Ron Paul is NOT a Republican. Ron Paul is a repackaged Libertarian. On the issue of FEMA, Ron Paul is an idiot. Period. No one can control the power of Mother Nature. Not even the so-called Free Market.
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Since 9-11, this country has spent over $1,300,000,000 to fund two wars of occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq. This dollar amount does not include the Department of Defense or Homeland Security's yearly budgets.
Yes, I realize that Ron Paul has been a vocal advocate against these specific military operations. But the fact remains, at some point, this country needs to pay the bill for these wars.
If a husband goes on a $10,000 shopping spree with the family credit card, the wife is equally responsible for paying off the bill. The credit card companies don't care which spouse spent the money, as long as the bill gets paid.
Once again, no one can control Mother Nature. Drought and wild fires hit Texas and New Mexico. Tornadoes strike Missouri and Oklahoma. Hurricanes come ashore in Florida and Louisiana. Earthquakes shake California. This year, flooding washed away communities in Vermont and North Dakota. It's not complicated. IF it's important, people find the time, energy and money to do IT (i.e. whatever IT is). Helping fellow Americans during times of need will ALWAYS be important to this blogger. IF that means paying higher taxes to fund FEMA, so be it. If that means paying higher taxes to FINALLY pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so be it.
In terms of helping Americans impacted by natural disasters, Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders put it best, "to say that the only way you can come up with funding to rebuild devastated communities is to cut back on other desperately needed programs is totally absurd. Historically in this country we have understood that when communities and states experience disasters, we as a nation come together to address those. That is what being a nation is about."
Sadly, people will believe want they want to believe about anyone or anything. Over the years, I've learned to display a lot more patience with individuals who are ignorant rather than stupid. Ignorance can be fixed. The roots of stupidity are deeply embedded in 'Pride and Prejudice'. The latter of which is nearly impossible to overcome or change.
Ron Paul would NOT have ordered the Bin Laden Raid?
While the use of military force to achieve a political objective opens the door to other unforeseen consequences, in the case of ordering the raid into Pakistan, President Obama made the right decision. Period. If President Obama had choosen a different course of action and Osama Bin Laden had escaped, the GOP would have had a non-stop media driven field day attacking this President. The following radio interview with the candidate was recorded on May 10, 2011.
Photo of Door Gunner somewhere over Iraq (April 2005).
YMCA photo of Peter's Grandmother (Back Row, 3rd from Right), Concord State Teachers College, Athens, West Virginia (Circa 1934).
How Americans Can Buy American:
The Power of Consumer Patriotism - Third Edition
