TEN NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR AMERICA …
|| By RON PAUL || Since New Year’s is traditionally a time for resolutions, and since the new Congress convenes this week, I thought I would suggest some New Year’s resolutions for Congress:
1) Bring the troops home — Congress should take the first, and most important, step toward ending our hyper-interventionist foreign policy by bringing our troops home and closing all overseas military facilities. The American people can no longer afford to bear the cost of empire.
2) Pass the Audit the Fed bill — The American people deserve to know the entire truth about how the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy benefits big-spending politicians and financial elites while harming average Americans.
3) Repeal the PATRIOT Act and rein in the National Security Agency — It is approaching two years since Edward Snowden revealed the extent of the NSA’s unconstitutional spying. Yet Congress still refuses to put a leash on the surveillance state. Congress should take the first step toward restoring respect for the Fourth Amendment by allowing Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act to expire.
4) Shut down the Transportation Security Administration — Treating all American air travelers as criminal suspects and subjecting them to intrusive and humiliating searches does nothing to enhance our security. Congress should shut down TSA and return responsibility for airline security to the airlines. Private businesses can effectively protect their customers and employees if the government gets out of the way.
5) End all corporate welfare — Federal programs that provide subsidies or other special benefits to politically-connected businesses cause economic inequality, distort the market, and waste taxpayer money. It also makes political and moral sense to cut welfare for the rich before cutting welfare for the poor. Congress should start dismantling the corporate welfare state by killing the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Congress should also reject legislation proposed to benefit one industry or individual, such as Sheldon Adelson’s Internet gambling ban.
6) Repeal and Replace Obamacare — Many Americans are losing their insurance while others are facing increasing health care costs because of Obamacare. Repealing Obamacare is only a first step. Congress should both repeal all federal policies that distort the health care market and restore a true free market in health care.
7) End police militarization — The killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August brought the issue of police militarization to the center of national debate. Congress must end all federal programs that provide military equipment to local police forces.
8) Shut down the Department of Education — It is no coincidence that education in America has declined as federal control over education has increased. Congress should de-fund all federal education programs and return control over education to local communities and parents.
9) Allow individuals to opt out — A positive step toward restoring a free society would be allowing individuals to opt out of Obamacare and other federal mandates. Young people should also be granted the ability to opt out of paying Social Security and Medicare taxes in exchange for agreeing to never accept Social Security and Medicare benefits.
10) Allow state governments to opt out — If Congress lacks the votes to end the war on drugs, repeal Obamacare, or roll back other unconstitutional federal programs, it should at least respect the rights of states to set their own policies in these areas. Federal prohibition of state laws nullifying Obamacare or legalizing marijuana turns the Tenth Amendment upside down.
By adopting these resolutions, Congress can make 2015 the year America begins reversing the long, slow slide toward authoritarianism, empire, national bankruptcy, and economic decline.
Ron Paul is a former U.S. Congressman from Texas and the leader of the pro-liberty, pro-free market movement in the United States. His weekly column – reprinted with permission – can be found here.
51 comments
Obama and RonPaul have just about been in LOCKSTEP policy wise….
Want to FIX America????…Kick Obama’s FAILED @$$ out of office…and NEVER Elect RonPaul to any office higher than House, if that….
The F*#king Idiots- Liberals and Liberal-Tarians- have made a f*#king mess. Now this F*#king dolt thinks we’d listen to his Stupid @$$ on how to repair all the damage he and Obama have done to our people….
Fat EFFING Chance. Get lost you ignorant creep….and take Obama with you…You deserve each other…
lol. One of the better GrandTango rants. Nonsensical, poor grammar, random capitalizations and bizarre self censoring; all there. Nice level of bile and vitriol. I give it an 8/10.
I’m noticing heavy usage of “lockstep” in his more recent posts. Must be one of Limbaugh’s new buzzwords.
I’m pretty sure O’bummer only did one thing and that was Obamacare.
Of course it was written by insiders in the health care industry and therefore modeled after Romney-care. Only an idiot would thionk Romney would have done much different. On everything else, O’bummer took Bush JR’s lead. You big government loving Republicans are so stupid.
Regards, a Libertarian.
Still an idiot, I see… or one of those paid detractors intent on maintaining the status quo. How’s it workin’ for ya?
I slapped the S#!t out of your lemming, easily led @$$…and now you feel stupid…right? LMAO…
“ignorant creep” sounds like projection. Also, verbal assault by anonymity.
#1-#5, #7, sounds great. #6 sounds great if we replace Obamacare with single payer and join the rest of the civilized world in having a non-shitty health care solution instead of the one we have now that focuses more on profits than it does healing sick people.
