THIS IS SERIOUS "CHANGE".

[Danno 1,228]

Ron Paul to propose $1T in specific budget cuts

By DAN HIRSCHHORN | 10/17/11 5:06 AM EDT

Ron Paul’s opinions about cutting the budget are well-known, but on Monday, he’ll get specific: the Texas congressman will lay out a budget blueprint for deep and far-reaching cuts to federal spending, including the elimination of five cabinet-level departments and the drawdown of American troops fighting overseas.

There will even be a symbolic readjustment of the president’s own salary to put it in line with the average American salary.

During an afternoon speech in Las Vegas ahead of Tuesday’s debate, Paul will say that his plan for $1 trillion in cuts will create a balanced federal budget by the third year of his presidency.

“Dr. Paul is the only candidate with a plan to cut spending and truly balance the budget,” says an executive summary of the plan, which POLITICO obtained, along with detailed spending and taxation levels, ahead of its release. “This is the only plan that will deliver what America needs in these difficult times: Major regulatory relief, large spending cuts, sound monetary policy, and a balanced budget.”

Many of the ideas are familiar from Paul’s staunch libertarianism, as well as tea party favorites like eliminating the departments of education and energy. But Paul goes further: he’ll propose immediately freezing spending by numerous government agencies at 2006 levels, the last time Republicans had complete control of the federal budget, and drastically reducing spending elsewhere. The EPA would see a 30 percent cut, the Food and Drug Administration would see one of 40 percent and foreign aid would be zeroed out immediately. He’d also take an ax to Pentagon funding for wars.

Medicaid, the children’s health insurance program, food stamps, family support programs and the children’s nutrition program would all be block-granted to the states and removed from the mandatory spending column of the federal budget. Some functions of eliminated departments, such as Pell Grants, would be continued elsewhere in the federal bureaucracy.

And in a noticeable nod to seniors during an election year when Social Security’s become an issue within the Republican primary, the campaign says that plan “honors our promise to our seniors and veterans, while allowing young workers to opt out.”

The federal workforce would be reduced by 10 percent, and the president’s pay would be cut to $39,336 — a level that the Paul document notes is “approximately equal to the median personal income of the American worker.”

Paul would also make far-reaching changes to federal tax policy, reducing the top corporate income tax rate to 15 percent, eliminating capital gains and dividends taxes, and allowing for repatriation of overseas capital without tax penalties. All Bush-era tax cuts would be extended.

And like the rest of his GOP rivals, Paul would repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, along with the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform law enacted last year. Paul, a longtime Federal Reserve critic, would also push a full audit of the central bank, as well as legislation to “strengthen the dollar and stabilize inflation.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66114.html#ixzz1b2orG82F

[^_^ 5,021]

What good is serious change coming from an unserious candidate?

[luckytxn 2,265]

What good is serious change coming from an unserious candidate?

Have to agree. He doesn't stand a chance. I love my Congressman and will miss him representing me.

[Danno 1,228]

What good is serious change coming from an unserious candidate?

Ole AJ, always crushing peoples dreams with that hammer of reality.

[^_^ 5,021]

Have to agree. He doesn't stand a chance. I love my Congressman and will miss him representing me.

If Rick Perry wants to re-ignite his campaign, he should just steal Paul's plan.

[Leatherneck 693]

When a country is in debt to the tune of more than $100 trillion, somebody needs to take chainsaw to the bloated government.

But Ron P. will not get elected, most Americans want bigger government, not less...unfortunately.

[^_^ 5,021]

When a country is in debt to the tune of more than $100 trillion, somebody needs to take chainsaw to the bloated government.

But Ron P. will not get elected, most Americans want bigger government, not less...unfortunately.

the true R vs D battle is about what we'd like our big government to do.

[slim 1,533]

He's steadily been in 3rd with next to no media coverage. I wonder what's going to happen once he's "cool enough" to show on TV.

[mawilson 2,133]

I'd like to see a candidate who would tell the people what they wanted to hear and as soon as he got elected, he'd be like "Yo, 999 is on, I'ma fuсk you up bitсhes!"

[slim 1,533]

I'd like to see a candidate who would tell the people what they wanted to hear and as soon as he got elected, he'd be like "Yo, 999 is on, I'ma fuсk you up bitсhes!"

Isn't there a dude already running on that platform?

[mawilson 2,133]

Isn't there a dude already running on that platform?

Yeah, but he's unelectable. We need a nice white dude who will promise to keep Social Security

and Medicare safe and keep the poor on food stamps and welfare checks, and then once he's in the

White House, "HOOAH! IMA FUСK YOUR SHІT UP YOU LAZY АSS LOSERS!"

[slim 1,533]

White guys don't talk like that.

We could always elect Dwayne Elizondo Hector Mt. Dew Comacho.

[mawilson 2,133]

We could always elect Dwayne Elizondo Hector Mt. Dew Comacho.

Yeah, that guy was cool.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/ron-paul-media-blackout-confirmed-133943628.html

Ron Paul Media Blackout Confirmed

By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire – 7 hrs ago

Ron Paul loyalists have been vindicated. After months of observations that the mainstream media was ignoring the libertarian standard-bearer, a new study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism shows just that: the Texas Congressman, who has consistently polled in the high single digits -- Real Clear Politics's aggregate poll currently has him at 8 percent -- has received the least overall coverage of any candidate. From May 2 to October 9, Paul appeared as the "primary newsmaker in only 2% of all election stories."

The study measured mainstream exposure by compiling a list of 52 mainstream news outlets across "newspapers, cable news, broadcast television, the 12 most popular news websites in the country, and radio news." To register as a story about the candidate, he/she had to be the focus of at least 50 percent of the story. Interestingly, while Paul gained short shrift from the mainstream press, the blogosphere was an entirely different story, where the tone of his coverage was more favorable than for any other candidate:

Paul generated a good deal of attention on blogs, registering as the fifth most-discussed candidate with more than 89,000 opinions tracked about him.

Moreover, he and his candidacy fared better than any other candidate in the tone of that conversation. In all, 48% of the blogging conversation about Paul was positive compared with only 15% negative and 38% neutral. The next highest positive rating for any Republican was 34%, for Romney, and the next lowest negative rating was 24%, for Cain.

While complaints about a lack of media coverage are typical coming from any struggling candidate, Paul boosters, and even some independent observers, have argued that Paul's media blackout is particularly striking considering his concrete successes on the campaign trail. By our count those successes include.

Winning the Los Angeles Country Straw Poll last week, with more votes than Mitt Romney and Herman Cain combined.

On October 8, winning the Values Voter straw poll in Washington, D.C.

Raising $8.3 million in the third quarter, putting his fundraising clout way ahead of other second-tier candidates such as Herman Cain, who raised $2.8 million in the quarter, Michele Bachmann, who raised $4.1 million, and Rick Santorum, who raised less than $1 million.

Winning the California Republican Party straw poll in September.

Taking a close second in the Ames straw poll in Iowa in August behind Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.

As The Washington Post notes. "Paul’s support has been stable at 10 percent or 11 percent of Republican and GOP-leaning independents in the three most recent Washington Post-ABC News polls." The question is, why is that not a story for the political media?

[Leatherneck 693]

Yeah, but he's unelectable. We need a nice white dude who will promise to keep Social Security

and Medicare safe and keep the poor on food stamps and welfare checks, and then once he's in the

White House, "HOOAH! IMA FUСK YOUR SHІT UP YOU LAZY АSS LOSERS!"