Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative

Is the current “left” to “right” political spectrum becoming obsolete?

On April 2 at 6:30 PM at the Ridgefield Playhouse, members of the Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative are sponsoring a program that will challenge the way you think about current events.  Join us and meet citizen-advocates who are likely to spearhead a movement that will change the dialogue.

The message of Gary J. Johnson (former Governor of New Mexico) appeals to the anti-empire “old right” and the anti-war “left.”  His position on civil liberties appeals to civil libertarians, wherever they reside on the political spectrum.  Rumors are that Mr. Johnson may be running for the Republican presidential nomination.  Let us introduce you to him.

Peter Schiff also will be there.  He is running for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat to be vacated by Chris Dodd.  To many, including the Hartford Courant, Mr. Schiff appeared to be the clear winner of the recent debate with other Senate hopefuls, Rob Simmons and Linda McMahon.  During the debate, Mr. Schiff said, “If you send me to Washington, I promise you one thing: that town will never be the same again.”  After you meet him, you will be convinced he means it. 

We admire serious candidates who take time from their successful careers to challenge the entrenched special interests that control Washington.  Although Mr. Johnson and Mr. Schiff are Republicans, do not assume they are clones of the Bush/Cheney crew.  In fact, they have been extremely vocal critics of the policies of both the previous and current administrations.  They challenge both party establishments for continuing to pursue flawed foreign policies, profligate spending, easy money and attacks against civil liberties.  The Republican national establishment appears to be very worried about the likes of Johnson and Schiff.  And, of course, you would expect the Democratic establishment to be wary.

In keeping with past practices of the Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative, we have set aside a great deal of time for Q&A.  We hope to see you there. 

Students will not be charged.  Admission for non-students is $20.  The $20 admission includes a cocktail reception following the program.

We cancelled the meeting on February 25 (tonight) because of the threat of snow.  We are trying to re-schedule for next week (possibly Monday, March 1).  We will post a notice when the date, place and time are definite.

Below are videos to serve as food for thought before our February 25 meeting at Sagi’s Restaurant in Ridgefield, Connecticut (23 1/2 Catoonah Street).  We hope that much of the discussion can be interesting and fun in the nature of the first video which is in the form of a rap song.   We hope to see you there.  $20 covers appetizers and salads.  The management tells us that no one will leave hungry.  Sagi’s needs an accurate head count so please R.S.V.P. to Bill Costello at  wrcostello@sbcglobal.net by February 22.

(1) An entertaining debate between John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich von Hayek:

(2) Christopher Hedges on corporatism, militarism and debasement of the dollar:

(3) Ron Paul (anti-war libertarian Republican) on the state of the republic:

Video Part One

Video Part Two

Video Part Three

(4) Howard Zinn (anti-war civil rights activist) on foreign intervention:

We look forward to seeing you on February 25.

Rich

Richard Land

Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative, LLC

A Conversation with a Progressive Friend

Last April I wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Ridgefield Press about a conversation I had with a Progressive friend about the Constitution. I reported that we found agreement on a wide range of issues from foreign policy to the use of federal power for the enrichment of special interests.

I recently approached him to let him know that I have been thinking about what he said regarding the environment, agriculture, education, energy and health care. I want to know more about his views.

Surprisingly, he responded, “Rich, I’ve also been thinking about what you said about the connection between the Federal Reserve System, corporatism and militarism. We seem to agree more than we disagree. As I think about it more, I believe the solutions to our local problems require local action but federal needs drain away all the resources we need at the community level.”

As the conversation progressed I could see that he had begun to question some of the fundamentals of Keynesian economics; he could tell that I had become suspicious of de-regulation in an environment where special interests control economic policy.

We decided to keep talking. I invited him to a meeting the Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative is having at Sagi’s Restaurant in Ridgefield on February 25, 2010, at 7:00 PM.

