Wednesday, July 18, 2007

New & Improved Reformer

Ron Paul seems to have caught the interest of "the people." So I surfed around on his website, on his ratings with various groups, etc. and took a closer look. While I somewhat agree with a few of his stances on the issues I still think he's a hardnose survival of the fittest. I've written of him before with little praise – he's played the system too long to be anything but a good ol' boy.

On tax reform Paul is rated 89 percent by NTU, the National Taxpayers Union. That sounds good for taxpayer Joe Blow. But if you look at NTU's chart of who pays income taxes it appears the working and middle class, incomes of $26-99,000, pay the bulk of federal income tax. Here's a chart for 2003.

At first glance, it appears the top 1% pay the bulk of income taxes. But if you look long enough it really says that 66 percent of income taxes are paid by folks making $130,000 and below. If you break it down further the top 5 percent income bracket pays 20% of all federal income taxes, the top 10% pay 11.4%, the top 25% pay 18.%, and the top 50% pay 12.6% of federal income taxes paid.

Being a member of the top 10% to 50% club means you have a yearly adjusted gross income percentile of $94,891 to $29,019. In other words, the bulk of federal income taxes are paid by the working and middle classes. And quite likely you do not receive the perks the average $14.78 million annual salary CEO does.

Heaven help those in the 3.46 range taxpayers, below $29,019.

The NTU was founded in 1969 and states : "… our Number One job has been helping to protect every single American's right to keep what they've earned. Our guiding principle … has been: "This is your money and the government should return it to you."

Well, I dunno about you but my income taxes have steadily risen since 1969 and Uncle Scam returns none of it, but NTU rates Paul high so I guess the rest of America gets to keep what they earn. And "your money .. the government should return it to you" – isn't that a line from Dubya's teleprompter?

Ron Paul's stance and votes on tax issues:
# Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends.
# Voted YES on making the Bush tax cuts permanent.
# Voted YES on $99B economic stimulus: capital gains & income tax cuts.
# Voted YES on Tax cut package of $958 B over 10 years.
# Voted YES on eliminating the Estate Tax ("death tax").
# Voted YES on $46B in tax cuts for small business.
# Overhaul income tax; end capital gains & inheritance tax.
# Phaseout the death tax.

Capital gains stands out. Hmmmm. If you made over $200,000 you like it. According to this from Center for Budget Policy : 70.7 percent of all filers in the nation had annual income below $50,000 in 2003; but this group received only 3.2 percent of the benefits from the capital gains tax cut that year. In contrast, those with incomes above $200,000 represented 2.0 percent of all filers, but received 80.5 percent of the capital gains tax-cut benefits.

Going through Paul's other votes and ratings from the On The Issues website he received an anti-senior rating under Social Security. A zero rating by NARAL, he's pro-life. ACLU 67 percent indicating a mixed record on civil rights. Rated 60% by CURE, indicating mixed votes on rehabilitation/crime. Supports a Constitutional Amendment for school prayer. Big Oil profits ok; Big Oil subsidies are not. Rated 5% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. Rated 76% by the Christian Coalition: a pro-family voting record. Rated 67% by SANE, indicating a mixed record on military issues. Rated 47% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a mixed record on union issues.

I would say Paul is indeed for "the people" but it's the 2.0 percent people. He may think marijuana okay, he may be against the Iraq war (though voted to attack Afghanistan), he may be against the death penalty – but if he has the world his way, make sure while smoking your blunt that you praise Jesus, are completely and totally independent of any government handouts and have a really, really good job to save for your old age.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ron Paul consistently abides by the constitution and works for keeping the government from goofing with out lives. That is consistent across the board and over the years.

You claim that one cannot go to Washington without becoming one of the good ol boys. This is a counterexample. Few candidates have the experience he has.

All people will be better off if Ron Paul is elected.

If he is not. Well, we will have a dictator. And we will have an economic crash. And we will be in three major wars.

The choice is easy.

Kate-A said...

Paul says out of our lives and out of our bedrooms – yet states he would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act had he been in congress at the time. He basically supports the rights of the straight, white, Christian, propertied class – as the constitution was written by and for.

A 1996 article in the Houston Chronicle[48] alleges that Ron Paul made comments about race in a 1992 edition of his Ron Paul Survival Report (a newsletter that he had published from 1985), including disparaging remarks about fellow congressperson Barbara Jordan. The article quoted the newsletter as stating that government should lower the legal age for prosecuting youths as adults, saying:

"We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such."

"Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action." And, "Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the 'criminal justice system', I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal." ... [although] "we are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers."


In a 2001 interview with Texas Monthly magazine, Paul acknowledged that the comments were printed in his newsletter under his name, but said that they did not represent his views and that they were written by a ghostwriter.

---Maybe Paul should not have ghostwriters or at least hire "ghostwriters" who wouldn’t put his name to such comments ….

Ron Paul cannot stop wars if that is what the old royal global cabal want - only we the people can - by not funding and fighting them.

Unknown said...

Kate,

Props for exploring Ron Paul at greater depth, but I respectfully submit that your conclusions suggest you have much more work to do. I offer you below a video primer sampler after which you can explore basic economics and fiat monetary systems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCM_wQy4YVg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfIhFhelm8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohg7BlVUyx8

Kate-A said...

Michael,

Thanks for links.

As I stated I agree with RP on certain issues, i.e. abolish the welfare state, abolish the Department of Education, Energy, Commerce, Homeland Security, the FRB. Some of us can live long and prosper under any conditions – but most Americans today cannot. Hopefully Paul has good transition programs to implement quickly as he states he would abolish these departments immediately.

Regarding the fiat money versus gold standard and/or silver. It was during the Civil War that Congress issued the first "greenback" not backed by gold or silver. In 1913 government banned citizens from owning gold but still used gold when converting foreign central banks, until 1970 or so when the French and others decided to cash in for gold, Nixon promptly closed that window. Some say the dollar was then backed by US control of oil flow, "petro dollars."

For foreign banks, such as China holding treasury notes – the dollar is backed by our : labor, land, mining, oil, any and all resources the Federal government "owns." Our creditors could foreclose tomorrow but "going out of business" will not return their investment.

No country backs their monetary unit with gold anymore. I would prefer converting my greenback to gold and so would Japan, China, Europe, etc. What's to stop a run on US gold?

I have the sense that RP wants to return to the "good old days" but I'm just not sure which era he wants to return to ...

:)

Anonymous said...

"Ron Paul cannot stop wars if that is what the old royal global cabal want - only we the people can - by not funding and fighting them."
We might just be lucky to have the option of funding them and fighting for them, what's the alternative, being slaves is my best gusss. What's the difference.

Kate-A said...

anon

Joe Blow is a slave now. "Them" have no power other than what Joe thinks they have.

Or, as the song goes - free your mind and your ass will follow.

ziz said...

Fred Thompson President 2008-12 ... believe me.

It may not be good, it may not be right, but it's the Truth.

..and that's a Limey speakin'

Kate-A said...

Shutter
Maybe Thompson ... we are due for a more experienced actor in the role.

Everything points to our first female prez - Shillary - but I wouldn't put my money on her.

It will be someone much worse than Dubya. He/she will be evil - but intelligent.

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