Quote :

"Freshman Sen. Rand Paul is making good on his promise to cut federal spending. The Kentucky Republican and tea-party favorite said Thursday he’s returning $500,000 to the U.S. Treasury -- money from his operating budget that his office never spent. The half million dollars represents about 16 percent of Paul’s annual budget, and he contends no senator has returned as much to taxpayers. “I ran to stop the reckless spending. And I ran to end the damaging process of elected officials acting as errand boys, competing to see who could bring back the biggest check and the most amount of pork,” Paul said at a news conference in Louisville, where he presented taxpayers with a massive mock check for $500,000. “I hope this sets an example for the rest of government – at all levels,” he added. “We can carry out our duties in a fiscally responsible way. Government can be both smart and efficient. We are proving that – and trying to convince the rest of Washington.” Paul is the son of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul and co-founded the Senate tea party caucus. As the younger Paul stumped for his father in Iowa and New Hampshire, there’s been plenty of speculation that Rand Paul could launch a presidential bid of his own in 2016."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/01/rand-paul-returns-k-in-office-budget-to-treasury-110637.html

That's called principled leadership.

[Edited on January 12, 2012 at 6:00 PM. Reason : ]

1/12/2012 5:59:51 PM

Quote :

"And I ran to end the damaging process of elected officials acting as errand boys, competing to see who could bring back the biggest check and the most amount of pork,” Paul said "

LOL Is he calling his dad out??!!

1/12/2012 6:09:56 PM

Ron Paul does the same thing, but he hasn't hit the 500k mark to my knowledge: http://www.dailypaul.com/160999/ron-paul-returns-over-140000-from-his-office-budget-to-the-us-treasury

Point is, most politicians use every last dime while also actively pursuing corporate kickbacks.

1/12/2012 6:14:17 PM

My bad, I thought Rand was talking about earmarked money when he said "pork."



When you usually call a congressmen an errand boy wouldn't you usually be talking about congressionally earmarked money not operating budgets?

[Edited on January 12, 2012 at 6:17 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 12, 2012 at 6:18 PM. Reason : sp?]

1/12/2012 6:16:10 PM

Sen. Helms was well known for returning unspent funds, too.

1/12/2012 7:17:40 PM

I'm not sure how to take that post.

1/12/2012 8:59:49 PM

More of a moral victory than anything else. But at least someone is operating with a bit of integrity.

1/12/2012 9:14:42 PM

^^ Every implication was intended.

1/12/2012 9:16:28 PM

Helms was known for having the most accessable and responsive staff of any Senator. He also adopted an orphan with cerebral palsy after reading that the kid just wanted "a mom and dad" for Christmas in the N&O.

1/12/2012 9:25:10 PM

Where did he find the time for all that between the racism?

1/12/2012 10:11:45 PM

See the kid was white and we all know the magic 14 words from David Lane:

Quote :

"We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children."

1/12/2012 10:19:47 PM

Helms reimbursed the cost of equivalent airfare when he traveled on Air Force One, and paid back his salary when he wasn't present in DC due to being out campaigning.

1/12/2012 10:32:00 PM

So he didn't give back all that much money but he got ridiculously awesome press for doing it? Seems like a solid trade-off.

1/13/2012 1:01:29 AM

dude, he gave back shitloads of money that his office and staff didn't use at the ends of years. i was just giving one example.

I don't agree with a lot of his social conservatism, and I think that he was a racist at least in his earlier years, which I find reprehensible, but he was a very solid fiscal conservative and even by the accounts of his political enemies, a gentlemanly statesman of the highest integrity. In those positive regards, I wish the current GOP would take comes cues.

1/13/2012 1:35:47 AM

Wait,

Senators have annual budgets north of 3 million a year? Does this include their salary (174k+overhead = 400k???)? Pretty good chunk of change.

I've also tried to figure out how much the President costs the taxpayer but I've never found good numbers.

