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Ron Paul: The Real War On The Middle Class

GOVERNMENT POLICIES INVITING “MAJOR ECONOMIC DOWNTURN” || by RON PAUL  ||  One of the great ironies of American politics is that most politicians who talk about helping the middle class support policies that, by expanding the welfare-warfare state, are harmful to middle-class Americans.  Eliminating the welfare-warfare state would benefit middle-class Americans by freeing…

GOVERNMENT POLICIES INVITING “MAJOR ECONOMIC DOWNTURN”

ron paul|| by RON PAUL  ||  One of the great ironies of American politics is that most politicians who talk about helping the middle class support policies that, by expanding the welfare-warfare state, are harmful to middle-class Americans.  Eliminating the welfare-warfare state would benefit middle-class Americans by freeing them from exorbitant federal taxes, including the Federal Reserve’s inflation tax.

Politicians serious about helping middle-class Americans should allow individuals to opt out of Social Security and Medicare by not having to pay payroll taxes if they agree to never accept federal retirement or health care benefits.  Individuals are quite capable of meeting their own unique retirement and health care needs if the government stops forcing them into one-size-fits-all plans.

Middle-class families with college-age children would benefit if government got out of the student loan business.  Government involvement in higher education is the main reason tuition is skyrocketing and so many Americans are graduating with huge student loan debts.  College graduates entering the job market would certainly benefit if Congress stopped imposing destructive regulations and taxes on the economy.

Politicians who support an interventionist foreign policy are obviously not concerned with the harm inflicted on the middle-class populations of countries targeted for regime change.  These politicians also disregard the harm US foreign policy inflicts on Americans.  Middle- and working-class Americans, and their families, who join the military certainly suffer when they are maimed or killed fighting in unjust and unconstitutional wars.  Our interventionist foreign policy also contributes to the high tax burden imposed on middle-class Americans.

Middle-class Americans also suffer from intrusions on their liberty and privacy, such as not being able to board an airplane unless they submit to invasive and humiliating searches.  Even children and the physically disabled are not safe from the Transposition Security Administration.  These assaults are justified by the threat of terrorism, a direct result of our interventionist foreign policy that fosters hatred and resentment of Americans.

Some “military Keynesians” claim that middle-class workers benefit from jobs in the military-industrial complex.  Military Keynesians seem to think that the resources spent on militarism would disappear if the Pentagon’s budget were cut.  The truth is, if we reduced spending on militarism, those currently employed by the military-industrial complex would be able to find new jobs producing goods desired by consumers.  Even those currently employed as lobbyists for the military-industrial complex may be able to find useful work.

Few things would benefit the middle class more than ending the Federal Reserve.  The Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies erode middle-class families’ standards of living while benefiting the financial and political elites.  Middle-class Americans may gain some temporary benefits from Federal Reserve created booms, but they also suffer from the inevitable busts.

As I write this, the dollar still reigns as the world’s reserve currency.  However, there are signs that other economies are moving away from using the dollar as the reserve currency, and this trend will accelerate as the Federal Reserve continues to pump more fiat currency into the economy and as resentment toward our foreign policy grows.  Eventually, international investors will lose confidence in the US economy, the dollar will lose its reserve currency status, and the dollar bubble will burst.

These events will cause a major economic downturn that may even be worse than the Great Depression.  The main victims of this crisis will be average Americans. The only way to avoid this calamity is for the American people to force Congress to free them from the burdens of the warfare state, the welfare state, taxation, and fiat currency.

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.

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47 comments

Rocky April 27, 2015 at 9:45 am

The average effective tax rate (including federal income tax and social security is was 18% in 2011. Down from 22% in 2005 during the great years of the tax cutter Bush. And the Paul boys view, taxes are too high.

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William April 27, 2015 at 10:10 am

You are forgetting one of the most important articles of Republican faith, Lafferism..

In its original and simplest form the Laffer Theory provides; “The more you cut taxes the more money you have and if you eliminate taxes you have infinite money.”

Over the years is has been expanded and revised by Republican economists, so that in its current form it theorizes “The more you cut taxes on the wealthy, the more money you have, and if you eliminate taxes on billionaires you will have infinite money.

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FastEddy23 April 27, 2015 at 10:18 am

Both of you have had way too much common core instruction.

If taxes have really come down, who is paying for BummerCare?

And your misquote of Laffer is a real laugher. Would you say that if taxes were the maximum possible they would be infinite?

