Introduction

A Personal Note

My involvement in politics came about due to an earlier interest in economics, which began in the 1960s after reading Friedrich Hayek’s classic, The Road to Serfdom. This led me to study Austrian economics, especially the writings of Ludwig von Mises, which provided the best explanation of how central banking and government intervention in the market economy cause so much suffering. The Austrians explained, with great clarity, how inflation and the business cycle undermine the middle class and injure the poor. Armed with this knowledge, I became convinced that America was on the wrong track. The breakdown of the Bretton Woods pseudo-gold standard in August 1971 only confirmed the predictions of the Austrian economists. Alarmed, I made the decision to run for Congress in 1974—although I entertained little hope of winning. I felt it important to express myself concerning economic issues, particularly monetary policy.

Although I lost that race, by chance it positioned me to win a special election one year later. During four terms in Congress between 1976 and 1984, I served on the Banking committee and spent a lot of time dealing with monetary issues. During the early 1980s I served on the Gold Commission. This was the era of stagflation, and there was serious concern and confusion among politicians and economists regarding our economic future.

My overriding concern was the protection of individual liberty, private property, and free markets. Although I focused primarily on economic policy during this first tour in Congress, as time passed it became clear to me that economic policy (especially deficit financing) and monetary policy were closely interrelated with foreign policy and war. Today, I’m equally concerned with both our flawed foreign policy and our bad economic policies.

During the Reagan years I began to realize how special interests, with bipartisan support, drive our policy of foreign intervention. We sent troops to Lebanon and Granada; financial aid to Nicaragua; weapons to Iran and Iraq; military assistance to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein; and bombed Libya—all for reasons other than American national security. These events motivated me to speak out more frequently on foreign affairs, and vote (often by myself) to make that point that we should follow the Constitution and the Founding Fathers by staying out of the affairs of foreign nations—especially when our meddling has nothing to do with national security interests.

It’s obvious that foreign intervention cannot be separated from economic concerns about deficits, inflation, and taxes. Currently we see a trend toward world government, globalism, managed trade, and an institutionalized world financial system based on purely fiat money. This system is controlled by the industrial-banking-political elite.

This move toward political globalization, in contrast to free markets, free trade and commodity money, has ushered in an era that challenges national sovereignty and traditional borders.

The New World Order, under the banner of free trade, permits sanctions, tariffs, and privileges for politically connected special interests. Needless to say, I see great danger in this trend—danger to liberty, sovereignty, prosperity, and peace.

This book is a collection of statements I have made over the past 30 years dealing with foreign policy from the date I was first elected to Congress in 1976. Though I wrote and spoke less about foreign policy during my 12-year hiatus from Congress (1985-1997), I remained interested and continued to study carefully the case for noninterventionism. I did however, make public statements in opposition to the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and I consider today’s war in Iraq a continuation of that conflict.

In various places throughout the book I have inserted current thoughts and insights into my reprinted speeches and articles.