[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 24, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1603-H1604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              PREDICTIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, our government intervention in the economy and 
in the private affairs of citizens and the internal affairs of foreign 
countries leads to uncertainty and many unintended consequences. Here 
are some of the consequences about which we should be concerned.
  I predict U.S. taxpayers will pay to rebuild Palestine, both the West 
Bank and the Gaza, as well as Afghanistan. U.S. taxpayers paid to bomb 
these areas, so we will be expected to rebuild them.
  Peace, of sorts, will come to the Middle East, but will be short-
lived. There will be big promises of more U.S. money and weapons 
flowing to Israel and to Arab countries allied with the United States.
  U.S. troops and others will be used to monitor the ``peace.''
  In time, an oil boycott will be imposed, with oil prices soaring to 
historic highs.
  Current Israeli-United States policies will solidify Arab Muslim 
nations in

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their efforts to avenge the humiliation of the Palestinians. That will 
include those Muslim nations that in the past have fought against each 
other.
  Some of our moderate Arab allies will be overthrown by Islamic 
fundamentalists.
  The U.N. will continue to condemn, through resolutions, Israeli-U.S. 
policies in the Middle East, and they will be ignored.
  Some European countries will clandestinely support the Muslim 
countries and their anti-Israel pursuits.
  China, ironically assisted by American aid, much more openly will 
sell to militant Muslims the weapons they want, and will align herself 
with the Arab nations.
  The United States, with Tony Blair as head cheerleader, will attack 
Iraq without proper authority, and a major war, the largest since World 
War II, will result.
  Major moves will be made by China, India, Russia, and Pakistan in 
Central Asia to take advantage of the chaos for the purpose of grabbing 
land, resources, and strategic advantages sought after for years.
  The Karzai government will fail, and U.S. military presence will end 
in Afghanistan.
  An international dollar crisis will dramatically boost interest rates 
in the United States.
  Price inflation, with a major economic downturn, will decimate U.S. 
Federal Government finances, with exploding deficits and uncontrolled 
spending.
  Federal Reserve policy will continue at an expanding rate, with 
massive credit expansion, which will make the dollar crisis worse. Gold 
will be seen as an alternative to paper money as it returns to its 
historic role as money.
  Erosion of civil liberties here at home will continue as our 
government responds to political fear in dealing with the terrorist 
threat by making generous use of the powers obtained with the Patriot 
Act.
  The draft will be reinstated, causing domestic turmoil and 
resentment.
  Many American military personnel and civilians will be killed in the 
coming conflict.
  The leaders of whichever side loses the war will be hauled into and 
tried before the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The 
United States will not officially lose the war, but neither will we 
win. Our military and political leaders will not be tried by the 
International Criminal Court.
  The Congress and the President will shift radically toward expanding 
the size and scope of the Federal Government. This will satisfy both 
the liberals and the conservatives.
  Military and police powers will grow, satisfying the conservatives. 
The welfare state, both domestic and international, will expand, 
satisfying the liberals. Both sides will endorse military adventurism 
overseas.
  This is the most important of my predictions: Policy changes could 
prevent all of the previous predictions from occurring. Unfortunately, 
that will not occur. In due course, the Constitution will continue to 
be steadily undermined and the American Republic further weakened.
  During the next decade, the American people will become poorer and 
less free, while they become more dependent on the government for 
economic security.
  The war will prove to be divisive, with emotions and hatred growing 
between the various factions and special interests that drive our 
policies in the Middle East.
  Agitation from more class warfare will succeed in dividing us 
domestically, and believe it or not, I expect lobbyists will thrive 
more than ever during the dangerous period of chaos.
  I have no timetable for these predictions, but just in case, keep 
them around and look at them in 5 to 10 years. Let us hope and pray 
that I am wrong on all accounts. If so, I will be very pleased.

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