GOP senator favors cutting US aid to Israel
WASHINGTON (AP) - Tea party-backed Republican Sen. Rand Paul favors cutting U.S. aid to Israel as part of a deficit-driven effort to slash government spending by $500 billion this year, drawing criticism from Democrats and Republicans who argue the U.S. must be unwavering in its support for the longtime Mideast ally.
The freshman Kentucky lawmaker unveiled his budget proposal this week that would make significant cuts in education, housing and energy while reducing money for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by $16 billion. Paul’s plan also would cut some $20 billion in overseas aid, and he said he wants to eliminate the $3 billion the United States provides to Israel annually in foreign military assistance.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans agree with Senator Paul - our current fiscal crisis makes it impossible to continue the spending policies of the past,” Paul spokesman Gary Howard said in a statement responding to the criticism. “We simply cannot afford to give money away, even to our allies, with so much debt mounting on a daily basis.”
The latest economic forecast puts the deficit at a record $1.5 trillion.
Full Story Here:
GOP senator favors cutting US aid to Israel
I posted a little bit of this on yesterdays post, (History is Repeating Itself in Islamic Nations) and the more I read, the more thought I put into it, the more angry I got. I have a deep sense of right and wrong, and I have always felt that RON Paul was mostly wrong and that RAND Paul had wrong down to a science.
I am going to say this and I don’t give a DAMN who gets offended, be it supporters of The TEA Party, The GOP, Sarah Palin, fellow bloggers, Facebook friends, it makes me NO difference WHO likes, or doesn’t like my personal opinion and assessment of Rand Paul.
RAND PAUL IS A BLITHERING MORON!
I will stand with Israel, and ANYONE with a lick of sense should too.
Yes, there are MANY areas of our budget that need to be cut. Foreign Aid is one of the 1st areas that should be looked at for total elimination. We are sending untold BILLIONS of dollars to nations that HATE the USA. We are subsidizing nations, and people that want to see us dead and buried. WE are underwriting the actions of radical Islam with every dollar that is sent to Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and God only knows where else.
We are not subsidizing Israel while they allow scum of the earth Muslim terrorists to *hole up* and train in covert camps. Israel is doing everything in it’s power to rid the earth of these scum.
WE would be well advised to stand shoulder to shoulder WITH the Israelis, helping them in ANY WAY we possibly can. You see, like it or not, if Israel goes down, WE go down, and vice versa. And that my friends, is the ultimate goal of radical Islam and it’s minions, the utter and complete destruction of Israel and the United States of America.
Apparently MORONS like Rand Paul don’t have any understanding in the ways of the world.
Paul explained his position in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, saying he respects Israel as a Democratic nation but feared funding an arms race in the Mideast. His proposal drew a swift response from Republicans and Democrats.
“We share Senator Paul’s commitment to restraining the growth of federal spending, but we reject his misguided proposal to end U.S. assistance to our ally Israel,” said Matthew Brooks, executive director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, in a statement Thursday. The organization counts several former senior Bush administration officials on its board of directors.
Rep. Nita Lowey of the New York, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, said the United States cannot renege on its commitment to the only Democratic nation in a dangerous region.
As much as I believe that Rand Paul is a MORON, I have to give the Devil his due, Paul has done something that I didn’t believe could be done, he united the Dems and GOP on an issue. That is one hell of an accomplishment, I have to say.
Read a comment made by one of the most intelligent folks to ever comment on The TexasFred Blog, my friend and blogging colleague, BobF, in Comment #11 HERE;
We cannot abandon or cut off Israel. Here is the biblical reason why with historical facts to back it.
Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God’s blessing upon a people and nation will depend on how they treat Israel. God promised this to Abraham, the Father of the Jews.
Look at history;
Alexander the Great, upon being met by a Prophet of Israel and hearing the scriptures when prophesied of him, got off his horse and worshiped the God of Israel. Years later, after Alexander, the Greeks enslaved the Jews. Where is the Greek Empire?
Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews into captivity but recognized the God of Israel and promoted Jews to high positions in his government. Rulers after him enslaved the Jews. Where is the Babylonian Empire?
