The last hope of the USA

[J i m s t e r]

A Ron Paul Newsletter from October, l992, entitled : Carjacking: A Hip-Hop Thing to Do:

"If you live in a major city, you've probably already heard about the newest threat to your life and limb, and your family: carjacking. It is the hip-hop thing to do among the urban youth who play unsuspecting whites like pianos. The youth simply walk up to a car they like, pull a gun, tell the family to get out, steal their jewelry and wallets, and take the car to wreck. Such actions have ballooned in the recent months. In the old days, average people could avoid such youth by staying out of bad neighborhoods. Empowered by media, police, and political complicity, however, the youth now roam everywhere looking for cars to steal and people to rob. What can you do? More and more Americans are carrying a gun in the car. An ex-cop I know advises that if you have to use a gun on a youth, you should leave the scene immediately, disposing of the wiped off gun as soon as possible. Such a gun cannot, of course, be registered to you, but one bought privately (through the classifieds, for example)."

 

[Neil]

Society can't be trusted to be responsible,

Obviously there will be some who can't but it is possible for legislators to shift attitudes and behaviours through measures such as supply and pricing. See tobacco as an example, since the 60s when credit was hard to come by attitudes to smoking have changed completely, due in large part to regulation and taxes by successive governments. Attitudes to drink driving, seatbelt use, racism, sexism and many more have changed beyond recognition in a generation. Who's to say in 30 years credit isn't frowned upon in the same way?

There's no clear analogies, there.

Well there's not if you insist on seeing the problem from one side.

I don't insist on anything of the sort - that's just putting words in my mouth that were never there.

The problem isn't just one side - or even one dimensional.

Being responsible for robust, sound, and ethical business practices, is though - and is regulated so.

I get your point, society should be, on the whole, more responsible - and I wouldn't necessarily argue against it. But idealism and wishing for it, are very unlikely to turn back that tide.

Neither is being apologist for the banking industry. Any issue they've got on lending, they've brought on themselves - apart from situations where they've had a gun to their head. Obviously, those sort of withdrawals, they don't allow willingly...

If you start to accept that just maybe individuals owe some responsibility for their actions then you can start to explore a wider range of solutions.

I do accept that society should demonstrate responsiblity. In an ideal world, society - on the whole - would do a whole deal of things very well.

Fact is, it doesn't. So checks and balances, gatekeepers and regulators need to be employed. There's nothing new under the sun, there.

Regulation can't solve everything.

Agreed - it's hopefully there to manage, address, or discourage worse case scenarios.

I know of several people who connived to get around the existing regulations re mortgages to access funds they shouldn't have. Certainly the banks were at fault for allowing such lax controls but those people falsifying salaries, claiming self-employment whilst a student etc are hardly without blame imo.

Agreed, they were hardly without blame - but all the same - they and their ilk are probably not the whole problem - quite possibly a minor statistic.

And as you say, the banks should be more careful with their lending - it would be quite a naive screening process, to assume that applicants wouldn't try it on, or be fraudulant.

We wouldn't need so much regulation stick if we could persuade more people that financial self restraint is a laudable aim.

And how would we do that without stick? What carrot could be employed that would be compelling?

I think you're hopelessly idealistic. That tide won't turn, and that boat has long since sailed. (see, I'm completely free to throw mixed metaphors into the ether...)

That is pretty much the only point I've ever tried to make. And that really is the last I'm saying on it, I'm bored stiff now.

I understand your point - I've always understood your point - wouldn't the world and everything else be better if people behaved better, were more intelligent, erudite, mature, slimmer, cigar-smoking people.

Which is quite possibly true, but hopelessly romantic and unlikely.

And all of it, doesn't go any way to mitigating apologist talk for the banking / financial industry on lax lending practices.

 

[Bram J]

A Ron Paul Newsletter from October, l992, entitled : Carjacking: A Hip-Hop Thing to Do:

"If you live in a major city, you've probably already heard about the newest threat to your life and limb, and your family: carjacking. It is the hip-hop thing to do among the urban youth who play unsuspecting whites like pianos. The youth simply walk up to a car they like, pull a gun, tell the family to get out, steal their jewelry and wallets, and take the car to wreck. Such actions have ballooned in the recent months. In the old days, average people could avoid such youth by staying out of bad neighborhoods. Empowered by media, police, and political complicity, however, the youth now roam everywhere looking for cars to steal and people to rob. What can you do? More and more Americans are carrying a gun in the car. An ex-cop I know advises that if you have to use a gun on a youth, you should leave the scene immediately, disposing of the wiped off gun as soon as possible. Such a gun cannot, of course, be registered to you, but one bought privately (through the classifieds, for example)."

Those newsletters are well known to be false, and not written by Ron Paul.
He is in no way a racist.
Here's Ron Paul on that subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY01Lpg5kqw
Here's a random afro-american on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1uc7x4a8SM

:roll:

 

[shovelon]

Ron Paul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4v_tLEkeoo&feature=fvst
The other candidates are clowns.
Ron Paul is genuine.

Getting back to topic this man looks like he has trapped wind. I wouldn't buy a second hand bike from him

Really???? Really??? You like the way things are going?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYXGIi5 ... ature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-oS4WLui3Q

 

[tintin40]

I don't think a knee jerk swing to the right is going to help. Does history suggest otherwise?

Agree. What's the problem with the main man now? He is the first president i like.
His medical bill is great.

 

[Bram J]

I don't think a knee jerk swing to the right is going to help. Does history suggest otherwise?

Agree. What's the problem with the main man now? He is the first president i like.
His medical bill is great.

I wouldn't consider Ron Paul to be right wing.
He is the only candidate who has an idea about how to solve the crisis.
He is the only one who has a realistic and fair foreign policy.

Obama said the first things he would do when he got elected was a) bring the troops home an b) close guantanamo. Fail. He is to much a part of the establishment. I Must say I am all for the medicare and social security, but I don't think he can adequately solve the crisis, which seems to me to be the primary problem at this moment.

I think you guys have a slightly wrong idea about Paul, just watch some of his speeches on youtube, you'll see he makes perfect sense. Don't get fooled just because he's a republican. Republicans in general are idiots of course, but Ron Paul is not.

What I'd like to see is Ron Paul president, and Jesse Ventura vice-president.

 

[Bram J]

Plus Obama is a tool for having Bradley Manning in solitary confinement for 17 months without trial.

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Bram,

In all fairness, A president doesn't have absolute power. Most of his decisions/proposals need to pass the senate and house of representatives, and that's where republicans are in charge now. They'll do just about anything to let him fail, just because he's a democrat. Even his good ideas.

Dubya had a much easier time, because when he was ruining the States, he always had the majority on his side.

 

[Bram J]

Bram,

In all fairness, A president doesn't have absolute power. Most of his decisions/proposals need to pass the senate and house of representatives, and that's where republicans are in charge now. They'll do just about anything to let him fail, just because he's a democrat. Even his good ideas.

Dubya had a much easier time, because when he was ruining the States, he always had the majority on his side.

True, but he has much power.
Obama is a republicrat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxyrIIyz ... re=related