Tariffs, sales tax, usage fees, only about half our budget comes from income tax.
| Follow us on Twitter |
I just finished watching. I'm afraid I had my usual reaction. I felt let down, like something was missing. For one thing, Ron Paul talks too much about the Constitution and too little about liberty and justice. War in Korea would okay if Congress wanted it? When was the last time Congress voted for a declaration of war without the president asking for it?
He also sounded unprepared. If he is going to call for ending the income tax (why that one and not the others?) and for bringing all the troops home, he should know the numbers. He looks like he's winging it. No excuse for that.
The immigration answer was a disaster. He persists in speaking of an invasion. How offensive! He's lucky Russert wasn't better prepared. How does Ron Paul know we'd have fewer immigrants if the welfare state were abolished? I think we'd have more, considering how attractive the economic environment would be. But would he open the borders then? I'm not convinced he would. I am more and more suspicious of this welfare-state rationalization for immigration control. It has worn so thin there is virtually nothing left of whatever credibility it had.
I think I'll stop watching news of the campaign. I'm tired of being disappointed. - By Sheldon Richman - Free Association
Posted December 23rd, 2007 by Armen Hareyan
Tariffs, sales tax, usage fees, only about half our budget comes from income tax.
The money would come from the savings realized when we cut back on our spending, especially overseas. If we cut back on our policing of the world and reduced our spending to the levels of a decade ago we could eliminate the IRS. I think that's a pretty good deal!
I would encourage you to listen to more than half of what the man says. YOU WOULDN'T NEED THE MONEY! He wants to downsize the government and the role it plays in our lives and, even more costly, around the world. Did you not hear how much we spend every year to maintain our over 700 bases in 130 countries? One Trillion Dollars. Gee, what could we do with a Trillion dollars? Maybe pay off the national debt and let the People run the country. There's your answer.
Ron Paul received contributions from over 100,000 different people this quarter. He received $18,000,000 from those 100,000 people. His support is wide and deep. Look around your town and notice you see RP signs everywhere. Grab a cup of coffee and go to http://freeme.tv
Hundreds of billions* not millions.
Ron Paul is against illegal immigrants getting welfare programs. If we didn't have welfare, he wouldn't mind more immigration because we'd be starved for guest workers. That's his point.
Ron Paul received contributions from over 100,000 different people this quarter. He received $18,000,000 from those 100,000 people. His support is wide and deep. Look around your town and notice you see RP signs everywhere. Grab a cup of coffee and go to http://freeme.tv
Jackson,
The point is that it doesn't take that much money to "run this huge country." It takes a lot of money to run our HUGE GOVERNMENT. And many of the functions of our government have no constitutional basis outside of the most loose interpretations of the commerce clause therein. If we got rid of departments like the Dept. of Education, and had a more sensible foreign policy where we didn't spend a half trillion dollars spreading our troops around the world, we wouldn't need an income tax.
Dr Paul was great in this interview. I didn't see any inconsistencies. He didn't say he would never ask for a war - but the people must want it and Congress must declare it. Right now the poor and middle income people in the US are getting poorer while the rich and corporations are getting richer. That is fueling a greater resentment of illegal aliens, because they cost a lot of money and drain the system. If the economy were better then the illegal alien issue would more likely reach a compromise - right now it can't. Dr Paul stopped every bomb by Russert. Clear, concise, consistent. Dr Paul was also very congenial.
Not a personal attack on you, just thought the Carville quote from Clintons 92 campaign was fitting.
Federal income tax accounts for a little over $1 trillion dollars in Federal revenues.
We spend right around that much on defense spending (which countless investigations into Halliburton, etc. have proven to be wasteful and given without competition) and foreign aid. When you look at the money wasted by the Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, etc. you can probably account for that $1 trillion fairly easily.
"...is it possible to run this huge country without having income tax? Where would the money come from?"
It's not the size of the country that matters; rather, it's the size of the government. After all, the country prospered before 1913 when there was no income tax. And it was a huge country back then. So I really don't understand your question. What are you really asking?
Why do you think it would continue if the welfare state was ended? The Constitution represents our liberty only if we abide by it which we have not been doing for the past 50 years.
Jackson, the money would come from not spending it on things not authorized by congress such as foreign aid to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Japan to name a few places. The income tax money our government takes from us to send to Iraq after our bombs blew up their bridge, then our government sends more to rebuild that bridge in Iraq. Why are our bridges falling down in America, and why can we strengthen Iraqs borders but not our own?
The income tax Dr. paul wants to end will stay in your pocket...until your state raises taxes to cover your local needs. But then you have more control because if you don't want your tax money to pay for abortions and wars you can vote against them like the rest of your fellow citizens.
This artical is very offensive if you ask me. You (unlike Ron Paul) dont support your arguments with facts, how do you expect anyone to take this artical serious? You are just bashing a man you have done no research on, typical liberal.
As Dr. Paul said, the other EXISTING taxes are sufficient to finance quite a large government - everything but foreign defense spending and foreign aid. As he also said, our dollar is going to collapse if we DON'T. Why not bring the troops home ans spare the world a depression? Me personally, I think we should save EVERY American before we save ANY foreigners. That's what they're paying THEIR government to do.
