The first in a series of three stories

By JOHN NORTH

Herman Cain	Sen. Rand Paul

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — With seven sessions running simultaneously over three intense days, there was never a dull moment July 14-16 at FreedomFest 2011 at Bally’s on “the strip” in what event organizers claim is “the world’s most libertarian city.”

The conference, which featured speeches by GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., drew an estimated 2,400 people — a record, according to organizers.

Other top speakers were Judge Andrew P. Napalitano, John Mackey, Peter Schiff, Wayne Allyn Root and Steve Forbes.
The sessions included discussions and debates about philosophy and history, arts, and entertainment, public policy and geo-politics, science and technology, economics and finance, and law and religion.

The general consensus of the speakers, with a number of notable exceptions, was that the economy in the U.S. is facing an apocalypse — and that precious metals and commodities are some of the better places to safeguard one’s wealth. Several of the speakers also urged attendees to make preparations for a rough economy sooner rather than waiting for later.

The annual gathering is billed as a place where free minds meet to celebrate “great books, great ideas and great thinkers” in an open-minded society that is independent, nonpartisan and not affiliated with any organization or think tank.

Founded and produced by Mark Skousen since 2002, FreedomFest’s promotional material says the event invites the “best and the brightest from around the world to talk, strategize, socialize and celebrate liberty. FreedomFest is open to all and is purely egalitarian, where speakers, attendees, and exhibitors are treated as equals.”

However, most of FreedomFest’s attendees appeared to be small “l” libertarians, tea party members and conservative Republicans.

Cain and Paul addressed the audience in consecutive talks on the main stage on the evening of July 15.

Cain, who spoke first, was introduced as “the next president of the United States.” He addressed “Let’s Get Real About America’s challenges.”

He began his 20-minute speech by noting that “we have become a nation of crises.” After giving several examples, he said, “the biggest crisis we have is a severe deficiency of leadership in this country.”

Real leaders “make sure they’re working on the right crisis. They make sure they’ve got the right people around them to help them handle things. They have plans,” Cain said.

“Are we working on the right problem?” Cain asked.

“No!” the crowd responded.

“The engine of economic growth in this country is the business sector,” Cain noted. “The fuel needs to be put in the engine, not in the caboose. They put ObamaCare in the caboose.

“What did (President Barack) Obama put in the engine?” he asked. “Nothing.”

Cain said the U.S. grew 1.9 percent in the first quarter and 2.5 percent last year, while China grew around 10 percent.
“You’ve got to put fuel in the engine,” Cain asserted. “This administration does not have that (capability) in its DNA. This economy is not going to rebound in the next two years, based on hope and change.”

As for the current economic problems, Cain said, “This did not have to become a crisis. They allowed it to become a crisis. Now, they’re coming to the American people and saying they need to raise taxes to fix things.

“The current president and his administration have shown a severe lack of adult leadership.”

With a grin, Cain said, “If it were me — I’m just saying — I’d say this (current level) is the debt ceiling and make the cuts necessary. It’s not rocket science. It’s called common sense.”

Continuing, he observed, “We have a severe deficiency of leadership.” The U.S. has enough energy resources right now “to be energy-independent from our enemies,” he noted. “Our energy dependence is a national security crisis.”

As for gasoline, Cain said experts with whom he has consulted have told him that once the fuel reaches $4 a gallon, it will have reached “the tipping point,” where the economy is severely affected.

The son of Saudi King Abdullah II has said the Middle Eastern countries need to manage their oil supply “so that the United States and Europe don’t work on an energy independence strategy,” he noted.

As for the immigration issue, Cain said he believes in securing the border, enforcing the law and “fixing the path to citizenship” for illegal people already in the U.S.

Ultimately, on the issue of immigration, “my solution is to let the states decide ... I wouldn’t have sued Arizona, I would have sent them a medal.” The crowd cheered.

Regarding U.S. foreign policy, Cain said it is “foggy” at present. “Do any of you know what the definition of victory is in Afghanistan? Do any of you know what our goal is in Libya?”
Cain added, “Our Founding Fathers got it right” in the way they set up this nation. Now, “we must be the Defending Fathers of the Constitution, the free-market system, fiscal responsibility, rights of the unborn and the future of America.
“We must defend a better, stronger America, not a weaker one. In 2012, we need to have a conversative-controlled Senate, a conservative-controlled House and I’ve got an idea of who should be the president. I believe in common-sense solution to our problems.”
Cain said that “skeptics, mainly in the news media, often ask, ‘Mr. Cain, what makes you think you can be president? You don’t know how Washington works.’ I say, ‘Yes, I do. It doesn’t.” The crowd cheered.
“My job is to change Washington, D.C. — and I believe we can do that in 2012 ... One of the many reasons I’m running has to do with our fight for freedom. Ronald Reagan said, ‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for ....”
He noted that Reagan often said he did not want “to have to have” a conversation with his children or grandchildren about what freedom used to be like, having lost it on his watch.
In closing, Cain said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to have that conversation with my grandkids” about the freedom he remembered because he was determined not to lose it. Cain received a spirited standing ovation.
The next speaker, Sen. Rand Paul, son of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a longtime FreedomFest favorite, received a standing ovation as he walked onto the stage, even before he began speaking.
With a grin, he began by noting that he sometimes texts his colleagues in Congress — “and I tell them to buy gold,” prompting laughter from the crowd.
Paul then asserted, “We live in a nation and government of busybodies. You can’t smoke a cigarette or flush a toilet without the government coming in, including in your bedroom. Now, there’s an issues with lightbulbs.”
He quickly added, “I don’t smoke,” but that he feels the government is being heavy-handed in cracking down on smokers in public places.
Besides his complaint about government encroaching on citizens’ rights, Paul said, “The government is out of control ... Besides the regulations that we see, they’re always adding on new ones. You never see them taking them (citizens’ rights) away.”
Following a pause, he asserted, “What we need is a president who asks who is the moron who said that milk and oil are the same.”
He cited the highly publicized case of young girls selling lemonade outside of the U.S. Open, prompting the federal government to shut them down “for selling without a permit ... We have a government that is out of control and full of busybodies.”
Further, Paul said, “We have a lot of problems that face us. The debt ceiling is out of control.” Even with an agreement to raise the debt ceiling without a tax increase, Paul said, “There’s no evidence (based on history) that they’re trustworthy” in abiding by it.
“I have said I would vote to increase the debt ceiling,” but only with a tying in of a Balance Budget Amendment.

“I think Dodd-Frank may be worse than ObamaCare—  and I think ObamaCare is terrible.”

He heard cheers when he said, “As my father (Rep. Ron Paul) likes to say, ‘the problem is government banks.’” Paul said the regulators and bankers have too close of a relationship.

“On the national scene, the American public is with us (conservatives) and don’t want us to raise the debt ceiling,” Paul noted. “If all else fails, buy gold.” His 20-minute speech also concluded with a standing ovation.

Fort-Knox.jpg

Sen. Rand Paul wondered if there is any gold in Fort Knox (above), located in his home state of Kentucky.

Paul then fielded questions for 20 minutes, including someone asking who he would support for president. “That’s an easy one,” Paul said. His father, Ron Paul, “has been right for decade after decade” about so many issues, he said. As an example, he noted that his father had said repeatedly that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner “were precisely the problem.”

“What departments of government would you abolish,” if given the opportunity? Paul was asked.

“The shorter list would be what we’d keep,” he quipped, prompting cheers from the crowd. He then listed the departments of education, energy and commerce as top prospects to eliminate.

“We could balance the (federal) budget, just by reducing the size of government, without getting into entitlements,” Paul said.
Would he favor selling the gold in Fort Knox?

“First, we have to see if it’s there,” Paul answered. Assuming there actually is gold in Fort Knox, he said with a smile, “It’s the only thing we’ve got (as a nation) of value, so I’m not sure we should sell it.”

Paul added that Bernanke recently told his father that “he doesn’t think gold is money, or had any value,” but he noted that he and his father highly disagree with the Fed chairman on the matter, as did Bernanke’s predecessor Alan Greenspan.