1/13/2012 2:09:50 AM

From the Congress Foundation:

Quote :

"House offices averaged $1.3 million for official uses in 2005. Senate office budgets ranged from $2.7 - 4.3 million."

That does not include their own salaries but does include the salaries for numerous Congressional staffers and payments for office supplies and utilities and to contractors; members of chamber or committee leadership tend to have higher official budgets than other members.

1/13/2012 2:34:46 AM

500k, What a brave, brave man. Now to wander over to the thread about Obama trying to merge some finance and consumer finance agencies together to make government smaller by a few billion and complain that the savings are too paltry to even bother.


[Edited on January 13, 2012 at 12:26 PM. Reason : .]

1/13/2012 12:22:46 PM

They are not too paltry to worry about. They are simply not enough.

To use your phrasing, they are too paltry to consider Obama anything but a horrible president.

1/13/2012 11:38:35 PM

The thing is, Rand returned all he can. Obama could cut significantly more, but refuses too. Instead he makes another power grab under the guise of grand cuts when they are just a drop in the bucket.

1/14/2012 5:23:44 AM

Rand Paul detained by TSA in Nashville

Quote :

"Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s press secretary Moira Bagley tweeted on Monday that Transportation Security Administration officials were detaining her boss in Nashville, Tenn. “Just got a call from @senrandpaul,” Bagley tweeted at about 10 a.m. on Monday. “He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.” Texas Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul – Sen. Rand Paul’s father – placed a post on Facebook about the news as well. “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport,” Ron Paul posted. “I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds.” Ron Paul adds, via Twitter, that the TSA detained his son “for refusing full body pat-down after anomaly in body scanner.”"

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/23/report-tsa-detains-sen-rand-paul-in-nashville/

1/23/2012 3:00:56 PM

Quote :

" The TSA says Sen. Rand Paul “was not detained at any point” but “triggered an alarm during routine airport screening and refused to complete the screening process in order to resolve the issue. "

Quote :

" Sen. Rand Paul’s chief of staff Doug Stafford responded to the TSA’s claim that the senator was “not detained at any point.” “Well, I don’t know what bureaucrat manuals call it, but: an innocent American citizen who was offering to cooperate while also attempting to stop an invasive search was not allowed to proceed without complying,"

lol

1/23/2012 3:28:22 PM

look, what's a little cavity search among friends?

[Edited on January 23, 2012 at 3:31 PM. Reason : w /= t]

1/23/2012 3:30:57 PM

And every year the Fed returns the difference between the interest it collects and its operating costs to the US Treasury

Yet people like you continue to advertise the exact opposite in propaganda, choosing instead to proudly acknowledge this completely meaningless gesture (which, by the way, was tailored to impress you)

1/23/2012 3:57:56 PM

How generous of them!

1/23/2012 4:09:37 PM

It has nothing to do with generosity, the Fed is required to do so by law.

1/23/2012 4:15:53 PM

Right, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the Federal Reserve is responsible for blowing up various asset bubbles. You don't get to bitch about the repercussions of the bursting bubble while ignoring the institutions responsible for blowing up the bubble.

1/23/2012 4:29:49 PM

Except the Fed is just as responsible for the recent asset bubble as they were for the Kennedy assassination.

1/23/2012 4:39:09 PM

well, that just shows you don't know what the hell you are talking about, lol


[Edited on January 23, 2012 at 4:40 PM. Reason : i know I saw Greenspan on the grassy knoll]

1/23/2012 4:40:38 PM

Seriously folks this is stuff the average Fedhead literally believes

http://www.famguardian.org/Subjects/MoneyBanking/FederalReserve/FRconspire/FRconspire.htm



[Edited on January 23, 2012 at 4:43 PM. Reason : they also invented AIDS]

1/23/2012 4:42:00 PM

You've posted that shit before, man. It's amazing how little your brain has absorbed over the years.

1/23/2012 4:43:24 PM

The only TRUTH on the fed can be found at DailyPaul.com

1/24/2012 2:25:30 PM

Quote :

"The Kentucky Republican and tea-party favorite said Thursday he’s returning $500,000 to the U.S. Treasury -- money from his operating budget that his office never spent."