The whole program was planned for many hours by many people to be an attack on him. Whether or not they do it to others is not the question. If a team planned an attack on you, what type of preparation would you do to have an instant impressive answer to every possible question? Why is it Ron Paul's responsibility to know the exact figure of foreign troops? Did Russert know the number off hand, or do you think he planned it and looked it up? What's the point in asking "How many troops do we have overseas? You don't know? It's X". If he knew, why ask?
A more interesting line of questioning would be how a show funded almost in its entirety by the military industrial complex and the pharmaceutical industry can be unbiased in political issues.
You need to read the Constitution. Only Congress can go to war and that is the way it should be. If you brought back all the troops stationed around the world you wouldn't need income tax as the money all goes to support bases and troops around the world. You people are like sheep believing the corporate politicians and the media that tells you only what they want you to hear. Do some research on your own and you will learn income tax was installed only to support wars and those companies that sell the military will do anything to keep the wars and the bases going on around the world.
There is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats the only slight difference is which corporation owns them. Only Ron Paul can't be bought.
Wake up America. This country is owned by huge corporations that are content to let illegals in for cheap labor and let businesses open up in Asia for even cheaper labor.
McCain, Romney, Rudy, Huckabee, Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Biden, Richardson are all the same. Only Ron Paul has the people's interest at heart the others are corporate candidates.
You need to read the Constitution. Only Congress can go to war and that is the way it should be. If you brought back all the troops stationed around the world you wouldn't need income tax as the money all goes to support bases and troops around the world. You people are like sheep believing the corporate politicians and the media that tells you only what they want you to hear. Do some research on your own and you will learn income tax was installed only to support wars and those companies that sell the military will do anything to keep the wars and the bases going on around the world.
There is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats the only slight difference is which corporation owns them. Only Ron Paul can't be bought.
Wake up America. This country is owned by huge corporations that are content to let illegals in for cheap labor and let businesses open up in Asia for even cheaper labor.
McCain, Romney, Rudy, Huckabee, Obama, Clinton, Edwards, Biden, Richardson are all the same. Only Ron Paul has the people's interest at heart the others are corporate candidates.
He mentioned how we could get the money to run the government: cut the size and spending of the government to what it was 10 years ago and there would be enough revenue. Bring the troops home and there would be enough revenue.
"Ron Paul talks too much about the Constitution?"
This is the law of the land or supposed to be and no one is doing enough talking about it, so someone has to talk about it. When did he have a chance to talk about liberty and justice based on the questions he was getting?
He didn't say the war in korea would be ok, he said he wouldn't support, but he was focusing on executive abuse of power which should be the focus of someone running for president.
I am not sure why he should know all the numbers to everything. If you looked at the last set of debates, almost every candidate got something completely wrong. What is he, omniscient?
Ron Paul said we would have fewer ILLEGAL immigrants if welfare was abolished. He is not against immigration but illegal immigration.
You sound like you are really nitpicking here. I would like to see the same sort of critique of the other candidates. They would get a 1 out of 10 if that.
What about the other candidates ????
I receive Google Alerts daily for Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. I am a political junkie and I love reading all the posts, reports, commentaries and blogs about all of Republican candidates. The observation I continue to make is that whenever anyone writes about Dr. Paul there are numerous comments posted about Dr. Paul with most of them supportive. I have spent hours reading what people around the US are posting in the comments in response to the article on Ron Paul. BUT on the other candidates there are very few posted comments and most of them are negative not supportive to their perspective candidates.
The media says that Paulites control and spam the Internet? My question is doesn’t the other candidates have supporters that know how to use the Internet this way too?
It makes one think. I watched Dr. Paul on “Meet the Depressed” this morning and think that he did a fine job and showing lots of honesty, integrity and class. Loved his smile.
GO RON PAUL 2008
The best explanation of income tax and the federal reserve system is in the film, America: Freedom to Fascism. The income tax goes directly to the federal reserve -- a private entity. Ron Paul will shut it all down.
Ron Paul made a lot of sense. I like his ideas very much. They are very vital. True: Cut the spending and don't start wars, let's spend efforts on making friends.
How about before writing stupid things...you read and think about what you wrote. I like youtube so I can give a thumb up or down. Come on blog people make us a thumb to show our like or dislike for a post.
You said this issue has been worn so thin, it has no credibitly left. I find that hard to believe. Paul's point is that, when you subsidize something, you get more of it then market value would normally give. And, by giving free health care, free education, free food, etc, child-birth citizenship, etc., to illegal immigrants, you are subsidizing their presence in America. If you take away all these things, you would certainly have immigrants, no question. But would you reduce the allure? Absolutely. That's like taking the health benefits away from my job...it would be a less attractive option, therefore fewer people would want it. I think the argument carries great weight.
With eyes on goals and recognizing roadblocks, we take the path most likely to succeed. The path to liberty involves a free nation as a positive example, distinct. The right future of that free nation is more clearly seen later, but we can look to the future and have a monotonic increase in freedom at the same time. Our best choice, our hope for America is Ron Paul.
Ron Paul on Meet The Press and Tax
Ron Paul today expressed interesting ideas during his speech on Meet The Press. Getting rid of IRS is intrigueing, however, is it possible to run this huge country without having income tax? Where would the money come from?