#8 and #9 is just retarded Mickey Mouse bullshit. #10 is determined by SCOTUS on a case-by-case basis.
Agreeing, pretty much. I would make sure #6 were followed through, too, fully and without reservation.
If ALL were acted on, hooray! … If some die on the vine, OK. …
IMOP: the important ones follow the fed money trails: #2 and #5 and #6. The rest could be handled if congress put Sunset Rules in place for ALL agencies and projects: If it doesn’t work, try something else. If the Dept. of “Education” Michelle’s lunch programs stink, throw them out.
The guy actually named his child after Ayn Rand. What an asshole thing to do to a kid.
no, I think they named him Randy or something like that, maybe Randall, but it was not Ayn Rand
Don’t interrupt the narrative, it’s annoying. Facts are unimportant.
hahaha this
Randal Howard “Rand” Paul is what Ol’Ronbo named his middle son.
True story – i used to confuse Ayn Rand with Anne Rice. When i moved to the states i couldn’t figure out why republicans were obsessed with vampires.
I didn’t connect Rand with Rice, but I, too, have been wondering why Republicans are obsessed with vampires.
Actually Rand’s given name was Randy. Idiot
Hey, how come his son Rand Paul panders to the very sort of people he claims to be against? He might well just a panderer to Jeb Bush or some other RINO like Chris Christie or Mitt Romney. After all, the Pauls met up with Mittens and his family to discuss that very sort of strategy.
Rand is friends with Mitch McConnell, a friend of Harry Reid.
Rand is nothing like his father. He’s said so himself. Rand said he isn’t a Libertarian.
Look up Jesse Benton, he use to work for Ron Paul and was accepted to be involved with Mitch McConnell until the allege corruption in Iowa started to get the best of the Pauls, and he had to leave. That’s the reason why Rand is so friendly to Mitch.
Ron Paul didn’t mind supporting Jesse Benton who use to work for him on his 2012 campaign.
Jesse Benton is going to jail and stabbed his father-in-law in the back. It’s just that siimple. Ron Paul was had by Benton and “Ron Paul Inc.”, many of whom will end up making plea deals or doing time over campaign finance and the Iowa/Bachmann/Sorenson scandal.
As I said, both father and son have affirmed that they have different viewpoints.
And yet both papa and son hired the same guy.
Benton is also married to Ron Paul’s granddaughter. Family friend indeed.
Yet, judge of character is necessary in politics?! Disappointing. There are many times that I don’t agree with Ron Paul, but always thought he was honest…and probably still do.
interesting…don’t follow this crew…
It is interesting to note that Ron Paul allowed the Islamic Republuc propaganda network PressTV to publish this article under his name on their website. This old senile man is the loon of loons and his nutty son doesn’t fall far behind.
“1) Bring the troops home …closing all overseas military facilities. The American people can no longer afford to bear the cost of empire… Yeah, because it’s much cheaper to have to re-invade the continent.
“2 – 4” – Let’s do it!
“5) End all corporate welfare – Meh, certainly some work could be done but we already have the highest taxes on industry in the free world and most major corporations pay significant taxes: http://www.forbes.com/2011/04/13/ge-exxon-walmart-apple-business-washington-corporate-taxes_slide.html
“6” – Let’s do it!
“7) End police militarization” – Yeah well maybe. letting a police department have an MRAP isn’t the same as giving them an M-1 or a Bradley Infantry Fighting vehicle. Certainly should require policemen to dress like policemen instead of SEAL wannabes but allowing them to use LRAD and similar devices makes good sense.
“8-9” – Let’s do it
Number 10 we already have, what we lack is a politician with the cajones to push it.
“Yeah, because it’s much cheaper to have to re-invade the continent.”
There’s always the chance that we could just let them stew in their own juices. Not every situation is a German domination moment.
I’d prefer we pick our noses and sit on our asses and take care of our own(both civilians and soldiers)
1) We WILL do it eventually no matter what, because we will be bankrupt, and when that time comes, havoc will be unleashed. If we execute it in a logically planned way, we can preserve security and enhance international good will.
2-4 Let’s do it!
5) He said it makes political and moral sense, but as he briefly argued, it also makes economic sense. International corporations and international banking families are in bed with government leaders which does not grease the wheels of a healthy economy, but rather greases the wheels of personal profit for a few at the sacrifice of the economy as a whole. RP is spot on here.
6) Let’s do it, but not until we have something truly well planned to replace it with. The uninsured problem that preceded it was an embarrassment, and a drag on our economy. It makes business sense that preventive care costs much less than emergency/crisis intervention. If we can keep the people healthy for the lowest investment, our economy will thrive. Some of the Nordic nations are showing the way here.
7) Hell yes, for every reason from economic efficiency to morality.
8-9 are also hell yes.
10) we USED to have but it has eroded so badly that now we have to fight hard to get it back. But we need to do that.
Ron, it will never work, it’s too logical, and we all know how the overeducated throw logic out the window, along with out freedoms.
There is no such thing as “overeducated.” The whole problem is that the voting population is severely undereducated and/or miseducated (full of propaganda pushed by social studies textbooks, etc.) If they started teaching critical thinking skills from kindergarten on, we would be much better off.
Yes, by overeducated I mean people who spend hours in classes that are not every used in their everyday life..with the internet these days, if one wants to learn something, they just need to Google it, and study it, and decide for themselves if it holds truth.
I agree with your general idea but when kids are inundated with crap by the adults they trust, it’s hard for them to clear it away and figure out for themselves if it holds truth. A few will. A few always have. I prefer to increase the percentage of independently thinking voters.
Lol you are an idiot who doesn’t even know how to spell or use proper grammar. Oh yes, Google is such a great tool to “educate” yourself. If that is what you have relied on for an education, it speaks volumes about you.
The liberal spell check trick. Nothing to do with the response the made you look like a educated idiot.
” If they started teaching critical thinking skills from kindergarten on, we would be much better off.”
You do realize that you are asking gov’t to render an edumacation that would imperil itself, right?
lol…the notion that would ever happen is pure fantasy land, Carlin knew it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILQepXUhJ98
I have several of Carlin’s routines memorized word for word already, a huge fan. I didn’t even click your link because I could probably recite this one from memory already… “at all, at all, at all!” He is spot on. He was funny but so much more than a comedian. I miss him.
Another Ron Paultard troll.
I had these ideas before I even knew who Ron Paul was. I was late to the party, didn’t even know about him until his 3rd and final attempt at the presidency. I don’t agree with him on every point but in general we see eye to eye, but I did not get the ideas from him. He did teach me a few things, particularly about the federal reserve. And I think I could teach him a few things, particularly about psychological/cultural issues. Anyway, I am nobody’s “troll”
And you show evidence of how educated you are by making insults by combining “tard” with another word. Genius.
I’m going to double up on genius & call him Tard Sassantard.
I feel the waves of genius washing over me now.
I guess communism and oppression is good? fluoride child.
This is the best list i have seen. Can’t argue with any, except to equalize education. We are really behind. However, instead of dropping Obamacare, I would say drop the whole monopoly of allopathic killer treaments which are not working and never have. Also, allow freedom of choice as to treatments. Close all foreign military bases. What a saving! Too bad that people simply desire to ridicule and contribute to solutions.
For some reason there are many who think that education must be controlled by government. The quality of education has dropped and the costs have escalated ever since the formation of the Department of Education.
And the mass dumbing down of the population has happened at the same time.
Good points. But what is the answer that education must reach and not education for the rich but not the poor? Some states have little revenue and some neighborhoods have few resources….how do we reach the children equally? As for control, I agree. My daughter reports teachers crying from frustration with common core. My bright grandson who loves to learn, reports second grade school is boring
I agree. But the answer is still not in the department of education. Public schools were not always a function of the federal government. States and local governments did much better without them.
Get the FEDs out and let free competition provide the best education as the lowest costs. Then if necessary turn to philanthropic organizations and true charitable entities.
Anything the central government gets involved in wastes everyone’s money. The issues you mention are valid and they can be addressed, but not by the Federal government.
They are not the solution. They are, in fact the problem.
Deal with the issues locally and through local governments and parents in the PTA or on school boards.
Do not fall for the myth that the Federal government is the answer to every problem.
Well, I recall when local schools were very different in the supplies they had, the teachers, they had, etc. Until the feds got involved, people of color did not have equal opportunity. So, I agree there should be local control, but how do we support equal education? Competition? if you are referring to charter schools, I heartily disagree. Some are good, some aren’t, but privitization will only support the rich…and leave the poor behind…This is disastrous for a healthy society! But i suspect we have different poltiical beliefs.
I suspect we do have different political beliefs. I am not against public schools. I am just against federal controls. I do not think they will achieve the goals you seek.
Thanks Dr. Paul, worked with you as a precinct leader in NC, moved to Washington in 2007 to help out with the RonPaulRevolution. Thank you for all you do to promote social justice. Your work in Education will revolutionize our children s learning skills and end the dumbing down of America. We are so blessed to be alive during this transition, and the beauty is, that the powers that be, don’t even know it’s happening. Keep fighting the good fight and we will see each other on the other side.
In Lak’ech Love&Peace David
I wouldn’t sign up for that entire list, but there are some good ideas there.