Congress Must Reject the Welfare/Warfare State
by Ron Paul
During the past few weeks, Congress has been locked in a battle to pass a continuing resolution to fund government operations through September. Both supporters and opponents of the bill, HR 1, claim it is a serious attempt to reduce federal spending. However, an examination of the details of the bill call that claim into question. For one thing, the oft-cited assertion that HR 1 reduces spending by $99 billion is misleading. The $99 billion figure merely represents the amount that HR 1 reduces spending from the President’s proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget – not reductions in actual spending. Trying to claim credit for a reduction in spending based on cuts in proposed spending is like claiming someone is following a diet because he had only five slices of pizza when he intended to have 10 slices!
In fact, HR 1 only reduces real federal spending by $66 billion compared to last year’s budget. This may seem like a lot to the average American but in the context of an overwhelming trillion-dollar budget and a national debt that could exceed 100 percent of GNP in September, it is barely a drop in the bucket.
One reason that HR 1 does not cut spending enough is that too many fiscal conservatives continue to embrace the fallacy that we can balance the budget without reducing spending on militarism. Until Congress realizes the folly of spending trillions pretending to impose democracy on the world we will never be able to seriously reduce spending.
Congress must not only reject the warfare state, it must also reject the welfare state. HR 1 is more aggressive in ending domestic spending than foreign spending, and does zero out some objectionable federal programs such as AmeriCorps. However, HR 1 leaves most of the current functions of the federal government undisturbed. This bill thus continues the delusion that we can have a fiscally responsible and efficient welfare state.
The failure to even attempt to address the serious threat the welfare-warfare state poses to American liberty and prosperity is the main reason why supporters of limited government and individual liberty ultimately should find HR 1 unsatisfactory. Only a rejection of the view that Congress can run the economy, run our lives, and run the world will allow us to make the spending reductions necessary to avert a serious financial crisis. This does not mean we should not prioritize and discuss how to gradually transition away from the welfare state in a manner that does not harm those currently relying on these programs. However, we must go beyond balancing the budget to transitioning back to a free society, and that means eventually placing responsibility for social welfare back in the hands of individuals and private institutions.
Despite the overheated rhetoric heard during the debate, HR 1 is a diversion from the difficult task of restoring constitutional government and a free economy and society. It is time for Congress to get serious about cutting spending, not merely tinkering around the edges of the proposed budget and kicking the can down the road for future generations. If we fail to act decisively now, there will soon come a time when both our money and our capacity to borrow will run out. When that happens, our ability to negotiate and play political games with spending priorities will be over. To avoid real chaos, the time to start dealing with our bloated government budget is right now.
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Zionist jew Bernkanke controls the fed!
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there’s one globalist for 243 freedom lovers
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there’s one globalist for 243 freedom lovers
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“non verb unconstitutional” – Ron Paul
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I agree
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I believe that Mr. Paul would do himself a favor in explaining what he means by “welfare.” Both AFDC and General Assistance has been gone for 15 years now. However, massive annual corporate tax cuts continue to be the biggest welfare program, far exceeding our former basic aid (for Americans) programs, and it is still going strong. Welfare for the poor provided enough financial stability so that over 80% of recipient households were able to get back into the workforce in under 5 years. In reality, that is a stunningly successful social agenda. Unfortunately, most of the billions of dollars that have gone into corporate tax “relief” have been used to cover the costs of exporting our jobs, pushing the US deeper into poverty, falling further nd further behind the modern nations in virtually every respect.
Besides that, I found Mr. Paul’s comments on the Dylan Rattigan show, based on the welfare/warfare motto, puzzling. If I understood correctly, he said that American people need to prove that they are good, hard workers before businesses start creating jobs…which is rather difficult when there are no jobs available to be able to prove this.
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Social welfare programs would not be required if this was not a slave society. People are forbidden from opting out of the exploitative currency system – forbidden from living on the land they were born on. In such a system it is immoral to chuck out on the street those who refuse to participate – for the land is held hostage. Everyone who has a job is functioning as a slave.But morality is turned upside down and such people are praised as the “productive” members of the society. its evil.
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Labeling a “cut” from “hypothetical” (proposed) spending as saving is a fraud. It should be regarded as criminal fraud. At least impeachable.
