I know there are many who sincerely believe in a United States where the government takes care of you from cradle to grave. I disagree with you, but I understand why you feel the way you do and this article is not designed as an assault against your world-view.
I'm speaking to every voter who has a personal or family budget to manage. The more debates I watch, the more I research the candidate's positions, the more papers I read that completely and purposefully delete any mention of Ron Paul, the more frustrated with my fellow so-called conservatives I become.
I didn't start out liking Ron Paul. In fact, the first article I wrote on him was "Now is NOT the Time for Ron Paul". I saw him, at best as a potential spoiler in the general election if he went 3rd party, and at best, a humorous diversion in an otherwise lack-luster field of candidates.
But the more you really compare him to the other candidates and to the news of the day, he is really the only one who it makes sense to elect President.
Before thousands of mice start clicking the DIGG "Bury" button in abject horror, hear me out.
Lets look at the overall health of America today. Not the polarizing factors like Illegal Immigration, Social Security, Healthcare....just the overall FINANCIAL health of America as a nation.
We've got to be honest: we're broke. We're worse than broke, we've got the largest deficit we ever had and it's growing. The dollar is worth less and less against the Euro, the Yen, and every other major foreign currency. We are spending more than we can tax.
Congressional Earmarks had the lime-light shined on them this campaign. Money....OUR money..intentionally thrown into a big pile where individual congressmen and senators can divert them to what I'm sure they believe are worthy causes in their district or state.
Personally, I'm out of work right now, my Unemployment Insurance has run out, and we can barely afford the health insurance premiums let alone the $1000 deductible if we have to use it.
I'm speaking to every voter who has a personal or family budget to manage. The more debates I watch, the more I research the candidate's positions, the more papers I read that completely and purposefully delete any mention of Ron Paul, the more frustrated with my fellow so-called conservatives I become.
I didn't start out liking Ron Paul. In fact, the first article I wrote on him was "Now is NOT the Time for Ron Paul". I saw him, at best as a potential spoiler in the general election if he went 3rd party, and at best, a humorous diversion in an otherwise lack-luster field of candidates.
But the more you really compare him to the other candidates and to the news of the day, he is really the only one who it makes sense to elect President.
Before thousands of mice start clicking the DIGG "Bury" button in abject horror, hear me out.
Lets look at the overall health of America today. Not the polarizing factors like Illegal Immigration, Social Security, Healthcare....just the overall FINANCIAL health of America as a nation.
We've got to be honest: we're broke. We're worse than broke, we've got the largest deficit we ever had and it's growing. The dollar is worth less and less against the Euro, the Yen, and every other major foreign currency. We are spending more than we can tax.
Congressional Earmarks had the lime-light shined on them this campaign. Money....OUR money..intentionally thrown into a big pile where individual congressmen and senators can divert them to what I'm sure they believe are worthy causes in their district or state.
Personally, I'm out of work right now, my Unemployment Insurance has run out, and we can barely afford the health insurance premiums let alone the $1000 deductible if we have to use it.
I'm in debt like I've never been and my prospects are still not good. I live in Texas, can't afford to move if I wanted to, and my skills are just not in demand here.
It would be great if the government paid my health insurance, gave me a reasonable stipend to live on, sent me back to college, and fixed my cracked foundation so I could sell my house. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY or the responsibility! This is not Dubai where every citizen gets $75K a year just for being a citizen AND a free college education. WE ARE BROKE AS A NATION.
There are a lot of nice things the government could do if we let it. We could even supply cradle to grave support for everyone, legal and illegal too......except we can't afford it.
We're a nation living like me: on credit cards. Families every day make decisions like whether or not to purchase a new car or take a vacation, or buy food. Some live responsibly within their means and deny themselves that new BMW in favor of a lesser car. Others buy the BMW because they make enough to pay for it, while a lot of Americans buy the BMW hoping they can juggle the bills to make the payments.
It's time to face the fact that America can not afford to do a lot of things anymore. And a lot of them are good things. In Texas, where we seem to vote yes as a state for every bond issue that comes along, we recently approved $3 Billion for cancer research. My two grandfathers died of cancer. No one likes cancer. But paying out $3BB for something that is really up to the evil drug companies we accuse of overcharging us....it's a luxury we can't afford. Better they had spent nothing OR put it towards a nuclear power plant which would benefit all Texans.
