Ron Paul’s Bold Budget Plan
Writes Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post:
“The proposal, which Paul unveiled in Las Vegas on Monday in advance of Tuesday’s Republican debate, is dramatic by any measure and goes well beyond what other Republican candidates are proposing.
It cuts $1 trillion in spending in one year, largely by ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, eliminates all foreign aid, and slashes five cabinet departments — Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Interior and Education.
The Texas congressman would also get rid of the Transportation Security Administration, which is part of the Homeland Security Department and was created after the 9/11 attacks, “returning responsibility for security to private property owners.” Spending in most other departments would be frozen.
Small-government advocates argue that the proposals could advance and expand on the economic discussion already underway in the 2012 presidential race in a positive way.
“You have a lot of Republicans who talk about cutting spending in a general sense, but when they get pressed to name specifics they’re not very forthcoming,” said Tad DeHaven, a budget analyst at the libertarian CATO Institute.”