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Rocky April 27, 2015 at 11:33 am

Eddy – just going off histoirical data chart. It shows effective rates 2011 were at 18%, below the rates just 6 years earlier. That’s all. My only point is, tax burden is lower now than in 3 decades, and yet the cry is, taxes are killing us.

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FastEddy23 April 27, 2015 at 12:59 pm

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_tax#Countries_that_have_flat_tax_systems … Granted the Ukraine (and Lithuania) income tax is a Flat 15%, but Russia is and has been 13%. Except for Romania (16%), most of the former Soviet Bloc countries are between 10% and 12%.

Rocky: “… My only point is, tax burden is lower now than in 3 decades …” >> Excepting for BummerCare … and the capital gains taxes (up from 12.5%, now 20%) … and the many other tithes and tributes.

It Sort Of Works! April 27, 2015 at 2:48 pm

Well it certainly translates into massive gains in revenues, for the billionaires!

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 3:42 pm

Here we go, another partisan hack. To blindly lump Ron Paul in with the Republicans shows your incredible ignorance.

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Todd April 27, 2015 at 10:52 am

You conveniently skipped over half of the tax burden with your false figure. Add in sales, property, excise, tariffs, and of course inflation, then come back with a number. It is closer to 45% for middle income Americans.

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Rocky April 27, 2015 at 11:35 am

But we’re not talking about state and local taxes. We’re talking about federal tax rates. If you want to complain about sales taxes, exice, property, etc – it’s probably closer to 28%. And that would be on a year where maybe you purchase a car, fly a lot for vacation, and spend a lot on gas. And inflation is not a tax, even if it were, it’s running below 3%.

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FastEddy23 April 27, 2015 at 1:08 pm

If you are talking only about fed taxes, you absolutely must include Capital Gains taxes AND your Social “Security” Taxes and/or “self employment” taxes … Which drive the the real, total fed rates above 32% … EXCEPT for trial lawyers and government employees, who in some cases pay nothing at all.

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Todd April 27, 2015 at 1:25 pm

Inflation is most certainly a tax, even though your government school econ teacher told you otherwise. Purchasing power lost to you and gain by the federal government is a tax.

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Paulbot Code Monkey April 27, 2015 at 2:46 pm

if ( incometaxrate > 0 ) {

print “We need to cut taxes!”

}

else if ( incometaxrate = 0 ) {

print “We need to cut taxes!”

}

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Soft Sigh from Hell April 27, 2015 at 7:31 pm

Bingo!

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 3:39 pm

Lol, you bring up Bush, OK, so in other words you’re just a partisan hack. Ron Paul criticizes Rep as much as he does Dems, as do most RP supporters. Get out of your left/right paradigm.

Oh, and one other thing, assuming you work and own a home, how about you start to factor in all state taxes, state sales tax, state gas tax, federal gas tax, property taxes, fees, permits, etc, etc – you better believe most middle class Americans are giving away 50% of their income to the govt.

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GrandTango April 27, 2015 at 9:52 am

“W” Bush did, and tried to do EXACTLY what RonPaul claims he wants (except for the Kook-Job crap)…..yet Liberal-Tarians HATE W more than they hate the Democrats…who F*#k up EVERYTHING they control…

RonPaul is as much of the problem as Obama and Hillary…

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 3:47 pm

Buddy, you could not be more of an idiot. Bush ran up massive deficits, invaded two countries, gave us the Patriot Act, the TSA, bailed out the banks, bailed out the airlines, Medicare Part D, NCLB….the fact that you think any of that is libertarian makes you the moron of the day.

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GrandTango April 27, 2015 at 4:03 pm

Deficit increased $4 trillion under Bush, and he fought to wars, sanctioned by Congress after Clinton had neglected national security for EIGHT years… Obama’s will be $11 and he has WRECKED the economy…

You are not just an Dumb@$$…you’re a Mother-F*#king Dumb@$$…who is drunk on the Bull-S#!t the media and the DNC feeds the ignorant to control you…

On top of that, Bush’s TRUE (not fudged like Obama’s) unemployment rate was as low as 4.5%. and gas was VERY low-priced for most of Bush’s two terms, until the end, and he actually ADDRESSED the problem created by the Democrat (no drill ) Congress, and fixed it…

Dumb@$$…

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 4:10 pm

I don’t care if they were “sanctioned by Congress”, doesn’t make them right, those people in Congress are just as dirty and corrupt as Bush and Obama. Those wars were BS and cost this country enormous blood, treasure, and damage to our reputation, and continue to. As for your 4T number that is BS, not to mention Bush’s wonderful Medicare Part D is continuing to add billions every year and skyrocketing healthcare costs, and NCLB f’ed up education even worse than it was before.

