Have you heard about Ron Paul?

[t3rmin]

Originally posted by LoHo
Yeah, what we need is a good right-wing dictatorship to sort out these liberals and Democrats and peasants and other untermenschen...

Isn't that what we have right now? ;-)

[madmax-im]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by t3rmin
[B]

You're right about politicians. But I'm not sure Dr. Paul is aptly described as one. Statesman or patriot comes to mind. I'm serious.

You sound like just the kind of person who's looking for a Ron Paul.
Anyone who is running for president is a politician,and No I am not looking for anyone... thankyou.I am serious in that i am apolitical.

[fredintoon]

It's not too late - - -

As a Canadian, let me suggest an alternative solution to what seems to be an impossible task, choosing a President capable of properly running the USA.
Don't bother. A polite letter to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II is all it would take to bring the US into it's rightful place as a member of the British Commonwealth.

[t3rmin]

Re: It's not too late - - -

Originally posted by fredintoon
As a Canadian, let me suggest an alternative solution to what seems to be an impossible task, choosing a President capable of properly running the USA.
Don't bother. A polite letter to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II is all it would take to bring the US into it's rightful place as a member of the British Commonwealth.

You know one of the things that's really surprised me is the international support for Ron Paul. Since when do foreigners pay this much attention to our primaries?

For instance: http://www.canadiansforronpaul.com/

http://europe4ronpaul.blogspot.com/

http://asia4ronpaul.blogspot.com/

http://ronpaulbrazil.wordpress.com/

http://ronpaul.liberal-venezolano.net/

http://ronpaulspanish.blogspot.com/

[fredintoon]

Since when do foreigners pay this much attention to our primaries?

Seeing the hysteria in the US news media about Iran just perhaps having an approach to the technology to maybe build just one nuclear weapon, perhaps it's understandable that foreigners are concerned about who leads a country that has thousands of the bastards AND the means to drop 'em anywhere on the planet.

[fenixroyale]

Ron Paul

I just hope this guy doesn't fall asleep on a railroad track before the election!

Ted

http://phfft.blogspot.com

[van]

Re: Have you heard about Ron Paul?

Originally posted by t3rmin
Sorry to bring up politics, but have you all heard about Ron Paul yet?

Here's a guy who's principled, honest, has integrity, and is in politics. Personally I've never heard of such a thing, but it's true. He's a 10-term congressman from Texas. Word is lobbyists don't even bother to visit him, because he can't be influenced/bought like the rest. Agree or disagree with his views, you have to respect a guy who votes for what he believes, every time.

I could usually give a rip about presidential primaries, but this time I've sat up and taken notice. Ron Paul is really something else, and his campaign has got me hopeful about the USA's future again.

He's running as a Republican, but only because being successful as a 3rd party candidate is impossible. He's a philosophical libertarian. As such he's pulling crazy amounts of support from all parts of the political spectrum.

Check him out: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/

The more I read about this guy, the more I like him.
His views on the UN, Nafta, Taxes, Imagration, patriot act and S.S. are sound and level headed, he'll never win.

[Winterhawk]

Check out this 2 hour video on what's going on in the USA.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2035108967536002048

Ron Paul 2008 JOIN THE5 REVOLUTION.

[mro]

His views on the UN, Nafta, Taxes, Imagration, patriot act and S.S. are sound and level headed, he'll never win.

Even if he did, there would be no significant change.

Since the fifties, the Republicans have been compromising there beliefs and over the years the result is that Democrats have been moving there agenda forward a step at a time and Republicans have not.
The Republican “agenda” has become meaningless as Republican presidents have compromised it to the point that they act like Democrats and the party platform is at best something to try to slow the advance of socialism, not reverse or stop it.
I here this or that Republican is a “Regan conservative” . Great that Regan cut taxes and the economy grew (a success) but the federal government doubled it’s spending too (failure).
Bush one...”read my lips”...what can I say?
Bush two cut taxes, federal tax income increased and yes it’s all been spent, as well as new social programs.
So what’s the point?


mro

[Winterhawk]

Ron Paul wants to do away with the Federal Reserve. which is a private entity and thus eliminate the Federal Income Tax for all of us.


Ron Paul 2008 JOIN THE REVOLUTION

[prometheus578]

"Don't mess with international bankers..."

Ron Paul wants to do away with the Federal Reserve

Yeah, and so did Kennedy.
Whoops!

[TopCatGr58]

Eliminating SS and Medicare!

Originally posted by t3rmin

And to veer it back into the positive... You want to talk about eliminating entitlements and the like? Have you heard Ron Paul's laundry list of agencies to eliminate? Not streamline, not cut back -- eliminate.

And he does want to phase out SS and Medicare. He's realistic about this, not putting dependents out on the streets with immediate elimination. A real "compassionate conservative". But he's the most anti-entitlement guy out there, and he's not afraid to say it.

Well, I don't like to talk politics, so I won't. But what I will talk about is Entitlements!

First, let me ask how many of you are independently wealthy? Secondly, how many who are married, with kids, can afford to put ANYTHING extra away for savings, or a separate retirement account, after paying house, utilities, food, GAS, car payment, etc.?!

