Do the Socialists Have it Right?

Blawgconomics is often critical of 'News Entertainment,' the ceaseless ranting of talk radio show hosts and a political discourse which has been boiled down to the most base form of Us v. Them finger pointing. As this brand of politics of course gets higher ratings than the alternative, it is likely here to stay, at least for the forseeable future. What would the alternative be? Historical study. Thoughtful consideration. Philosophical debate. An eye toward the policies and processes of distant shores. Finally looking at contemporary issues through the lens of these analyses and coming to sensible solutions free from the sheep-like following by voters and their representatives of the loudest and most partisan talking heads.

Thought processes such as these are important. Lessons can be learned from the past, and history oft repeats. Political parties, so often beholden to the flavor of the moment, exhibit stark differences in philosophy from one generation to the next, often even flip-flopping on major positions when being pushed around by the political winds. Sometimes 'liberal' and 'conservative' can mean very, very different things depending on starting point, viewpoint, geography and the particular moment in time. Enemies become allies, friends turn to show their backs. Coalitions form and collapse and reform in both of the main senses of the word.

Sometimes when it comes down to the facts behind the rhetoric, opposites have more in common than they think; sometimes the political spectrum is more circular than linear. Some recent observations provide a stunning example of this, one that would be sure to make both sides smile if they could stop to appreciate the irony.


One of the spiritual fathers of the Tea Party movement, Ron Paul, is also one of the most vocal opponents of the Federal Reserve system and US monetary policy. He is also very critical of fiat currency.  His son, Rand Paul, has recently taken the torch on currency issues, and finds equal favor among the conservative Tea Party. Fiat currency is also a hot topic among the heavily Republican legislature of Utah, where lawmakers want to explore options to use gold coins as an alternative to regular US currency.

Who else is numbered among proponents of dropping fiat currency? Socialists. Sure, they might want to do so for different reasons than inflation and sovereignty, most notably the desire to eliminate the concept of profit, but different ends don't detract from the fact that avowed political enemies are advocating the same means to get there. Strange bedfellows indeed...