December 10th, 2003
Washington, DC: Congressman Ron Paul cast a strong “NO” vote against the last huge spending measure of the year on Monday, rejecting the irresponsible special interest pork found in the 1,100 page bill. The so-called “omnibus” appropriations bill for 2004, the single largest spending bill ever passed by Congress, represents one-third of the entire federal budget for 2003!
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Paul stated. “This bill was naked pork, pure and simple. Federal deficits have reached all-time highs, and the recent Medicare boondoggle will add trillions to the federal debt– the last thing taxpayers need is another huge spending bill! The annual appropriations bills are no longer large enough to satisfy the big-spenders in Washington, so the omnibus bill has become a way for Congress to reward every last special interest as a year-end treat. It is unconscionable for Congress to burden future generations with this new debt.”
The mammoth spending bill weighs in at a hefty $820 billion, with staggering amounts of pork for every conceivable special interest. Here are just a few brief examples of the ridiculous pork that you will be paying for:
-$16,000 for the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in New York;
-$75,000 for the U.S. Dream Academy in Maryland;
-$500,000 for “LOVE” Social Services in Alaska;
-$325,000 for a swimming pool in California;
-$400,000 for a music museum in Iowa;
-$250,000 for the “Call Me Mister” program at Clemson University;
-$50,000,000 (fifty million!) for the Iowa Environmental Education Project.
The Senate has not acted on the bill, so Congressman Paul urges all Texas who oppose this reckless spending to contact their Senators.
Posted in Press Releases | No Comments »
Similar posts:
December 8th, 2003
Much has been written lately about several attempts to craft an alternative peace plan in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian dispute. The best known of these recent plans - the “Geneva Initiative” -was conceived and written by representatives of both sides of the conflict, but without the involvement of governments or politicians. As such, it is a fresh approach that should provide a lesson to those who continue to believe that peace is something that can only be crafted by government officials, or bribed and bullied by the “international community”.
We do know this: after decades of conflict and tens of billions of US taxpayer dollars spent, US government involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has led nowhere. The latest US government-initiated plan for peace, the “road map,” appears to be a map to nowhere. This does not surprise me much. With a seemingly endless amount of money to bribe the leaders of the two opposing sides to remain engaged in the process, is it any wonder why the two parties never arrive at peace?
But people on both sides are becoming more and more frustrated with the endless impasse and endless government and bureaucrat-written peace agreements that go nowhere.
That is why plans like this should be of such interest. Initially conceived by an obscure Swiss professor, the project was joined by former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, former Palestinian Authority Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, and by other prominent individuals like former president Jimmy Carter. The negotiations led to the creation of a 50 page detailed accord.
I do not know whether the product is perfect. I have not studied the minute details of the proposal. But what I do know is that politicians, governments, and special interests promote war at the expense of those who have to fight them. Wars end when the victims finally demand peace. And that is what we are beginning to see. According to one recent survey, a majority among both the Israeli and Palestinian population support this new initiative. That is encouraging.
To his credit, President Bush has demonstrated an open mind toward this alternative approach. He declared the Geneva Initiative “productive,” and added that the United States “appreciates people discussing peace.” Secretary of State Colin Powell echoed the president when he resisted hard-line pressure to ignore the proposed accord, stating, “I have an obligation to listen to individuals who have interesting ideas.” This is also encouraging.
Predictably, though, this new approach is not as welcomed by those– governments, politicians, and special interests– who have a stake in dragging out the process indefinitely. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has been lukewarm at best. Extremist Arab organizations that have a special interest in continuing the violence have also rejected the Geneva Initiative. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has rejected the Initiative out of hand. Said Mr. Sharon: “Geneva is an attempt to do something only a government can do.”
But the point is that governments have little incentive to finally end conflicts such as these. The United States is in places like Kosovo and Bosnia indefinitely in the name of “peace-keeping” and “peace processes”. The same will be true of our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is not until foreign involvement ceases– that means our continued meddling in the Middle East– and the people involved demand peace that real working solutions begin to emerge. The Geneva Initiative is therefore a positive step toward peace in the Middle East. Let us step back and get out of the way!
Posted in Speeches and Statements | No Comments »
Similar posts: