Yeah Gallup is clearly a shill for the republicans, they have an obvious bias, they are not a legitimate polling place.
A few issues with Ron Paul. Not extending Due process rights to the helpless unborn. Giving Federal and State tax incentives to same sex couples, unless he proposes removing all tax advantages and removing the State from marriage. Pulling back all the International influence the US has through Military and financial aid. We can't allow the Iranians to patrol the Straights of Hormuz or give China control of the Seas around the Pacific. We can't allow the pirates to control the Indian ocean. We can cut down in Europe and make NATO pay more, but no one else but the USA is in a position to enforce International treaties and maintain free movement of goods across the globe. Might have trouble going to a Gold standard, not enough gold to back the supply of money needed to run a 14 trillion economy
That basically sums it up, you dont like him because your a social conservative. Nothing wrong with that, but ill just say where he stands on those 2. He basically believes both of them are states rights issues. In terms of Marriage, he believes that the federal government has no business being involved on that issue whether a person is gay or straight, and I agree. He also believs abortion is a states rights issue if i remember correctly. In terms of us policing the world, that game is going to come to an end eventually whether we like it or not. We simply dont have the money to do it anymore. Look at what has happened with Iran and North Korea, both of them have basically thumbed their noses at us while developing their nuclear programs, because they both know we have neither the stomach, nor the money to get into any more full scale wars.
I agree wholeheartedly. Fortune 100 sold us out. And free trade isn't fair trade. Similar labor cost nations compete equally, otherwise, production migrates to low-cost centers. Paul harps that a strong currency is a capital magnate. In some instances, it's true. But if it were always true, why is China the worlds factory when the Yuan is weaker than the Greenback? I think producers look at the total cost picture when deciding locality (labor cost + tax structure + regulation + transportation + currency value). Paul wants to eliminate personal and corporate income taxes, minimum wage laws, gut onerous regulation and peg the dollar to gold/silver. That would reduce state-side manufacturing costs dramatically. The effect would rival tariffs (restore competitiveness back to "Made in the USA"). Still, I think tariffs ought to be included in overall trade policy, especially against Chindia. Like you said, they're getting a free-ride off our sweat and toil. Outrageous considering a dollar collapse would put the Chinese economy on par with the United States, in terms of size.
The Republican Party is split between big government, neocon war-mongers and small government, non-interventionist Libertarians (Tea Party). Homo is a big government, neocon warmonger. He wants the US to fight Israel's wars. That's why he supports 'all-hat-no-cattle' Rick Perry. And hates Ron Paul.
Due Process is a universal right not a State's rights issue. Every person born or unborn should never be considered property no matter will they live. Only federal Govt. role in marriage is through the IRS and at this time the Federal Govt. does not recognize any same sex marriages. It is exclusively a States right issue at present.
The thing that these liberals who are cheering on the destruction of the dollar dont understand is that no matter how much we crush our dollar we arent going to be competitive with China. They pay people in their manufacturing sector 1 dollar per day, we pay them 40k+ per year with all the benefits. We would have to go through an unfathomable amount of pain to get ourselves to a level where we were competitive with China on that level, and we would have to let asset prices seriously deflate. I agree that the only way we can compete is by taxing them, what do we care if they tax us back, none of these trade imbalances are in our favour anyways, so what does it matter if they turn around and tax us back. Every single country in the world is taking advantage of us as the richest consumers in the world, but no one wants to produce their goods here. The internet created a huge problem for every first world country, as everyone taps into the richest consumers, but produces it in some third world shithole. We are witnessing the greatest transfer of wealth out of our country in history, and something must be done, or else we will lose whats left of our standard of living, perhaps that is what liberals actually want.
Max.e.Pad did a good job at addressing those points. Logistically, the reversion back to the gold standard isn't difficult. The US would set the dollar-gold conversion rate by total credit market debt (read: total money supply = 54 Trillion) divided by total gold reserves held by the Government/Fed (xxx million ounces). Variations of the peg could be arrived at through factoring in total gold *and* silver held by the Government/Fed. Private banks could issue their own notes, backed 100% by gold-silver. The actual YoY growth rate of precious metals is around 1% for gold and 3-4% for silver. Not exactly a deflationary tsunami. Remember, the monetary system doesn't create wealth. The free market does. The medium of exchange only greases the skids. Yes, a precious metal standard isn't optimal. But it's far superior to a pure fiat, fractional reserve system.
Yup. Very true. And dangerous. All national security is rooted in economic strength. We exported the largest, most vertically-integrated economy the world ever saw and gave it to an aspiring-Superpower led by the Communist Chinese. It's economically impossible to grow an economy at 10%, YoY, without a huge influx of foreign capital. Nobody talks about it, but Germany went from ashes into an industrial powerhouse nearly overnight after Hitler came to power and withdrew from the Treaty of Versailles. Later it came out Wallstreet Banks financed Hitlers Germany right up until, and some say after, WW2. The rise and fall of nations. Obviously there is more going on behind the scenes than many would like to believe. Modern-day China is no economic "miracle". Nor was 1930's Germany. Nor was the economic decline of the United States accidental or unforeseen.