Washington is completely insane. That should be their defense at their trial.
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Labeling a “cut” from “hypothetical” (proposed) spending as saving is a fraud. It should be regarded as criminal fraud. At least impeachable.
Washington is completely insane. That should be their defense at their trial.
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Temporary welfare is fine, but lifelong welfare? Either have a real problem or get a job.
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What about corporate welfare? Why did Ron Paul vote against ending subsidies to oil companies yesterday?
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i do not know…but, perhaps the oil subsidies were part of a bigger bill that can cloud any vote…
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Too many people abuse government assistance but there should be something. There was a reason why most western countries installed a welfare system in the first place. In Britain the BNP wants to stop abuse of the system not the system itself.
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Run Dr., Run!!!!!!!
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Ron is totally right about the constitution. He’s what america was about from the beginning. FINALLY someone who can expain the problem we’re facing in daily life.
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How is he radical? Because he wants people to help themselves and not freeload off of a government that isn’t even supposed to have as much power as it does?
Read this country’s TRUE history, then listen to what he has to say. It’ll make sense then.
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Why does DK want our guns and bullets ?
UFO he saw in valley would like to see USA disarmed.
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They are required to work to get money. Therefore, it is state sponsored slavery. Slavery has been outlawed by the constitution of the United States and slavery is illegal according to my state constitution.
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What is your opinion on Property Tax vs the 13th amendment?
Let’s say you own your property. You don’t want to work. You want to live off your land. The states and local governments have implements property taxes that you have to pay or your land will be taken. How does one get money to pay these taxes?
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so is he confirmed to be running for 2012 yet or what?
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Replacing politicians in government is equivalent to rearranging the deck furniture on the Titanic!!! The inevitable WILL happen.
No, you either completely replace the world’s Fiat Economy or kiss it all goodbye. “It is ALL about the world’s economy. Competing currencies will allow the choice needed to eliminate the bad currency through free market enterprise. Without it we will continue to all be slaves to the Elite that actually rule this world. Change the money or kiss it goodbye.
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GOD BLESS YOU Congressman PAUL !!
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Please kick the necons ass in the primaries, run and go along with Dennis Kuchnich. We need balance in this country, not bullshit. Greetings, from the far-left
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Welfare not warfare.
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Please let us all get real here on this subject. First, people ‘paid into social security’ and the Congress spent that money lavishly and foolishly. Second, 46 states are facing bankruptcy because the U.S. Federal gov. has taken all the peoples’ money!! Here in WA we want the military/defense industries to retool for green products and stop asking the Federal Government for money for ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction.’ Our grassroots movement is called l..Bring the Billion$ Home. The ‘power’ and ‘influence’ of the corporations of the Military/Industrial Complex is the core/ root problem here. Our Congressmen are whimps…they TAKE campaign funds from corporations and they could still Vote For The People, and be righteous like Ron Paul, but they do not. We must DEMAND of CONGRESS to stop the 700 Billion yearly Pentagon spending and return the money to the people.
Mary Hath Spokane, alias Lady Liberty
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It’s sad to see how America is so close and yet so far from getting on the right track. There’s a willing, enthusiastic, realistic, and patriotic American politician that wants the republic to regain it’s former glory.
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I bet you he will.
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I bet you he will.
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When people say Self governance and Limited Constitutional Government is radical, then its time for a radical change
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Two of the best websites on the web
http://neithercorp.us/
http://losthorizons.com/
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A hundred billion dollar cut, even if it were real, would be 15 times too small to balance the budget.
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RU PAUL for president 2012!!!
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He’s NOT going to run!
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Donald Trump already said that hes not getting the Builerberg group 100 mill support. If “sheeple” voted Bush for a second term they will vote Obama for a second term. Ron Paul is so radical its kinda scary but, legalize pot; he’s got my vote!
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love you mr.ron paul please run for president of the united states in 2012 i will do everything in my power to get your message out, and if you run and win please use regular american citizens for your protection and security,as every evil agency will try to take you out like they did kennedy,and tried to do to regan,i find it interesting that bush sr. can be linked to both the assasination of kennedy and the attempt on regan,i pray people wake up and demand the truth to whats really going on..
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Govern Mentalists gone wild has to stop before more killings happen
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