July 29th, 2000
Washington, D.C. – Representative Ron Paul wrote his colleagues in Congress today, asking them to join him in supporting health care tax cut measures for working families. Recently, he introduced the “Family Health Tax Cut Act” (HR 4799), a bill which would help millions of parents afford health care for their children. Paul said the legislation would be especially helpful to Americans whose employers cannot afford to provide them with health insurance.
“Many hard-working Americans have low-income jobs and must struggle to pay for health care for their children,” Paul stated. “Under the ‘Family Heath Tax Cut Act’, a struggling single mother with an asthmatic child would at last be able to provide for her child’s needs, while a working-class family would not have to worry about how they will pay the bills if one of their children requires lengthy hospitalization or some other form of specialized care.”
The “Family Health Tax Cut Act” provides parents with a tax credit of up to $500 for health care expenses of dependent children. Also, parents caring for a child with a disability, terminal disease, cancer, or any other health condition requiring specialized care would receive a tax credit of up to $3,000. All taxpayers, regardless of whether they itemize their deductions or use a standard 1040 or 1040 E-Z form, would benefit from the legislation.
The bill will be of greatest benefit to low-income Americans, who currently are forced to balance the demands of taxation with the needs of their children. The tax credits would become available to joint filers with incomes slightly above $18,000 a year, and single income filers with incomes slightly above $15,000 per year.
“The inability of many working Americans to provide health care for their children is rooted in Congress’ failure to allow individuals the same deduction for health care costs that it grants to businesses” Paul concluded. “HR 4799 takes a good first step toward correcting this inequity. This is a common sense way to provide low-income parents tax relief in order to help them better meet their children’s medical expenses. I urge my colleagues to support the pro-family, pro-health care tax cuts contained in the ‘Family Health Tax Cut Act’.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 28th, 2000
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ron Paul voted today to eliminate the 1993 tax increase imposed on Social Security benefits. H.R. 4865, the “Social Security Benefits Tax Relief Act”, passed the House today despite an effort by Democrats to substitute a less comprehensive bill. “I introduced legislation to repeal this tax increase in 1997, and I am pleased to see Congress taking action to reduce a very unfair tax” Paul stated. “I hope my colleagues will join me in my efforts to repeal all taxes on Social Security benefits.”
Prior to 1984, Social Security benefits were exempt from federal income taxes. In 1993, the Clinton administration successfully proposed taxing up to 85% of benefits, justifying the increase as needed to reduce the budget deficit. “President Clinton and most members of Congress say the budget deficit is gone,” Paul said. “By their own reasoning, there is no need to keep this tax hike in place.”
“Social Security benefits are financed with tax dollars, so imposing a tax on them is yet another example of double taxation” Paul continued. “Furthermore, ‘taxing’ benefits paid by the federal government is merely an accounting trick, which enables Congress to reduce benefits by subterfuge. This allows Congress to continue using the Social Security Trust Fund as a means of financing other government programs, while masking the true size of the federal debt.”
Paul cosponsored H.R. 761, a bill that would eliminate all taxes on Social Security benefits. He also introduced H.R. 219, the “Social Security Preservation Act”, which would ensure that all monies in the Social Security Trust Fund are spent solely on benefit payments. “When the government takes money out of your paycheck for the Social Security Trust Fund, it makes a promise that the money will be there for you when you retire,” Paul said. “Congress has a moral obligation to keep that promise.”
“We have a long way to go in reducing the burdens imposed on senior citizens by the federal government” Paul concluded. “I will continue my efforts to eliminate taxes on Social Security and prevent Congress from spending Social Security funds on frivolous government programs.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 27th, 2000
Washington D.C.- Legislation introduced by Congressman Ron Paul to transfer ownership of the Lake Texana/Palmetto Bend project to the State of Texas was approved by unanimous consent of the House Resources committee today, setting the stage for final passage of the bill later this year. H.R. 2674, the “Palmetto Bend Conveyance Act”, will allow the State of Texas to act through the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (LNRA) to purchase the federal interest in Lake Texana and restore local control of water rights. The legislation follows ongoing efforts by Congressman Paul, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and LNRA staff to transfer ownership of the project away from the federal government.
“The State of Texas should own and control the water flowing through Lake Texana” Paul stated. The LNRA has demonstrated it can manage the project in a more economical manner. This legislation will take ownership away from the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which will benefit the citizens of Jackson County.”
