Daniel McAdams described some of the tarnished history of American politicians’ reform efforts. McAdams says:
The word “reform” should be considered a four-letter-word…. The [War Powers Act] was meant to rein in the president after Vietnam. What did it do? It gave him permission to go to war without a [congressional] declaration. The FISA court … was supposed to rein in the secret deep state after all the spying that was exposed in the Church Committee. And what did that do? That actually became a facilitator. The FREEDOM Act was supposed to be a reform of the PATRIOT Act. It actually legalized some of the illegal things they were doing. So, “reform,” whenever you hear that in Washington, it’s time to run away, I think.
Issue three.
President Donald Trump, in a Tuesday joint press conference with Poland President Andrzej Duda, said his administration is considering Duda’s suggestion that the US establish permanent military bases in Poland.
Establishing such new bases near Russia would be consistent with the Trump administration last month more than doubling the number of US Marines in Norway near Russia.
Trump sending troops to Poland may sound familiar. About a thousand US troops were sent there in the first few months of Trump’s presidency.
Discussing at the press conference his reasoning for considering establishing new US bases in Poland, Trump says:
I think Russia has acted aggressively. They respect force. They respect strength, as anyone does.
Issue four.
Gary Johnson, who was governor of New Mexico as a Republican and ran for US president both as a Republican and as a Libertarian, is the Libertarian Party nominee for US Senate in New Mexico this year.
On September 15, Dan McKay reported at the Albuquerque Journal that a Journal poll conducted by Research & Polling, Inc. put Johnson in third place with 16 percent support, behind the Democratic incumbent at 47 percent and the Republican at 26 percent. Sixteen percent is very good for a Libertarian Party US Senate nominee running against Republican and Democratic opponents.
Five days later, Johnson’s campaign sent out an email including an assertion that the campaign’s “internal polling – and that of others – shows something very different than the recent Journal survey.” The email continues, stating:
Internal tracking by Lux Research, as of yesterday, shows the Republican at 10% and Governor Johnson at 28%, only 10 points behind the incumbent.
The Johnson campaign can say that, but nobody would reasonably just take the campaign’s word for it. The assumption should be that, when a campaign mentions the results of an internal poll, it is just spouting dubious public relations talking points unless the full poll is released for review and the polling company appears reliable.
Issue five.
At last month’s Ron Paul Institute conference I participated in a panel discussion. Video of the presentation is at the web page youtube.com/RonPaulLibertyReport.
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That’s a wrap.
Transcripts of Five Minutes Five Issues episodes, including links to related information, are at the Ron Paul Institute blog.
Five four three two one.