America is the family that's home is worth less than what they owe on it, have maxed out their existing credit cards, and instead of cutting the cable tv, the dinners out, the newest gadgets and the most fashionable clothes, they just apply for more credit cards. The interest rate is higher because their credit rating is lower, but who cares: got to have that new cell phone.
And then one day we reach the tipping point where we can't afford all the payments anymore and start defaulting and paying late. The credit card companies see this and not only cut you off from new cards, but double the rates on all your existing cards and your payments go even higher.......and you can't afford them and now you're getting scared. America starts wars in places we have no business being and we spend even more. Then the cap comes off the mortgage and we have to start selling our country to the Chinese, the Europeans, and anyone else who wants in on the biggest estate sale in the history of the planet. In the end, it's unsustainable, and like the British and the French and the Spanish before us, our empire crumbles and we sink back into 2nd world status. Is that what we want for our future? Our children's and grandchildren's future?
Ron Paul is the only candidate from either party saying we can't afford a world-spanning empire anymore. As much as our hearts may go out to people, we can't afford to police the world. With the Baby Boomers (I am one) hitting retirement, we have a social security systems that can't afford to pay the bills. On my last letter from social security showing what I would make if I retired at different ages, they noted that after 2011, those payments could be reduced 35% due to lack of funds.
The conventional political solution? Keep pushing back the retirement date, tell the seniors to keep working, and hope they die before Social Security has to pay out any benefits. I guess they forgot to clue Big Business in on that, because despite the laws, age discrimination is a fact of life in the real world. Even in government: The FDIC, which is quasi-government, is the subject of a class action suit because the Board allegedly decided to push out anyone over 50 so they wouldn't have to pay pensions.
I've been a hawk all my life. I served in the military because I thought it was the right thing to do. But in 2008, do we REALLY need military bases in Europe? I don't think the Nazi Party is making a come-back and the hated (by me) French have their own nukes to defend themselves with. Do we need a massive "embassy" the size of Vatican City in Iraq? And one, apparently with defective sprinkler and fire suppressant equipment?
We spend more on "Defense" than the rest of the world combined. They laugh at us, the UN directs us, and the rest of the world spends their money on their own countries and token military forces. Why not? The USA will ride to the rescue and not even send them a bill.
How much free oil did the Kuwaitis send us after Gulf War 1? How much free oil are we getting from Iraq to repay the hundreds of billions we've spent on "freeing them"? How much does the South Korean government pay for the 50,000 troops we have separating them from North Korea.....for the last 50 years? Nothing, Nothing, Nothing.
And meanwhile at home, the collection agencies are calling America non-stop; we're one step away from being foreclosed on......and every candidate BUT Ron Paul talks about spending more and more money. "We must cut spending....and I'm in favor of Universal Healthcare" or "I'm in favor of increasing our 'investment' in Education". It's as though they're wearing blinders or are so afraid of facing reality, that they're running on denial through spending. Not one of them can see that we are running like lemmings off a cliff, and if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, it definitely will in our children's lifetime. Enough is enough. America is broke and broken. And no one will acknowledge it except Ron Paul.
The Dallas Morning News drives me crazy down here. They do political article after political article mentioning EVERY candidate who got more than 12 votes......except Ron Paul. They did an article today on the internet revolution in politics and used Barack Obama as its example! Ron Paul was not mentioned once. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that the political internet revolution revolved around HIM! Yet not one mention from the Dallas Morning News or I'll bet in many of your hometown newspapers.
Why? Because he makes us look at America the way we ARE, not the way we PERCEIVE ourself to be. We as a nation are headed to bankruptcy and no one wants to face that....except Ron Paul.
I don't agree with all Dr. Paul's policies, but I also remember (I hope they still teach it in schools today) that there are THREE CO-EQUAL branches of government. There are intentional checks and balances. Dr. Paul will be able to accomplish a lot with Presidential powers, but there is Congress and the Supreme Court to reign him in.
One thing he can do as Commander in Chief is not to involve us in ANY wars or conflicts not specifically declared by Congress. As he is fond of saying, our last declared war was WWII and we haven't won a single non-declared one since. Personally, I think we did win Gulf War I but that's just me.
He can re-deploy our forces from overseas to the continental US. Doesn't your heart go out to all the families of National Guard troops who thought they were signing up as the military of last resort and now are on 12-18 month tours? Bring them home.
Israel? They have enough nuclear weapons to turn most of the Middle East into a sheet of radioactive glass, and make no mistake, if they are attacked and backed into a corner with no exit, they will do just that. And the Arab States know it.
Japan? Can't they defend themselves yet? How much have they paid us for being their military for the last 50 years? Nothing.
Taiwan? Is it really any of our business how they and the Chinese solve their issue? The British, once a great military power, gave back Hong Kong. Life goes on.
We ignored the Sudan and Danfur yet we couldn't ignore Yugoslavia?
Americans are a compassionate people but sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. The forest in this case is the financial survival of the United States of America. And no one but Ron Paul seems to get that.
This nation was founded on the principle of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". What kind of life can we have as a second-rate nation? How much more liberty will we give away in the name of security? The pursuit of happiness was never intended as a guarantee everyone would BE happy.....just that they would have the freedom to pursue it. Me, I'm miserable right now but I don't blame America or expect America to bail me out. How many others will be in my boat if the country goes under financially? We're already seeing the word "Recession" in the media. They're not reporting: they're trying to prepare us for what is yet to come. Notice they waited until after Christmas so as not to be blamed in dampening 4th quarter consumer confidence.
The arrogance of the media in only telling us what they think we can handle, or to steer us in a direction THEY want us to go. But that's for another article. They obviously don't want to "upset the ship" by giving Ron Paul the attention he DESERVES based on the votes he's gotten and the money he's raised.
History demonstrates over and over (do they still teach REAL history in schools?) that at certain crucial junctions, a person will rise to the occasion and do great good. I am convinced finally that Ron Paul is that individual, that America's survival hangs on this election, and NONE of the other cardboard cut-outs running for President can save this nation. Dr. Paul is 71. We need him NOW, not in 8 years.
Look at America's Financial State the same way you should look at your family's. Then go to the website of the candidate you are currently supporting. Does THEIR policy make the problem better or worse? Does it start SOLVING the problem, or just push it off to the NEXT President. America, we are in a Financial CRISIS. For that reason alone, you MUST vote for Ron Paul to be the next President of the United States. Wake up and face our reality. Christmas is over and it's time to pay the bills.
It would be great if the government paid my health insurance, gave me a reasonable stipend to live on, sent me back to college, and fixed my cracked foundation so I could sell my house. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY or the responsibility! This is not Dubai where every citizen gets $75K a year just for being a citizen AND a free college education. WE ARE BROKE AS A NATION.
There are a lot of nice things the government could do if we let it. We could even supply cradle to grave support for everyone, legal and illegal too......except we can't afford it.
We're a nation living like me: on credit cards. Families every day make decisions like whether or not to purchase a new car or take a vacation, or buy food. Some live responsibly within their means and deny themselves that new BMW in favor of a lesser car. Others buy the BMW because they make enough to pay for it, while a lot of Americans buy the BMW hoping they can juggle the bills to make the payments.
It's time to face the fact that America can not afford to do a lot of things anymore. And a lot of them are good things. In Texas, where we seem to vote yes as a state for every bond issue that comes along, we recently approved $3 Billion for cancer research. My two grandfathers died of cancer. No one likes cancer. But paying out $3BB for something that is really up to the evil drug companies we accuse of overcharging us....it's a luxury we can't afford. Better they had spent nothing OR put it towards a nuclear power plant which would benefit all Texans.
America is the family that's home is worth less than what they owe on it, have maxed out their existing credit cards, and instead of cutting the cable tv, the dinners out, the newest gadgets and the most fashionable clothes, they just apply for more credit cards. The interest rate is higher because their credit rating is lower, but who cares: got to have that new cell phone.
