oh State of the Union

[pohibaba]

The thing I dont understand about Paul, is how come he's getting like no media coverage. I feel like he barely stands a chance b/c you never hear about him really except on the wide wide world of webs. I mean I saw him on Leno or something, but that's about it. All these stations seem to focus on Clinton, Obama, and Romney, at least while I have the news on in the background those are the main candidates I hear about... (keep in mind i live in the fuckin boonies and only get ABC/CBS).

News people like to pick the "front runners" before a campaign starts and only focus on them. In this election it was Obama and Clinton for the Democrats and Romney, McCain, Guilliani, and to a small degree Thompson on the Republican side. No one else running ever really had a chance because no one gave them a chance.

[Day]

And isn't that really what makes the whole election system crazy? I'll go ahead and admit I don't know a great deal about politics, I just know when I see something fucked up, (IE state of the union address), but I've never understood how America can possibly feel we are electing the most qualified person when in reality 2-3 candidates get jammed down our throats before anyone can even look at information and decide for themselves.

[evilbau]

The thing I dont understand about Paul, is how come he's getting like no media coverage. I feel like he barely stands a chance b/c you never hear about him really except on the wide wide world of webs. I mean I saw him on Leno or something, but that's about it. All these stations seem to focus on Clinton, Obama, and Romney, at least while I have the news on in the background those are the main candidates I hear about... (keep in mind i live in the fuckin boonies and only get ABC/CBS).

News people like to pick the "front runners" before a campaign starts and only focus on them. In this election it was Obama and Clinton for the Democrats and Romney, McCain, Guilliani, and to a small degree Thompson on the Republican side. No one else running ever really had a chance because no one gave them a chance.

I was reading Time magazine yesterday and they had an article about the 'Ron Paul Revolution.' I actually lol'ed at this part:

Representative Tom Tancredo, another long-shot G.O.P. candidate, tells me that after a debate in New Hampshire, one of his staffers walked up to a guy in a shark costume and asked him if he was a Ron Paul supporter. "No. They're all nuts," replied the shark. "I'm just a guy in a shark suit."

Link to the article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article ... -2,00.html
It brings up a good point, he has a lot of supporters who you really don't want supporting you (not pointing fingers in this thread lol)

[pohibaba]

Link to the article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article ... -2,00.html
It brings up a good point, he has a lot of supporters who you really don't want supporting you (not pointing fingers in this thread lol)

I agree with you 100%. I've met some Ron Paul supporters who were batshit crazy. Some of us, though, have been fans of his for a long time because of his policies, not his "anti-establishment" stance. I was among a group who tried to "draft" him to run as a Libertarian in 2004.

[Charla]

Fuck Ron Paul, i'm voting for the candidate of 911. Because on that day that 911 was founded, 911 stood tall and declared that no longer will 911 fear the likes of tyrants, for 911 stands for only one thing, 911. And if you believe as proudly as i do, in the Constitution and Government of 911, you'll vote the same as me. For 911.

YUO BORKED TEH SARCASM METER!

@pohi: I think Huckabee got some media attention for a couple weeks (for one obvious reason)

[Beckwin]

On Tuesday, both Paul and Tom Cruise were guests on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The actor went to Paul's dressing room to thank him for his work on a bill fighting the forced mental screening of grade-school kids. "Go. Go. Go. Go hard," Cruise said. Paul turned to an aide and asked, "What movies has he been in?"

Volumes, just volumes.

[Demosthenes11]

4) Fuck the Second Amendment.

epic

[pohibaba]

@pohi: I think Huckabee got some media attention for a couple weeks (for one obvious reason)

Yeah, I was just speaking of the pre-race favorites. Huckabee never really had a chance even after winning Iowa.

[Charla]

@pohi: I think Huckabee got some media attention for a couple weeks (for one obvious reason)

Yeah, I was just speaking of the pre-race favorites. Huckabee never really had a chance even after winning Iowa.

True. But it gave him a chance to be heard briefly, which is slightly more then Ron Paul has had so far.

[evilbau]

Someone asked for video somewhere in the beginning and if you don't want to read the transcript, heres youtube links (quality is crappy):

Part 1 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=S0IpXplQ9k4
Part 2 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=SDXr6GiQKYc
Part 3 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=nXKB35wl32w

[Egon]

It's not our job to come up with ideas. We shouldn't even be over there in the first place. How about you justify to me why we should sacrifice more lives in Iran, (Not just American lives), instead of fixing our own fucking problems at home.

Edit: (Taking out link, it was pretty old)

Wow.

I never did say invade Iran, but since you said it first, i guess you did come up with an idea all by yourself. Good Job!

[pohibaba]

Going back to the speech itself, this does a much better job of stating my general opinion on it than I could have:

Washington, D.C. - Following President Bush's annual State of the Union Address, the Libertarian Party issued their response from National Chairman William Redpath:

Tonight's State of the Union address went much as expected. Instead of calling for a more limited role of the federal government in American society, the President laid out plans that would only increase the government's intervention into the realm of economics, health care, education and foreign policy. It is unfortunate to see that after seven years of increasing the size of government and increasing the government's presence in the day to day lives of all Americans, the President refuses to limit the scope of the federal government, a once championed virtue of the President's party. The President's last State of the Union address encapsulated his legacy of an abandonment of the principles of limited government and individual freedom.

While the Libertarian Party applauds the President on taking a stand against wasteful government spending--though his administration has been a large contributor to this problem--and opening up more foreign markets to trade, we offer the following solutions to issues the President brought up in his address:

Economics: The President's economic stimulus plan is based on a flawed and outdated economic premise. The best solution to an economic slowdown is increasing the ability for businesses to grow and reinvest in the economy. Instead of increasing the federal deficit by $150 billion dollars, the federal government should focus its energy on eliminating taxes that restrain economic growth. Eliminating taxes such as the death tax and capital gains taxes, and lowering income tax rates on private citizens, will free up vital capital that can be reinvested into the economy. Additionally, the federal government should remove all trade barriers that prevent free trade with other nations. This is a more sound economic policy that presents real solutions instead of the window-dressing that is the President's stimulus package.

Education: The President's 'No Child Left Behind Act' has failed from the very beginning, and its reauthorization would be a travesty to the American education system. Instead of unfunded, federal mandates with the intent of fixing our failing public schools, alternatives involving the private sector should be explored. Increased local control over public schools and the increased use of private alternatives will increase the quality of education for all American children. We call for abolishing the Department of Education and removing the federal government from educating our children.

Health care: Far too long have our politicians tried to find a government fix for the health care problem we have in America. Government interference in the health care system is the root of the problems we face. Only in eliminating government subsidies of health care will we find relief from increasing costs. The Libertarian Party calls for the elimination of all government entitlement programs related to health care.

Foreign Policy: America will spend more than $1 trillion dollars in foreign wars started during the Bush administration. Because of such, the economy is in jeopardy and America's reputation abroad has suffered traumatic blows. On top of this, Americans have seen their civil liberties violated time after time. The Libertarian Party calls for a withdrawal from Iraq following the proper lines of withdrawal, executed by our commanders on the ground. We also call for an abandonment of the reckless policy of pre-emptive war, and a restoration of civil liberties lost under such laws as the Patriot Act and the amendments to FISA. The Libertarian Party reminds our leaders in power of the great words of Samuel Adams:
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.

In this perilous time, when our freedom is attacked from both inside our borders by corrupt politicians and from outside by foreign aggressors, we call for prudence, wisdom and above all, an adherence to the United States Constitution, which reigns sovereign over all individuals of American society.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

Sounds like what the Republican Party used to be.

[pohibaba]

Sounds like what the Republican Party used to be.

There have been some who have called the Libertarian Party, "the real Republican Party," but I think the "Party of principle" works just as well.

[Day]

It's not our job to come up with ideas. We shouldn't even be over there in the first place. How about you justify to me why we should sacrifice more lives in Iran, (Not just American lives), instead of fixing our own fucking problems at home.

Edit: (Taking out link, it was pretty old)

Wow.

I never did say invade Iran, but since you said it first, i guess you did come up with an idea all by yourself. Good Job!

Cute.