Gas prices have little, to nothing to do with the Pres, and gas got up to over $4 a gallon under Bush, educate yourself.

I am no fan of Obama, let’s be clear on that, but he just picked up where Bush left off, but I expect that crap from Dems, Rep are supposed to be better, which makes them more vile when they aren’t. You are a fool blinded by partisanship, I could list the misdeeds of Bush all day, you won’t see it. People like you are why the Rep party has lost all credibility.

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GrandTango April 27, 2015 at 4:18 pm

Looks like they said ‘F*#k you,’ and did it anyway…and now we’ve ignored them again…like your Stupid @$$ advised..and ISIS, w/ Obama, has us in worse shape than you and Clinton had us…Dumb@$$….

Armies were made for IGNORANT Mother-F*#kers like you. You’re so F*#king STUPID we have to use force to slap the S#!t out of F*#king idiots….like you…I’d like to Kick your @## personally, just because you represent yourself as F*#king DOLT….

Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 4:32 pm

Like I say, you’re hopelessly partisan, this is pointless.

GrandTango April 27, 2015 at 4:54 pm

Partisan…yeah…I love my country, and my fellow-American…..and you hate it, and the people, if they are not F*#ked up, like you……

WE HAVE 92 MILLION AMERICANS OUT OF THE WORK FORCE

HALF OF COLLEGE GRADS UNEMPLOYED

50 MILLION AMERICANS ON FOOD STAMPS

18 TRILLION DOLLAR NATIONAL DEBT

MIDDLE EAST ON THE VERGE OF WWIII

And you’re blaming Bush…you F*#king IDIOT!!!!!

Hank Richter April 28, 2015 at 10:31 am

Yep, I hate America, just like I’m racist and sexist and homophobic and all that other shit you partisan hacks throw at me. Left/Right, you’re all Alinsky disciples in the end.

GrandTango April 28, 2015 at 12:18 pm

You’re just an easily led Dumb@$$…who would have nothing to say, if the media and the DNC did not feed it to you….

Hank Richter April 28, 2015 at 1:54 pm

The DNC, lol. Keep talking, you’re quite amusing.

GrandTango April 28, 2015 at 2:57 pm

You’re not…but you are pretty F*#king STUPID….

Hank Richter April 28, 2015 at 3:01 pm

That all you got?

sparklecity April 27, 2015 at 9:52 am

The old kook never even mentioned a total overhaul of the IRS
Interventionism????? – WTF?????
They hate us cause the AIN”T us——-plain and simple.
You could be like Sweden when it comes to foreign policy (which I kinda wish we were) and the ragheads would still have a hard-on to destroy us.
Ending the Federal Reserve????? yeah, right
That’s why Ron Paul and his true believers can’t be taken seriously and deserve to live in their fantasy world.

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RogueElephant April 27, 2015 at 12:35 pm

Damn, I hate to agree with you. But—-

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FastEddy23 April 27, 2015 at 12:48 pm

And how about Sweden’s government health care insurance program(s)?

Sweden has all but eliminated their welfare/socialist state inspired health care system. Old pensioners still receive it, if they want it, but private enterprise has almost entirely replaced the government taxpayer funded system … saving Swedish taxpayers billions and making Sweden the go to for the best health care in Europe.

(EU doctors and nurses are flocking to Sweden for better pay and better perks, pensions … patients for better service, better results, lower costs.)

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 3:45 pm

Yeah, because the current system is working so well right? People like you are just too dumb to see our whole economy has been based on debt for at least the past 60yrs, how much longer you think the other nations of the world are going to keep working and making products and giving them to us in exchange for paper we just printed? Then when the bubble bursts (like the housing bubble), will you go back and say Ron Paul was right? Nope, you’ll keep being a moron.

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M2000 April 27, 2015 at 10:17 am

So how come Dr. Paul and the Paulbots will not retract Mark Sanford receiving support from Dr. Paul himself being the crony Capitalist he is?

