The Jason Stapleton Program

If I had to pick a core theme of today's show, I'd say it's focused on the desire of some who want so badly to be considered anti-establishment that they sacrifice principle to get there. This subject came up in the private Facebook group just this morning and given the mountain of stories I have relating to Super Tuesday I thought it wise to speak on it.

Last night was a big night for Rubio, but not in a good way. His crushing defeat by Donald Trump in his home state of Florida put the final nail in the coffin of his campaign. It's been over for Rubio for a while, but I think he thought if he could squeeze out a win in Florida he could hope to limp along to the convention hoping Trump didn't have the delegates to secure the nomination.

That certainly appears to be the strategy for Kasich, who doesn't stand a prayer of being elected president. The real battle now is not between Trump and Cruz but rather between Trump and the GOP, who are likely to mount a fight at the convention to prevent him from being the parties nominee.

Today Darren and I talk about how this might play itself out. I'll admit we run off the rails a bit into fantasy, but that 's what makes it fun. Give it a listen and hear for yourself.

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What's a right anyway? Is it healthcare, education, or medical care? Or is it private property, life, liberty? In today's show we're going to tackle this topic and explain exactly what rights are, use a current day example in Detroit to debunk the myth of what rights actually are.

Detroit has been in bad shape in many ways for many years (the city being all run by progressives for most of that time), and now the school districts are having trouble paying their bills and staying in operation. The city however, has no money for a bailout. But, if education is right how can this be? How can they be denied their "rights". Very good question.

Later in the show we'll move on to Great Britain's desire to leave the EU and many countries and the EU are threatening them with all sorts of punishments if they decide to leave, this has business owners in turmoil since they've had so many priviledges this far. If they decide to leave will they increase their liberty, and move further away from tyranny and control, and gain back their sovereignty?

We talk about all that and more on today's show, don't miss it!

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Here is the speech from today's episode:

What are we doing here? What is all this about?

I came home from work last week to find my kids sitting at the table doing homework as they always do. I saw them preparing for their future and for a fleeting moment I allowed myself to question what that future might look like.

As I look across the economic and political landscape of America today, to say that I am trouble would be an understatement.

We have a government that collects more than 3 trillion dollars a year in taxes from the American people yet still manages spend nearly a billion dollars a day more than it brings in. Yet we are told the government has a revenue problem NOT a spending problem.

Congress hasn’t balanced it’s budget in 14 years. Out debt has skyrocketed over the last 16 years, from 5.6 trillion dollars to over 18 trillion. A nearly 234% increase.

Over the course of that same time, our country has been in a state of perpetual war. First in Afghanistan, then Iraq, Lybia, Syria, Yemen, and if the current trend continues, Russia, China, and North Korea.

Is this what Reagan meant when he said peace through strength? After nearly two decades of war, hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced and now flooding the borders of Europe I ask you, is this what peace looks like?

We’re told that this war is too important. We’re told that we face a tyrannical and relentless enemy who seeks the total destruction of our way of life. We’re told it’s fight them over there or fight them here. We must, we are told, defend our freedom and liberty.

But I wonder if we still know and understand the freedom and liberty intended for us by the founding fathers.

The founders of this nation pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor on a radical and seemingly impossible idea. That we have a right to be free. That government is beholden to the people, that it has no power except that granted by the people. This idea, predicated on the individual right of self-determination gave birth to the greatest nation the world has ever known. Yet what have we done with this gift?

America now finds itself in the throws of another election. On the left, a socialist and a progressive. On the right, a nationalist and populist. Each tells us they know best. We’re told we must accept in this time of trial, a greater infringement on our freedoms and the continued eroding of our constitutional liberty.

We have seen this play out over the years. On the streets of our hometowns as police are transformed from peacekeeper to enforcer. Many now look more like a military unit than law enforcement. Roaming the streets in unmarked cars, conducting military style raids in our own back yards, confiscating wealth and property with no evidence of a crime or even an accusation of wrongdoing.

We have watched our savings eroded through inflation and bad economic policy by both the federal reserve and our own Congress. We’ve seen time, and again the cycle of boom and bust brought on by poor decisions of a few self-described intellectual elite.

We suffer the continued invasion of our privacy and violation of the 4th amendment through data collection approved by our own elected representatives and overseen by secret courts deep inside the government leviathan.

Oh, these are the times that try men's souls. How I have waited for a leader. How I have longed for the spirit of our nation to be renewed and for the people to stand up and take their rightful place as captains of their own destiny. Where is our voice?

This election we are told we have a choice between left and right. In truth, there’s no such thing as left or right. As Reagan said their is only up or down. Up toward liberty and self determination or down toward totalitarianism.

I am tired of waiting for a leader. You ask me why I come here every day. I come to bring a message of liberty to a desperate nation.

Thoreau said, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

I started this, risked my business, my future, my children’s future because I was tired of being silent. No longer will I live a life of quiet desperation. This is my song.

But my voice is not enough. It requires you. And I know your reservations. You can’t fight city hall. That’s what they say. Our numbers are two small, our armies to weak. Cowards will always talk that way. I prefer the simple, elegant truth of John Adams who said, “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” Are you angry enough yet?

