2/1/10 Ron Paul’s Texas Straight Talk: Spending Freeze Not Likely
http://www.house.gov/paul
http://CampaignForLiberty.com
Last week politicians in Washington made a few things clear about how they really feel about the state of the union. First, they are beginning to hear the growing discontent with the size and scope of government and the broken promises that keep piling up. Certain events in Massachusetts recently made that statement loud, clear and unavoidable. In the face of those events, the powers that be made the determination that some populist rhetoric was in order, and the idea of a spending freeze in Washington was proposed, albeit with several caveats. These caveats to the proposed spending freeze ensure that we are not at any real risk of actually doing anything about spending.
First of all is timing. It wouldnt go into effect until 2011, which allows plenty of time to increase spending levels quite a bit before they are frozen. If the administration really understood and cared about our spending problems they would not freeze spending a year from now, but cut spending immediately and significantly. But, spending cuts almost never happen in Washington, and they are not likely now or a year from now if the politicians have anything to say about it.
The second caveat is the huge areas of the budget that are shielded from this freeze. The entire State Department budget is exempt, as are all entitlements, all military industrial spending and almost all foreign aid. Fully 7/8 of federal spending is excluded from this freeze, and some areas to be frozen were actually set to decrease, which means a freeze actually guarantees a higher level of spending.
Especially insulting is the idea that in spite of our own fiscal problems at home, taxpayer dollars will continue to be sent overseas in the form of foreign aid where it often does more harm than good. When need is demonstrated to Americans and they can afford it, they can be counted on for a tremendous outpouring of private, voluntary charity to worthy aid organizations, as we recently saw in Haiti. By contrast, government-to-government aid is taken from the poor by force and too often enriches the corrupt. It is counterproductive and wasteful. But the idea of eliminating, freezing, or reducing foreign aid is not up for serious debate any time soon.
The third caveat is what is included in the freeze that would make it politically impossible to pass Congress, for example air traffic controllers salaries, education, farm subsidies and national parks.
I do not necessarily want a cut in spending in this country – I just want to change who does the spending. The spending should be done by the people who earn the money, if they choose, and on what they choose, without any government interference. That is what makes the economy work. Politicians should stick to the very limited roles given them by the constitution instead of allocating such a sizeable portion of our capital and intervening through regulations and tax policy. But because politicians have disregarded the constitution, and the people have no idea what rule they will break next, there is already a very real spending freeze underway in this economy, by the people. If government would stick only to what it was authorized to do, and leave the rest to the people, most of these problems would resolve themselves.
Duration : 0:3:45
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February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
lol, clever
lol, clever
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Amen
Amen
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Thank you Dr.Paul. …
Thank you Dr.Paul.
You’re our only hope.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Just imagine how …
Just imagine how much better American’s lives would be if a spending freeze would eliminate one hundred percent of any programs that operate outside the borders of the U.S. This would include foreign aid, occupations of other nations, oversea military bases and their expansion plans, and any thing else that benefits another nations. Heck this would leave our governments with a surplus that could be used to strengthen America to the point that we wouldn’t need to worry about weaker nations!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
@Sushihead20 Become …
@Sushihead20 Become active and maybe you can change it and begin this change! The more we become active in this system the more it will change. It’s when we stand Idol and let the Corruption keep growing is when we have a big problem on our hands in the Future. It’s up to all of us to get proactive in our political system! God Bless and Thanks Mr. Paul again!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
BeantownJim ,
All I …
BeantownJim ,
All I see is “TEA” Both R & D are terrified of that word.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I would be happy to …
I would be happy to as long as it doesn’t require voting for GOP. I am open to voting for Independent, Libertarian, Democrat, or any 3rd party candidate with views in line with my own. But I can’t under my own power and free will vote for a Republican without a lot of convincing and a very solid record to back it.
Ron Paul isn’t the same and I’d vote for him without hesitation. To say he’s a Republican just like the party as a whole shortchanges the idea of Dr. Paul’s movement.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
what do we expect …
what do we expect when a wolf watches over the chicken house?
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Simple. They need …
Simple. They need a swift kick out of their jobs.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
@focus21x Balls and …
@focus21x Balls and boobs, that’s where it hurts them the second most. Their purses go first. Look at their investments, they are major stock holders and investors in firms and companies that are making huge profits from their legislative bias, bail outs, etc. Hillary Clinton did the same, and just like the Martin Luther King files, hers have been sealed for decades because they could potentially harm her political career. Go figure that one. They are all crooks on both heads of the one party.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
What kind of kick …
What kind of kick you-know-where does Obama/Bernenke/Palosi need to come to their senses about mismanaging/misspending OUR money?
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I’m glad I got to …
I’m glad I got to meet both Ron and Rand this past Saturday in Louisville. Rand Paul 2010 Kentucky Senate!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
2010 will certainly …
2010 will certainly be another 2006. another party will become the majority and nothing will change aside from rhetoric. please no palin in 2012 i begging you sheep it will be worse than what we have now. i’m not saying more obama would be any better but the distraction of a new party always makes room for more stealth (again, pointing to 2006 and more so 2008).
NO MORE ZIONIST/CORPORATE/SOCIALIST SHILLS
RON PAUL FOR THE LONG HAUL
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Taxation without …
Taxation without representation. NWO is now New World Odor it smells of green. Greed factor has overtaken our nation.We the People the silent majority Stand Up and Speak out.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Really badly.
Really badly.
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Ron Paul for …
Ron Paul for president 2012. we need him badly!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I wish we could n u …
I wish we could n u k e Washington
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
clean out the house …
clean out the house nov 2010
February 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I despair of the …
I despair of the government ever letting us decide what to do with our money, our lives, even our thoughts.
We will have to fight them to keep our freedoms. No one gives power away.