Learn more by reading His Speech after accepting the Constitution Party's Presidential Candidacy. Then visit the links below this message.
Friday, May 02, 2008
If I Were President
by Chuck Baldwin
May 2, 2008
Due to my frequent criticisms of President George W. Bush, I am often asked what
I would do if I were President of these United States. This column will serve as
an attempt to answer that question.
If I were President, I would begin the process of safely extracting our troops
from Iraq. In the first place, our troops are no longer fighting a war, they are
an occupation force, which occupies a sovereign country. And this is being done
without a Declaration of War. The Iraqi people resent our occupation as much as
we would resent another nation stronger than ours invading and occupying
America. If such a thing happened to our beloved country, I'm sure many of us
would also become "insurgents."
In the second place, the invasion and occupation of Iraq was absolutely
unnecessary. Instead of sacrificing more than 4,000 American lives and the lives
of tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens (not to mention some 2-3 trillion
dollars), President Bush should have supported Ron Paul's bill, H.R. 3076, the
September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. This is the constitutional way to
deal with rogue terrorist organizations. This is the way President Thomas
Jefferson responded to the Barbary pirates.
According to Congressman Paul, "A letter of marque and reprisal is a
constitutional tool specifically designed to give the President the authority to
respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage aggression
against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible
for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with
the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while
minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation."
Had President Bush responded in this manner, tens of thousands of lives would
have been saved, trillions of dollars would not have needed to be spent, Osama
bin Laden and most of his fellow terrorists would likely be dead, and we would
not be bogged down in a nightmarish military quagmire in Iraq. And, if I were
President, this is exactly how I would handle terrorist organizations such as al
Qaeda.
Furthermore, it is absolutely ludicrous to say we are fighting a war on terror
half way around the world when we refuse to secure our borders and ports. If I
were President, I would immediately seal our borders. I would also see to it
that employers in America who knowingly hire illegal aliens are prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law. In plain language: any employer who consciously
hires illegal aliens would go to jail. They would not pass Go; they would not
collect $200; they would go straight to jail.
By sealing the borders and by cutting off the money supply to illegal aliens,
the problem of illegal immigration would dry up. As it is, we have no idea how
many potential terrorists--not to mention violent gang members such as
MS-13--have snuck (and are sneaking) through our borders.
And speaking of illegal immigration, as President, I would enforce our visa
rules. This means anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law
is immediately deported. There would be no "path to citizenship" given to any
illegal alien. That means no amnesty. Not in any shape, manner, or form. I would
not allow tax dollars to be used to pay for illegal aliens' education, social
services, or medical care. As President, I would end birthright citizenship for
illegal aliens. There would be no "anchor babies" during my administration.
If I were President, I would use the bully pulpit of the White House to
encourage Congress to pass Congressman Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act. In
short, this bill would do two things: First, it would declare that unborn babies
are persons under the law. Second, under the authority of Article. III. Section.
2. of the U.S. Constitution, it would remove abortion from the jurisdiction of
the Court. In essence, this bill would immediately overturn Roe v. Wade and end
legalized abortion.
Republicans tout themselves as being "pro-life." Yet, the GOP controlled both
houses of Congress and the White House for six years and did absolutely nothing
to overturn Roe or end abortion-on-demand. Under my administration, we could end
legal abortion in a matter of days, not decades. And if Congress refused to pass
Dr. Paul's bill, I would use the constitutional power of the Presidency to deny
funds to protect abortion clinics. Either way, legalized abortion ends when I
take office.
On the subject of foreign policy, as President, I would end foreign aid. I would
also end the current infatuation with nation-building, empire-building, and
interventionism. America is not the world's policeman. Neither are our military
personnel the personal militia of the United Nations.
Remember that President Bush told the U.N. in 2003 that the reason we invaded
Iraq was for the purpose of securing the "peace and credibility of the United
Nations." (I lie not; that is what he said.) President Bush also placed the U.S.
back under UNESCO in spite of the fact that President Reagan had heroically
taken the U.S. out from under that sinister organization.
I am sure that readers recall that the U.N. Charter was authored by a Soviet
communist agent (Alger Hiss) and that the U.S. has been fighting wars for the
U.N. ever since the organization was created back in 1945.
Speaking of the United Nations, as President, I would withhold funds from the
support of the United Nations. In other words, I would get the U.S. out of the
U.N. Beyond that, when I move into the White House, the U.N.'s rent is up! They
move out of New York City post haste.
By the same token, there is absolutely no reason for us to be in NATO. We should
not be antagonizing Russia by attempting to expand NATO. There is no reason why
Russia could not become a friend and ally of the United States. Free and fair
trade with Russia and a noninterventionist foreign policy in Europe would do
much to endear American interests to Russia. To insist on expanding and
empowering NATO only serves to further alienate Russia and drive her to make
alliances with Communist China.
Speaking of China, it is time that we recognize the very serious threat that
China poses to the peace and security of the United States. Our trade practices
serve only to allow corporate America to continue to invest in what will surely
become an albatross around the neck of our well-being. We must discontinue the
practice of allowing China to export its cheap products to the U.S. with no
protection for America's jobs and manufacturing, not to mention the lack of
protection for our safety. This must stop, and it will stop when I become
President. "Free trade" will no longer mean a free ride for Red China.