Together we can build a movement, and if you will join me we will stand shoulder to shoulder against the enemies of Liberty and proclaim in one voice that we will not kneel, we will not bow, we will not be silent we will be free. Will you join me? Will you carry that message with me? To your homes, your jobs, To you friend, co-workers, and relatives? Will you teach it to your children?

I just recently returned from Washington DC and while I was there, I had the chance to visit the Jefferson Memorial. A beautiful stone monument built to honor one of the greatest men of his time. And as I stood in the middle of the monument I looked up and etched in the stone around the dome were these words.

...I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

Our founders risked everything so that they and their posterity could live a life free from tyranny and oppression. And as I sat across from my little girls that day, watching them prepare for a life not yet lived I asked myself, how could I risk any less. That’s why I’m here. And I hope that’s why you’ll stay.Support the show.

Earlier this week I had Michael Pickens in the audience to join me in the studio to share with me all that he's working on.As promised here's the replay of that interview; we talk about the libertarian party and how we can reach more lovers of libert, and what he's working on at Libertarian Leadership organization to help liberty minded people get elected to local offices.We've talked on the show before about how starting local with state nullification against the federal government will be how we gain our liberty and consitution back. But, we need those in office locally to stand up in this way. Michael is doing a great thing by offering these types of services to help advanced the message of liberty.Have a great weekend everyone!Support the show.

I know I've been coy about a new partnership we've been working on these past few months, but all that ends today. At the end of today's show, I'll let you in on some of the exciting happening and a new partnership I think can catapult us into mainstre...

New video out today from the LaVoy shooting. This one from inside the vehicle. Caught on cell phones LaVoy is seen jumping out of his SUV after running off the road and yelling "Shoot me!!" to officers approaching with guns drawn.

I have said from the...

There was a democratic town hall last night, how many of you watched it? I know, not exaxtly what you want to do on a Monday night, me either! But we've got to know what our enemy says so that we can refute it.We have great ideas, as Libertarians, however we aren't competing on a battle where the best ideas always win out. It's how we communicate our message so that our ideas are heard and take root in those we aim to reach.Today, I'm going to spend time showing the faults in Bernie and Hillary's arguments, but more importantly how they re-frame the questions asked and never actually respond, and what happens when we make decisions emotionally or only based on issues, rather than principles.I think you will really benefit from this episode in promoting the message of liberty and refuting those in opposition. The realization must really occur with your audience; you can persuade and direct their thoughts so that your message takes root and causes them pause.Great show, thanks for listening!-JasonSupport the show.

Kind of a funny title given my stance on peace and tolerance but I think you're going to find my take on the subject quite refreshing. With North Korea now threatening nuclear holocaust on both the U.S. and South Korea it begs the question, "When can we take action to defend ourselves?"Some libertarians will tell you it's never ok, but I think that is a hard case to make. I certainly don't have to wait for someone to take a swing at me before I defend myself. If you tell me you're going to hit me and then raise your arms up in a fighting stance, any reasonable person will consider it justifiable for me to take preemptive action to defend myself.The real world is not as easy as theory. Each situation has its own set of circumstances that make it difficult to navigate.But what if there was a way to ensure the fight never broke out? That the bully never showed up threatening to hit you? We talk a lot about a lack of good choices brought about by previous bad decisions. Today I'm going to present an interesting way we can overthrow men like Kim Jong Un without firing a shot.There are very few problems liberty, and economic freedom cannot solve. That's what the show is about today. Enjoy.Support the show.

This episode was sparked by a couple of different forces that came together at just the right moment. The first was a discussion surrounding my recent comments about doing "bad things to bad people". The question was, "Who are the bad people and how do you rationalize a desire to hurt people with the ideas of peace and tolerance."The second was an article I read today about a group of students at the University of Pittsburgh who claimed speaker Milo Yiannopoulos was initiating violence against them by challenging their beliefs and making fun of them.So what does it mean to be tolerant? What does it mean to be peaceful? These are important questions we need to answer as libertarians. Does it mean we must be pacifists? Does it mean we should not disagree? I think you already know my answer, but I take some time today to explain it in detail.I also make a special call to all you listeners out there who want to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones so make sure you listen to that.Then we roll over into some discussions about the Republican debate, Mitt Romney's plan to steal the nomination from Trump and how one agency of the government is wasting billions of your dollars and has no plans to change.Make sure you subscribe and listen daily for news and commentary you won't hear anywhere else.JasonSupport the show.

I will admit I'm always hesitant to try and go to deep into discussions about banking and international central banking. It's partially because I know the limitations of my knowledge of the subject but more importantly, I know the limitations of your average American.But there's been so much going on in the world of banking and interest rates that I feel like I need to try and break things down. So today on the show we're going to look at everything from the risks of a eurozone collapse to the effects "do-gooder" politicians have on the banking industry.My hope is that you'll pull a few nuggets of knowledge out of the show even if you know very little about the subject.We'll also take some time and look at the debate lineup for tonight as GOP candidates once again get behind the microphones for what is sure to be nothing short of reality TV at it's best.Finally, the Clinton email investigation may be coming to a close as the staffer who set up the server was just granted immunity, a move that is likely designed to get the truth about her servers and what they were doing with them.Decent show today everyone. Give it a listen and then share it with a friend.Support the show.