Rough Draft: Final Notice of Fiscal Burden

[Jobarra]

*Updated 01/21/2008 - Rough Draft portion finished. rpfan2008 was nice enough to graphically design a document with the text.
Graphic document can be found HERE



This is a rough draft of a text document I have put together that a graphic artist can hopefully spruce up a little. When the final graphic work is done, I'm hoping this is something we can hand out while canvassing or email to friends and family that may be on the fence.

Does anyone see anything wrong with the following rough draft? Any suggestions?

FYI: Work In Progress thread can be located HERE if interested in the process that went into this.

{Large Text here, maybe 5 times the regular font?}FINAL NOTICE?

{More Large Text}YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS A FISCAL BURDEN OF $440,000 DUE TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

"I would argue that the most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility." - Hon. David Walker, U.S. Comptroller General [1]

According to David Walker, the U.S. Comptroller General, every U.S. household has a fiscal burden of $440,000. David Walker can be thought of as the head accountant of the United States Government and his office, the GAO(Government Accountability Office), has crunched the numbers and found that every household in the United States has a fiscal burden of $440,000 due to entitlement programs coming due over the next 20 years. [2]

According to Mr. Walker, the future benefits burden alone rose from $13 Trillion in 2000 to $38.8 Trillion in 2006, an increase of 197%!
Mr. Walker breaks this down further:

• Future Social Security Benefits were $3.8 Trillion in 2000 and increased to $6.4 Trillion in 2006
• Future Medicare Part A Benefits were $2.7 Trillion in 2000 and increased to $11.3 Trillion in 2006
• Future Medicare Part B Benefits were $6.5 Trillion in 2000 and increased to $13.1 Trillion in 2006
• Future Medicare Part D Benefits were only just created in 2003 and were $7.9 Trillion in 2006

"The Prescription Drug Bill was probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s. ... we've promised way more than we can afford to keep. Eight trillion dollars added to what was already a fifteen to twenty trillion dollar underfunding. We're not being realistic. We can't afford the promises we've already made, much less to be piling on top of them. ... We'd have to have eight trillion dollars today, invested at treasury rates, to deliver on that promise." - Hon. David Walker, US Comptroller General speaking on the Bill that created the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D) [3]
When the interviewer asked how much money we have today, Walker replied, "Zip!" while making a zero with his fingers.

Mr. Walker lays out the problems we are facing in a powerpoint presentation that he shows while touring the country raising awareness of this issue:
"Current Fiscal Policy is Unsustainable

• The 'Status Quo' is Not an Option
  
  • We face large and growing structural deficits largely due to known demographic trends and rising health care costs
  • GAO's simulations show that balancing the budget in 2040 could require actions as large as
    
    • Cutting total federal spending by 60 percent or
    • Raising federal taxes to 2 times today's level
• Faster Economic Growth Can Help, But It Cannot Solve the Problem
  
  • Closing the current long-term fiscal gap based on reasonable assumptions would require real average annual economic growth in the double digit range every year for the next 75 years
  • During the 1990s, the economy grew at an average 3.2 percent per year
  • As a result, we cannot simply grow our way out of this problem. Tough choices will be required"

Please note that David Walker does NOT endorse any candidate. These figures are only used to show the situation the United States is in under past and current policies. Tough choices need to be made to make sure that the government is fiscally viable in the future.

Which of the current presidential candidates can make these tough choices?
For over 20 years in the House of Representatives, Dr. Ron Paul has said no to spending and advocated common sense Constitutional government for preserving our way of life. He is the only medical doctor of all the presidential candidates and has watched as healthcare costs skyrocketed due to government intervention in healthcare. Ron Paul is referred to by many in Congress as "Dr. No" for his consistent 20 year voting record of voting against unconstitutional spending. Sometimes he is the only dissenting vote.

Ron Paul voted against creating Medicare Part D in 2003 [4] and instead cosponsored a bill (HR 2427 [108th Congress])allowing U.S. Citizens to buy cheaper drugs from outside of the US instead of the artificially high priced prescription drugs inside the US. This would have given money BACK to taxpayers instead of taking more from them.

"Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of HR 2427, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act, because I believe it is an important bill that will benefit all Americans. As my colleagues are aware, many Americans are concerned about the high cost of prescription drugs. These high prices particularly affect senior citizens who have a greater than average need for prescription drugs and a lower than average income. Of course, some of these seniors may soon have at least part of their prescription drug costs covered by Medicare.

Medicare is already on shaky financial ground, yet will soon be subsidizing prescription drug costs. This is why Congress must address the issue of prescription drug costs. Of course Congress should respect our constitutional limits, and not further expand the role of government in the health care market.

Fortunately, there are a number of market-oriented policies Congress can adopt to lower the prices of prescription drugs. This is because the main reason prescription drugs cost so much is government policies that give a few large companies monopoly power. For example, policies restricting the importation of quality pharmaceuticals enable pharmaceutical companies to charge above-market prices for their products. Therefore, all members of Congress who are serious about lowering prescription drug prices should support HR 2427"
- excerpt from Ron Paul's speech for HR 2427 [108th Congress] [5]

In this excerpt from Ron Paul's Issues page on Healthcare[6], we see what a Ron Paul presidency supports:
"The federal government will not suddenly become efficient managers if universal health care is instituted. Government health care only means long waiting periods, lack of choice, poor quality, and frustration. Many Canadians, fed up with socialized medicine, come to the U.S. in order to obtain care. Socialized medicine will not magically work here.

Health care should not be left up to HMOs, big drug companies, and government bureaucrats.

It is time to take back our health care. This is why I support:

• Making all medical expenses tax deductible.
• Eliminating federal regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage.
• Giving doctors the freedom to collectively negotiate with insurance companies and drive down the cost of medical care.
• Making every American eligible for a Health Savings Account(HSA), and removing the requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening an HSA.
• Reform licensure requirements so that pharmacists and nurses can perform some basic functions to increase access to care and lower costs.

By removing federal regulations, encouraging competition, and presenting real choices, we can make our health care system the envy of the world once again. "

If you have watched the televised debates so far, you may have noticed that Ron Paul speaks about monetary policy and the economy for nearly every question. While others on the stage laugh at him for his responses, he seems to be the only one that understands that bad monetary and economic policies are key causes of the issues we face today, from the increasing money supply(and thus increasing inflation) created by the unregulated Federal Reserve, to a foreign policy that is inconsistent with the founding fathers and is rapidly helping to bankrupt the nation. When the other candidates laugh at our nation's problems, you have to wonder why they are even running to be President. Knowingly though, we have seen these same candidates starting to mimic Ron Paul's ideas as his support has grown by leaps and bounds. Don't be fooled by those jumping on the bandwagon, Ron Paul is and has been the real deal for over 30 years.

Ron Paul has:

• never voted to raise taxes.
• never voted for an unbalanced budget.
• never voted to raise congressional pay.
• never taken a government-paid junket.
• never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
• not participated in the lucrative congressional pension program.
• never voted to spend money out of the Social Security Fund.
• returned a portion of his congressional office's budget to the U.S. Treasury every year.

As you can see, America needs to make some hard decisions right now in order to survive in the future. Ron Paul cannot do this alone. He needs the help of Congressmen who aren't afraid to take on the task of being responsible fiscally and change the way that the government operates by falling more inline with the Constitutionally defined government responsibilities. Please write your Congressman with your concerns about this looming problem. If your Congressman won't listen, elect one that will. Please also help elect Ron Paul as President in 2008.

SOURCES
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs 00:54 - 01:08
[2] http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08353cg.pdf
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs 05:26 - 06:11
[4] http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h108-1
[5] http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=627
[6] http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/health-care/

Please take time to review the following additional sources of information about Ron Paul:
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/ - Ron Paul's official 2008 campaign website.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/ - Issues page on Ron Paul's official website.
http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/ - A collection of speeches and Congressional newsletters by Dr. Ron Paul.

Created by the Ron Paul Grassroots - Not Affiliated with any Official Political Campaign