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Corrupt Government Title: Doug Casey on Asset Seizures Justins note: Jeff Sessions wants to steal your property. Sessions is the U.S. Attorney General. Since taking office in February, hes done all sorts of idiotic things. Hes threatened to crack down on the legal marijuana market. Hes attacked gay rights. And now, he wants to amp up asset seizures. This is when the government takes money and property from people. You dont even need to be convicted of a crime. Its a disturbing development, to say the least. Thats why I called Doug Casey as soon as I heard about it
Justin: Doug, what do you think of Sessions latest bright idea? Doug: Well, let me preface this by saying Sessions was a disastrous choice for Attorney General. Hes done nothing in his life but be a lawyer, a prosecutor, and a politician. He has no experienceand therefore probably no inclination or even abilityto produce things of tangible value. But we almost always get undesirables as the AG. Theyre hatchet men, meant to prosecute the enemy, taking their pick of the hundreds of thousands of laws and regulations on the books to do so. Look at some of the recent AGsLoretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Janet Reno. All of them would have been willing and obedient lapdogs to Stalin or Beria. A certain personality type is suited for the job. Sessions is a rabid drug warrior, even against something as useful and benign as hemp, or marijuana. Hes a busybody who feels no guilt or remorse at enforcing laws that have destroyed the lives of tens of millions. I dont know if hes stupid, bent, thoughtless, paranoid or what his problem might be. Maybe hes afraid that if pot wasnt illegal hed become a dope fiend himself. But the proper direction, the objective, is to legalize all drugs. Not amp the drug war up another notch, as he wants to do. And not only does he want to amp up the drug war, but he wants to increase the States ability to confiscate citizens propertyespecially cashon even suspicion of breaking a law. In the meantime hes not doing anything to investigate the people in Hillarys camp for all kinds of apparent illegality. In fact, now that Trumps in office, what ever happened to his promise of a real investigation of what really happened to things like Building 7 on 9/11? Or the strange deaths that seem to have surrounded the Clinton clan for decades? So far the man seems all negatives no positives. Hes just another Deep State actor whos climbed the political ladder a little higher. These guys all protect each other. But increasingly many of Trumps choices are disastrous, like his National Security Advisor McMaster and White House Chief of Staff Kelly. And wormtongues Ivanka and Jared Kushner. This is perhaps an inevitable problem when a President is just a pragmatist with no philosophical core. Although, I hasten to add, having no core may be better than having a rotten core, like Obama and others in the recent past. Justin: Not to mention, asset seizures dont work. Over the past decade, the federal government has seized more than $28 billion. But thats done absolutely nothing to deter crime. So, why would Sessions double down on this failed policy? Is he clueless? Or is the government just that desperate? Doug: Good question. Well, Ive already speculated on some possible aspects of Sessions character that might partially explain this. But all the repressive aspects of governmentcivil forfeitures are just onehave been growing and compounding for years. Its not a conspiracy, its the natural progression of all living organisms. They all want to grow, exert more control on their environments, and become more powerful. The problem is that government has unusual powers, and no longer seems to have many limits. So you can expect this trend to accelerate. I saw the other day the government steals more from the American people through confiscations than is lost outright to robberies and muggings. Its been reported that in 2015 civil forfeitures exceeded the amount stolen by all robbers. Its quite amazing and disturbing. There are at least two reasons things are deteriorating. Number one, as a general rule, police are no longer trained as peace officers. Theyre trained to be, and view themselves, as law enforcement officers. This is a very different thing. The police are a bigger threat to your property and your liberty, not to mention your life, than actual criminals. Number two, these governments are all bankrupt. Theyre looking for revenue wherever they can get it. Predators are most dangerous when theyre hungry. The police are the ones that actually make it happen, and they have a vested interest in doing the wrong thing. Whenever a police department confiscates things under these laws, they get to keep some percentage. It varies, but can be 10, 20, 30, 50 percent of whats confiscated, and they love it because the money goes to the local police department in question. They can use it for buying fun cop toys, or for buying further educational benefits, or whatever, for themselves. So, theyre profiting from this stuff as directly as the criminals do that steal things from citizens. Its a total disaster. And remember, the Attorney General is the countrys top law enforcement officer. Justin: Yeah, its scary. Unfortunately, the government is sinking deeper in debt by the day. So, Im afraid this is going to get worse before it gets better. Do you agree? Doug: Its inevitable. These governments are digging themselves into deep financial holes. Theyre going to need more and more revenue. The populace has been trained to see the government as a cornucopia. As the economy goes into the trailing edge of the current financial hurricane, theyre going to demand even more freebies from all levels of government. So, the trend will continue until theres some type of a crisis. At which point anything can happen. The downtrend is in motion. And trends in motion tend to continue and accelerate until they change. I like to draw attention to France in 1789, a horrible situation with its highly authoritarian and totally bankrupt government. A revolution was necessary and welcome. But then things got worse under Robespierre. And worse again under Napoleon. The exact same thing with Russia in 1917but then they got Lenin, and then Stalin. Justin: Absolutely. So, asset seizures wont even put a dent in the governments debt problem. With that said, how else might the government steal money and property from people? Doug: Well, theyre now talking about making you declare your cryptocurrencies whenever you cross a border. If you dont, and they find out, theyre eligible for confiscation. As cryptocurrencies get biggerand they willthis will constitute both a gigantic invasion of privacy and an attack on your wealth. All governments already ask whether you have more than $10,000 when you cross their borders, and reserve the right to search you. If this becomes law, it means that you, your computer, and your smartphone will always be liable to a full forensic audit. Its another major step towards the world of 1984. Every new law they pass has Kafka-esque possibilities. Thats what legislatures around the world do every day theyre in session. All of these laws have severe penalties. The trend in this directionwhich started in earnest just over 100 years agois going hyperbolic. And the average humanmiseducated, propagandized, and besotted by food and drugswants more laws. Why? I think fear is todays dominant emotional tone. People want to be protected and cared for, like farm animals. They see the State as their benevolent shepherd. There are no positive political trends in todays world. They arent cutting back on regulations, reducing taxes, or eliminating laws anywhere. Theyre doing just the opposite. Justin: So, how can people protect themselves from this? Doug: Its increasingly hard because the statists, collectivists, socialists, fascists, globalists, and the like have won the war for the hearts and minds of the masses all over the world. And the worlds governmentsnotwithstanding their inevitable wars and suchare cooperating with each other far, far more than ever before. In a nutshell, there are three things to keep in mind. First, become as wealthy as possible. Although they can steal anything and everything from you, the more you have the more damage you can sustain, and the more influence you can exert. Second, diversify politically and geographically. You want to have some convenient options if your government starts looking like Russia in the 20s, or Germany in the 30s, China in the 50s, Cuba in the 60s, etc., etc. Its a very long list. Third, keep your head down. The tall poppy is the one selected for cutting. I observe my first two rules, but not so much this one. Thats because sometimes we have to make a choice between whats smart and whats right. In my case, almost nothing is worth feeling like a whipped dog. Justin: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today, Doug. Doug: My pleasure. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
He's enforcing federal law! Who does that idiot think he is, the Attorney General of the United State? "Sessions was a disastrous choice for Attorney General. Hes done nothing in his life but be a lawyer, a prosecutor, and a politician." Right! Other than that, what are his qualifications? None! Is this article from The Onion? A Monty Python skit?
You don't carry your cryptocurrencies with you. The currency is electronic and encrypted. What an ignorant douche.
"If it's legal, it ain't theft." - The Sheriff of Nottingham
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