Back in September we noted a peculiar RFP by the Fed which sought to become a secret 'big brother' to the social media world, and to "monitor billions of conversations and generate text analytics based on predefined criteria." The Fed's desired product should be able to "determine the sentiment of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic or document"...
"The solution must be able to gather data from the primary social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums and YouTube. It should also be able to aggregate data from various media outlets such as: CNN, WSJ, Factiva etc." Most importantly, the "Listening Platform" should be able to "Handle crisis situations, Continuously monitor conversations, and Identify and reach out to key bloggers and influencers." While it is unclear just how successful the Fed has been in eavesdropping on various critical blogs, and divining "sentiment", it now appears that the propaganda masters at the Office of Central Planning have decided to go for young American minds while they are still pliable. It appears that as part of its reenactment of Goebbels "economic education" curriculum, the Fed will now directly appeal to K 8-12 student, in which it will elucidate on the premise of "Constitutionality of a Central Bank." You know - just in case said young (and soon to be very unemployed) minds get ideas that heaven forbid, the master bank running the US is not exactly constitutional - you know, that whole thing between Andrew Jackson and the Second Bank of the United States...
And in case one is wondering what dogmatic propaganda their children will be filled with, here is the course outline.
Lesson Description
The Constitution of the United States
outlines the basic principles of the U.S. government. This lesson
focuses on the express and implied powers of Congress and the power of
the Supreme Court to decide whether a law is unconstitutional. In this
lesson, students learn about McCulloch v. Maryland, a case decided in
1819 over (1) whether the state of Maryland had the right to tax the
Second Bank of the United States and (2) whether Congress had violated
the Constitution in establishing the Bank. Students also review the
expressed powers of Congress identified in the Constitution and analyze
how Congress implements the necessary and proper (elastic) clause to
enact its expressed powers. Finally, students use their
knowledge of McCulloch v. Maryland and the necessary and proper clause
to consider the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System.
Concepts
Expressed powers
Federal Reserve Act
Fiat money
Implied powers
Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Precedent
Value of money [ZH: lol]
ObjectivesFederal Reserve Act
Fiat money
Implied powers
Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Precedent
Value of money [ZH: lol]
Students will:
- define expressed powers, implied powers, precedent, fiat money, the Federal Reserve Act, the necessary and proper (elastic) clause, and the value of money;
- cite examples of the expressed powers granted to Congress in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution;
- explain the meaning of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause;
- explain the significance of the McCulloch vs. Maryland Supreme Court case; and
- give examples of the implied powers necessary to implement various expressed powers.
