The Jason Stapleton Program

I know, it sounds stupid. Really stupid. How on earth could we get ourselves into a situation where we're fighting ourselves. But as is usually the case the truth is far simpler than some would want us to believe. The stomach for war is weak in America. Americans don't want to see any more young men go off to fight and die in the middle east. But they're happy to spend tax dollars to "battle ISIS" by funding militia groups. The war in Iraq, Syria and Libya has become a proxy war. We pay other people to fight for us. Now some of those militia groups we've funded have begun fighting each other. Laugh if you want but it's your money their wasting. Let's not forget we've got video of John McCain bragging about funding ISIS, the group he referred to at the time as the "moderate rebels". There is nothing we can look to in the middle east to be proud of. It's all bad. Our policy and strategy since 2003 have been a disaster. Not only that but every single Republican in the race is advancing the idea that what we need is more of the same. Not a single on of them has a plan different from the one currently being executed. Some of them, like Rubio, want policies so outrageous they are virtually certain to end in a world war. Republicans need to start using their heads before we're plunged into another decade of scorched earth.

Now I know how very dangerous a statement like that is. But I'm sick and tired of listening to a religious figurehead bash capitalism and embrace his version of social justice. Does he not recognize that capitalism has created more wealth and more opportunity for more people than any other system in our history? Does he not realize that poverty declines in every corner of the earth that capitalism is allowed the thrive? And what about the socialist mantra he cites? Can he not look at history and see the incredible damage done to the "common man" by socialist ideas and principles? On this, there is simply no excuse for ignorance. Today on the show I'll spend some time talking about the election, the recent feud between Trump and the Pope and we'll look at some of the outrageous things the Pope has said in Gods name. We'll then turn to some current socialist policies both here in America and in France to show exactly what happens when you follow the Pope's advice on economics. Jason

I apologize for being out yesterday, but family duty calls when the kids get sick. If you haven't heard Apple recently put a letter on it's website from Tim Cooke, speaking about how the federal government (FBI) is demanding they create a "hackable" version of their iOS mobile software so they can retrieve data from phones used by the San Bernadino shooters. Apple has vehemently refused and alerted all of it's customers by Tim Cooke issuing this statement, its a great event when even a corporation, which has more cash on hand than the feds, tells the government "NO" we're not violating the consistution or our customer's privacy which they depend and rely on. There's a tricky way the feds are trying to justify this, using some old documents of our founding fathers, and I decided to bring on KrisAnne Hall to give us all the details as only she can. It's great episode about nullification and another push by academia for Less Cash in society, no doubt due their precious government grant money laying on the line. Another great episode, make sure you listen all the way through! -Jason

There's a lot happing in the world today. You've got the Scalia death and the fight for the nominee to replace him. You've got the leading Oil exporters trying to broker a deal to cap oil production, Donald Trump is threatening to sue Ted Cruz and Monopoly just came out with it's new "Ultimate Bankers Addition". They all seem like random news stories, but each one of these stores adds to our understanding of the world as a whole. When viewed only as isolated events you miss the bigger picture. I am constantly asking new listeners to go and download the last ten episodes of the show. I do this because this show is designed to help you understand how the pieces fit together and provide you a complete picture of the world in which we live. Today, each of the news items in the stack has a direct tie to something else we've talked about in the last ten episodes. It is the clearest evidence I can provide to make the case for the ten episode challenge. Enjoy

I’m often befuddled by some of the suggestions put forward by our elected representatives on how to solve Americas trade disparity with countries like China, or how we address the problem of American companies shipping jobs to Mexico. What is even more frustrating is how blindly Americans latch on to these ideas and support them. Take Donald Trump for example. He has advocated all of the following: - Build a wall Mexico will pay for- Go after China for currency manipulation- Tax companies that send jobs overseas How is he going to do all this? The answer is Tariffs. In today's episode, we're going to talk about what tariffs do to an economy using American history. There is nothing new under the sun. Whether you're talking about war, politics or economics we can look to history and find evidence of how different ideas and policies played out in practice. A failure to learn from these events causes us to promote ideas that have disastrous consequences. Tariffs are no different.

One of the things I hate most about politicians is when they're asked a direct question and instead of giving a direct response they reframe the question and answer what the question they wanted to be asked. Nobody does this better than Bernie Sanders. He plays the role of a curmudgeonly old man perfectly. In the most recent PBS debate both Hillary and Bernie spent most of the night ducking questions about how big government should be and what should be cut. Both of them are advocates for a host of "free" government handouts from health care to college. PBS did a decent job of asking questions but as usually fell flat on follow-up. When will the media in this country stand up and call these slimy liars in suits out on their cowardice? The media is supposed to help defend liberty by pointing out lies and corruption not only in the private sector but government as well. The 1st amendment was primarily a protection from government and what have they done with it? They've corrupted it as well. Anyway, enough of my ranting. We've got lots of funny responses from Hillary, Bernie, and we even have own from Debbie Wasserman Shultz regarding the delegate disaster in New Hampshire. It's a great way to end the week. Enjoy. Jason

Today we're going to build off the conversation I had with you on Tuesday when we talked about the fracturing of the banking industry. As central banks continue to struggle in their efforts to increase inflation, they are turning to extremely dangerous policies, namely NIRP or Negative Interest Rate Policy. The problem with this is as they continue to drive interest rates into negative territory they are not getting the desired effect. They are using outdated and proven failed economic policy in an attempt to drive up inflation through consumption. It's an old belief that consumption drives an economy. We know this is not true through years of policy failings. What drives an economy is production. Production is fueled by the abundance of stored capital we have saved. But we have no savings. We have trillions of dollars in debt and central bankers refuse to accept one simple truth. THERE IS NO WAY OUT. There is no solution to this crisis that does not involve a great deal of pain. The longer we continue to pursue policies that suggest otherwise, the more painful the fix will be. This is a MUST LISTEN episode. Your understanding of these issues is critical if you want to be prepared. Jason

Today we talk constitutional authority and the commerce clause. There's a battle going on to regulate and require companies to build "back door" solutions to their encryption services so that law enforcement can see what you've been doing. The Congress has stepped in to try and prevent state legislatures from passing laws that require companies to build such back doors. This opens up some discussion. Since we would be for protecting privacy and for companies right to create whatever product or service they desire, (providing it does not harm another person) it's hard no to be for an effort to constrain the States. But the federal government does not have the constitutional authority to dictate to the states what restrictions that will put on companies who sell within their state. It is simply, another overreach by the federal government. These types of situations are happening more frequently than any of us would like, but there is a solution. Today we're going to talk about how you overcome this federal tyranny. Plus, I'm going to lay out a path to victory in the years to come. Great show on a slow news day. Jason    

There is a not-so-secret crisis boiling below the surface of the financial markets. If you’re not paying attention, you probably have no idea what’s happening. On its face there appears to be a modest stock market decline brought on by low oil prices and rising interest rates. But the truth is far worse. What you have been told is a lie. The economy is not getting healthier. Last year the stock market had more companies that were down than up. Unemployment remains high despite the best efforts of our government to claim we are near full employment. Widespread deflation, not INFLATION, has been the major concern for central banks, and they have responded by continuing to lower interest rates to unhealthy levels. Switzerland has already taken interest rates negative and now Japan has signaled it intends to do the same thing. Why is that important? What does that mean? Essentially it means that banks are charged interest to keep cash. It’s designed to force banks to lend money. Why is that important? Well to understand that we have to understand deflation and inflation. Inflation is, at it’s core, a byproduct of two things. 1. How many dollars are there in circulation2. How quickly do those dollars change hands. As more people spend the money, the have the more inflation you will see. You will sometimes hear this referred to as an increase in aggregate demand. Under a free market as people spend rather than save, banks raise interest rates to try and attract depositors. That increase in potential interest coupled with a rise in the price of goods leads some people to delay the gratification of a new car or TV for savings. Higher interest rates also send signals to borrowers. High-interest rates mean some people delay borrowing money or choose to spend the cash they have rather than borrowing. As more depositors delay spending for savings banks, wanting to loan their newly acquired capital begin to lower rates in an attempt to attract borrowers. All of this happens over long periods of time in minute adjustments. What central banks have done is attempted to control the economy and fight deflation by artificially lowering interest rates below where they would be in a free economy. This has lead to a short-term boom similar to a heroin injection. But this artificial boom has only disguised the underlying structural problems in the economy. Now, serious problems have arisen.

