IS THIS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?

95 year old Jakiw Palij being taken by stretcher

 Is this the right thing to do?

I feel compelled to ask the most basic of questions after reading this story on CNN. The accused is Jakiw Palij, born in Ukraine 1923 in an area that is now part of Poland, a 95 year old man who is suspected of being a Nazi collaborator or prison guard. Nobody is absolutely certain what his role was during the Second World War. He apparently lied to US immigration officers when he arrived in the US during the 1950's. In 2001 he admitted he had worked in a German labor camp, but he claimed that he and other young men were coerced into working for the Germans.

Obviously the US immigration authorities did not believe his claims of innocence,  and thus deported him.They loaded him into a stretcher and sent him to Germany. If he was indeed a merciless Nazi camp guard that killed thousands of people, all well and good. But the records are few and poor, these events happened a long time ago and there are no witnesses. In the camp in which he is accused of having served, the records were never kept or were destroyed, and the prisoners were all killed. There are no eye witnesses. What evidence is being used against this man? Is the evidence factual, or is it based on assumptions, rumors, or innuendo? Lastly, and most importantly, what possible outcome can be derived from deporting and prosecuting a 95 year old man?

The Holocaust was a terrible part of human history, millions of people were systematically wiped out. Evidence taken at the various concentration camps can freeze the heart: photographs of starved people and thousands of bodies stacked in piles. The American soldiers that initially entered those camps became sick at the sight of the atrocities, and these were battle hardened men that has seen some of the fiercest fighting of WWII. Even the crusty General George S. Patton was left in a state of shock at the sight of what was discovered. 

German civilians being forced to tour a liberated concentration camp viewing stacks of dead bodies

Malnourished concentration camp survivors

There can be no doubt that those responsible should face the most severe of penalties. On the other hand, there is limited evidence against Jakiw Palij. He may also have been a victim of the ruthless Nazi war machine, his service may have been coerced. Any trial against him could take years, years he does not have.  Putting him in a prison cell at his age is simply ludicrous.  He is 95 years old, he could die at any moment. We may never learn the truth.

 What is the point of deporting him and attempting to prosecute someone at death's door? I'm not sure we are doing the right thing in this case.

RISING GDP- A TOOL FOR POLITICIANS AND LIARS

source: mises.org

Many of us took a course or two, perhaps more, of Economics as undergraduates.  Everything taught in those foundational courses is known as Keynesian Economics, and as students we are led to believe that it's the only proper way to understand economic phenomenon. One of the things we learned about is something called "Gross Domestic Product". This number attempts to measure how much the economy has produced over a given period of time, usually on an annual basis. The media, politicians, authors, and various television "experts", constantly discuss how vital it is for the GDP to increase in order for the nation to be prosperous and avoid disaster. On any given day, the media will have extensive coverage of Congress and it's actions in regards to the government's budget, the decisions made at the Federal Reserve, and a mention will be made about Wall Street and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. This has convinced entire generations of people that government has a vital role to play in the economy, and without an ever increasing GDP the world will end. However, the truth is something altogether different. The GDP is a tool of politicians and politics, not economics.

We must understand that the economy is made up individuals and businesses making decisions that will affect their daily lives. Government has very little to do with the economy on a daily basis. Government imposes taxes, laws, and regulations that can certainly affect people's lives, but these things do not make economic choices. People make economic choices. People can decide to buy a used vehicle instead of a brand new vehicle, or they can buy a house, or they can decide to spend their money on illegal activities: drugs, gambling, etc. In a free society, people are allowed to spend their money as they see fit. And it should not be a surprise to anyone that when allowed to make choices most people will usually make good economic choices.



Most everyone is probably asking: how is all of this connected, and what does it have to do with anything? GDP fails to account for several very important factors. First, illegal activities are not taken into account. In the US, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of illegal drugs are bought and sold every year, but these activities are not measured. Second, the market for used goods is ignored. In 2016, 41 million used cars and trucks were sold in the US, at an average price of  $19,227. This comes to roughly $788 Billion worth of sales just in the used car industry, and none of it is considered part of GDP. Last, and most importantly, GDP fails to accurately account for the change in the value of money, also know as Inflation. Inflation can raise or lower prices, having a significant impact on how GDP will be measured. The Bureau of Economic Analysis is responsible for measuring GDP in the US, yet they depend on the Federal Reserve to provide information in regards to inflation. The Federal Reserve has many detractors that argue it's models and ideas are outdated, some of those detractors are found within the Federal Reserve itself.

I have mentioned this before, inflation is the giant monster hiding in the basement that nobody wants to acknowledge. To quote the great economist Ludwig Von Mises, "The great inflations of our age are not acts of God. They are man made or, to say it bluntly, government made. They are the off shoots of doctrines that ascribe to governments the magic power of creating wealth out of nothing and making people happy by raising the "national income".

Let's replace the term "national income" with something used in current society: GDP. Congress and the Federal Reserve have to simply push more money and credit into the marketplace, by either borrowing trillions of dollars as does Congress or by the various creative tricks employed by the Federal Reserve. In either case, they are creating wealth out of nothing, and it appears as if the economy is strong and growing. Politicians can then make televisions appearances and make grand proclamations at election time.

The Lying Politician

 There is an important question which nobody wants to ask. If the GDP is measuring the output of the economy, and a positive number indicates the economy is growing, why hasn't everyone gotten wealthier? If the nation is getting wealthier, as indicated by GDP, why does Congress feel the need to continue a "War on Poverty" that began during the 1960's, has cost trillions of taxpayer dollars, and has no end in sight? For the simple reason that government can not create wealth, government can only create inflation. People create wealth by making good economic choices. A government handout may help some folks pay bills just to get by, but ultimately it is up to the individual to build their own wealth by making good choices in life. Any person, regardless of their income level, has the ability to save and spend wisely, and to make other choices in life that will decide the outcome of their lives.



https://mises.org/library/gdp-tool-politics-not-economics

https://www.businessinsider.com/where-drug-money-goes-2016-3

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/05/used-vehicle-sales-look-set-to-hit-all-time-high.html

https://files.stlouisfed.org/files/htdocs/publications/review/11/07/bullard.pdf

 https://thetruthstillmatters.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-economy-is-still-sluggish.html