4.10.07

Série "Vamos tentar fazer um doutoramento em teoria constitucional"

Ron Paul: "The Constitution and Money

The Constitution allows for a silver or gold standard, prohibits paper money,and does not authorize a central bank. Congress is explicitly given power to coinmoney in Article 1, Section A, but no similar power was given to print fiat money.The low respect for constitutionally guaranteed individual tights is precisely the same reason we asa nation have totally ignored the admonitions anddirectives of the Founding Fathers regarding money.The debates at the Constitutional Convention clearly indicate a rejection ofthe proposal to "emit bills of credit" (irredeemable paper money). Even without the Convention's specific vote rejecting paper money, a specific authorization is required if paper money is to be issued, since the Tenth Amendment prevents Congress fromassuming power to create money and credit out of thin air as it does today. In Article 1, Section 10, the Constitution explicitly prohibits states fromemitting bills of credit and directs all states to use only gold and silver coins as legaltender in the payment of debts.The low respect for constitutionally guaranteed individual rights is precisely the same reason we as a nation have totally ignored the admonitionsand directives of the Founding Fathers regarding money.(...)

Chief justice Salmon Chase in one of the legal tender cases said:

Most unquestionably there is no legal tender and there can be no legal tender in this country under the authority of this government of anyother but gold and silver, either the coinage of our mints or foreign coins at rates regulated by Congress. This is a constitutional principle perfectly plain and of the very highest importance. The states areprohibited from making anything but gold and silver a tender inpayments of debt, and although no such expressed prohibition toCongress, as yet Congress has no power granted to it in this respect butto coin money and regulate the value of foreign coin. Congresshas no power to substitute paper or anything else for a coin as a tenderin payment of debts and in discharge of contracts."

Nota: Agora, Ron Paul tem esta opinião sobre a questão constitucional e justifica-a. Se aparecer não sei quem a ter outra opinião, fixe para ele. Eu adopto um princípio que acho infalível nos debates sobre Constituições. É sempre muito fácil "interpretar" as Constituições com complexidades e nuances Straussianas (que estabeleceu o princípio dos significados escondidos e até da noble lie) para demonstrar que esta onde diz X na verdade significa Y. Roosevelt conseguiu-o fazer num ápice. E quando não conseguiu ameaçou aumentar o número de Juizes do Supremo para o dobro. Depois foi a capitulação e o resto é história.

Nota2: Para qualquer liberal clássico o que lhe interessará verdadeiramente é aquilo que foi demonstrado pela Escola Austriaca, além do óbvio efeito em que os Estados perdem a capacidade de monetizar a dívida pública, ou seja, os déficits.

5 comentários:

Quizzer disse...

"The Constitution allows for a silver or gold standard, prohibits paper money,and does not authorize a central bank"

Porque é que a Constituiçã proíbe o "paper money" e não autoriza o "central bank"?

Quizzer disse...

"Among the most common canards in critiques of originalism is that, under the original meaning of the Constitution, the issuance of paper money as legal tender would be
unconstitutional, sending our economy into disarray. But what is the basis for such a senseless charge? Congress possesses power to “coin money” and to regulate “commerce,” plus the power to enact measures it fairly deems necessary and proper for carrying into execution such powers. If creation of a national bank falls within the scope of Congress’s
power to pass laws it deems necessary to execute other powers, it is hard to see why issuance
of paper money would not also fall within the scope of Congress’s powers."

Citado daqui: http://www.yalelawjournal.org/pdf/115-8/Paulsen.pdf

Quizzer disse...

Qual é o Article 1, Section A? De que Constituição Americana estamos a falar? Isso nem existe.

O Article 1, Section 10, delimita os poderes dos estados - proibindo-os explicitamente de criar moeda. Não se aplica, naturalmente, ao governo federal. Leia-se a Constituição de fio a pavio que não se encontrará qualquer proibição semelhante.

O Article I, Section 8 confere explicitamente ao congresso poderes para "borrow money on the credit of the United States".

Aliás, por alguma coisa Jefferson sugeriu a necessidade de uma emenda para impedir o governo federal de emitir papel-moeda... Ou nem Jefferson conhecia a Constituição?

Quizzer disse...

«I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution(...) I mean an additional article, TAKING FROM the federal government the power of borroweing. I NOW DENY their power of MAKING PAPER MONEY or anything else a legal tender.»

Thomas Jefferson, 1798

CN disse...

«I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution(...) I mean an additional article, TAKING FROM the federal government the power of borroweing. I NOW DENY their power of MAKING PAPER MONEY or anything else a legal tender.»

Thomas Jefferson, 1798


Muito ajuizado. Ele já conhecia os Straussianos. Devia tê-lo feito.

Quanto se deixa um buraquinho que seja, fica tudo estragado. X passa a significar Y.