[Editor’s note: This article originally ran on LewRockwell.com on July 28, 2000. Even before the Bush-Gore election wrapped up, Rockwell put his finger on what the Republicans had in store for America. For those who paid attention to Rockwell in this period, they were not shocked when the Bush administration came out in favor of the TSA, the Patriot Act, the NSA, the destruction of the Fourth Amendment, and more.

It is hard to exaggerate the importance of China in the future of gold even if the relationship falls short of monocausal. Beijing’s actual course both in economic policy and geopolitics since its giant bubble economy turned to bust — starting circa 2020 — has had a huge bearing on gold’s super-strong performance. By contrast if the bust were to spark somehow a triumph of economic and political freedom in China, a continuing stellar rise for gold would depend, most likely, on a further collapse of general confidence in fiat money led by the dollar hegemon.

This year marks the 12-year anniversary of Ron Paul’s retirement from Congress, but his legacy continues to display itself on the political scene. On issues like foreign policy, war skepticism has grown, at least concerning American involvement in Europe. Abolishing the Department of Education has become a key tenant of Donald Trump’s education agenda. Eliminating taxes on tips has been adopted by both presidential campaigns.

I’ve always been skeptical of government-backed monopolies and coercive institutions. Insurance—particularly home insurance in hurricane-prone areas—has long been a prime example of such a scheme. In the past weeks of hurricanes, when the winds cause catastrophic destruction and the rain pours down flooding entire cities, the insurance industry’s true nature is laid bare—a pyramid scheme that preys on the vulnerable and enriches the few at the expense of the many.

Late last month, Erik Prince, the founder of the Bush Administration’s mercenary army in Iraq—also known as Blackwater—expressed admiration for the State of Israel’s “pager attacks.” The attacks, which killed at least two children and critically injured many others, employed explosives in crowded civilian areas. 

The “middle of the road” has become a popular position among those who find both free market capitalism and communism both to be extreme opposites. Despite the fall of the USSR, many still believe in various, often moderate, forms of socialism. This leads many to oppose a pure free market economy because they believe it is a radical idea prone to failure.