The bill will allow the LNRA to assume full ownership of the project, reducing operating costs by eliminating management by federal authorities. Charles Hasdorff, President of the Authority’s Board of Directors, stated the “LNRA hopes that it will be able to acquire the project from the United States and decrease the cost of water to its customers, without reducing the benefits of the project to the public. We look forward to managing Lake Texana in an environmentally sound manner for the benefit of the public and all citizens of Jackson County. We are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated lawmaker in Washington protecting the local interest.”
Municipal and industrial customers in Jackson and Calhoun Counties will use water supplied by Lake Texana. The federal Bureau of Reclamation recently completed its final environmental assessment of the impact of transferring title of the Palmetto Bend project to the LNRA. No direct adverse environmental impacts were identified.
“Local control of resources is critical,” Paul concluded. “People know that management by federal regulators is less efficient. Local control will result in better conservation of resources and the elimination of policies that have encouraged the inefficient use of water. I will continue my efforts to restore this federally controlled project to the people of the State of Texas.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 27th, 2000
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, Representative Ron Paul urged Congress to reduce the price of pharmaceuticals by cosponsoring his “Pharmaceutical Freedom Act” (HR 3636). In a letter to his colleagues, Paul said his bill will help millions of Americans afford the medications they need by reducing barriers to importing FDA-approved pharmaceuticals.
“The ‘Pharmaceutical Freedom Act’ allows anyone wishing to import a prescription drug to submit an application to the FDA, which it must approve unless the drug is not permitted in the U.S. or is adulterated,” said Paul. “This places the burden on the FDA to show why someone should not be allowed to import quality pharmaceutical products.”
Other key aspects of the “Pharmaceutical Freedom Act” are a tax credit for senior citizens for up to 80% of their prescription drug costs, and language that forbids the federal government from imposing new regulations on internet pharmacies that are in compliance with all state laws. Paul said it is critical that Congress starts putting the health care concerns of seniors before its pork-barrel projects.
“Many seniors are struggling to afford the prescription drugs they need in order to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle” Paul continued. “Yet the federal government imposes taxes on Social Security benefits and over-regulates new, cost-effective ways to obtain medications, like the Internet pharmacies. Congress must choose between helping seniors afford prescription drugs or using the Social Security trust fund for big government spending.”
“One of the best ways to make pharmaceuticals affordable is to remove government-imposed barriers to free trade,” Paul concluded. “My ‘Pharmaceutical Freedom Act’ will create a true free market in prescription medicine, while cutting taxes on senior citizens. I call on my colleagues to join me in fighting for America’s seniors and their health.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 26th, 2000
Washington, D.C. – Recently, Congressman Ron Paul introduced legislation designed to overturn recently finalized EPA regulations aimed at agricultural producers. “I have been warning about this for two years and now the EPA is moving forward,” said Paul, pointing to a press release he issued nearly two years ago relating to non-point source pollution. Paul renewed his attack on the EPA regulations printed in the Federal Register.
“Just recently Congress passed language expressly prohibiting implementation of these standards, but the EPA has gone ahead and finalized this rule in a blatant disregard for Congressional intent,” Paul said. “While the recently passed language would delay implementation, my bill would stop the regulation altogether.”
Paul stated that he became aware of the regulation two years ago when the EPA and USDA first started discussing it. “The agricultural community expressed its opposition, but few here on Capital Hill took it seriously when they should have. I immediately suggested that this regulation could result in the imposition of a requirement for a federal license to farm. Fortunately we were able to slow this thing down by speaking out at that time, and the recent passage of language limiting implementation is another important step, but we need to kill this thing once and for all.”
“Two years ago I pointed out that we in Texas have the responsibility and authority to make our waters clean, and only Texans have the understanding needed to implement farm policies that Texans can live with. This latest move by the EPA is another blatant example of this administration foisting federal regulators and unneeded regulations into an area in which they have no business being. It also exemplifies the fact that this administration is willing to do whatever it wishes regardless of the constitutional mandate that Congress exercise federal lawmaking authority. From executive orders to administrative regulations, this administration has been among the most egregious violators of the constitutional separation of powers and the legitimate legislative intentions of Congress derived from that constitution.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 26th, 2000
Washington D.C.- Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan testified before a House Banking Committee today, presenting Congressman Ron Paul with an opportunity to question the Fed’s manipulation of our monetary system. Paul, a member of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, is a longtime advocate of sound monetary policies based on free market interest rates and commodity money. He has been an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve and its inflationary policies.
Paul’s questions focused on the distortions created by the Federal Reserve’s expansion of the money supply, noting that businesses tend to make bad decisions when large amounts of Fed-created capital are available. He also challenged the notion that the federal government has a “budget surplus”, given our ongoing borrowing and an ever-increasing national debt of more than a trillion dollars.
Congressman Paul noted that in the past decade, the Federal Reserve has greatly increased the M3 money supply. He pressed the Fed Chairman to comment on the recessionary correction that results from monetary expansion, citing the conclusion of several prominent Austrian-school economists that such an expansion is unsustainable. “I would appreciate your assurances that you think those economists are wrong on this” Paul said, although Greenspan declined to engage in an “intellectual discussion” on the issue.
“Alan Greenspan has been quite generous when it comes to creating new money,” Paul stated later. The current ‘prosperity’ touted by the administration has been dependent on the creation of credit out of thin air by the Federal Reserve when it inflates our currency. This monetary inflation has already set the stage for the next recession. The only policy available to the Fed today is to further inflate the currency in an attempt to delay the inevitable correction.”
“Our fiat monetary policy is doomed to fail,” Paul continued. “The Fed can print money to bolster the economy in the short run, but the law of supply and demand applies to money as well as goods and services. The debate should not be about whom is best at managing the economy, determining the money supply, and setting the proper interest rates. The debate should ask whether we should have a government-managed monetary system at all.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 25th, 2000
Washington D.C.- Congressman Ron Paul voted Thursday to support legislation designed to reduce trade and travel restrictions currently imposed on Cuba. Several amendments to an appropriations bill were proposed which would prohibit federal funds from being used to implement economic sanctions against Cuba. Paul supported two amendments approved by the House. One eliminates restrictions on medicine, food, and agricultural exports to Cuba, while the second lifts restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens.
Paul praised the legislation as a free trade measure that will benefit the district economy: “We need to end trade embargoes and open new markets for Texas agriculture. Economic sanctions punish Texas farmers who want to export their products to Cuba. I have always supported true free trade because it makes sense for the farmers in my district.”
Paul also supported a broader amendment to the appropriations bill that would have effectively ended the Cuban embargo completely. Similarly, he introduced legislation in 1999 aimed at eliminating all trade restrictions with Cuba for any type of U.S. exports.
“My constituents know that I have a consistent record of voting for true free trade with no government subsidies or multinational agreements” Paul continued. “The federal government should not tell Texas farmers they cannot export to any particular country. Trade embargoes simply benefit our export competitors, who stand ready to sell to market closed to our farmers. It is time to end our 40-year failed policy and open up the Cuban marketplace to our products.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 21st, 2000
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, Representative Ron Paul wrote his colleagues in Congress asking them to support legislation that would provide more resources to people suffering from cancer and other terminal diseases. Paul said his “Cancer and Terminal Illness Patient Health Care Act” (HR 4265) represents a commonsense policy that will help working Americans who are suffering.
“It is hard to think of a more compassionate policy this Congress could adopt than one to stop taking needed resources away from people who have cancer, AIDS or other terrible health problems,” said Paul. “The ‘Cancer and Terminal Illness Patient Health Care Act’ is a realistic way to help people receive quality health care when they need it most.”
The “Cancer and Terminal Illness Patient Health Care Act” exempts Americans stricken with cancer or other terminal illnesses from the employee portion of payroll taxes while they are incurring significant medical costs associated with their condition. Paul, a physician who has specialized in women’s health issues for decades, knows first-hand how critical it is that patients with cancer have resources available to combat the disease.
Paul said, “When stricken with cancer or another terminal illness, many Americans struggle to pay for the treatment necessary to save, or extend, their lives. Even those employees with health insurance incur costs such as transportation to and from care centers, paying for prescription drugs, or paying for childcare while they receive treatment. Yet the federal government continues to force these employees to pay for a retirement they may never live to see! I call on Congress to support this common sense legislation and provide relief to those who are suffering by cosponsoring the ‘Cancer and Terminal Illness Patient Health Care Act’.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 20th, 2000
Washington, D.C.- Congressman Ron Paul voted Wednesday to support H.R. 1102, the “Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform” bill. The bill, approved by the House, increases the amount individuals may contribute to their IRA and 401(k) accounts, while enhancing pension “portability” so that workers can take their pensions with them when they change jobs.
Specifically, deductible IRA contribution amounts are raised from the current $2,000 in annual $1,000 increments until 2003. Beginning in 2004, IRA contributions are indexed in $500 increments. Similarly, contributions to 401(k) and like pension plans are raised from the current $10,000 in $1,000 increments until 2005, when further increases are indexed in $500 increments. Pension portability is made easier by relaxing the “roll-over” rules, which dictate the time in which individuals may make a tax-free transfer of their pension savings as the result of a job change.
“Taken together, these increases represent a positive step in the right direction toward tax cuts and increased private retirement saving” Paul stated. “I have co-sponsored legislation which would increase the contribution amounts faster, but I strongly support the tax relief contained in the present bill. American taxpayers will be able to reduce their income tax bill immediately with an increased IRA contribution, while putting more of their paycheck into their tax-deferred pensions.”
In 1999, Congressman Paul introduced H.R. 802, a bill that would immediately raise the annual deductible IRA contribution amount to $5,000. He also co-sponsored bills in 1999 that would allow a tax credit for contributions to IRAs and broaden penalty-free withdrawals from IRAs. “Our tax laws generally discourage private saving” Paul said. “My pension reform proposals have focused on increasing saving by increasing the tax deductions and tax deferrals available to individuals. We can encourage retirement saving simply by allowing employees to put more of their paychecks into IRAs and pension funds, instead of sending taxes to the federal government.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts:
July 19th, 2000
Washington D.C.- Congressman Ron Paul is once again leading the fight on Capitol Hill against assaults on consumer financial privacy. H.R. 3886, the International Counter-Money Laundering Act of 2000, violates financial privacy, grants overly broad, discretionary power to the executive branch, and may result in a less focused law enforcement strategy with fewer prosecutions.
Paul, a member of the Banking committee, is known for vigorously leading the successful opposition to “Know Your Customer” regulations proposed in 1998 by federal banking regulators. Know Your Customer regulations would have required U.S. banks to profile their customers, monitor transactions, and report “suspicious” activity (based not on one’s banking habits but on geography, income, etc.- i.e., what one’s habits should be!) to Treasury Department criminal investigators. Paul was outspoken in his opposition to the proposals, which ultimately were abandoned by the administration after the Senate voted unanimously to reject them. Financial regulators received over 300,000 angry comments as a result of the opposition generated by Paul and other privacy advocates.
H.R. 3886 is essentially an international version of Know Your Customer. Paul opposed the bill in the Banking committee, and was successful (along with Representatives Barr, Campbell, and Metcalf) in amending the bill to create a nongovernmental privacy advocate to report on meetings of Treasury Department bank regulators. However, Paul wanted the Know Your Customer regulations eliminated completely: “This bill will further erode protections for consumer financial privacy. Know Your Customer met with overwhelming public opposition, but now regulators want to establish the same rules for international transactions. Once such regulations are in place, they could be broadened and applied to American citizens domestically.”
Under H.R. 3886, the Treasury Department has broad discretion to force U.S. financial institutions to report on international transactions and transactions involving foreign banks. The bill does not impose a dollar amount for international transactions that must be reported. It allows the secretary of the Treasury to require that banks maintain records of any transaction upon merely a finding that the transaction or the foreign jurisdiction in which the transaction occurs is “of primary money laundering concern.” In total, the federal government is given greater access to personal financial records without judicial review or any showing of probable cause that a crime has been committed. The bill cedes almost total authority to the executive branch, while Congress avoids its responsibility to address the money laundering issue legislatively.
Civil libertarians and privacy advocates from both parties in Congress have begun to voice opposition to H.R. 3886. “People are becoming aware of this systematic attack on our privacy” Paul stated. “However, because this bill deals with international transactions, it may pass with less attention than we had with the original Know Your Customer. I call on all Americans concerned with their eroding privacy to join me in urging their Representative to vote no on this bill. H.R. 3886 will continue the trend toward greater and greater intrusion into our private lives by the federal government.”
Posted in Press Releases | Comments Off
Similar posts: