Ron Paul Platform

[Rico Suave]

So I took some time to look at his platform.

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

Here is his stance on a few issues:

Border Security and Immigration Reform
The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. This is my six point plan:

Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (Agree, somewhat. I'm not sure how far he actually wants to take it)

Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas. (Agree, somewhat. I also believe enforced visas would have had no effect on the events of 9/11)

No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That’s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws.(Disagree, somewhat. It's a sticky issue, but I don't believe removing 10 to 20 million people is the answer)

No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules. But taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (Agree, somewhat. I agree on not allowing welfare, but I do not agree about not treating patients in hospitals. I also don't want the children to suffer either, legal or illegal.)

End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (Disagree.)

Pass true immigration reform. The current system is incoherent and unfair. But current reform proposals would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is insanity. Legal immigrants from all countries should face the same rules and waiting periods. (N/A, don't know what exactly he wants to change)

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Home Schooling
My commitment to ensuring home schooling remains a practical alternative for American families is unmatched by any Presidential candidate.

Returning control of education to parents is the centerpiece of my education agenda. As President I will advance tax credits through the Family Education Freedom Act, which reduces taxes to make it easier for parents to home school by allowing them to devote more of their own funds to their children's education. (Can't agree yet. I was never a fan of home school. I can also see a few loopholes here to take advantage of)

I am committed to guaranteeing parity for home school diplomas and advancing equal scholarship consideration for students entering college from a home school environment. (Disagree, but because of another stance of his)

We must have permanency in the Department of Defense Home School Tier 1 Pilot Program, providing recruitment status parity for home school graduates. I will use my authority to prevent the Department of Education from regulating home school activities. (Disagree.)

I will veto any legislation that creates national standards or national testing for home school parents or students. I also believe that, as long as No Child Left Behind remains law, it must include the protections for home schoolers included in sec. 9506 (enshrining home schoolers’ rights) and 9527 (guaranteeing no national curriculum). (Disagree. How can home schooling be legitimized without meeting any set standards for the students or techers/parents?)

Federal monies must never be used to undermine the rights of homeschooling parents. I will use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to encourage a culture of educational freedom throughout the nation. (N/A. Homeschooling parents should have rights, but not be held to any educational standards?)

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Social Security
Our nation’s promise to its seniors, once considered a sacred trust, has become little more than a tool for politicians to scare retirees while robbing them of their promised benefits. Today, the Social Security system is broke and broken.

Those in the system are seeing their benefits dwindle due to higher taxes, increasing inflation, and irresponsible public spending.

The proposed solutions, ranging from lower benefits to higher taxes to increasing the age of eligibility, are NOT solutions; they are betrayals.

Imposing any tax on Social Security benefits is unfair and illogical. In Congress, I have introduced the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act (H.R. 191), which repeals ALL taxes on Social Security benefits, to eliminate political theft of our seniors’ income and raise their standard of living.(Agree.)

Solvency is the key to keeping our promise to our seniors, and I have introduced the Social Security Preservation Act (H.R. 219) to ensure that money paid into the system is only used for Social Security. (Agree.)

It is fundamentally unfair to give benefits to anyone who has not paid into the system. The Social Security for Americans Only Act (H.R. 190) ends the drain on Social Security caused by illegal aliens seeking the fruits of your labor. (Agree.)

We must also address the desire of younger workers to save and invest on their own. We should cut payroll taxes and give workers the opportunity to seek better returns in the private market. (Agree.)

Excessive government spending has created the insolvency crisis in Social Security. We must significantly reduce spending so that our nation can keep its promise to our seniors. (N/A. Depends on where we reduce spending...)

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American Independence and Sovereignty
So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations like the International Criminal Court (ICC), NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and CAFTA are a threat to our independence as a nation. They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign elites.

The ICC wants to try our soldiers as war criminals. Both the WTO and CAFTA could force Americans to get a doctor’s prescription to take herbs and vitamins. Alternative treatments could be banned.

The WTO has forced Congress to change our laws, yet we still face trade wars. Today, France is threatening to have U.S. goods taxed throughout Europe. If anything, the WTO makes trade relations worse by giving foreign competitors a new way to attack U.S. jobs. (So the answer would be to withdraw from trade relation organizations?)

NAFTA’s superhighway is just one part of a plan to erase the borders between the U.S. and Mexico, called the North American Union. This spawn of powerful special interests, would create a single nation out of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a new unelected bureaucracy and money system. Forget about controlling immigration under this scheme. (Stop NAFTA? That will curve illegal immigration?)

