Rand Paul: Smarter Than You Think..

I’ve always liked Mavericks.

No, not the kind of phony, self-appointed, faux “mavericks” like:   John McCain, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, etc, who are really nothing more than pro-War, pro-Corporatist, pro-Bankster, pro-NAFTA…..status-quo shills in disguise.

But the original thinkers, the creative minds….be it:   Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, etc. Those rare voices that aren’t afraid to tear down the Sacred Cows of U.S. Corruption and speak truth to power.  My how they stick out a mile away when they get the rare chance to debate on TV.  The truth is sometimes, well … shocking.

Well along comes freshman Senator Rand Paul, and he has already broken all the rules and published this thoughtful, and very substantive policy proposal in the Wall Street Journal.  Key Excerpts:

A Modest $500 Billion Proposal

By Rand Paul

My spending cuts would keep 85% of government funding and not touch Social Security or Medicare.

The first thing to note here is the seriousness of the proposal.  This is:

Not a $35 Billion dollar cut…Not a $50 Billion dollar cut…Not a $75 Billion dollar cut … but a $500 Billion dollar cut.  

The second and most remarkable point here is that Rand Paul has the compassion, unlike Barack Obama and his catfood for Seniors Alan Simpson run “Deficit Commission”, to leave untouched Social Security and Medicare — while focusing on the big ticket Sacred Cows that all Republicans and most all Democrats dare not speak ill of.

A $500 Billion dollar cut with Social Security and Medicare untouched!  

I’m listening…

This alone puts Barack Obama’s own “deficit cutting” efforts as both 1) pathetic in significance, and 2) on the wrong moral side of the equation by comparision.

So where does Rand Paul want to cut?  

Let us continue…..Rand?

One of Commerce Department’s main functions is delivering corporate welfare to American firms that can compete without it. My proposal would scale back the Commerce Department’s spending by 54%, and eliminate corporate welfare.

My proposal would also cut wasteful spending in the Defense Department. Since 2001, our annual defense budget has increased nearly 120%. Even subtracting the costs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, spending is up 67%. These levels of spending are unjustifiable and unsustainable.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates understands this and has called for spending cuts, saying “We must come to realize that not every defense program is necessary, not every defense dollar is sacred or well-spent, and more of everything is simply not sustainable.”

Sadly, the “Democrat” in power, Barack Obama, would never agree to cutting these Sacred Cows of government waste enumerated by Rand Paul to this degree, and instead place the focus on putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block. So who’s really on the side of the American public here?

Cuts to the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation would create over $42 billion in savings each, while cuts to the Departments of Energy and Housing and Urban Development would save about $50 billion each. Removing education from the federal government’s jurisdiction would create almost $80 billion in savings alone.

Add to that my proposed reductions in international aid, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and other federal agencies, and we arrive at over $500 billion.

I think we all know that government subsidies (paid with money taken from our pockets) to various Industries — be it Energy or Agriculture distorts the whole free market illusion, and just contributes to big Factory Farms (which are unhealthy), the death of the small American farmer, and Evil Empires such as Energy Monopolists like Halliburton, Enron, Exxon-Mobile, Chevron, etc.

Cuts in Homeland Security, and the many billions wasted away on the IMF (Banksters) and “Aid to Israel” — are one more great illustration of finally cutting George Orwell out of the American experience, and not Frankin Roosevelt (the preferred choice by Obama and his advisors).

As for cuts in Housing Development and Education, progressives will have a harder time signing on to these initiatives perhaps, but let us also remember here that citizens have the most control over local government and the least control over “thou shall do .. ” Agencies in Washington, D.C.  And isn’t local control over Education a bit more practical anyway?  Maybe the CIA, or other think-tank approved thought police would then no longer be writing our “History books”. Maybe a local community could appeal for that Music & Arts Department to be continued more easily … than by trying to appeal to remote, rich GOP fascists in Washington, D.C. who don’t give a damn.

Overall, this is a remarkably big, bold, and imaginative proposal that actually would make a real difference, and cut a lot of the Orwellian Empire out of government.

And isn’t that just what real Mavericks are suppose to do?

Cut from the Corporatist, War-Profiteering Sacred Cows and protect Social Security and Medicare.  Isn’t this change that we can really believe in?

Rand Paul has hit a home run here.

This is the type of responsible “Deficit Commission” that a progressive would have and should have created — if only we had one in the White House.

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Article at:   Rand Paul Cuts $500 Billion from the War-Corporate Machine and leaves Social Security & Medicare UNTOUCHED!