Pharaoh made Joseph (a Jew) governor over all of Egypt and welcomed the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 400 years later the Jews were enslaved and Moses was sent to lead them out of captivity. Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea trying to bring the Jews back into slavery. Look at Egypt today.
Rome conquered Israel but allowed them self rule. Rome later sent armies to crush the Jews. Where is the mighty Roman Empire?
You know, there may just be something to that statement “I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee”?
Sometimes we need to look at our present situation through the long lenses of time and history.
As I said, I don’t care WHO, on this earth, likes, or dislikes my views of Rand Paul, the entire Paul family, or their asinine ideas concerning our support of Israel!
“Using our budget deficit as a reason to abandon Israel is inexcusable,” Lowey said in a statement. “It is unclear to me whether Rand Paul speaks for the tea party, the Republican Party or simply himself. I call on all those who value the U.S.-Israel relationship to make it clear that our nation will not abandon our ally Israel.”
I don’t believe Paul is speaking for the GOP, but he may be speaking for the TEA Party. They are, after all is said and done, the ones that promoted Paul, supported him, endorsed him and did everything in their power to get him elected.
He (Paul) was, if I am not mistaken, the pick of Sarah Palin too. As was Christine ‘Da Witch’ O’Donnell, Alaska loser Joe Miller and nude model, RINO Scott Brown.
Someone tell me again just what the hell good Palin REALLY is…
She (Palin) is, according to some, the best possible choice that the American people could ever make as our next POTUS. Well, her less than stellar political handicapping, coupled with a few other little things shes done over the last couple of years, makes ME think otherwise.
Rand Paul has his head up his ass on this one. Israel needs to be turned into a fortress. If we’re going to cut off aid, it should be to all muslim countries.
@MM28 — Rand Paul has his head up his ass…
There, I fixed it for you.. 😛
I heard he said it, and that he did it on CNN. This alone gave me pause. So I’ve been staying away from the “Rand Paul is a moron” post that I was about ready to post. I have an opinion that may not sit well with some here.
Rand Paul and his father are the definition of FISCAL CONSERVATISM. That is the fault. Most of us consider ourselves Fiscal Conservatives until one of our pets is put on the table. Let me state I would like to see Israeli aid increased to triple what it is now and we should pay for it by removing ALL aid to Muslim countries. That’s what WE can say, however an elected official can not (or wont)
I think the gun has been jumped. Wolf Blitzer’s hit piece on Rand Paul Start at the 3:15 mark on that video and you can hear exactly what Rand said. I can’t say I disagree with too much of it.
This was a typical CNN smear job.
Rob — I saw the post on WZ, calling it a *hit piece*, but I also see WZ sucking Sarah Palin’s ass at every opportunity, I don’t know that they are any more unbiased about Palin, Paul and company and I am opposed TO them…
There may be plenty of foreign aid money that can be cut, but cutting off our one true ally in that region would have disastrous effects and I hope that this does not have much support in the Congress.
I’m not saying I totally agree with Rand Paul, but I do wonder. IF we cut ALL aid would Israel really need OUR aid? A large part of the issue is we are playing both sides of the fence. Which is throwing good money after bad.
I suggest we do a test. Stop ALL funding for any nation that refuses to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist for 1 year and see what happens. Perhaps Israel wouldn’t need the funding after the dust settles…
I honestly believe EVERYTHING needs to be on the table for discussion. IF we are unwilling to at least discuss the funding and be prepared to defend it, then we will never get a chance to remove ANY funding for the shit that needs to be deleted.
What Paul said in his interview is correct. We are playing both sides of the fence and we need to look at stopping that shit. Our nation would never allow Israel to left alone. but that other side needs cutting OFF now.