And a free America, with limited, constitutional government, would be gone forever.

Let’s not forget the UN. It wants to impose a direct tax on us. I successfully fought this move in Congress last year, but if we are going to stop ongoing attempts of this world government body to tax us, we will need leadership from the White House.

We must withdraw from any organizations and trade deals that infringe upon the freedom and independence of the United States of America. (By that logic we would withdraw from every organization?)

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Debt and Taxes
Working Americans like lower taxes. So do I. Lower taxes benefit all of us, creating jobs and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives.

Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy — that means all of us.

Real conservatives have always supported low taxes and low spending. (lol, he said real conservatives)

But today, too many politicians and lobbyists are spending America into ruin. We are nine trillion dollars in debt as a nation. Our mounting government debt endangers the financial future of our children and grandchildren. If we don’t cut spending now, higher taxes and economic disaster will be in their future — and yours.

In addition, the Federal Reserve, our central bank, fosters runaway debt by increasing the money supply — making each dollar in your pocket worth less. The Fed is a private bank run by unelected officials who are not required to be open or accountable to “we the people.” (Not sure what he means by this...)

Worse, our economy and our very independence as a nation is increasingly in the hands of foreign governments such as China and Saudi Arabia, because their central banks also finance our runaway spending.

We cannot continue to allow private banks, wasteful agencies, lobbyists, corporations on welfare, and governments collecting foreign aid to dictate the size of our ballooning budget. We need a new method to prioritize our spending. It’s called the Constitution of the United States. (I honestly don't remember the constitution having a budget amendment?)

[Rico Suave]

Health Freedom
Americans are justifiably concerned over the government’s escalating intervention into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of their health.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in order to comply with standards dictated by supra-national organizations such as the UN‘s World Food Code (CODEX), NAFTA, and CAFTA, has been assuming greater control over nutrients, vitamins and natural health care providers to restrict your right to choose the manner in which you manage your health and nutritional needs.

I have been the national leader in preserving Health Freedom.

I have introduced the Health Freedom Protection Act, HR 2117, to ensure Americans can receive truthful health information about supplements and natural remedies. (Agree, but question the actual effectiveness in practice)

I support the Access to Medical Treatment Act, H.R. 2717, which expands the ability of Americans to use alternative medicine and new treatments. (How different is that from now?)

I oppose legislation that increases the FDA‘s legal powers. FDA has consistently failed to protect the public from dangerous drugs, genetically modified foods, dangerous pesticides and other chemicals in the food supply. Meanwhile they waste public funds attacking safe, healthy foods and dietary supplements

I also opposed the Homeland Security Bill, H.R. 5005, which, in section 304, authorizes the forced vaccination of American citizens against small pox. The government should never have the power to require immunizations or vaccinations. (Agree.)

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Life and Liberty
The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is at the heart of the American ideals of liberty. My professional and legislative record demonstrates my strong commitment to this pro-life principle.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, HR 1094. (Disagree.)

I am also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. (Disagree.)

I have also authored HR 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called “population control.” (That's just crazy talk.)

Many talk about being pro-life. I have taken direct action to restore protection for the unborn.

As an OB/GYN doctor, I’ve delivered over 4,000 babies. That experience has made me an unshakable foe of abortion. Many of you may have read my book, Challenge To Liberty, which champions the idea that there cannot be liberty in a society unless the rights of all innocents are protected. Much can be understood about the civility of a society in observing its regard for the dignity of human life.

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War and Foreign Policy
The war in Iraq was sold to us with false information. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies, the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives, thousands of seriously wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again.

Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women.

We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. (Agree.)

Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. (Agree. It should go through Congress)

Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihadists themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.

At the same time, we must not isolate ourselves. The generosity of the American people has been felt around the globe. Many have thanked God for it, in many languages. Let us have a strong America, conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.

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The Second Amendment
I share our Founders’ belief that in a free society each citizen must have the right to keep and bear arms. They ratified the Second Amendment knowing that this right is the guardian of every other right, and they all would be horrified by the proliferation of unconstitutional legislation that prevents law-abiding Americans from exercising this right.

I have always supported the Second Amendment and these are some of the bills I have introduced in the current Congress to help restore respect for it:

H.R. 1096 includes provisions repealing the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the Federal Firearms License Reform Act of 1993, two invasive and unconstitutional bills.

H.R. 1897 would end the ban on carrying a firearm in the National Park System, restoring Americans’ ability to protect themselves in potentially hazardous situations.

