Curse You, Dr. Paul

Posted on LewRockwell.com:

Writes Christopher Branco:

Curse you, Dr. Paul! Curse you for spreading truth in a world of lies! Curse you for teaching me fiscal responsibility! Curse you for helping me understand property rights and teaching me about economics! Curse you for teaching me the importance of constitutional values and a non-interventionist foreign policy! Curse you for showing me no matter how many times we hear the word “change” from bureaucrats, we are always left with the same choices! Curse you, sir!
Before you came into my life I believed in the welfare/warfare state. I believed the government had my best interest at heart. I believed in the military might and righteous fight of the U.S. of A. I believed in the bogeymen of the world and how they wanted to hurt my family and me because America is “the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.” I believed Austrian Economics was something pertaining to a landlocked country near Germany. I believed in the almighty dollar. But most of all, I believed government knew what was best for me, my family, and friends. I was never afraid because the government would protect me in any crisis.
Now, because of you, I have learned the truth. You have caused the scales to fall from my eyes and I am afraid. Because of you and your ilk, such people as Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, and Murray Rothbard, I now understand libertarian political and social theory. Because of places such as Mises.org and LewRockwell.com, I have a better understanding of critical social, economic and environmental issues. I understand the principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money and free markets. Because of you, I have had the opportunity to take courses from the fine people at Mises Academy such as David Gordon, Thomas Woods, Thomas DiLorenzo and Robert Murphy and have learned about classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of economics. I have learned about such topics as the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, the Federal Reserve, Anti-trust laws, regulations, free trade, and what a fiat money system represents. Without you I would not have cared about any of these topics. I would not have heard any of these names or had the chance to read the fine work published by these individuals. Because of all this, I am afraid.

I am afraid because I now find myself at a crossroads in my life. Do I take the easy way out and continue to believe the lies the government tells in the name of protecting me? Do I continue to believe they can right any wrong, regulate any activity, and continue to tax me and assault my natural rights in the name of safety? Or do I choose the hard road, the path of “never relaxing in search for truth,” to quote Mises?
Curse you, Dr. Paul! Curse you for making me face my fears! Curse you for making me understand it is the hard road I must choose if I am ever to be truly free.