Wednesday
May072008
Ron Paul on "The Revolution"
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 4:39PM
Congressman and Republican presidential contender Ron Paul (R-TX) addressed a crowd at a discussion and signing to promote his new book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, currently a number-one bestseller on Amazon.com. Dr. Paul, who will continue to run for the presidency despite Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presumed nomination, said the purpose of his book is to “galvanize” the American people and foster enthusiasm about civil liberties and a return to American libertarian principles.
Paul described his main objective as respect for and adherence to the U.S. Constitution, and said that “it’s sad that just obeying the Constitution is a revolutionary idea.” He said he uses the word “revolution” cautiously, and advocates a “nonviolent” one that would restore civil liberties and reduce the influence of the Federal government. He said that Congress and the judicial system “ignore the Constitution” and have allowed the Fourth Amendment to erode over time. After 9/11, Paul said some members of the government “showed cheer” because it represented an opportunity to infringe on civil liberties with measures such as the Patriot Act.
Paul expressed appreciation for young voters, whom he said have grown passionate about preserving the Constitution, and said his supporters have been energized by his “optimism,” which he said means analyzing problems and then seeking solutions. He said the young generation “has to make a decision” about what they want the role of their government to be, and said that he thinks that role is to “preserve liberty, not run our lives, run our economy, and police the world.”
Paul deplored the fact that to oppose war earns the label of a “left-winger,” and said “I don’t think it’s left-wing to say, ‘Why are we fighting a war that was never declared?’” He also said that at one point, his campaign received more donations from military personnel than all other presidential candidates combined. Paul said he thinks “we live in dangerous times,” and that foreign policy occupation will lead to a “crisis” in America. In reference to criticism of former Pres. Bill Clinton as a “nation-builder” during his term in the 1990s as opposed to the current rise in foreign occupation with Pres. Bush’s administration, Paul said that “Americans have very short memories, and Muslims and Arabs never forget anything.”
When asked where he sees the government headed, Paul said he thinks the U.S. is “moving more towards fascism” than lawlessness because of growing governmental intervention in the form of “big corporations,” “secret prisons, and the loss of habeas corpus.” He said he thinks that “the empire will end” because the U.S. cannot sustain its present course and continue to finance its global objectives.
Paul described his main objective as respect for and adherence to the U.S. Constitution, and said that “it’s sad that just obeying the Constitution is a revolutionary idea.” He said he uses the word “revolution” cautiously, and advocates a “nonviolent” one that would restore civil liberties and reduce the influence of the Federal government. He said that Congress and the judicial system “ignore the Constitution” and have allowed the Fourth Amendment to erode over time. After 9/11, Paul said some members of the government “showed cheer” because it represented an opportunity to infringe on civil liberties with measures such as the Patriot Act.
Paul expressed appreciation for young voters, whom he said have grown passionate about preserving the Constitution, and said his supporters have been energized by his “optimism,” which he said means analyzing problems and then seeking solutions. He said the young generation “has to make a decision” about what they want the role of their government to be, and said that he thinks that role is to “preserve liberty, not run our lives, run our economy, and police the world.”
Paul deplored the fact that to oppose war earns the label of a “left-winger,” and said “I don’t think it’s left-wing to say, ‘Why are we fighting a war that was never declared?’” He also said that at one point, his campaign received more donations from military personnel than all other presidential candidates combined. Paul said he thinks “we live in dangerous times,” and that foreign policy occupation will lead to a “crisis” in America. In reference to criticism of former Pres. Bill Clinton as a “nation-builder” during his term in the 1990s as opposed to the current rise in foreign occupation with Pres. Bush’s administration, Paul said that “Americans have very short memories, and Muslims and Arabs never forget anything.”
When asked where he sees the government headed, Paul said he thinks the U.S. is “moving more towards fascism” than lawlessness because of growing governmental intervention in the form of “big corporations,” “secret prisons, and the loss of habeas corpus.” He said he thinks that “the empire will end” because the U.S. cannot sustain its present course and continue to finance its global objectives.
Ron Paul Calls For The Federal Reserve To Increase Transparency
Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) recently introduced the Federal Reserve Transparency Act to House, a piece of legislation that calls for a stronger audit of the Federal Reserve along with a "detailed report to Congress.” The bill currently has 241 co-sponsors.
During a forum at the Cato Institute, Paul said he originally decided to run for Congress in the 1970s due to his interest in monetary policy, which is conducted by the Federal Reserve. “I’ve been talking about it for decades, and arguing that we had a financial system that was very fryable, very vulnerable, and it was the Fed that was creating the bubbles. Therefore we should be looking into it and preventing these problems rather than waiting for cataclysmic financial crisis to hit.”
Gilbert Schwartz, Former Associate General Counsel to the Federal Reserve, appeared alongside Paul, argued that the Fed is responsible for the financial crisis to some degree, he praised the “flexibility that the Federal Reserve exhibited in terms of their willingness to make sure that the economy—not just the U.S. economy, but also the world financial system—did not collapse.”
Schwartz went on to explain that the Fed understands the growing demand for transparency. He cited recent financial statements released by the Fed, saying, “clearly the message is getting to the Fed, and... this indicates at least some degree of attempt by the Fed to: one, be responsive to that criticism, and number two, probably to thwart the legislation that would otherwise subject them to GAO [U.S. Government Accountability Office] audit.”
Paul said that his bill will “open the books,” but not necessarily affect monetary policy. “It’s less confrontational for those who want to design regulations and deal with with monetary policy, and I think that’s why we’re getting such bipartisan support.” Paul believes, however, that if the audit is conducted, public opinion will turn against the Fed and monetary policy will be substantially challenged.
Ron Paul attributed the bills' support to the changing landscape of the economic system. “It had to do with the TARP funds,” Paul explained. “There are a few spammers out there that are interested in what I’ve been doing, and they’re letting their Congressmen know."