H.R. 3305 would allow pilots and specially assigned law enforcement personnel to carry firearms in order to protect airline passengers, possibly preventing future 9/11-style attacks. (What is the term? Explosive decompression? lol)

H.R. 1146 would end our membership in the United Nations, protecting us from their attempts to tax our guns or disarm us entirely. (Ono...)

In the past, I introduced legislation to repeal the so-called “assault weapons” ban before its 2004 sunset, and I will oppose any attempts to reinstate it.

I also recently opposed H.R. 2640, which would allow government-appointed psychiatrists to ban U.S. veterans experiencing even mild forms of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome from ever owning a gun.

You have the right to protect your life, liberty, and property. As President, I will continue to guard the liberties stated in the Second Amendment.

[notsofun28]

H.R. 1146 would end our membership in the United Nations, protecting us from their attempts to tax our guns or disarm us entirely.

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WOW!

[Groo the Wanderer]

I agree with him on the Iraq war, and that's about it.

[Pahn]

I mostly agree with immigration and Iraq.

The rest of it makes him sound a bit nutty.

And really, I think we're past the point where cutting taxes will help with anything. Honestly, they need to go back to where they were pre-Bush...and then up some more.

[Rico Suave]

I still fail to see what this whole "revolution" is about. Most of the people I have talked to that like Ron Paul don't even know anything about his platform...

[VampMan]

I agree with him on most points, theres a few I disagree with but you won't find any politician that you agree with on every single point.

[SAiNT-X]

Originally Posted by Rico Suave

I still fail to see what this whole "revolution" is about. Most of the people I have talked to that like Ron Paul don't even know anything about his platform...

His platform is diametrically opposed to the Bush administration and most Democrat candidates (eg. being a strict constitutionalist). And some people like that, hence the revolution.

[PHISIG]

Originally Posted by Groo the Wanderer

I agree with him on the Iraq war, and that's about it.

Pretty much.. somewhat on the immigration stuff too.

[Groo the Wanderer]

Originally Posted by PHISIG

Pretty much.. somewhat on the immigration stuff too.

I agree with this:

Pass true immigration reform. The current system is incoherent and unfair. But current reform proposals would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is insanity. Legal immigrants from all countries should face the same rules and waiting periods.

Although I think the real solution to the immigration problem is two fold. Most importantly, we have to remove the incentive that people have for illegally immigrating to the US. To do this, we'd have to get Mexico's economy to the level of other developed nations. That would curb a large part of the immigration problem. I'm sure people immigrate here illegally from Canada, but not with the numbers/frequency that people immigrate here from Mexico. Besides which, having a neighbor that is strong and financially stable would lead to benefits that I won't even go into here.

[Sergei]

Originally Posted by Groo the Wanderer

Although I think the real solution to the immigration problem is two fold. Most importantly, we have to remove the incentive that people have for illegally immigrating to the US. To do this, we'd have to get Mexico's economy to the level of other developed nations. That would curb a large part of the immigration problem. I'm sure people immigrate here illegally from Canada, but not with the numbers/frequency that people immigrate here from Mexico. Besides which, having a neighbor that is strong and financially stable would lead to benefits that I won't even go into here.

Exactly. France and Germany did this with Spain and Portugal and it seems to have worked out pretty well. However, I wouldn't count on illegal immigration going away. There will always be poorer people willing to immigrate. Just as in western Europe there is now an influx of immigrants from north Africa. Just as improving Mexico's infrastructure will lead to illegal immigrants coming from further south, like Nicaragua. In fact, the majority of illegal immigration in the world is from poorer to poor countries, from Sub-Saharan Africa to Brazil, for example. And I like some of the reforms Paul wants to make to America's immigration policy. While I lived in America, it always seemed fucking stupid that a Cuban who steps foot on U.S. soil is instantly a citizen while a Russian like me had to wait 7 years.

On other stuff, he's pretty loopy, though. Pulling out of the U.N. just to protect the Second Amendment? GTFOOH.

---Sergei

[Groo the Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Sergei

...while a Russian like me had to wait 7 years.

Yet another failure of the immigration system. They're letting the Soviets assimilate into our society. Before you know it, we'll all be praying to Lenin in the East, and wearing bear skin hats.

[Sergei]

Originally Posted by Groo the Wanderer

Yet another failure of the immigration system. They're letting the Soviets assimilate into our society. Before you know it, we'll all be praying to Lenin in the East, and wearing bear skin hats.

I know, right. GM is gonna be making tractors before you know it and vodka will flow from the tap.

---Sergei