Furthermore, as President, I would take the preservation of our nation's
sovereignty and independence extremely seriously. This means that the burgeoning
North American Union is dead on arrival the day I am sworn in as President.
Gone, too, is the NAFTA superhighway. And for that matter, I would lead the
United States out of NAFTA and CAFTA altogether. And any prospect for the FTAA
would be dead as well.
As President, I would be the best friend that gun owners (and lawful gun
dealers), homeschoolers, and veterans ever had in the White House. These are
three of the most persecuted, harassed, or overlooked groups of people in the
country. But not if I were President.
There is no reason why our veterans should wait for weeks and months to receive
the medical care they need. It is disgraceful that we would ask our brave men
and women of the U.S. armed forces to fight our country's battles and then leave
them to pretty much fend for themselves when it comes to receiving adequate
health care. I would make taking care of our veterans an extremely high
priority, if I were President.
If I were President, I would also do everything in my power to locate and
retrieve any and all MIAs. I personally believe that there are hundreds of our
servicemen who are yet being held against their will in various parts of the
world. I would make finding them and bringing them home of utmost priority, if I
were President.
On the home front, if I were President, I would end corporate welfare. I would
also work to disband the Department of Energy (along with the Department of
Education and many other federal departments). There is absolutely no reason for
us to be dependent upon OPEC. There is enough gas and oil under the soil of
Alaska (not to mention the Dakotas and the Gulf of Mexico) to meet the energy
needs of the United States for the next 150-200 years. There is also no reason
that gas should cost more than $1.50 a gallon (which is about what it was before
Bush became President).
We must begin drilling for the domestic oil that we know exists; we must build
more refineries and nuclear power plants. There is no reason why the United
States cannot be mostly energy independent. It is time we started putting the
people and interests of the United States ahead of the CEOs and interests of
international corporations.
Lastly, if I were President, I would work feverishly to overturn the Sixteenth
Amendment, which would repeal the Income Tax. And, no, I would not promote a
national sales tax. That would be disastrous! Can you imagine what a 30% sales
tax would do to the cost of EVERYTHING? Plus, give politicians a national sales
tax to increase and just imagine what kind of percent that would grow into!
I would also work to repeal the "death tax," inheritance taxes, and property
taxes. The American people are already paying somewhere between 30% and 40% of
their income to Uncle Sam. It must stop. We are bankrupting our country with
this incessant and burdensome tax system. In addition, I would work to expunge
the Federal Reserve and to restore the American economy to sound money.
Now, I hear people say, That's easy for you to say; you are not a candidate for
President. Ah, but now I am.
Last week, in its national nominating convention in Kansas City, Missouri, the
Constitution Party nominated me as its 2008 Presidential candidate. Party
delegates nominated me over Ambassador Alan Keyes by a margin of 74% to 24%.
Therefore, I am now a candidate for President of these United States.
See the CP website at http://www.constitutionparty.com
My Vice Presidential running mate is Darrell Castle, an attorney and Vietnam War
Marine Corps veteran from Memphis, Tennessee.
Our web site is not online yet, but will be soon. We will be able to receive
credit card donations when the web page is uploaded. The address of my campaign
web site is: http://www.baldwin2008.com
In the meantime, if anyone wants to support our campaign, checks may be written
to:
Baldwin 2008
P.O. Box 131
Palmyra, New Jersey 08065
I believe it is only fair, as I continue to write these columns, that one
understands the full disclosure of my candidacy.
As readers know, I enthusiastically supported Ron Paul during the Republican
Primary season. I plan to continue to trumpet his call for limited government,
non-interventionism abroad, constitutional government, and freedom into the
general election as a Third Party candidate.
I do not expect the national media to pay us much heed; they seldom do. I do not
expect to receive large donations from corporate America. I do expect criticism
and ridicule. That is nothing new. However, I also anticipate tens of thousands
of freedom-loving people from all religious persuasions and walks of life to
rally to our cause. Why? Because thousands of principled people will not be
bullied into voting for the "evil of two lessers" being shoved down our throats
by the two major parties. Because this campaign is not about Chuck Baldwin. It
is not about a political party. It is about freedom. It is about constitutional
government. It is about restoring America to the founding principles bequeathed
to us by our Founding Fathers. If you believe in those principles, join us!
In the meantime, these columns will continue to serve as a voice for America's
founding principles, as they have for the past eight-plus years. In addition,
unlike the candidates from the two major parties, the taxpayers are not
underwriting my campaign, and I will continue my day job. (Imagine that: a
Presidential candidate who actually works for a living!) And all of this is just
in time for my 56th birthday, which is tomorrow, May 3.
There you have it: this is what I would do if I were President of these
wonderful United States of America.
*If you enjoyed this column and want to help me distribute these editorial
opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card,
check, or Money Order. Use this link:
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php © Chuck Baldwin
Archived at:
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080502.html