Ingot News

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Understanding the problems with democracy.

This is a very thought provoking article about democracy and voting. It's worth reading. We should always be open to finding better ways for humans to thrive and enjoy life. The United States is currently a Democratic Republic, and it works pretty well, but that's just where we are now, at this point in time. Even the most ardent defender of democracy knows it has flaws, so why not at least have a discussion about those and possible alternatives.

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Boycott the 9/26 "Presidential Debate"

I urge everybody to boycott the 1st "Presidential Debate" taking place today 9/26/16 for its exclusion of presidential candidate Gary Johnson who should be included. The only reason for his exclusion is that it is competition for the two candidates being included in the debate (Republican and Democrat). We need more inclusion, more choices, and more diversity of thought in the debates. The debates are controlled by the Republican and Democratic parties (literally) and are only in it to gain money/power, not to help educate Americans on candidates' positions. Boycott the debates, the networks that show the debates, and the sponsors. This is not just unfair to the candidates who could have a shot of winning if they had equal inclusion, but mostly and most importantly unfair to voters, who will be fooled into thinking they only have 2 options.

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The Gary Johnson Media Blackout: 10% from the people, 0.0066% from the media

Gary Johnson, who has been consistently polling at and above 10% nationally for President of the United States, has been given exactly 11 seconds of airtime on the evening news from January 1 to August 31 (ABC, CBS and NBC). This should be very alarming/disturbing no matter who you support for president. This number stands for obvious media bias and a blatant attempt to tell people who and what they should pay attention to. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been given a combined 167,580 seconds of airtime, accounting for 99.97% of time when a campaign or candidate was mentioned. This is even more astounding when looking at the fact that these two candidates are seeing record unfavorability numbers. The media still refuses to cover anybody else, and that is a major problem. Click the title for more details on this reprehensible media blackout. The Washington Times also picked up the store here.

[ingotnews]

Gary Johnson for President

Governor Gary Johnson and Governor Bill Weld are the only two candidates for President that can change the partisan and divisive presidential debate.

We need more voices and choices, not less. Help get Gary Johnson into the presidential debates by spreading the word or contributing now.

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An interesting take on the gun discussion from Sam Harris. He does a good job thinking each point all the way through. I don’t agree with everything, but there are some good thinking points in here. Worth a listen.

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From liquids that smell like dead animals to high-temperature heat rays, the present and future of non-lethal weapons.

We need to start thinking more about non-lethal alternatives to bullets. A “good guy” should never have a reason to kill somebody else, so if we can come up with an effective (key word) non-lethal alternative to guns, and replace guns with these for police forces, etc. it is a very good start to minimizing unnecessary gun deaths.

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Rand Paul drops out of Republican Presidential Running

I was looking forward to having Rand Paul, Gary Johnson and Bernie Sanders on my ballot in November. Those would be some good ideologies on foreign policy (at least compared to those within each of their parties). It's disappointing to see Rand Paul drop out - there is no sane brain left in the Republican Nomination race.

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Integrity is a rare and valuable trait.

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Help us litigate to allow more than only two major party participants in the national Presidential debates. Let your voice be heard. Make a donation today!

This is one of the most important movements for American politics today. Our choices should not be restricted like this. Please help out the cause to allow candidates other than "Democrat" and Republican" to debate, and have a chance for election.

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Liberty is Rising Truth in Media Project

We are speaking truth to power through media, culture, and technology to empower the voice of the people toward liberty and freedom.

Help fund the project that can bring truth back into media - it is possible with all our help!

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*Truth In Media Project*

Ben Swann is launching the gigantic "Liberty Is Rising Truth in Media Project" on Monday, June 10. He needs everyone's help to make this monumental, meaningful project come to fruition.

As Ron Paul said recently -

"When I first started in politics in the 70's, we basically had three major networks and they were very, very close together on philosophy…..But now the options are great…..Now the information is going out differently. It's going out on handheld devices and computers and telephones and they can turn you on and off when they want. They have so many more choices. I'm optimistic that things are going to do well and I'm optimistic because you're (Ben Swann) involved in this fight with us."

Please help to spread the word, tune in to BenSwann.com and be sure to tune in on June 10th.

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Remove the label! An organization coming soon. Think for yourself!

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Congressman Ron Paul's Farewell Speech to Congress - A Must Watch Video

Ron Paul is stepping down after 23 years in Congress. A true friend and advocate of liberty, Ron Paul has done more than any other man in America over the past couple decades to educate and help the cause of individual liberty, limited government and a prudent, non-interventionist foreign policy. He has sparked the interests of millions of young people around the country and the world, and even though he is stepping down from Congress, he will continue to speak and spread awareness of important causes of freedom and the Constitution in the coming years.

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Telling Numbers from Latest Presidential Poll in Montana: Independent Voters Choose Gary Johnson (If They Know About Him)

A recent poll conducted by Public Policy Polling among 737 likely voters from Montana, and released October 10, 2012 showed that, among independents that had an opinion either way about Gary Johnson roughly 56% would choose him for president over Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The problem is, only 18% of those independents polled had an opinion about him (and 10% selected him over Obama and Romney), numbers that show that Gary Johnson is not getting anywhere near his fair share of publicity from major media outlets, which is where most people get their information from. Compare this to 42% of independents who had an opinion of Barack Obama choosing Obama and 48% of people who had an opinion of Mitt Romney choosing Romney.

Among all likely voters in the poll, Gary Johnson pulled in 6%, but that equates to roughly 35% if you only include people who had an opinion of him, one way or the other (17% of voters had an opinion of Johnson). These numbers show that simply put, voters do not know Gary Johnson. It appears that if Johnson were to get his voice and opinions heard by more of the public, he would have a legitimate shot at having a significant impact on the election, perhaps even pulling off an upset.

One of the biggest things that has hurt Johnson is his exclusion from the Presidential Debates, where they arbitrarily require a third-party candidate to poll at or above 15% in a national poll to be included. A major reason for this is the fact that the Committee of Presidential Debates, which determines who is allowed to debate, is controlled by the two parties: democratic and republican, and they know that if they include other candidates, it will only hurt the chances of their two candidates. Gary Johnson is doing his best to be included in the debates, so people who don't agree with either Romney or Obama, can have more choices but so far the Committee has been more than reluctant to give up their stranglehold.

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The American Vote and My Endorsement for President of the United States of America (2012 Edition)

There are three main points to this article.

1. I encourage every American citizen out there to spend some quality time on how to cast their invaluable vote for America’s next president. You have a voice – don’t let it be marginalized. No vote is more “wasted” than the next – every vote counts the same. Use all available resources: the growth of the internet has brought a wealth of information to your fingertips – you can find information on all the candidates, including their history, where they stand on important issues and so forth. If you are against wars, for example, and that is an issue that is important to you, find a candidate who has stated and shown that he is against wars as well. The easiest way to start is with a simple web search, but be sure to use several sites/resources in order to help ensure that you are getting factual/more objective information. Many seemingly “objective” articles or shows often have hidden or even visible subtext trying to sway you in one direction or another, so be wary. I suggest taking a visit to the website www.ontheissues.com to see where an objective assessment matches you to each candidate. Again, this is simply another resource to help you decide how you want to use your precious vote.

2. While many people put a lot of weight on endorsements, your vote is just that – it’s your vote. Don’t be pressured into things you don’t feel perfectly okay with. Just because you and your best friend share a lot of the same beliefs doesn’t mean you have to vote for the candidate that they think you should or that they are voting for. An endorsement shouldn’t really affect the way you are going to vote, because you are voting for a person, and other people endorsing that person does not change who they are and what they believe. There is a possibility that you could learn some information about the candidate by the endorser’s reasons stated for choosing the endorsee however. A vote is a very individual thing and you should vote for whom you think is best suited for the position. A lot of people are going to try to convince you that you are “wasting” your vote if you don’t vote for their guy, but this is never true. The mindset that elections are predetermined prior to the vote is false – if everyone does their research and votes for the candidate they actually agree with the most on, then good candidates can actually emerge as the lead vote-getter, especially in this day of modern communication. Never compromise your vote.

3. Now it’s time for my endorsement (again, this is simply my choice and should not affect your vote). I endorse Ron Paul for 2012 President of The United States. I will briefly explain this decision because some of you might be saying, “Wait, Ron Paul isn’t even running for President”. I have come to this decision because I don’t think Americans will have the chance to vote for a candidate as strong and right for the job as Ron Paul in a very long time. When it comes to defending the Constitution, Ron Paul’s record (over 20 years in congress) is better than any politician in history. If you listen to him speak, at any point in his long career, he says the same things (and they are things I believe in: a limited, constitutional government and a strong, non-interventionist foreign-policy based around making friends not enemies, among other things). His consistency and integrity have given him a label (even by his opponents) that speaks for itself: incorruptible. He truly is the “good-side” of politics. Everything that comes to mind when you hear the word “politician” describes the exact opposite of Ron Paul. Extremely modest, but with real passion about what he believes in, Ron Paul never wanted power, he simply wants to help America. To go along with all this, Ron Paul’s idea of a “happening” Saturday night is sitting down with an economics textbook. The doctor reads everything. His knowledge on all subjects which he addresses is remarkable; for every point he makes he has sound reasoning backing it up. Some of the bills he has proposed during his tenure in Congress have been the most innovative ways to help out America that I have ever come across, and yet they are time and time again struck down by a Congress that has an approval rating at dangerously close to zero. I could honestly go on for pages and pages, but I have arbitrarily decided to stop here. These are a few of the reasons I have decided to endorse Ron Paul. Jotting down a list of reasons why you support the person you plan to vote for can be a good exercise.  Even if his “chances” of being elected sit squarely at zero, I will not miss this opportunity to endorse the man I think is the closest America will ever have to a perfect candidate for President of the United States.

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A Major Disconnect: Violent Crimes, Public Perception, and the American Prisoner

The violent crime rate in the US has been steadily declining for decades. All types of violent crimes are seeing less occurrences not only per capita, but also less total instances, even with the rising population. The violent crime rate in the US has declined nearly 50% from 1991 until 2010, and while 2011 data is still preliminary, the FBI recently announced that there was yet another drop in violent crime (4%) from 2010 to 2011[i]. Yet, people still believe that crime is higher than ever, even though it is quite the opposite.

This is not a new phenomenon; results of a running Gallop Poll, asking people the question “Is there more crime in the US than there was a year ago, or less?” show that, for the past couple decades, the majority of people think that crime is getting worse and worse. The latest result (2011) revealed that 68% of people think there is more crime than there was a year ago, while just 17% say less. Compare this with 71% think there was more crime than a year ago in 2008, and 62% in 2002[ii].

One thing that could be causing this difference of opinion and reality could be the US’s unbelievable, escalating prisoner rate. The United States has an incarceration rate of 743 per 100,000 people, as of 2010 data. This puts the US #1 in the world, with a rate 29% higher than that of 2nd place Russia[iii]. From 2000-2009 the number of prisoners in the US increased by 16% (Federal Prisoners increased by 43% while State Prisoners increased by 13%).

As of 2009, there were 188,000 prisoners in US Federal Prison, and fewer than 15,000 of them were in for violent crimes (7.9%)[iv]. A majority were in for non-violent drug-related crimes (nearly 100,000 or 51%). So while, by definition, the US is seeing a rise in “criminals”, it is not because of an increase in violent crimes, but is due to stricter punishments for petty, often victimless crimes.

The media has been very vocal about violent crimes and gun-related crimes recently, and it is interesting to point out that despite the drop in gun-related crimes, gun sales have likely not declined, but instead increased. While actual gun sale data is not available to the public, there are ways to estimate these including background checks and financial information of gun companies. The graph below shows that both background checks for gun sales as well as Smith and Wesson Holding Company both have upward trends from 2000 to 2011. Contrast this to the graph above which shows the downward trending of violent crimes.

[i] http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-preliminary-annual-crime-statistics-for-2011

[ii] http://www.gallup.com/poll/150464/Americans-Believe-Crime-Worsening.aspx

[iii] http://www.webcitation.org/5xRCN8YmR

[iv] http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/p09.pdf

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Complete 2012 RNC Delegate Roll Call Vote Results

Congratulations to the 190 delegates who stayed strong, stood up for their beliefs and gave their votes to Ron Paul at the RNC. I know for a fact that there were countless other delegates who wanted to vote for Congressman Paul but were either forced to vote for Romney, coerced into it, or had their delegate positions illegally taken away from them - the GOP Establishment will not go unpunished for their devious acts. There were plenty of shenanigans and rule-breaking by the establishment GOP but the Ron Paul folks still managed to make themselves be seen and heard.

Here is a complete state-by-state list of the results from the roll call: