Interview: Rob Panico

Jumping in Pools is continuing its interview series with its sixth installment. Our last two interviews has been with a black Republican leader, Wayne Perriman, and with former Bush speechwriter Troy Senik. A resident of Middleburgh, NY, Rob Panico is a politically astute organizer. Rob was an integral part of Schoharie County's Ron Paul 2008 campaign. A graduate of the University of Albany, Rob has graciously allowed us to interview him on his state of politics and the wider world.

1. What is the most pressing threat to the United States in the next five years? In the next twenty?

The United States government has wielded considerable influence in the world, having the ability to almost unilaterally sculpt the world order. The days of the United States government being a hegemonic "soft empire" are drawing to a close . How the nation adapts to these changes will largely define the collective threat levels faced by the population of individuals that reside within the borders of the USA. Let's keep in mind that the United States is a fictional entity and the threats that it faces to its existence are not necessarily the same as the threats faced by the individuals who are the citizens and residents of the lands under the political control of the US government.

Many more people die or are seriously injured in automobile accidents and from cardiac problems than from terrorism. Nonetheless, the government spends a disproportionate amount of money on anti-terrorism measures for a variety of reasons, but mostly to insure its own health rather than the health of its people.

The Boston Tea Party was an act of terrorism along with a whole variety of other actions committed by our terrorist founding fathers. In this day and age, a terrorist, as defined by the government, is anyone who threatens the government. We ought to be careful to not hype this threat of terrorism so much as to create a government tyranny which is a much worse threat to the life and liberty of its people. I firmly believe the USA as an idea can only fall from within. Citizens of high civic virtue must and ought to make it their duty to speak out against the loss of liberties and the violations of human rights, by ANY entity, especially including their own government. This is my definition of patriotism whereas placing your head in the sand makes a person an accomplice to injustice. Consider the citizens of Germany during the Nazi era and their level of guilt or innocence for going along with the programs and "just following orders". We must vigorously defend the 1st amendment so that the 2nd is never needed.

In terms of threats to individual residents of the nation, they are many and varied in nature. Health problems, financial distress, compartmentalization of morality according to role, and social discord are probably at the top of the list, generally speaking. Only a particular individual can fully know all of the the threats that face them personally.

The idea of the USA and the spirit which conceived it are a whole other matter. That idea is rapidly gaining in popularity again and so the future of the USA as an idea is very bright indeed. The torch grows brighter with each passing day. Sometimes, the philosophy of the the USA and its government are not synchronized. Likewise, sometimes the philosophy of the USA and the thinking of its people are also not synchronized. We have forgotten who we are as a people, and this is perhaps our greatest threat... that we roll over and submit to tyranny, having lost the memories of our forebears. It is time to stop blindly pledging allegiance to something which no longer represents that which is described in that very pledge and work to again make it so through education, community involvement, and civic virtue.

2. Much has been made about the candidacy of Ron Paul in 2007-2008. Do you feel that in 2012, a third-party candidate can achieve a large following?

Ron Paul ran for nomination as a Republican candidate. I don't believe that a third party candidate will have any chance at the presidency until reforms are made to the electoral process and third party candidates are invited to attend the debates. Sadly, the size of the following of any candidate who is not mainstream, is still heavily dependent on them being able to get their message out via mainstream media channels, especially television. While the Internet is continuing to surprise many people, it is still not capable of sparking majority support for such a candidate. So long as television favors only status quo candidates who are picked and approved by the establishment, the people will have no true representatives in their government.

3. Do you believe that the government is telling us an accurate depiction of the state of the economy?

The government consists of many different agencies. The government as a whole does not agree with itself. That said, government agencies are overwhelmingly staffed by economists from the Keynesian school of economics, which is incapable of providing solutions to this economic crisis. The treasury department, the congress, and the federal reserve system are most to blame for the current crisis but are also the primary government and quasi-government spokesmen for the economy, which doesn't bode well for the public receiving accurate information, since there is no incentive for these groups to provide it and every incentive to obfuscate it.


4. Which is more likely by 2012, hyperinflation or massive deflation?

We are primarily mired in a monetary system crisis. What happens depends on how quickly a new, stable monetary system is put in place globally. I believe we are looking at a very long, extended period of stagflation. This is where we have economic recession mixed with high inflation. Inflation will be most pronounced for all commodities, including food. Other asset class prices may actually continue to adjust downward as a result of de-leveraging of assets and defaults on debts. I'm expecting the Dow Jones to continue to move downward in price for the next few years.


5. What are some steps that folks in Schoharie County and other rural areas can undertake to insulate themselves from the overall problems facing the nation?

It is impractical, unproductive, and probably impossible to view the county as separate from the state and the nation. This is a global crisis and it will effect Schoharie as it will effect everywhere else. Local action is still important and more local organization will appear in response to a loss of services coming from higher government authorities and from loss of employment on the part of residents. Residents of the county could take the initiative in any of the following areas to improve the standard of living for all residents:
(1) Immediately curb government spending by putting pressure on elected officials and voting in more frugal officials. Press for tax cuts. Remove redundancies in government through greater efficiency. Cut waste. Become less dependent on higher government authorities for subsidies.
(2) Increase production of locally owned and operated agriculture and end dependence on GMO seeds provided by large conglomerates, such as Monsanto. Residents should plant gardens. The cannery due to open in the county soon will be a major help.
(3) Provide increased locally produced, renewable energy from biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, etc.
(4) Save money in the form of precious metals, especially silver, to protect local capital.
(5) Purchase firearms and ammunition and join the local rod and gun club.
(6) Elect a pro-liberty Sheriff who understands the constitution and will defend the rights and freedoms of county residents. Sheriffs are not intended to be merged in with higher levels of law enforcement. End cooperation between federal agencies and local law enforcement. Put an end to using prisons as a revenue source – no housing out of county prisoners.
(7) Form local co-operatives for consumers and producers. Expand farmer's markets and local distribution of goods and services. Create a co-operative health clinic.
(8) Encourage more volunteerism and local control of education. Form extracurricular home based study groups for children, which include many parents, to augment the educational experience.
(9) Expand the Schoharie County gift certificates program and provided silver backing to all notes issued. Essentially, transform them into Schoharie County specific silver certificates, issued directly by the chamber of commerce.
(10) Create local capital funds, managed by local broker-dealers, to invest in local businesses and projects. Localize financing as much as possible. Issue corporate bonds for local companies to raise money for operations and improvements.
(11) Spread all forms of knowledge that residents will need to survive and prosper as free people.


6. In the next five years, is there anything you see occuring that will be a total shock to America/the World. (ex-- technology, medical advances, terrorism, war, shortages, political shifts, etc.)

Perhaps not in the next five years, but certainly at some point in the near term future. There is actually an energy abundance in the form of renewable energy, but obsolete institutions stand in the way of fully realizing the potential of these sources. Terrorism, as we now understand it, has much to do with government policy and so will wax or wane in response to our policy directions. There is an increased likelihood of war over natural resources. There are new military technologies which the public is largely unaware of which have rendered all conventional weapons obsolete for purposes other than intervention in backward parts of the world. New cancer research, especially electro-therapy and radiotherapy will not only cure cancer but also unlock the mysteries of aging. Many of our current innovations are held back by the inefficiency of our public-private form of economic organization and a lack of political will to change it.


7.. What is the biggest threat to the Constitution?

The founders set up a system, manifest in the original constitution and its first ten amendments, which was a republic. To maintain the republican form of government, a balance was created with checks and balances. This balance has been completely thrown off over the years and we no longer have a functional republic as originally intended. Our checks and balances have largely collapsed as the state has emerged as a highly centralized, national entity which exercises federal supremacy over most of the globe, through the executive and its many agencies, and various "public-private partnerships" (corporatism). The biggest single threat to the Constitution is ignorance. Ignorance of the intent of the framers. Ignorance of their experiences and motivations. Ignorance about how similar the US government has become to the old British empire. Ignorance of history. Ignorance of the purpose and spirit of the document. A lack of understanding on the part of government officials and the general public. One can neither honor nor protect something that one does not understand. The popular idea that the Constitution is archaic, obsolete, or a living document are all highly counter-productive in this regard. Ignorance about the difference between government and people. Ignorance of politics, ethics, philosophy, history, and law among the general population. Ignorance about the monetary system. Ignorance of what is meant by terms such as democracy, republic, capitalism, socialism, corporatism, free market, liberty, and freedom are hurting the USA as an idea, a people, and a government lawfully constituted. When ignorance is replaced by knowledge and apathy replaced by conviction, we will be a constitutional republic once again.


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