So, you guys don't like the idea of any kind of aggression towards Iran. If I'm wrong, please clarify. Tell me what you think we should do instead of what we shouldn't do.

Doesn't imply you disagree??

I do have some ideas, but since it's not exactly my area of expertise I'm sure that they are full of holes, but they sure as hell don't involve attacking another country. Since you are just begging for something to shoot down, I think we should get out of the middle east asap, stop trying to to be the world police, and work on some issues at home.

Edit: And taken from above quote, "America will spend more than $1 trillion dollars in foreign wars started during the Bush administration. Because of such, the economy is in jeopardy and America's reputation abroad has suffered traumatic blows. On top of this, Americans have seen their civil liberties violated time after time." - That is why.

wut r ur ideaz?

[pohibaba]

Edit: And taken from above quote, "America will spend more than $1 trillion dollars in foreign wars started during the Bush administration. Because of such, the economy is in jeopardy and America's reputation abroad has suffered traumatic blows. On top of this, Americans have seen their civil liberties violated time after time." - That is why.

wut r ur ideaz?

Non-interventionism. We need to understand the reasons the terrorists hate us, not just have some knee-jerk reaction to them. Of course, we need to punish the people who attacked us, but those people aren't the government of Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan. Nation building is never an acceptable foreign policy. We need to pull all of our troops out of the region, in fact we need to pull the troops out of all 400,000 troops that we have in 140+ countries around the world. Bush himself in the 2000 campaign said, "If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us" that's sound advice, I suggest listening to it.

[Xsaintx-Siren]

Bush is just a pawn for the New World Order.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread328301/pg1

[pohibaba]

Bush is just a pawn for the New World Order.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread328301/pg1

Guartz, is that you?

[Charla]

New World Order is pretty good, but I kinda prefer No World Order. you see what i did thar?

[Egon]

It's not our job to come up with ideas. We shouldn't even be over there in the first place. How about you justify to me why we should sacrifice more lives in Iran, (Not just American lives), instead of fixing our own fucking problems at home.

Edit: (Taking out link, it was pretty old)

Wow.

I never did say invade Iran, but since you said it first, i guess you did come up with an idea all by yourself. Good Job!

Cute.

So, you guys don't like the idea of any kind of aggression towards Iran. If I'm wrong, please clarify. Tell me what you think we should do instead of what we shouldn't do.

Doesn't imply you disagree??

I do have some ideas, but since it's not exactly my area of expertise I'm sure that they are full of holes, but they sure as hell don't involve attacking another country. Since you are just begging for something to shoot down, I think we should get out of the middle east asap, stop trying to to be the world police, and work on some issues at home.

Edit: And taken from above quote, "America will spend more than $1 trillion dollars in foreign wars started during the Bush administration. Because of such, the economy is in jeopardy and America's reputation abroad has suffered traumatic blows. On top of this, Americans have seen their civil liberties violated time after time." - That is why.

wut r ur ideaz?

First, let's keep in mind that the biggest solution to the great depression was world war 2. But, no, i do not feel the time is right to invade Iran. We are spread thin, and even if we weren't, most of Iran is a bunch of fuckin' mountains anyway. What we should do though is smoke em out. They can't thrive on their own, it'd be pretty damn easy to seal their borders (even though we can't keep the Mexicans out of our borders) if we can secure Iraq (which we will very soon).

Second, you may ask, Wtf you wanna fuck with Iran for?! World Police no thanks!!" Well, the governments main (and should be only) job is national security. Iran is indirectly killing Americans, and is publicly getting allies to rally against us. If we limp back home, it will show a weakness, that we give up over time. That's why Osoma feels we can be defeated, he's seen us retreat before.

Third, how do we fund this block-aid? If it were up to me, I'd shut down the education department (yea the whole damn thing) and greatly cut down the EPA. With the EPA out of the way, we can finally drill that black gold we got hiding in Alaska and a few other places. That would end almost all of our oil imports and free up a ton of cash. Killing Social Security and welfare would be great too.

So yea, those are just a few of my ideas in a nut shell. They may not be prefect, but i think its a pretty good plan. If anyone else has the guts to post some ideas, please by all means....

Thank you.