And then one day we reach the tipping point where we can't afford all the payments anymore and start defaulting and paying late. The credit card companies see this and not only cut you off from new cards, but double the rates on all your existing cards and your payments go even higher.......and you can't afford them and now you're getting scared. America starts wars in places we have no business being and we spend even more. Then the cap comes off the mortgage and we have to start selling our country to the Chinese, the Europeans, and anyone else who wants in on the biggest estate sale in the history of the planet. In the end, it's unsustainable, and like the British and the French and the Spanish before us, our empire crumbles and we sink back into 2nd world status. Is that what we want for our future? Our children's and grandchildren's future?
Ron Paul is the only candidate from either party saying we can't afford a world-spanning empire anymore. As much as our hearts may go out to people, we can't afford to police the world. With the Baby Boomers (I am one) hitting retirement, we have a social security systems that can't afford to pay the bills. On my last letter from social security showing what I would make if I retired at different ages, they noted that after 2011, those payments could be reduced 35% due to lack of funds.
The conventional political solution? Keep pushing back the retirement date, tell the seniors to keep working, and hope they die before Social Security has to pay out any benefits. I guess they forgot to clue Big Business in on that, because despite the laws, age discrimination is a fact of life in the real world. Even in government: The FDIC, which is quasi-government, is the subject of a class action suit because the Board allegedly decided to push out anyone over 50 so they wouldn't have to pay pensions.
I've been a hawk all my life. I served in the military because I thought it was the right thing to do. But in 2008, do we REALLY need military bases in Europe? I don't think the Nazi Party is making a come-back and the hated (by me) French have their own nukes to defend themselves with. Do we need a massive "embassy" the size of Vatican City in Iraq? And one, apparently with defective sprinkler and fire suppressant equipment?
We spend more on "Defense" than the rest of the world combined. They laugh at us, the UN directs us, and the rest of the world spends their money on their own countries and token military forces. Why not? The USA will ride to the rescue and not even send them a bill.
How much free oil did the Kuwaitis send us after Gulf War 1? How much free oil are we getting from Iraq to repay the hundreds of billions we've spent on "freeing them"? How much does the South Korean government pay for the 50,000 troops we have separating them from North Korea.....for the last 50 years? Nothing, Nothing, Nothing.
And meanwhile at home, the collection agencies are calling America non-stop; we're one step away from being foreclosed on......and every candidate BUT Ron Paul talks about spending more and more money. "We must cut spending....and I'm in favor of Universal Healthcare" or "I'm in favor of increasing our 'investment' in Education". It's as though they're wearing blinders or are so afraid of facing reality, that they're running on denial through spending. Not one of them can see that we are running like lemmings off a cliff, and if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, it definitely will in our children's lifetime. Enough is enough. America is broke and broken. And no one will acknowledge it except Ron Paul.
The Dallas Morning News drives me crazy down here. They do political article after political article mentioning EVERY candidate who got more than 12 votes......except Ron Paul. They did an article today on the internet revolution in politics and used Barack Obama as its example! Ron Paul was not mentioned once. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that the political internet revolution revolved around HIM! Yet not one mention from the Dallas Morning News or I'll bet in many of your hometown newspapers.
Why? Because he makes us look at America the way we ARE, not the way we PERCEIVE ourself to be. We as a nation are headed to bankruptcy and no one wants to face that....except Ron Paul.
I don't agree with all Dr. Paul's policies, but I also remember (I hope they still teach it in schools today) that there are THREE CO-EQUAL branches of government. There are intentional checks and balances. Dr. Paul will be able to accomplish a lot with Presidential powers, but there is Congress and the Supreme Court to reign him in.
One thing he can do as Commander in Chief is not to involve us in ANY wars or conflicts not specifically declared by Congress. As he is fond of saying, our last declared war was WWII and we haven't won a single non-declared one since. Personally, I think we did win Gulf War I but that's just me.
He can re-deploy our forces from overseas to the continental US. Doesn't your heart go out to all the families of National Guard troops who thought they were signing up as the military of last resort and now are on 12-18 month tours? Bring them home.
Israel? They have enough nuclear weapons to turn most of the Middle East into a sheet of radioactive glass, and make no mistake, if they are attacked and backed into a corner with no exit, they will do just that. And the Arab States know it.
Japan? Can't they defend themselves yet? How much have they paid us for being their military for the last 50 years? Nothing.
Taiwan? Is it really any of our business how they and the Chinese solve their issue? The British, once a great military power, gave back Hong Kong. Life goes on.
We ignored the Sudan and Danfur yet we couldn't ignore Yugoslavia?
Americans are a compassionate people but sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. The forest in this case is the financial survival of the United States of America. And no one but Ron Paul seems to get that.
This nation was founded on the principle of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". What kind of life can we have as a second-rate nation? How much more liberty will we give away in the name of security? The pursuit of happiness was never intended as a guarantee everyone would BE happy.....just that they would have the freedom to pursue it. Me, I'm miserable right now but I don't blame America or expect America to bail me out. How many others will be in my boat if the country goes under financially? We're already seeing the word "Recession" in the media. They're not reporting: they're trying to prepare us for what is yet to come. Notice they waited until after Christmas so as not to be blamed in dampening 4th quarter consumer confidence.
The arrogance of the media in only telling us what they think we can handle, or to steer us in a direction THEY want us to go. But that's for another article. They obviously don't want to "upset the ship" by giving Ron Paul the attention he DESERVES based on the votes he's gotten and the money he's raised.
History demonstrates over and over (do they still teach REAL history in schools?) that at certain crucial junctions, a person will rise to the occasion and do great good. I am convinced finally that Ron Paul is that individual, that America's survival hangs on this election, and NONE of the other cardboard cut-outs running for President can save this nation. Dr. Paul is 71. We need him NOW, not in 8 years.
Look at America's Financial State the same way you should look at your family's. Then go to the website of the candidate you are currently supporting. Does THEIR policy make the problem better or worse? Does it start SOLVING the problem, or just push it off to the NEXT President. America, we are in a Financial CRISIS. For that reason alone, you MUST vote for Ron Paul to be the next President of the United States. Wake up and face our reality. Christmas is over and it's time to pay the bills.
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12 comments:
there is no such thing as government taking care of someone from cradle to grave. It is money confiscated from productive people that takes care of these people.
Great synopsis.
Only one comment needs correction: "We spend more on 'Defense' than most of the world combined." This should be "more than ALL the world combined." This fact is disgusting.
I cannot cannot understand how anyone could support any of the other candidates.
Ron Paul 2008 !!
What a wonderful article! Thank you! Yes to Ron Paul
I believe that Dr. Paul is not the presidential Front Runner mostly because he has never managed to get people to listen to the very simple points you are making in your post.
Let's be honest here, the main reason for this is that Dr.Paul has done a terrible job of conveying this message. His ads make him look like yet another politician, his interviews and debates are hit or miss with plenty of "miss" highlights for the repeat reels and the thousands of supporters who "get" his points have alienated just about everybody they could (with the best of intentions)
How exactly do you expect the average voter to get the very simple facts stated in your blog if Dr.Paul doesn't tell them?
Great article!
Incredible piece. Thank you for this.
Thanks for the fact-check, T. I'll make the correction.
As of today, 112 DIGGS and 77 more comments (some of them ugly) on DIGG at http://www.digg.com/2008_us_elections/Seriously_Why_Isn_t_Ron_Paul_the_Front_Runner
So why isn't Ron Paul the Front-Runner? If I'm not mistaken, according to Bastiet it's because people are either evil or ignorant. Obviously, ignorance abounds. Persuasive articles like yours can and will enlighten those who fit the latter category. Patience and diligence reequired . . .
Oh, how I wish that Ron Paul was getting more attention! I am a Canadian, watching from the sidelines with such great hopes for the USA, knowing that what happens in the USA will likely be reflected in Canada, and wishing that Ron Paul could somehow or another give the country a shake and wake it up to logical reasoning!
I am a liberal, but I would be voting republican if he was the nominee.
I often wonder why myself, I guess most of us just do not care bout our freedom anymore, what America really was suppose to be all bout or else we all would support RON PAUL...We it all comes down, and it will soon, we have no one blame but ourselves for being sheepeople...We were too busy going after the old mighty dollar, investing in that new home or SUV to care bout what really matters..too late now, now we will pay dearly folks...
Mr. Unloading Zone thanks for your candid, down to earth statements about the state of our nation. The ONLY way our great nation will recover is if someone like Ron Paul, who really understands the Constitution, is elected. It is just that simple. No more nation building. It's time to rebuild this great nation. The whole world is depending on our ability to show leadership.
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