There was another presidential debate this Saturday. I know most of you probably didn't watch it. I noticed something during this debate. It's obvious there is little difference between the candidates as it relates to policies. The all have the same platform. What the debates have become is a battle over who is best suited to implement the plan they all have. I miss Rand Paul already. During the debate, the subject of drugs came up, and Ted Cruz told a very heartfelt story about his sister and her battle with drugs. This story opens the door for me to talk about some of the solutions surroundings this very polarizing topic. Then it's on to Flint Michigan where the water disaster continues. We've heard a lot of stories about who's responsible for this tragedy but today I'm going to piece together a timeline for you and talk about who pays. It's easy to lay blame but when the government screws up who makes the victims whole? I think you'll find the discussion interesting. Jason

I'm hearing a lot of grumbling in some of the libertarian circles I run in. Many are feeling disenfranchised with the recent decision by Rand Paul to suspend his campaign.  A few delusional followers are still clinging to hope that people will rally to the polls in New Hampshire, and Rand will revive his campaign and continue, but any sane person knows that isn't going to happen.  So we're left feeling like there are no real options. They feel like is a problem with the liberty message. They take the Rand defeat to mean the message itself is distasteful. This could not be further from the truth. Today on the show we're going to talk about where we go from here. I'm going to put to bed the idea that we must hold our noses and vote for a Republican or see our supreme court filled with leftist progressives. This is the same argument we hear each election cycle. The reason changes but the rational are always the same. It's time we hold our noses and vote our conscience even if it means a socialist get's elected. We're not going to solve the problems we now face by changing parties in the oval office. We change them at the state level. Today I'll also lay out a case for focusing on changes in the States that will lead to the type of change we truly need. I'm so glad to have you as a listener. Do not lose heart. I have not yet begun to fight. Jason

I get a lot of people asking how to spread liberty and how to debunk many of the socialist arguments you hear each day from men like Bernie Sanders. Today I break down one of Bernies explanations on healthcare to show you the tactics he uses to promote his brand of Statism. I also share a little about how we as libertarians should be messaging. Too many people think we will win based on the merits of our argument. I have always said we cannot be defeated in the arena of ideas. Our philosophy on life, liberty and free markets has produced more wealth, opportunity and freedom than any other system devised by man. But the battle is not won in the arena of ideas. It's won in the hearts and minds of the electorate. To win this war, we must win people over on an emotional level. Something few politicians in the liberty movement have been able to do. This show is perfect for anyone looking for a blueprint on how to challenge a Bernie Sanders voter or how to spread a message of liberty that will be accepted by the masses.

Well, it happened, Rand has dropped out of the presidential race. We talked yesterday about how a fifth place finish in Iowa doesn't bode well for his future, and unfortunately I was right. We still need to keep promoting the voice of liberty though, and we know Rand will continue his efforts in the senate. Later in the show we talk about how stopping progress and technology doesn't make your life easier and anyone who wants to squash it to "save jobs" is severely mistaken about the benefits gained. And, did you hear? The Fed is stress testing banks for negative interest rates, no conincidence here, why test if you're not considering needing to do this. Great show today, listen now! -Jason

Alright everyone, As you know I've attempted to hold my tongue as much as possible so that the Rand campaign could gain some more momentum, and I didn't want to taint your view of our only Liberty-Minded candidate up for office. But, I just can't do that today. After the caucuses in Iowa, Rand has placed 5th. Today on the show I talk about the future of their campaign, the problems they have had, and if there is any hope left there needs to be a drastic change immediately! We also discuss other candidates, and how monopolies can exist in a free market. So reach out to the Rand camp and tell them fifth place won't win the election, and that we want more fire and passion from him to sway the votes for liberty. Share this episode, or share the clip I'll be posting on YouTube. Let's get some more fire into the Rand camp, if they really want to succeed, his supporters want to see a change for the better! -Jason

It's been a few days since the bulk of the leadership from the Oregon protest were arrested. A few days ago we saw footage of Levoy Finicum being shot as he attempted to evade capture. The question everyone has been asking is, "Was it an execution?" I'm going to leave my comments on this subject for the show but let me say this; While I agree with the protesters grievances, I did not support their actions. It seemed to me to be a very ill-planned and poorly executed operation without a clear objective. That aside, both Darren and I have tried to look at the shooting with objective eyes so as to be impartial in our opinion. I've read a lot of comments on Facebook as well as in our private group about the shooting. My hope is to find the truth. Much has yet to be revealed and I hope we have more evidence in the days and weeks ahead. From there we move to Venezuela to discuss they're impending economic collapse. I know this will come as a shock but socialism doesn't work, and Venezuela is just the latest example of it. What can we learn from this failed State? I'll discuss that today as well. We'll wrap the show today with two stories from the VA. The list of grievances just keeps piling up. This is a must hear show. Hit that play button and I'll talk to you tomorrow.