Podcasts

Adam Kokesh on why the internet is a game changer

GoldMoney’s Alasdair Macleod talks to Adam Kokesh who is an American activist and host of the radio show Adam Vs The Man. They discuss topics relating personal and economic liberty and how the internet could be a game changer in preserving and expanding both.

They talk about the presidential elections in the United States and especially the libertarian movement. Kokesh argues that economic freedom and personal freedom are indivisible. While his motivation for being an activist is rooted more in the morality and philosophy of liberty and personal freedom, he also talks about the Austrian school of economics and points to the fact that economics goes far beyond the “monetised economy”.

Assessing the current state of the US economy Kokesh points to the unemployment problem which is getting increasingly worse even when looking at the government reports which tend to underestimate the real picture. However they also talk about a growing black market which is not being represented in official statistics about GDP. He states that more intrusion into privacy by the state will not prevent the current economic system from its inevitable collapse.

Finally they talk about the declining value of the US dollar and the possible showdown between sound money proponents and fiat currency proponents. Kokesh believes that the internet will help the emergence of alternative currencies. Bitcoin or “dime cards” are recent examples for this. Personally Kokesh doesn’t hold any savings in cash or in digital instruments. Rather he owns gold and silver in physical form to be protected from a freeze of assets. He doesn’t think that a gold confiscation is very unlikely in the presence of the internet.

This podcast was recorded on 13 September 2012.