Pillars Of Prosperity

Pillars of Prosperity

Product Description

This economic manifesto by Ron Paul (484 pages!) collects his greatest speeches and debates over the last 30 years, and provides documentary evidence that he is not only a master of the topic he has provided a coherent explanation of nearly everything the government has done wrong in this area since he first entered public office. He also provides a way out, as implied by the subtitle: free market, honest money, and private property.

Dr. Paul has consistently battled for all three.

Economics is topic about which most politicians are abysmally ignorant. As this books shows, Ron Paul is a master of the topic and the nations teacher on a vast range of economic issues. He addresses monetary policy during critical times such as the late 1970s inflation mania, and was a lone voice pointing to the real cause of Federal Reserve monetary policy.

Whereas most members of Congress are intimidated by Fed officials, Pauls confrontations with Greenspan are documented here word for word. In addition, he reveals the social and economic effects of loose credit, and shows the ill-effects of bailouts. He addresses high taxes, regulation, trade restrictions, and bravely denounces sanctions against foreign countries for fueling international tensions.

He also explains his view of free trade, for the real thing but against misnamed treaties that embroil international traders in bureaucracy.

He covers welfare, bureaucracy, war, and a a host of other economic topics in what is surely the most comprehensive, intelligent, and revealing book on economics ever written by a U.S. political figure -- all informed by the Austrian tradition of thought that has so influenced his thinking.
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Paperback
Label :Mises Institute
Manufacturer :Mises Institute
ProductGroup :Book
Studio :Mises Institute
Publisher :Mises Institute
EAN :9781933550244
Price :$20.00USD
Lowest Price :$19.59USD
Customer ReviewsRon Paul is a brilliant man. I wish more US citizens "got it" and would vote a brilliant man like him to be president.
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :9
I absolutely love this book. His views of the economy are dead on but unfortunately I dont see a scenario where his policies and views will ever be taken completely seriously. The current economic policy of the US will eventually cause an economic collapse. The people who benefit most from currency debasement know this and are positioning their assets accordingly while still hyping the US dollar which is destined to fail under current policy. I just hope the publisher doesnt print too many copies of the book out of thin air and debase my book!

Long, good read
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :0
Ron Paul has some great ideas on economics. Its a long read but worth it.

A Clear, Concise, and Consistent Idealogical Individual
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :0
During the past presidential election, and the race leading up to it, Ron Paul seemed to be quite a controversial figure. Whether you agreed with him or not, his name was making headlines. Admitting this for the first time publicly myself, even I was highly skeptical of this man and his ideology. After some careful, and truly thoughtful reflection, I believe I am coming to a quite different conclusion. Ron Paul represents classical liberalism. This form of liberalism is quite different from the liberalism society seems to embrace today. This form of liberalism believes in private property, free markets, and sound money, hence the subtitle of this book. Im not sure I would be called a classical liberal for one reason, foreign policy. Dr. Ron Paul believes as classical liberalism teaches that America has no business interfering in the affairs of other nations. This would encompass foreign commodities, as well as military operations. This is where I still need some more reflection. As a conservative I believe that the quicker we strike the enemy the less chance there is of any kind of retalliation. Cripple the enemy in their homeland before they strike us here. Thanks to some colossal mistakes from the Jimmy Carter administration and then followed up quite nicely by the Clinton administration, America was struck quite hard on September 11. This has led to a whole host of problems from a hit on our fincancial sector as well as an invasion of our individual rights. How you interpret this means everything. Conservatives would hold that radical Islam is imperialistic in nature and therefore whether we were over seas or not Al Qaeda would have attempted an attack on America. Thus holding to ancient Romes anthem "we expand or we die." Ron Paul on the other hand believes that Al Qaeda attacked America because America was meddling in their affairs. Constitutionaly speaking, Ron Paul is absolutely correct in his arguments within this book. For those of us who still believe that the Constitution is still the law of the land, this book is encouraging. Therefore I would give this book a 4 star rating not because of anything DR. Ron Paul has argued here but because of my own struggle with the foreign policy argument.

Pillar of Salt?
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :3
I read this book as a participant of ...

The message that resounds throughout this collection of speeches is that the federal government of the United States ought not to intervene in true free market capitalism. It was a very consistent book. A key theme of this book is how the Federal Reserve supports the federal governments deficit spending by printing more and more money (backed by nothing but the threat of nuclear annihilation thats what I say, not Ron Paul), which is, by definition, INFLATION. This has been the way out of many a financial crisis, as is cited in the book. When more and more "dollars" are chasing the same amount of consumer goods (like bread, gasoline, or any number of commodities) PRICE inflation occurs. Inflation is a hidden tax, which hurts mostly the middle class, and decimates those already having trouble making ends meet.

There were a few words that sent me to the dictionary to gain a clearer understanding. Words like fungibilty (p. 425), profligate, and sop (p. 443). So not only did it underscore my understanding of the way a free market (if allowed to) will operate, it illustrated the unintended consequences of government intervention in the marketplace.

In general I found this book easy to understand, except for in Part 7: International Affairs, in a speech entitled "Reaffirming Committment of United States to Principles of the Marshall Plan." That left me scratching my head. But maybe I shouldnt read this stuff so late at night.

In summation: A bit long, excellent content, big words make you smart.

Ron Paul Quoted from Pillars of Prosperity
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :1
"I decided to run for Congress because of the disaster of wage and price controls imposed by the Nixon administration in 1971. When the stock market responded euphorically to the imposition of these controls and the closing of the gold window, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many other big business groups gave enthusiastic support, I decided that someone in politics had to condemn the controls, and offer the alternative that could explain the past and give hope for the future: the Austrian economists defense of the free market. At the time I was convinced, like Ludwig von Mises, that no one could succeed in politics without serving the special interests of some politically powerful pressure group.

Although I was eventually elected, in terms of a conventional political career with real Washington impact, he was absolutely right. I have not developed legislative influence with the leader- ship of the Congress or the administration. Monies are deliberately deleted from routine water works bills for my district because I do not condone the system, nor vote for any of the appropriations.
My influence, such as it is, comes only by educating others about the rightness of the free market.


The bipartisanship of the last 50 years has allowed our government to gain control over half of the income of most Americans. Being enslaved half the time is hardly a good compromise. But supporters of the political status quopoint out that, in spite of the loss of personal freedom, the country continues to thrive in many ways.

But there are some serious questions that we as a people must answer:
Is this prosperity real?
Will it be long-lasting?
What is the cost in economic terms?
Have we sacrificed our liberties for government security?
Have we undermined the very system that has allowed productive effort to provide a high standard of living for so many?
Has this system in recent years excluded some from the benefits that Wall Street and others have enjoyed?
Has it led to needless and dangerous U.S. intervention overseas and reated problems that we are not yet fully aware of?
Is it morally permissible in a country that professes to respect individual liberty to routinely give handouts to the poor, and provide benefits to the privileged and rich by stealing the fruits of labor from hard-working Americans?

As we move into the next Congress, some worry that gridlock will make it impossible to get needed legislation passed. This seems highly unlikely. If big government supporters found ways to enlarge the government in the past, the current evenly split Congress will hardly impede this trend and may even accelerate it. With a recession on the horizon, both sides will be more eager than ever to cooperate on expanding federal spending to stimulate the economy, whether the fictitious budget surplus shrinks or not."

Ron Paul Quoted from Pillars of Prosperity

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