Doesn't he know that he's supposed to do an end of year spending orgy to ensure they don't cut his budget for next year? That's how the government works.

1/24/2012 2:28:32 PM

Quote :

"The only TRUTH on the fed can be found at DailyPaul.com"

You're an idiot if you think the only Fed opponents are Ron Paul supporting libertarians. Keep posting the same propaganda piece from the 2000, and I'll keep on not taking you seriously.

1/24/2012 3:01:54 PM

Well then why don't you tell me who all wants to blow up FIAT MONEY aside from your Austrians?

[Edited on January 24, 2012 at 5:00 PM. Reason : x]

1/24/2012 4:43:35 PM

Lol mcdanger believes fed profits are returned to the treasury???

Dude you are really out of the loop. The fed uses most of their profits to sure up the global banking system and other struggling entities, propping up the dollar, and manipulating interest rates and asset backed securities.

The tiny fraction of their profits after that are returned to the treasury.

You have your nose so buried in 1970 propaganda textbooks that you are literally less knowledgeable about this stuff than an average American. Pseudo intellects are the most dangerous

1/25/2012 7:05:34 AM

what you don't see in that picture is Boehner wiping his hands on his pants 5 seconds later when Obama turns around

1/25/2012 8:46:20 AM

Quote :

"Pseudo intellects are the most dangerous"

lol

1/25/2012 4:08:24 PM

Quote :

"face All American 2313 Posts user info edit post Lol mcdanger believes fed profits are returned to the treasury??? Dude you are really out of the loop. The fed uses most of their profits to sure up the global banking system and other struggling entities, propping up the dollar, and manipulating interest rates and asset backed securities. The tiny fraction of their profits after that are returned to the treasury. "

just gonna quote this lol <3

shine on you crazy diamond

[Edited on January 25, 2012 at 4:10 PM. Reason : .]

1/25/2012 4:10:24 PM

Criticize corporations and authoritarian governments as undemocratic. Dismiss criticism of unelected central bankers as fringe or kooky. It'd be funny if it wasn't so fucked up.

"It's the corporations and investment bankers, maaaaan."

"Wait, who gave them so much cheap money?"

"..............."

[Edited on January 25, 2012 at 4:29 PM. Reason : ]

1/25/2012 4:27:56 PM

I love how rejecting your Fed buffoonery somehow puts me in the camp you've strawmanned so beautifully time and again

Plenty of things we should change about the Fed; check out Bernie Sanders' report on the GAO Audit for a decent overview if you want something fast

1/25/2012 4:33:41 PM

problems with "cheap money": all to do with standard monetary policy, nothing to do with dangerous deregulations pushed and exploited by some of the world's largest criminals

Quote :

"Criticize corporations and authoritarian governments as undemocratic. Dismiss criticism of unelected central bankers as fringe or kooky. It'd be funny if it wasn't so fucked up."

Solution: scrap the democratic elements in favor of a fully privatized system

1/25/2012 4:36:01 PM

Fully privatized system = people choose the currency they want to use. The horror!

Is there something about being a socialist that makes clicking "Edit Post" impossible?

[Edited on January 25, 2012 at 4:37 PM. Reason : ]

1/25/2012 4:37:13 PM

I like because I don't get behind the outright lies and limp-wristed, misinformed alarmism about the Fed that you and people like you push daily, that it makes me an "apologist" for the system or somebody who supports every aspect of it

There's just something to be said about understanding what you're criticizing, and it's clear you guys don't understand the basic operations of the Fed. fucking face thinks they're handing the profits off to foreign governments lol

[Edited on January 25, 2012 at 4:44 PM. Reason : .]