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Bible Thumper April 27, 2015 at 10:22 am

If Paul hadn’t always been like this, I would think he was going senile.
The reserve currency fanatics are as worse than the 911 truthers or the birthers because they will never be disproved. The dollar will probably always remain a major reserve currency and it wouldn’t matter much if it didn’t. They use this reserve currency meme to explain why the US economy is irrational and is just a house of cards waiting to crash. When it doesn’t, their excuse is the US dollar’s reserve currency status.

Another silly notion is that Jihadist hate us because we bomb them. –“If we didn’t bomb them they wouldn’t bother us. Then it wouldn’t be necessary to have the NSA data collection or TSA searches.”– Most Jihadist come from countries we have never bombed; Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and many Western countries. Unlike suggested by Obama administration officials they weren’t jobless either. When will Americans accept the fact that they hate us because we are FREE. American and Western culture is an alluring threat to them and they attack it. Many of them have lived very Western lifestyles at one time; bars, girls etc. Until the Muslim world finds a way to accommodate Western values with their Muslim faith they will try to destroy the West.

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Daniel Boome April 27, 2015 at 11:06 am

I don’t know that I necessarily agree that they hate us because we are “FREE”. I think that’s a bit simplistic, but I agree with the rest of this.

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TroubleBaby April 27, 2015 at 11:15 am

“When will Americans accept the fact that they hate us because we are FREE.”

Most already have, even though it’s an incredibly stupid notion.

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gary April 27, 2015 at 1:50 pm

Free? Really?

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TroubleBaby April 27, 2015 at 1:55 pm

Exactly. What metric are we using for “free”?

Everyone’s up in arms that Russia read the Black Jesus’s email, in the mean time he’s ordering drone strikes/assassination on American citizens and his agencies are reading everyone’s personal shit every day.

That’s some balls right there.

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gary April 27, 2015 at 1:57 pm

hang in there, it’s only gonna get worse. We are losing more of our freedoms every day.

Bible Thumper April 27, 2015 at 4:38 pm

Maybe the Russians hacked Hillary’s email.

TroubleBaby April 27, 2015 at 5:07 pm

Ha!

By now they probably have “something” on everyone(pols that is).

gary April 27, 2015 at 1:58 pm

What are you smoking? I want some

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Hank Richter April 27, 2015 at 3:57 pm

Oy vei, am I going to have to spend the whole day dealing with you morons? Here we go.

“” The dollar will probably always remain a major reserve currency and it wouldn’t matter much if it didn’t. “”

Right, and there was no housing bubble and Iraq had WMD’s. Nothing lasts forever, only a fool would believe what you just said.

Ron didn’t just say “because we bomb them”, he said because we intervene over there. The people who attacked us on 9/11 clearly said it was because we had bases in Saudia Arabia, the amount of meddling the US has done in the ME would take me several paragraphs to list, you are just blind.

Will there still be a few crazies, sure, but here’s what we do, take all that money and manpower we are using in the ME and put it towards actually enforcing our border and immigration laws. There is a huge ocean between us and them, they have no navy, no air force, no long range missiles, they can only get us if we let them waltz on in.

People like yourself, it amazes me how blind you are, you sit there hiding under your mommies skirt from the big bad boogeyman across the ocean, yet thousands of criminals cross our border every month, heck, there’s probably MS-13 gang members massing right in the town next to you, but you’re so busy worrying about the ME you won’t even notice till one of them slits your throat.

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Jonny Logic April 27, 2015 at 11:28 am

Accept for getting out of the regime-change business, its all a crock of poop.

The solution is as simple as getting businesses and high-earners to pay their fair share and using that money to fund healthcare and educational opportunity for everyone.

We also need to switch from incarceration to opportunity. Not only is our system unfair, it also makes much more economic sense to educate as opposed to imprison. But of course we need to be kept safe from all of those bad brown people, so that will never happen.

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MashPotato April 27, 2015 at 11:38 am

Ron seems to have given up trying to win hearts and minds. He’s just throwing the truth out there and seeing how people respond. It’s a shame that the commenters on this site can’t see the wisdom behind his words.

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gary April 27, 2015 at 1:51 pm

Thats what i was thinking

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TSIB April 27, 2015 at 12:44 pm

Go away, you old white supremacist crank.

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Anonymouseschmuck April 28, 2015 at 12:22 pm

I want to move next to Will and raise a few hogs and open a tannery. Is there a stream or a pond nearby? I don’t want to offend him by dumping pig shit and toxic chemicals over his fence?
Now that’s FREEDOM!

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