OK, so we stop supporting ANY Muslim nation…
We give as much money as we possibly can TO Israel, mostly because they WILL buy weapons with that money and THEY have the BALLS to f*ck up every Muslim bastard they can find… We obviously don’t…
No one with any common sense simply abandons Israel, surrounded as it is by enemies on EVERY front, at its very door, on every inch of its perimeter. So Rand Paul would suggest continuing support for, say, Yemen? Syria? This is a daft suggestion — and for the sole purpose of “saving cash”?? Jesus, man, can’t you try cutting someplace else — like eliminating entire CABINET positions NOT allowed by the US Constitution, for instance?
BZ
I hesitate to weigh in here as no one with their head on straight goes against Texans. You guys have guns, after all, and generally know how to use them …
Still, I’m wondering if we’re not caught on the horns of a dilemma here in this particular issue.
We all recognize the strategic and spiritual importance and significance of Israel and believe we should stand with her. No problem. The question then becomes how best to do that.
The notion of Foreign Aid, it seems to me, is a problematic solution to that question. I, too, favor cutting all Foreign Aid to nations which oppose US policy and interests. But not because I want to punish our enemies and reward our friends. But because I cannot find Constitutional justification for giving tax payer money away to anyone, be they nation or citizen, as a form of assistance.
That leaves me with the problem of wanting to support Israel and being unsure how to do so Constitutionally.
If I say that it’s OK because I believe in Israel, then it becomes OK for others to appropriate aid for Syria or Iran if they believe in what those nations stand for. The bottom line is that the decision, as much as I might like it to be otherwise, doesn’t seem to lend itself to being based in what I might like. Rather it needs to be based in what is Constitutionally permissible. Or so it seems from here.
Regardless of whatever else you might feel about Senator Paul, my guess is that is also the basis for his disagreement with aid to Israel. To be fair, I haven’t read his full statement to see if he hedges his decision and allows aid to some but not to Israel. In that case, Fred’s opinion of him hits home.
If, however, he is Constitutionally opposed to any aid to any nation then I agree with him. What remains is to find a way to support our ally in the Middle East, and by extension other allies around the world, without violating the tenets of the Constitution.
Help me out here, guys. Before you just start shooting at the stupid guy from Tennessee, give me the chance to see things from your perspective given the Constitutional issue I raised. How do we do this and do it right?
One of the issues I had with Ron Paul when he was running for President during the 08 Primary (besides the fact he was whiny and wimpy when he spoke!) was the fact he wanted to “just withdrawal all our troops”… How anyone, including our cowardly lion POTUS can disrespect our troops like that, including those who have given their lives for the mission, is beyond the scope of my understanding. Add to that the fact he was stupid enough to think the US Government was the culprit on 9/11… I’m not surprised now that He and his spawn are wanting to cut aid from the only friendly nation we have in the ME.
I agree with so many comments here. What I can’t believe is the number of so called Tea Party organizations that tout Liberty, that are soliciting me to back these lame brained idiots and contact my Senators and Representatives on their behalf. I have spent some time this morning going through the emails and getting pulled from their contact lists! Screw em!
Blue collar muse: Never be hesitant to weigh in anywhere. You are entitled to your opinion and done respectfully will rarely result in incoming fire. The worst that will happen is Fred will call you a dumbass or something but you will PROBABLY live…HA!
You seem to be thinking along the same lines as me. I am all for a review of what is given and what is gained from it. I’d be perfectly fine with an oversight system that actually traced the money we send out and what good is it doing. I feel very strongly that the decision to fund Israel would stand up to all challenges. I am also as confident that the money sent to Islamic nations would not.
We need to put it all on the table, we need to show what we’ve spent, and what has it gotten us in return. Start with Africa, the welfare system and some of the dual sides of conflict that have been going on for decades.
I think the time has come that we rethink the “No sides” rule we seem to have. Screw that. Pick a damn side and help ONLY that side. IF it’s the wrong horse then it’s the wrong horse shit happens.
Constitutional justification, a way to make ragheads disappear, whatever, I’m good with it… Generally I can justify my posts with hard facts, this one is, for me, an issue of I HATE THE F’ING Muslims… 😛
BCM, pay no attention to Rob, he’s a bog dwelling, redneck, beer swilling NASCAR loving gun nut… 😐
I love him like a brother… 😛
And what would be wrong with a bog dwelling, redneck, beer swilling, NASCAR loving gun nut…???? Jus Wonderin??? LOL!!!