I just received my Social Security Statement which tells me how much I've made thru my life, and IF I've reached the required minimum 40 points, (1 point for every $1k earned per year) to be able to receive benefits...specifically disability and such. I'm still at least 12 years away from my earliest retirement age of 62,17 for 66.66 point, 20 if I work till 70.

The front of the statement said that by 2017, just 10 years from now, that they will be paying out more in benefits than they receive in taxes.!

I have earned a little over $750,000 in my 33 years of working so far! It took me 19 years to earn my first 1/4 Million, but only 14 years to earn the last 1/2 million! At the rate of 6.2% SS taxes I have paid, along with matching 6.2% from Employer funds, I have so far earned $93,000 worth of Entitlements from SS, not to mention $21,000 in Medicare Benefits.1.45%+1.45%

And I still have some possible 20 years to retire to reach my max SS benefit at 70 y/o, but I could retire at 66.66 years,(66 yrs & 8 months) and since my MOM has lived to 80, and is still going strong, I hope to live some 15-20 years beyond my 66 y/o retirement age, so let's assume only 14 years of benefits to be paid back out to me! By the time I make it to retirement I will have earned another ~ 1/2 million, and so will have an additional $62,000 worth of taxes paid into the SS system.

They say that I will receive $2107/month at 70 y/o, that's about $25,000 a year, but at 66.66 only $1,643/month, about $20,000 a year. I'll have ~$150,000 into the SS by then, and IF I live for 6 years beyond my 70 retirement, then I'll have used up my benefits! Or about 7.5 years past my 66.66 retirement date.

Right now I'm relatively healthy, just previous back/neck surgeries, but so far, no hypertension, diabetes, etc., never smoked, rarely drink, but there's still no telling just how long I'll live. But okay, I can see how IF I live ~7 years past my retirement age, that I'll then be dipping into the NATIONAL FUNDS.

I'd be more than willing to pay a little more in SS taxes now to ensure that it's there, and to at least get my money that I put into it BACK!

I had a separate retirement fund going after I got out of the Navy, some 12 years after I had started working, but when my employer sold the company to a hospital group, I cashed it out for a downpayment on our house, and paid very heavy penalty taxes because of it! Due to other financial burdens, I have just restarted a new retirement fund this past year. But it won't be that much by the time I retire.

Geez, didn't mean to write a novel! Some folks don't live much past their retirement age, however their spouse gets survivor benefits, so the $ is still used up!

But look at how many 10's of Billions of $$ could be saved IF we ended the war!
T.C.

[John]

Bravo TC!

Bravo!

[fredintoon]

Remamber when felt tip marker pens first came out?

Hi TC,
It was that long ago that the (British) government had posters pinned up advertising a little book called "How your Government spends your money". There was a considerable blank space below the text on the poster. On the poster I saw, some anonymous fellow had used the then new invention to fill up that blaNk space with the legend:-
" INCLUDES PHOTO OF ACTUAL TOILET"

[JWSanders]

It became obvious to me over 10 years ago that I could not count on SS being there by the time I retire. I still have over 28 years to go before I'd qualify for it.

I started a savings back then and vowed never to touch it. I now have a pretty significant 401k going. Because of it, I hope to retire early. Maybe 55-60. Very few of the males in my family have made it past 65. Cancer or heart disease tends to eat them up first. Given my oh-so-healthy lifestyle, I expect to be no different. But even If I do, I will still be ready, even if I live to be 80 or more. If I don't, then I will have a nice tidy legacy to leave to my decendants.

I understand the dilemna of not having enough to save, sure, I've been there. And I'll admit, I'm not now. I make decent money, live WELL below my means, and as a result I have extra money to save and extra money to spend. (Why do you think I buy all those guns, John?) It's the result of hard work and a little discipline. There have been several times I could've robbed my fund and saved myself a lot of misfortune. Instead, I bucked up, bit the bullet, and worked a little harder.

I also understand the concept of SS, but the reality is that had I used that money in my own retirement account, I could've (all of us could've!!) earned over 4 TIMES the paltry return paid in SS. Even the most meager mutual find tops the rate of return the government is getting on OUR money 3 to 4 fold. The real-world averaged return is more like 5 to 6 times the idiotic rate the government earns.

The way I see it, rather then take YOUR money and pool it in a fund barely earning 2% (a PITTANCE, an ABSOLUTE PITTANCE) you should be allowed to invest it wisely, and NOT BE ALLOWED TO TOUCH IT until you declare your retirement. People could retire easily 5 or more years earlier than they do now, and have MORE MONEY to boot.

Our government has decided that it is far smarter than it's citizens, and convinved a lot of people that they're doing them a favor while bending them over in the biggest possible way.

All you get out of it in the end is SCREWED, while giving the government a big fat sack of cash to rob at your expense.

This is a perfect example of why I despise Socialism. It encourages the loss of personal responsibility (after all, you have SS to fall back on, right?), and fosters a deep dependance on a useless, burecratic and wasteful government while doing it.

Seriously TC, find a mutual fund return calculator online somewhere (there should be many). Then average up monthly what the government STEALS from you every paycheck in the form of SS tax, then calculate what you could've earned had you been allowed to manage your own money over all those years. You will be AMAZED. And maybe even a little pissed.

I know I am.