Well, I must say that I'm a little disappointed.
I expected that this thread would generate a little more interest. Especially with the self professed conservatives members.
The silence is deafening.
I'm getting the feeling that people are afraid of this man.
I suppose that Bljones is right. People cry out for smaller government, less government intrusion, lower taxes, spending cuts and when someone comes along that not only talks the talk but walks the walk, the people start getting afraid that they might actually get what they are asking for. Perhaps the ones crying out for all these things aren't really interested in seeing them come about. Perhaps they just like to talk tough.
I haven't really made up my mind about Dr. Paul. He really is saying the same sort of stuff that Ragnar used to preach. Less the silly rhetoric. So I'm a little concerned about sacrificing the environment on the altar of liberty and prosperity. However, Paul seems to be to be the antithesis of the politicians that I've grown to loath, an honest and very intelligent man with a track record.
I'm almost convinced to give him a chance. Certainly no one here has done a very good job of dissuading me.
Or answering my question for that matter.
But I appreciate the efforts.
Here is what appears to be Ron Paul's philosophy wrapped up in a nut shell should anyone be interested in discussing it.
The Liberty Amendment
Section 1. The Government of the United States shall not engage in any business, professional, commercial, financial or industrial enterprise except as specified in the Constitution.
Section 2. The constitution or laws of any State, or the laws of the United States shall not be subject to the terms of any foreign or domestic agreement which would abrogate this amendment.
Section 3. The activities of the United States Government which violate the intent and purpose of this amendment shall, within a period of three years from the date of the ratification of this amendment, be liquidated and the properties and facilities affected shall be sold.
Section 4. Three years after the ratification of this amendment the sixteenth article of amendments to the Constitution of the United States shall stand repealed and thereafter Congress shall not levy taxes on personal incomes, estates, and/or gifts.
SPEECH OF
HON. RON PAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce the Liberty Amendment, which repeals the 16th Amendment, thus paving the way for real change in the way government collects and spends the people's hard-earned money. The Liberty Amendment also explicitly forbids the Federal government from performing any action not explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.
The 16th Amendment gives the Federal government a direct claim on the lives of American citizens by enabling Congress to levy a direct income tax on individuals. Until the passage of the 16th amendment, the Supreme Court had consistently held that Congress had no power to impose an income tax.
Income taxes are responsible for the transformation of the Federal government from one of limited powers into a vast leviathan whose tentacles reach into almost every aspect of American life. Thanks to the income tax, today the Federal government routinely invades our privacy, and penalizes our every endeavor.
The Founding Fathers realized that "the power to tax is the power to destroy," which is why they did not give the Federal government the power to impose an income tax. Needless to say, the Founders would be horrified to know that Americans today give more than a third of their income to the Federal government.
Income taxes not only diminish liberty, they retard economic growth by discouraging work and production. Our current tax system also forces Americans to waste valuable time and money on compliance with an ever-more complex tax code. The increased interest in flat-tax and national sales tax proposals, as well as the increasing number of small businesses that question the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) "withholding" system provides further proof that America is tired of the labyrinthine tax code. Americans are also increasingly fed up with an IRS that continues to ride roughshod over their civil liberties, despite recent "pro-taxpayer" reforms.
Madam Speaker, America survived and prospered for 140 years without an income tax, and with a Federal government that generally adhered to strictly constitutional functions, operating with modest excise revenues. The income tax opened the door to the era (and errors) of Big Government. I hope my colleagues will help close that door by cosponsoring the Liberty Amendment.
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