1/25/2012 4:41:46 PM

It's simply a fact that the Federal Reserve has near zero rate interest rates. They've announced that they'll continue this policy into late 2014. I have a problem with that. Interest rates are a price. Again, taken from the thread you created before:

Quote :

"Interest rates are a price. Setting interest rates, then, is price fixing. Price fixing, in 99.9% of cases, creates either a surplus or a shortage, depending on whether the price is set too high or too low. There should not be a single interest rate that all banks are allowed to borrow at. That makes absolutely no sense. The banks should be setting their interest rates, and adjusting based on how much capital they have available and how much risk they are taking by loaning out money. Banks always want cheaper money from the Fed. If the banks had their way, interest rates would only ever be 0%, and would never be allowed to rise. You can see why the banks are having a field day right now."

1/25/2012 5:25:14 PM

^^ Wait are you arguing that they haven't been giving loans (publicized and secretively) to the European banks for the past several years?

Look dude, you're way out of your league here. You dont work in or have any direct or indirect knowledge about finance, clearly.

1/26/2012 2:44:31 AM

I very much doubt the Fed is hiding away and sneaking away funds from its profits to pass out to the possible recipients you referred to above. Remind me why the Fed would have to resort to such behavior, financially speaking, when it can just create the money?

1/26/2012 1:22:39 PM

face are you aware that the entire reason the 50's through 70's were the most prosperous in America's history is precisely because we made loans to Europe?

Loaning money to foreign countries isn't a bad thing, especially when the profits go directly into the treasury.

1/27/2012 9:24:36 AM

Quote :

"Lol mcdanger believes fed profits are returned to the treasury???"

They are and are required by law to, aside from operating costs.

Quote :

"Dude you are really out of the loop. The fed uses most of their profits to sure up the global banking system and other struggling entities, propping up the dollar, and manipulating interest rates and asset backed securities."

How can you so confidently and brashly be so ridiculously wrong?

Quote :

"The tiny fraction of their profits after that are returned to the treasury."

Totally false: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/business/economy/fed-returns-77-billion-in-profits-to-treasury.html

Fed returned $77 billion, about 96% of their profits to the treasury this year

Quote :

"You have your nose so buried in 1970 propaganda textbooks that you are literally less knowledgeable about this stuff than an average American. Pseudo intellects are the most dangerous"

You either make shit up or are reading shit written by people who do. Either way you don't know what you're talking about yet are strangely confident about it. You should probably leave this thread altogether in embarrassment at this point but you'll soldier on I'm sure.

Just for laughs why don't you show us some of your sources, big guy.

Quote :

" Look dude, you're way out of your league here. You dont work in or have any direct or indirect knowledge about finance, clearly."

Lol judging by what you've said I'm guessing you work possibly as a janitor in the prisonplanet.com radio studio.



What's interesting to me is how destroyer, who is no doubt the person most upset about the Fed, makes no effort whatsoever to correct misinformation about them, instead calling the people who do "apologists". He seems all too happy to let patently false urban legends spread about it. As long as people are anti-Fed, it doesn't matter whether they are because they believe lies, right? Show an ounce of integrity and honestly please.

[Edited on January 27, 2012 at 9:35 AM. Reason : .]

1/27/2012 9:29:56 AM

What in the hell are you guys talking about?

Most of the programs I'm talking about are PUBLICIZED on the Fed's agenda.

Only some of the loans were secretive and even those are public information now thanks to the freedom of information act.

This is like having a conversation with a brick wall. Look this shit up and get back to me. Do you even read news?

1/27/2012 10:34:24 AM

Why don't you post a link yourself. I posted one saying it very plain language that the Fed returned 96% of its profits this year to the treasury. You're confusing it with other agencies, possibly. It obviously exists as the lender of last resort, that doesn't mean it uses its profits to pay off the Bilderberg group. All of its profits, minus operating costs, go back to the treasury every year, as required by law.

edit: Betting now that face comes back with one of those "$16 trillion in secret loans!" articles where they add together series of 1-day loans as though they were one big loan.

[Edited on January 27, 2012 at 10:42 AM. Reason : .]

1/27/2012 10:38:49 AM