sailingaway
07-27-2011, 12:52 PM
I created this from the PBS NewsHour interview aired July 20, 2011 and tried to stay strictly true to his suggestions without embellishing them, due to the sensitivity of the programs and issues involved.
The transcript is here, in case you want to double check me: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec11/ronpaul_07-20.html
I compiled this with the Ames ad in mind, but there are a bunch of great ideas for that ad that aren't so text heavy. However, I thought it might be helpful to have this write up, in any event, for other purposes.
‘Ron Paul’s Budget Plan’
Ron Paul says ‘You don't have to cut health care or Social Security in order to start getting our house in order.’ His plan would aim to fund Social Security and Medicare for those who have paid in too long to make up that savings, while letting the young opt out. However, this would require significant cuts in spending elsewhere, since the funds the young pay in are currently used to fund ongoing benefits for Social Security and Medicare.
Ron Paul would begin cuts with the military operations overseas. He notes that excess militarism into the internal affairs of other nations actually hurts our national defense. He has targeted hundreds of billions of dollars in potential cuts between cutting excess militarism and foreign aid.
However, Ron Paul notes that this would not be enough, by itself, to fund Medicare and Social Security for those who have paid in, while letting the young opt out of these programs.
Ron Paul would also start cutting spending on the programs that aren't essential such as the Federal Department of Education created in the late 1970s. He would also cut other departments including the Department of Energy, the subsidy ridden Federal Department of Agriculture, and the intervention of the Federal Department of Commerce. Not only would these cuts be fiscally sound, this would return the functions of the Federal government closer to the confines set out in the Constitution.
With regards to Social Security, Ron Paul notes that if Congress had acted responsibly, we wouldn't be facing the current Social Security crisis. Ron Paul himself has never voted to divert Social Security funds to other purposes.
However, in order to address the current problems, Ron Paul would like to offer young people going into the workforce the chance to opt out of Social Security, while keeping it in place for the older generations who paid in for it all of their working lives. Ron Paul also would like to offer young people the chance to opt out of Medicare and build up medical savings accounts to take care of their own programs.
However, neither of these plans will be possible unless alternate funding for the programs is found through implementing the kind of budget cuts outlined above. Ron Paul notes that in the current Washington D.C. mindset, it is mathematically achievable to implement his budget plan, but is politically difficult to make the corresponding budget cuts he suggests. One group of Congressmen won't cut a nickel out of the military and another group won't cut a nickel out of entitlement system. Ron Paul feels that attitude is how our nation has reached the point we are at. And that is the attitude that has to change.
However, Ron Paul would put the people first. He notes that substantial portions of the money earmarked for the poor in this country really helps the large corporations:
"Say, the housing bubble. Who got help? See, the rich got bailed out. They got bailed out both by the Congress and the Federal Reserve. And they were making all the profits. So it was - it's corporatism that is so bad, whether it's medicine or even in education or the military-industrial complex. It's corporatism. That is the welfare that is huge compared to the welfare of food stamps.”
PBS NewsHour interview aired July 20, 2011
The transcript is here, in case you want to double check me: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec11/ronpaul_07-20.html
I compiled this with the Ames ad in mind, but there are a bunch of great ideas for that ad that aren't so text heavy. However, I thought it might be helpful to have this write up, in any event, for other purposes.
‘Ron Paul’s Budget Plan’
Ron Paul says ‘You don't have to cut health care or Social Security in order to start getting our house in order.’ His plan would aim to fund Social Security and Medicare for those who have paid in too long to make up that savings, while letting the young opt out. However, this would require significant cuts in spending elsewhere, since the funds the young pay in are currently used to fund ongoing benefits for Social Security and Medicare.
Ron Paul would begin cuts with the military operations overseas. He notes that excess militarism into the internal affairs of other nations actually hurts our national defense. He has targeted hundreds of billions of dollars in potential cuts between cutting excess militarism and foreign aid.
However, Ron Paul notes that this would not be enough, by itself, to fund Medicare and Social Security for those who have paid in, while letting the young opt out of these programs.
Ron Paul would also start cutting spending on the programs that aren't essential such as the Federal Department of Education created in the late 1970s. He would also cut other departments including the Department of Energy, the subsidy ridden Federal Department of Agriculture, and the intervention of the Federal Department of Commerce. Not only would these cuts be fiscally sound, this would return the functions of the Federal government closer to the confines set out in the Constitution.
With regards to Social Security, Ron Paul notes that if Congress had acted responsibly, we wouldn't be facing the current Social Security crisis. Ron Paul himself has never voted to divert Social Security funds to other purposes.
However, in order to address the current problems, Ron Paul would like to offer young people going into the workforce the chance to opt out of Social Security, while keeping it in place for the older generations who paid in for it all of their working lives. Ron Paul also would like to offer young people the chance to opt out of Medicare and build up medical savings accounts to take care of their own programs.
However, neither of these plans will be possible unless alternate funding for the programs is found through implementing the kind of budget cuts outlined above. Ron Paul notes that in the current Washington D.C. mindset, it is mathematically achievable to implement his budget plan, but is politically difficult to make the corresponding budget cuts he suggests. One group of Congressmen won't cut a nickel out of the military and another group won't cut a nickel out of entitlement system. Ron Paul feels that attitude is how our nation has reached the point we are at. And that is the attitude that has to change.
However, Ron Paul would put the people first. He notes that substantial portions of the money earmarked for the poor in this country really helps the large corporations:
"Say, the housing bubble. Who got help? See, the rich got bailed out. They got bailed out both by the Congress and the Federal Reserve. And they were making all the profits. So it was - it's corporatism that is so bad, whether it's medicine or even in education or the military-industrial complex. It's corporatism. That is the welfare that is huge compared to the welfare of food stamps.”
PBS NewsHour interview aired July 20, 2011