@ Rob -
Just being careful as a first time poster. One never knows what reception one might get. Fred and I go back a ways. There are few finer than him running around out there. Thus, I may not survive having him call me a “dumbass”. Never, never disrespect or stir up teh Fred …
And there is nothing wrong with bog dwelling, redneck, beer swilling, NASCAR loving gun nuts … Tennessee is full of them. Salt of the earth, baby … salt of the earth …
BCM is right about cutting foreign aid. But we should stop all foreign bribes/aid. You can call it foreign aid but it is Bribes. We will all be better off if we give no bribes to Egypt and Israel. Israel is NOT our friend. The people occupying Israel and the Holy land are NOT God’s chosen people. God’s chosen people hear his voice and Follow him. The Godless Zionists have cleverly worked a false Gospel into american churches for the last 200 years.
Try http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/.
Then read http://www.gtr5.com/ and you will see they are not our friends. We are their big dumb friend that has to bail them out of the fights they instigate.
Most people have all their info on Israel fed to them by guess who? Israel, through the Zionist Main Stream media that controls both the left and right. And the publishing houses and the Movie industry and law schools and Medical schools and Courts.
Cut bribes to all countries. If you want to give aid to Israel, go ahead. and if Achmed wants to give aid to Egypt go ahead. Do not take my money and bribe any country.
The real reason bribes/aid is given out is to get part of it funneled back to the crooks in DC that give out the foreign Bribes in the first please. STOP it NOW. We will all be better off.
We need more like Rand Paul.
Paul — I forgot that you’re a full blown BIG *L* Libertarian… My bad…
Wrong again. ?? libertarian Republican And a Constitutionalist. Just like Ronald Reagan. BTW Was that supposed to be derogatory?? 😉 The true Tea party members at the start came from the campaign for liberty. One is a neocon if he wants to tax and send. 8>
Seriously, I was told that you were, if not, NO, not meant to be derogatory in any way… In fact, it was a Big *L* that told me that your were I believe, not sure, he talked so many different lines, it’s all a blur…
@ Paulatt -
Glad we agree on the notion of the Constitutionality of Foreign Aid since it appears we will agree on little else (that was included in your comment above).
#1) Posting up a link with the URL of “Jews Against Zionism” is unlikely to be effective in dissuading anyone who is already committed to the current state of Israel. It has to do with why we support Israel in the first place.
There tend to be 2 reasons:
Israel is God’s chosen people according to The Book, not according to their behavior. They are the apple of His eye even when they are behaving badly. Thus, even if your contention is correct (I am not debating that notion in this comment) they remain His Chosen People and Genesis 12:3 applies.
Israel is a valuable ally. Of course they have their own agenda for the sovereignty of their own nation which colors everything they do. Thus not all their actions are exactly what we would want for our agenda for our sovereignty. On balance, however, it would be a very difficult argument to make to say that Israel is not an ally.
That there are some (or many) who believe otherwise is no reason to turn my back on demonstrable truth. Again, the members of “Jews Against Zionism” are, no doubt, fine fellows to the last man. That does not make them right.
Secondly, your observation that, ” The true Tea party members at the start came from the campaign for liberty.” is patently false. I was part of the team that created the website which launched the Tea Parties. As such, I can attest that, while some of us were (and are) sympathetic to and share C4L values and policy (including myself) there is absolutely no evidence that the people resourced by us to do what has become the Tea Party Movement were in any way aligned or affiliated with C4L. None. Zero. Zip …
It is great that so many C4L people are involved. But there are Republicans, Dems, Indies and more that were there at the beginning and who join every day. The Tea Parties were not a C4L creation, strategy or goal. They happened spontaneously from the grassroots up and were headed by very different people all across the country from very different backgrounds and for very different reasons. That is the source of their strength and power as well as the reason it remains so difficult to herd them all into any one (or even a few) groups or categories.