NGOs and Political Corruption: How Libertarianism Can Save America

On August 17, 2022, Kim Monson explored two interconnected threats to American liberty: the shadowy world of non-governmental organizations that funnel billions into political influence, and the expanding federal government that increasingly controls every aspect of citizens’ lives. Dr. Jill Vecchio, radiologist and policy researcher, and Dr. Murray Sabrin, professor emeritus of finance and former gubernatorial candidate, offered insights into understanding and combating these forces.

The Dark Side of Non-Governmental Organizations

Start listening at 30:00 – Hour 1

Jill Vecchio breaks down the 1.5 million NGOs operating in the United States, explaining how the term “nonprofit” masks a much more complex and potentially dangerous reality. Many organizations classified as nonprofits pay executives substantial salaries while receiving massive government grants funded by taxpayers. Vecchio details how foreign NGOs can legally operate in America, accepting money from foreign governments to influence elections, lobby Congress, and shape public policy.

The Open Society Foundation, founded by George Soros in 1993, exemplifies the scale of these operations. Vecchio notes that Soros transferred $18 billion to the foundation in 2017 alone, raising questions about the origins of such vast sums. The foundation distributes grants to thousands of organizations worldwide, including, Vecchio discovered, over $200,000 to the African Sex Workers Alliance.

“We don’t know where it’s coming from. We don’t know where it’s been. And it’s coming through these huge foundations, Bill and Melinda Gates, Buffett Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Open Society Foundation. And our government, our tax money is probably going to fund a whole bunch of this stuff.”

Jill Vecchio, Radiologist and Policy Researcher

Libertarian Principles as the Path Forward

Start listening at 72:00 – Hour 2

Murray Sabrin argues that libertarianism offers America’s best hope for reversing decades of government expansion. The son of Holocaust survivors who arrived in America in 1949 and became a citizen at age 12, Sabrin has witnessed the transformation of the country from a relatively limited government in the 1950s to today’s welfare-warfare state. He points to the 16th Amendment, which authorized the federal income tax in 1913, as a pivotal moment that enabled unlimited government growth.

Sabrin advocates for repealing the 16th Amendment and ending the Federal Reserve’s manipulation of interest rates and money supply. He notes that despite 8% inflation, Americans earn only 1-2% interest on savings, representing a 6% annual loss in purchasing power. The professor emeritus observes that people are voting with their feet, moving from high-tax states to Florida where there is no state income tax and Governor DeSantis has kept the economy open.

“To compel a man to furnish funds to the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. That really sums up America today, is that the federal government is just spending money on things a lot of people don’t believe in.”

Murray Sabrin, Professor Emeritus of Finance, Ramapo College

Current Events Highlight the Problem

Start listening at 5:00 – Hour 1

Kim Monson and Producer Steve discuss the day’s major political developments. Liz Cheney’s decisive defeat in the Wyoming primary by Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman signals voters’ rejection of establishment Republicans who prioritized personal vendettas over constituents’ interests. Senator Rand Paul’s tweet captured the sentiment: “Few people in Washington have been as wrong and damaging on foreign policy as Liz Cheney.”

The FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago draws comparisons to Cold War-era security services. Victor Davis Hanson’s assessment that “the FBI is dissolving before our eyes into a rogue security service” underscores concerns about politicized federal agencies. Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, with its authorization of 87,000 new IRS agents, further illustrates the expanding reach of federal power into citizens’ lives.