To understand the conditions in America that can contribute to tensions with police and even potentially individuals being motivated to kill cops as occurred in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, it is important that people look at the United States government’s war on drugs and the Federal Reserve. Ron Paul Institute Chairman Ron Paul presented this argument in a recent Fox Business interview with host Deirdre Bolton.
When asked by Bolton to name “one measure” that Paul thinks could alleviate some the racial or class tensions in America, Paul responded with two. First, Paul suggested, end the war on drugs, and, second, end the Fed.
Regarding the drug war, Paul commented that “the judicial system is all messed up as a consequence of our drug laws.” Paul continued that “the judicial system is unfair to minorities because of the way we enforce our drug laws and mandatory minimums.”
Continuing on to the Federal Reserve, Paul explained that “the economy gets messed up because of the Federal Reserve System and monetary policy.”
Paul further suggests in the interview that, when the situation is “boiling over” in part due to the drug war and Federal Reserve actions, then instances of abuses of power by police can become the excuse for someone to seek to indiscriminately kill cops.
Watch Paul’s complete interview here:
In January of 2015, Paul offered a written and video commentary “Inner City Turmoil and Other Crises: My Predictions for 2015” in which Paul addressed in detail matters he discussed briefly in the Fox Business interview.
In the January 2015 commentary, Paul lists the drug war and Federal Reserve policy among the factors “involved in the crisis of our cities.”
Included in his discussion of the drug war, Paul states in the commentary:
The law and order crowd thrives on excessive laws and regulations that no US citizen can escape. The out-of-control war on drugs is the worst part, and it generates the greatest danger in poverty-ridden areas via out-of-control police. It is estimated that these conditions have generated up to 80,000 SWAT raids per year in the United States. Most are in poor neighborhoods and involve black homes and businesses being hit disproportionately. This involves a high percentage of no-knock attacks. As can be expected many totally innocent people are killed in the process. Property damage is routine and compensation is rare. The routine use of civil forfeiture of property has become an abomination, totally out of control, which significantly contributes to the chaos. It should not be a surprise to see resentment building up against the police under these conditions.
Paul’s discussion of the Federal Reserve in the commentary includes the following:
The economic interventionist system under which we live today rewards those who benefit from government economic planning by the Federal Reserve, access to government contracts, and targeted special regulations to help one group over the other. The insiders benefit during the bubble phase of the business cycle and are the first ones in line for the bailouts. The poor, for whom welfare is supposedly designed to help and for whom the politicians justify the spending, end up with the crumbs while the Wall Street/banking elites thrive in good times and bad.
Paul’s January 2015 commentary may be read here and watched here.
