visit my web site at http://www.voicenet.com/~wbacon ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 18:58:57 -0700 From: John G. Gunderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ACT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Fwd: RWL: Fwd: Ron Paul's bill] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Statement of > HON. RON PAUL > OF TEXAS > > [Page: H612] > > Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce my introduction of and > request > cosponsors for a privileged resolution to withdraw the United States > from the World Trade > Organization. > > Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States was dealt > a defeat in a > tax dispute with the European Union by an unelected board of international > bureaucrats. It > seems that, according to the WTO, $2.2 billion of United States tax > reductions for > American businesses violates WTO's rules and must be eliminated by October 1 > of this > year. > > Much could be said about the WTO's mistaken Orwellian notion that allowing > citizens to > retain the fruits of their own labor constitutes subsidies and corporate > welfare. However, > we need not even reach the substance of this particular dispute prior to > asking, by what > authority does the World Trade Organization assume jurisdiction over the > United States > Federal tax policy? That is the question. > > At last reading, the Constitution required that all appropriation bills > originate in the House, > and specified that only Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes. > Taxation without > representation was a predominant reason for America's fight for independence > during the > American Revolution. Yet, now we face an unconstitutional delegation of > taxing authority to > an unelected body of international bureaucrats. > > Let me assure Members that this Nation does not need yet another > bureaucratic hurdle to > tax reduction. Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution > reserves to Congress > alone the authority for regulating foreign commerce. According to Article > II, section 2, it > reserves to the Senate the sole power to ratify agreements, namely, > treaties, between the > United States government and other governments. > > We all saw the recent demonstrations at the World Trade Organization > meetings in Seattle. > Although many of those folks who were protesting were indeed rallying > against what they > see as evils of free trade and capitalist markets, the real problem when it > comes to the > World Trade Organization is not free trade. The World Trade Organization is > the furthest > thing from free trade. > > Instead, it is an egregious attack upon our national sovereignty, and this > is the reason why > we must vigorously oppose it. No Nation can maintain its sovereignty if it > surrenders its > authority to an international collective. Since sovereignty is linked so > closely to freedom, our > very notion of American liberty is at stake in this issue. > > Let us face it, free trade means trade without interference from > governmental or > quasi-governmental agencies. The World Trade Organization is a > quasi-governmental > agency, and hence, it is not accurate to describe it as a vehicle of free > trade. Let us call a > spade a spade: the World Trade Organization is nothing other than a vehicle > for managed > trade whereby the politically connected get the benefits of exercising their > position as a > preferred group; preferred, that is, by the Washington and international > political and > bureaucratic establishments. > > As a representative of the people of the 14th District of Texas and a Member > of the United > States Congress sworn to uphold the Constitution of this country, it is not > my business to > tell other countries whether or not they should be in the World Trade > Organization. They > can toss their own sovereignty out the window if they choose. I cannot tell > China or Britain > or anybody else that they should or should not join the World Trade > Organization. That is > not my constitutional role. > > I can, however, say that the United States of America ought to withdraw its > membership > and funding from the WTO immediately. > > We need to better explain that the Founding Fathers believed that tariffs > were meant to > raise revenues, not to erect trade barriers. American colonists even before > the war for > independence understood the difference. > > When our Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution, they placed the > treaty-making > authority with the President and the Senate, but the authority to regulate > commerce with the > House. The effects of this are obvious. The Founders left us with a system > that made no > room for agreements regarding international trade; hence, our Nation was to > be governed > not by protection, but rather, by market principles. Trade barriers were not > to be erected, > period. > > A revenue tariff was to be a major contributor to the U.S. Treasury, but > only to fund the > limited and constitutionally authorized responsibilities of the Federal > government. Thus, the > tariff would be low. > > The colonists and Founders clearly recognized that these are tariffs or > taxes on American > consumers, they are not truly taxes on foreign corporations. This > realization was made > obvious by the British government's regulation of trade with the colonies, > but it is a > realization that has apparently been lost by today's protectionists. > > Simply, protectionists seem to fail even to realize that raising the tariff > is a tax hike on the > American people. -- "Tyranny is always better organized than freedom." -- Thomas Paine "...The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance." -- Thomas Paine "If we ever pass out as a great nation, we ought to put on our tombstone: America died from a delusion that she had moral leadership." -- Will Rogers "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed -- and thus clamorous to be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." -- H.L. Mencken <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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