My friend might not be able to make it to the meeting because he lives in Vermont but we would very much like to see other interested folks from Ridgefield and surrounding towns show up. We want to discuss areas where civil libertarian anti-war progressives and libertarian and conservative anti-war types agree.

Please join us at Sagi’s in Ridgefield, Connecticut (23 1/2 Catoonah Street) at 7:00 on February 25. $20 will be charged for appetizers and salads. We are toldby management that no one will leave hungry.  Sagi’s needs an accurate head count so please R.S.V.P. to Bill Costello at wrcostello@sbcglobal.net by February 22.

We look forward to seeing you on February 25.

Rich

Richard Land

Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative, LLC

The Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative will host a casual exchange of ideas at Sagi’s Restaurant (upper room) in Ridgefield, Connecticut, on Thursday, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the get together is to meet like-minded, and not-so -like-minded, concerned citizens regarding the direction of our country and how we, as individuals, can make a difference.

We will start with one or two short videos (at least one on the economy) to spur the discussion.

We also hope to share some exciting news about upcoming speakers.

Please join us.  There will be a charge of twenty dollars to cover Sagi’s charge for appetizers and salad.  A cash bar will be open.  Sagi’s needs an accurate head count so please R.S.V.P. to wrcostello@sbcglobal.net by February 22.

$1,000 Prize for the Most Thoughtful Question

Program Description

We have invited Gene Epstein, Economics Editor of Barron’s Magazine and former senior economist at the New York Stock Exchange, to speak at a program we are sponsoring on November 19 at the Ridgefield Playhouse. His topic will be the Federal Reserve System. We want you (students and non-students) to challenge Gene and we are willing to offer a $1,000 prize to get your best questions.

Mr. Epstein says:

“Three institutions with “Federal” in their name bear direct responsibility for the economic downturn: principally the Federal Reserve, for creating the unsustainable credit expansion, but also the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), for helping to channel the credit into the especially vulnerable housing market. Radicals (like me) would abolish them altogether, leaving activities like housing and banking to real market institutions.”

Mr. Epstein adds, “There are three reasons to abolish the Fed: recession, inflation and war.”

We thank Gene for stating his position so clearly but we recognize there are other points of view and issues to consider. We invite the public to spar with Mr. Epstein (in a civilized but spirited way) on November 19. Instructors, professors, students, and the general public are invited to challenge Mr. Epstein’s point of view. In effect, we offer Mr. Epstein as your worthy debating opponent.

Sponsors:

Publicity Co-Sponsors: Raymond James Financial Services (Frank J. Gavel Jr. and Charlie D. Meade); Bernstein Global Wealth Management (Daniel Romanow); and Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC

Question Co-Sponsors: Actis-Grande Ronan & Company LLC, Certified Public Accountants; Fairfield County Bank Insurance Services (formerly Carnall Insurance); and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Charles Salup)

General Sponsors: J.L. Pierson, ASA, Business Valuation; and David Streit

Prizes for Best Questions

The student who submits the most thoughtful question will win $1,000 (see “Challenge to Students” below).

In addition, the student who, in Gene’s judgment, submits the most interesting student question, and the non-student who, in Gene’s judgment, submits the most interesting non-student question, will be invited to lunch with Gene at or near the offices of Barron’s in New York City, including a tour of the offices and an introduction to Barron’s executives.

The Challenge to Students

As part of the program, we are asking high school and college students to challenge Mr. Epstein and we are offering a prize of $1,000 to the student who submits what our judges determine to be the most thoughtful question. We are inviting all the Ridgefield/Danbury, Connecticut, area high schools and colleges to participate but there are no geographical restrictions. Students from anywhere may submit questions. To claim the prize, however, the student must attend the November 19 program. The winner will be informed in advance. The decision of the judges will be final and will be made in the judges’ sole discretion.

We request that questions be less than 200 words. We reserve the right to disqualify (or return for revision) questions that exceed 200 words. Although clear and concise writing will be reflective of careful thought, this is not a writing contest.

