Famous for calling out his fellow Republicans for deficit spending and open-ended wars, Dr. Ron Paul has recently directed his criticism toward President Obama.  According to the independent-minded Texas Congressman, President Obama's economic and foreign policies have enriched big banks, big corporations, and the war-related industry.

In his weekly audio recording called "Texas Straight Talk", Paul cites a number of sobering statistics.  Official unemployment sits at 9.6% (higher than Obama's 8.1% stimulus prediction), official underemployment resides at over 16%, 40 million Americans are on food stamps, nearly 1 out 6 American relies on anti-poverty government aid, and nearly 3 million Americans have filed for bankruptcy in the last two years.  In addition, record federal spending has now burdened each citizen with more than $43,000 of debt, and federal payrolls have burgeoned while private sector employment continues to suffer.

Dr. Paul adds that perpetual war places an even greater strain on the US treasury, while enriching the big corporations associated with the ever growing military-industrial complex.  As a result of the diminishing tax base and exploding federal spending, both at home and abroad, Paul also worries that money printing policies enacted by the Federal Reserve will pose a greater and greater threat to the value of the US Dollar, lowering America's standard of living even further.

As in previous talks, Congressman Paul advocates reducing government spending, cutting taxes, easing business regulations, and following the Constitution in a stricter manner in order to achieve prosperity.