Ron Paul
Lew Rockwell.com
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
This week, as the American economy continued to suffer the effects of big government, the House attempted to pass two multibillion-dollar "emergency" spending bills, one for continued spending on the war in Iraq, and one increasing spending on domestic and international welfare programs. The plan was to pass these two bills and then send them to the president as one package. Even though the House failed to pass the war-spending bill, opponents of the war should not be fooled into believing this vote signals a long-term change in policy. At the end of the day, those favoring continued military occupation of Iraq will receive every penny they are requesting and more as long as they agree to dramatically increase domestic and international welfare spending as well.
The continued War in Iraq and the constant state of emergency has allowed Congress to use these so-called "emergency" bills as a vehicle to dramatically increase spending across the board – including spending that does not meet even the most generous definition of emergency. For example, the spending proposals currently being considered by Congress provide $210 million to the Census Bureau and $4 million for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. $4.6 billion is requested for the closing of military bases, but not any of the more than 700 bases overseas – but bases here at home! Another $387 million would go to various international organizations and $850 million more just in international food aid – all this when food prices are skyrocketing here and American families are having a hard time making ends meet. Because this spending will be part of "emergency" measures, it will not count against debt ceilings, or any spending limits set by Congressional budget resolutions, and does not have to be offset in any way.
Explosive growth of government is just another tragedy of this war. The "bipartisan" compromises made in Washington are at the expense of the taxpayer, not in the interest of fiscal responsibility, or peace. The taxpayer loses and government grows.
The bottom line is that our dollar is falling, the economy is in rough shape, and government spending is wildly out of control. Congress argues over relatively minor details, instead of dramatically changing our flawed foreign policy. We need to bring our troops home, not only from Iraq and Afghanistan, but from South Korea, Germany, and the other 138 countries where we have troops stationed. Our foreign policy of interventionism is not only offensive to others, inviting further terrorist attacks, but it is ruining our economy as we tax, borrow and print the money to pay the bills of our empire. The economy and ultimately the American people suffer because Washington is refusing to adopt more sensible and constitutional policies.
Squabbling between those who favor increased welfare and those who favor increased warfare has giving the American people a temporary reprieve from having to bear the burden of yet another dramatic increase in government this week. However, as early as next week a compromise could be reached that expands both government warfare and welfare. As congressional approval ratings drop to 18% according to a recent Gallup poll, the American people are telegraphing that Congress is taking the country in the wrong direction. Our government must stop bankrupting the country so that we can get back on track to a peaceful, prosperous future.
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"Ron Paul: Obama Presidency Will Not Bring Change; All three remaining candidates "beholden to the military industrial complex"
by Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Speaking of HIllary, McCain and Obama, the Congressman said:
"There really is no choice there, they all belong to the same group, they are beholden to the military industrial complex and the medical industry, the media industry, the whole works, the banking industry.The rhetoric is different but they're all after power and there is not going to be a lot of difference."
Paul, author of Revolution: A Manifesto, Agreed that Obama offers a false "revolution" in that he speaks constantly of change but at the heart of it represents a continuation of the same political system.
"If we have an Obama Presidency we're not suddenly going to have an ethical foreign policy, the same forces will still have their control." Paul commented.
He went on to explain that the debate should not be over which of the three remaining candidates to pick, rather it should be over whether we want to continue to allow the politics they espouse to rule the roost or whether we want to change the country, restore the constitution and return to sound money.
The Congressman also explained how the Republican Party is missing a trick not inviting him to the Convention because he could in effect "neutralize some of Obama’s support."
In response to the revelations that the Congressman was a topic of concern amongst elites at the recent Trilateral Commission meeting in Washington, Dr. Paul was not surprised:
"What you're telling me explains that it isn't the Republicans running the show or the Democrats, but it's the powerful special interests, the elites who control both parties, you know the Trilateral people and others, they're the ones who are afraid of our ideas because they would be very intimidated by a gold standard or a non interventionist foreign policy where we're not policing the world."
"It's more dangerous than ever because up 'til now, for the last hundred years, they have controlled everything through economic power and the Federal Reserve, the banks and the budgetary process, but when that fails and the dollar fails and even their own system is challenged then they don't have the financial community that can hold us together." Paul said.
The Congressman spoke of the dangers of an elitist system that is beginning to lose its firm grip on the country:
"The danger is that instead of just resorting to manipulating the economy behind the scenes, all of a sudden to hold things together they have to become more authoritarian. But to me this is a tremendous opportunity because up til now the American people have been very complacent."
"If they start wanting to tax and control the internet and going after radio talk show hosts, that's when we'll be in big trouble, because fortunately we do still live in a good country and it's worth saving... as bad as things are we don't yet live in a totalitarian state, although that is what we fear and that is why we have to be alert and vigilant because if they move quickly to get rid of our ability to communicate then we're in big trouble." Paul concluded.
The Congressman also responded to the news this week that a recording of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has been discovered in which he says that another attack on America would act as a "correction" to the public's lack of enthusiasm for the neo-con agenda.
"I think that is the way they do think, I don't think they plan every event but boy when there is an opportunity do they jump at it. They had planned for a long time on the PATRIOT Act but they had to wait for the right time, they had planned for a long time to invade Iraq. They wait for opportunities, they help create them, they manipulate and do whatever is necessary." Dr. Paul stated.
Paul also spoke of the upcoming Republican National Convention, scheduled for September, stating that the most realistic thing that could happen is for the movement to have an official presence there. The Congressman does not expect to be granted a speaking engagement, but he is optimistic about the opportunity the Convention provides:
"I would say maybe the biggest thing to come of the whole thing will be a grand rally, which hopefully will get some attention because otherwise the whole convention is going to be pretty boring."
"We need to be realistic, we can't challenge the system, even if we come close to controlling a delegation, they bend the rules or break the rules or ignore the rules, and they run rough shod over you, but that doesn't mean that it should diminish our enthusiasm because what really counts are our ideas which are more powerful than all the shenanigans that they pull." Paul commented.
The Congressman also implored all his supporters to attend the rally in a dignified manner without looking for confrontation or resorting to other wild tactics.
Listen to the whole interview below:
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