Discussing Ron Paul can be frustrating.
Me: “RonPaul2012!”
You: “Ron Paul? Isn’t he old? Isn’t he an isolationist? Isn’t he kinda crazy with wanting to shut down the IRS? That will never happen. That’s a long shot. Does he ever have support still?”
Me: “Actually, Ron Paul has steady support, a steady track record, and appeals to both sides of the aisle for mutual reasons, and would rather repeat his message over and over again than just short sighted news ticker quotes”
You: “I like Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, they seem like they know what they’re talking about.
Me: “Can you at least acknowledge that Bachmann and Santorum are crazy?”
You: “They have great family values”
Me: “Ron Paul was an Obstetrician, a soldier, has been married without scandal for nearly 55 years, was endorsed by Reagan, has more military contributions that all other candidates combined, refuses congressional pay raises, and the majority of his financial support (95% in 2012) are from individuals; not companies. So he actually has people motivated enough to care AND donate, not just watch the business sponsored candidates show up for the race.”
You: “You sound crazy too.”
It’s not that crazy. It’s not a “too good to be a Dream come true”, He’s a candidate with (from my own experience in talking with folks) politically educated support, with specific principles and morals about HOW things should be done rather than WHAT. Ron Paul has clarified on more than one issue that he may not support something personally, but it’s not up to him, it’s up to the constitution and states.
That’s what makes a great candidate to me. I want my President to represent ALL Americans while honoring our constitution. A constitutionalist can do this because by defending American Freedom, defending the American Constitution, the Bill Of Rights, and so forth; he IS representing all Americans. He’s not neglecting a “Sect” of the population, it’s a mentality where you can actually make a difference in your own community by being involved and electing those to change your state laws.
It can be a scary thing, and it’s easy to poke fun at.
Of course the IRS wouldn’t close in a day, but we need to address a simpler tax system. Of course we wouldn’t shut down social security on day 1, we need to create a transitional system that phases out needless Federal control and taxes, and gives that over to the local & state governments.
At some point as Americans, we stopped wanting to be accountable for our vote. It began to be seen as “out of our control” and best left to those who made it to Washington. In hand with that, the federal powers have made state laws irrelevant if there is a federal law in place.
This is wrong. As a citizen, you should, and should be able to vote for things that actually make a difference. If you have a problem, the states can work it out and the Federal Government can assist if needed. This shrinks government power and gives it back to YOU. That’s not crazy, That’s American.
Ron Paul is inspirational. Our quick-paced news can ask targeted questions that are not easily answered by someone with a deeper view of what’s happening, and unfortunately this can make Ron Paul look incoherent or like he’s rambling. While he may ramble from time to time, he’s addressing ACTUAL issues, not just the politically correct or charged way of talking about them.
One of the latest questions from the Huckabee Forum on Dec 3rd was about combating terrorism. This IS a hot spot for many people who believe that Ron Paul would endanger America by pulling troops from overseas. It comes down to this: We are not in danger because we’re “Free” and they’re “Jealous and Radical”, we’re in danger because we’re meddling. We don’t have to the right to do to others what we don’t want them doing to us. We could save exorbitant amounts just by pulling our troops and stationing them on our own borders for immigration control. We could dump that money into the best damn security within our own country without violating civil rights.
We cannot continue to infringe on every American’s Liberty simply because we’re afraid something “Might” happen.
I close with this:
- While I still disagree with Ron Paul on some issues, I believe he is motivated, and genuine in his concern for improving America as a whole, not just hot topic issues
- Two of my favorite Quotes from our founding fathers:
“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” – Benjamin Franklin“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” – Thomas Jefferson
