- 30 years of voting on libertarian principles as Congressman from Texas

- Consistently against aggressive foreign wars

- Consistently against the secrecy and corruption of the Federal Reserve

- Consistently pro-capitalism and anti-corporatism

- Socially liberal, fiscally conservative

4 years ago I voted for Obama, mainly because I didn't want McCain to win.  And of course, Obama turned out to be as yielding to big interests as previous presidents. Now, for the first time in our lifetimes, we just might have the chance to vote in an uncorrupted, honest, and rational President who will lead according to the principles that made America such a great country in the first place--principles that recent presidents and congresses have so shamelessly eroded.  But in order for us to have this chance, we'll need to vote in the Republican primaries.  For more info, check out www.ronpaul2012.com .

Just finished writing the first movement of a new quartet.  Here are the midi and tif files.

Submitting it to the Classical Revolution PDX composition competition--wish me luck!

In case anyone missed this...

You know that ridiculous announcer voice they have on movie previews?  I came across a good parody of it by this guy Pablo Francisco:

Let's just say, we're heading into some interesting times.  The government is pumping trillions of taxpayer dollars that it doesn't have, to save financial markets that weren't worth anything to begin with.  The central bankers throughout the world are using this crisis to say that "US capitalism" (meaning free-market, unregulated capitalism) doesn't work, and they'll be making a case for global market regulation.  This, of course, is an unfounded argument since all along the Fed was keeping interest rates artificially low, and not allowing the market to reign in risky behavior.

To me, capitalism means hope.  It means, someone with a dream for a new product or business can pursue it.  It allows for people to stay inspired to help one another.  The alternative is not too pretty.  My friend Irina can tell you what Russian socialism looks like.  Without the idea of freedom and self-determination, human nature turns bitter, cynical, and even more self-interested.

So no matter what happens in the next few months, my advice is to keep your spirits up, find ways to live off the grid if need be, and remember the good times.

Here's the wisdom of Ron Paul (he predicted this many years ago):