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Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb  I like the sound of that.
*Puts hand up* Question - what does he cut down on so he can lower taxes? Maybe excessive polititian salaries and absurd, crippling subsidies? |
Social Security, Medicare, welfare, social programs, education funding, scientific research, foreign aid, defense, infrastructure, environmental protection, energy, etc.
I like the idea of libertarianism and what Dr. Paul espouses, but I am skeptical of it's real world effects. A society dominated entirely by selfish and corrupt multinational corporate interests is no better to me than a society run by selfish government bureaucrats and corrupt politicians. I don't want prisons, hospitals, military forces, etc. all run by private contractors.
I think Paul is a needed voice, a great counterbalance to the current circus in Washington, but I'm not convinced that the society he wants to create would end up being any better for the average citizen than the one we have now --- in the absence of government influence, other forces will step into the power vacuum, and Goldman Sachs and Monsanto will have even more influence on people's lives than they do today. Still, I like having him in the ring and calling other politicians on their ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.
As for cutting spending: people talk about "waste" and "fat" in US budgets, and it's there, but it makes up a very small percentage of total spending. There are really only 4 contributors to US budget problems: defense, Social Security, Medicare, and debt financing. Nothing else even comes close, and there is no way to fix spending without addressing these areas.