December 23rd, 1999
SURFSIDE – Vice President Al Gore recently unveiled a new proposal that would give Washington bureaucrats an additional $115 billion to place new regulations on local educators. A key element to the plan is that no school district could receive federal funds unless they had a plan in place to test teachers. Congressman Ron Paul criticized the plan for giving control of education dollars to unaccountable agencies in Washington.
Paul said, “Each time we are given a new education proposal from Washington it involves another layer of bureaucracy, and that has proven harmful to education. If we truly want to reform the system, we need to let local school districts keep and distribute funds as they see fit.”
Paul further stressed that Washington’s mandating teacher testing would inevitably lead to national testing as the federal government demands that state and local governments conform to their specifications.
“National testing means a national curriculum,” Paul explained. “Since teacher education will revolve around preparing teachers to pass the national test, new teachers will base their lesson plans on what they need to know in order to pass the Education Department-approved test.”
Paul authored HR 1706, a bill which passed the House of Representatives in July, prohibiting such national testing and certification. The bill’s language was included in the Teacher Empowerment Act, which re-authorized those parts of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act dealing with teacher training.
Last month, Congressman Paul and 14 of his colleagues, sent a letter to Senate Education Committee Chairman James Jeffords (R-VT) asking that the ban on national testing be included in the Senate version of the ESEA re-authorization.
Gore’s plan would also add several other obstacles for local school districts as they attempt to secure funding. Instead of giving more money and power to federal bureaucrats, Congressman Paul has proposed an education reform package centering on giving control of education back to parents and teachers. Paul recently introduced the Family Education Freedom Act (HR 935). This bill would give parents a per-year, per-child tax credit of up to $3,000 for education related expenses.
Unlike Gore’s proposal, the Paul bill would allow parents the maximum amount of freedom in determining how to educate their children. It would also be free of guidelines and restrictions that only dilute the actual number of dollars spent directly on a child’s education.
“I will continue to use my position on the Education Committee to fight to give the dollars and authority back to parents, teachers and local districts,” said Paul. “Congress has no constitutional authority to control local education systems. The bottom line is that politicians are holding our children’s education hostage in Washington for political purposes, and with plan’s like that offered by Mr. Gore they are also taking authority away from locally elected school boards and putting it in the hands of unelected bureaucrats.”
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December 13th, 1999
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) was joined today by Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) and two dozen other members of the House banking committee in opposing the Federal Reserve Board’s proposed rule to end the “colorblind” policy of the past 25 years regarding (non-mortgage) credit applications under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Regulation B. The rule would allow creditors to collect data on credit applicants’ race, color, sex, religion and national origin, and is largely seen as the first step in a plan that will end with federal regulators mandating the collection of such information.
Many members of the committee, from both sides of the aisle–including many not on this letter –have expressed serious concerns with aspects of the proposal. First and foremost, they all agree with Paul’s statement that “it should be Congress, not the regulators, which decides government policy.”
Paul stated, “Over 300,000 people joined me in sending comments to the Federal Reserve Board and other financial regulators to oppose the so called ‘Know Your Customer’ scheme that would have given banks a broad mandate to spy on their customers. These regulators now need to know that we will remain vigilant against threats to financial privacy. Congress and the regulators must be more diligent in protecting against privacy-violating governmental regulations.”
Paul said that some had other concerns with the proposal as well. He stated, “having just passed the financial modernization bill, many believe this is a most inopportune time to consider these changes. The new information collected under this proposal would exacerbate consumer concerns of potential abuses related to personal data since there has been a long-time prohibition on the collection of such data.”
Paul noted that the collection of such data would very likely result in a new scheme of government mandated race based lending quotas. In addition, he said the likely move to eventually make the collection of such data mandatory would add a huge new unfunded mandate that would increase costs to consumers in the form of higher ATM fees and worse interest rates.
The American Bankers Association, America’s Community Bankers, Consumer Bankers Association, Financial Services Roundtable, and the Independent Community Bankers of America have all sent a joint letter opposing the rule, and the American Financial Services Association, National Association of Federal Credit Unions and the Credit Union National Association all sent letters opposing the Regulation B change as well.
Joining Reps. Ron Paul and Bob Barr in signing the letter were Republicans Tom Campbell, Walter Jones, Sue Kelly, Jack Metcalf, Jim Ryun, Bill McCollum, Judy Biggert, Mark Green, Ed Royce, Lee Terry, Marge Roukema, Richard Baker, Spencer Bachus, Pat Toomey, Frank Lucas, Dave Weldon, Merrill Cook, Steven LaTourette, Bob Ney, John Sweeney, Peter King, Paul Ryan and Democrat Virgil Goode, Jr.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LETTER
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December 7th, 1999
WASHINGTON, DC – With the end of the year quickly approaching, Congressman Ron Paul is expressing serious concern over the transfer of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government. Questioning the validity of the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty, Paul is concerned about what the transfer will mean to US national security and commercial interests. “I opposed the ambiguous Panama Canal Treaties during my first terms in Congress,” Paul said, “and I am completely against carrying out the provisions of the ‘non-treaty’ under which we are currently operating.”
Paul serves as Chairman of the House Banking Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, where hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, December 7th and Wednesday, December 8th. The financial and commercial impact of the Panama Canal transfer will be discussed, and witnesses from both the United States and Panama will be present for questioning. These hearings will examine the future security of US commercial and protective interests after implementation of the Canal Treaty, as well as the stability and security of the financial and banking systems of the Republic of Panama.
Congressman Paul plans to ask the witnesses several pointed questions regarding what the transfer will mean to US national security, the physical condition and upkeep of the Canal, and the efficiency of operations. He will also call into question the leases by Panama of the canal’s anchor ports to the Chinese Communist government. He will also question foreign aid that American taxpayers will be expected to provide Panama to ensure continuous operation of the Canal.
Recently, Paul introduced H.Con.Res. 231, expressing the sense of the Congress that the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal Zone should be considered to be the sovereign territory of the United States. According to him, “The transfer of the Panama Canal increasingly erodes our already waning national sovereignty by handing over that which is rightfully ours, placing us in the unconstitutional role of ‘big brother’ to the Panamanian government.” Paul stated, “The Panama Canal is and always has been ours and should continue to be so.”
Additionally, Paul has pointed out that treaties are the responsibility of the Senate. That body, he says, should accept the responsibility it has to the national security of this country and act to nullify the Carter-Torrijos Treaties and keep the Panama Canal.
The transfer of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government is scheduled for completion on December 31, 1999.
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