See our flyer on the event here: Link to Flyer.

Content of Questions

Use Gene’s advice to journalists as guidance: “When interviewing a source, make sure you ask all your dumb, naive & ignorant questions, or you’ll never be able to properly report your story. I have had experts hang up on me because I ask too many questions. But I’m not trying to impress them—and besides, sometimes my dumbest question turns out to be my smartest. (If what they’re saying doesn’t make sense to me, maybe it just doesn’t make sense.)”

Conditions

The $1,000 prize will be awarded only if we receive at least one bona fide question from 20 different students. A student may submit more than one question but no more than three questions per student. The judges, in their sole discretion, will determine what questions are deemed to be bona fide. After November 9, we plan to post bona fide questions that have been received. When submitting a question, a student should include identifying information and the name and address of the school he or she attends. Students who are schooled at home are welcome but we request some verification that the person submitting a question is actually a student. The judges’ determination on a person’s status as a high school or college student will be final.

Details Regarding Submission of Questions (Due November 9)

Questions must be submitted in writing to the Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative c/o Richard S. Land (business 203-744-1929; home 203-438-9814) at rsl@danburylaw.com by midnight, November 9 (or before the Judges make a final determination, if later). If the question is being submitted by mail, address it to Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative c/o Richard S. Land, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC, 30 Main Street, Danbury, Ct 06810. If receipt of a question is not acknowledged, the student should follow-up until receipt is acknowledged (in case it has been filtered out by a spam filter).

Submit your question on line to rsl@danburylaw.com.

Collaboration

We encourage you to collaborate with parents, teachers, friends, neighbors and others when preparing questions.

Sample Question

Here is a sample of what a question might look like:

Sample Question: The creation of the Federal Reserve System (the Fed) was in response to a perceived need to tame boom/bust business cycles and to avoid the hardships associated with a series of financial panics in 1873, 1884, 1893 and 1907. We have had almost a century of experience with the Fed. Has the economy performed better after the creation of the Fed than it did before?

Judges

We are currently soliciting volunteers to serve on our panel of judges. We want the panel to represent diverse perspectives so that the panel is not controlled by any particular ideology.

To assure objectivity in judging, the questions will be submitted to the judges without the author’s name or other information that might offer a clue to the author’s identity. The winner will be announced at the program on November 19.

For details click here: Information on Judges and the Judging Process.

Questions from Non-students

Anyone, including non-students, may submit a question but only students will be eligible for the $1,000 prize.

After November 9, we will post all bona fide questions to this site. The judges, in their sole discretion, will determine what questions are deemed to be bona fide.

The most interesting and thought provoking questions (and perhaps the most amusing or entertaining) will be posed to Mr. Epstein on November 19. The authors of the selected submissions will be given the opportunity to ask at least one follow up question.

As mentioned above, the non-student who, in Gene’s judgment, submits the most interesting non-student question, will be invited to lunch with Gene at or near the offices of Barron’s in New York City, including a tour of the offices and an introduction to Barron’s executives.

Producer

The producer for this event is the Ridgefield Liberty Cooperative.

Other Prizes

Additional information regarding other prizes may follow as we add sponsors.

Resources

Students may wish to read one or more of the following books on the topic while preparing their questions: (1) The Housing Boom and Bust by Thomas Sowell; (2) Bailout Nation, How Greed and Easy Money Corrupted Wall Street and Shook the World Economy by Barry Ritholtz; (3) Meltdown by Thomas Woods, Jr; and (4) The Return of Depression Economics by Paul Krugman. For a more complete history, students may wish to consult Secrets of the Temple, How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country, by William Greider, History of Money and Banking in the United States by Murray Rothbard, and The House of Morgan by Ron Chernow.

Other Important Details

Program Location: Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield, CT.

Event Time: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM November 19 (Thursday), 2009.

Question Submission Deadline: Midnight November 9, 2009.

Admission Price: Students No Charge; Adults $10.