| peter stern 07:06 on 4 January 2012 The Real Ron Paul: Republican, Libertarian, Pragmatist or Racist? by Peter Stern There is a brief article [reprinted below] on Congressman Ron Paul that considers some of his platforms, actions and comments. Personally, I don’t think they are as “eye opening” as the author states, but I also have been following Ron Paul for the past 12 years, so I am aware of these documented points. Two of the “big deals” about Paul are that he remains against abortions and that he wants to eliminate the Federal Reserve Bank. Honestly, neither of these is a terrible thing. We need to realize that Paul is NOT 100 percent against abortion, that he recognizes certain times when abortions may be needed and yet as a doctor he is bound by the Hippocratic Oath. Regarding the FRB, this is a group of wealthy international individuals and banks who dictate policy and direction for all nations and who are the only ones to approve the printing of our U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the FRB recently has been the focus of secret bailouts/payouts to select corporations in the sum of billions of taxpayer dollars, adding to our national deficit. If we do not want to get rid of the FRB, at the least it requires more oversight and accountability. The next big issue on Ron Paul is the ongoing complaint that he is a racist. The focal point of that opinion are some of his newsletters printed approximately 20 to 30 years ago. Some of the comments were not written by Paul, yet they are his responsibility because they were in his newsletters. While some of the comments can be taken as racial, they also may be taken in a more pragmatic way. Personally, I don’t think Ron Paul is any more racist than the average American. In a perfect world, there would be no racism; however, honestly, this is not a perfect world. In addition, various minorities who have cried out about the racism towards their people also happen to show racism towards others outside their culture or grouping. Racism is not new in America. Racism is not merely practiced by any one people or culture. I don’t advocate it, but I do recognize it. Bottom-line, there is no absolute proof that confirms Paul is a racist. Do I think Ron Paul will be the next President of the United States? I doubt it. In fact, I doubt whether Ron Paul will win the 2012 GOP Primary. Let’s face it. Ron Paul is NOT a Republican, so why should or would Republicans select Paul to run against presidential incumbent Obama? However, I do believe that Ron Paul may run as a Libertarian in the 2012 Presidential Election, which most likely will be the final attempt by Paul to run for the office. In addition, Paul already stated that he will not run again for reelection to his U.S. Congressional seat in Texas, so he plans to retire after completing his current term. In any case, love him or hate him, Ron Paul does add some life, Technicolor and quirkiness to an otherwise boring political arena. He will be missed by many. Ron Paul: 16 Eye Opening Things You Don’t KnowDecember 26, 2011 If Ron Paul were elected president, you could probably smoke in public places, drive gas-guzzling cars, keep your shoes on at airport security, and pray in public schools. His “hands off” approach to government has made him the de facto leader of the Tea Party and a long-time favorite of libertarians throughout the country. You may think you know everything there is to know about Ron Paul, whose poll numbers have been rising dramatically as the Iowa caucuses approach. He’s the candidate who signed a pledge from Personhood USA, an anti-abortion-rights group, possibly because as an obstetrician-gynecologist throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Paul (a father of five) delivered more than 4,000 babies before entering politics in 1976.The 76-year-old Paul also says he wants to:
Paul founded the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE) in the 1970s, a tax-exempt organization that publishes newsletters, including “Ron Paul’s Freedom Report.” The Report espouses “an opportunity for greater public awareness of the limited-government principles that have been, until recently, absent from public debate.” Although many agree with Paul’s positions on smaller government and lower taxes, they may bristle at his more controversial statements over the years about race and other social issues. Last Wednesday, Paul abruptly ended an interview with CNN’s Gloria Borger when she asked him about incendiary statements included in some of his past newsletters. One example: “If you’ve ever been robbed by a black teenaged male, you know how unbelievably fleet of foot they can be.” Paul distanced himself from these comments, saying he did not write them but that he was “morally responsible” for them since they went out under his name. Many of Paul's positions have been given a full airing in speeches, campaign appearances, debates, bus tours and elsewhere, but the 12-term congressman’s book, Liberty Defined, while not a blueprint, is also rife with controversial positions and opinions. In addition to the 9 points mentioned above, here’s a smattering of other Ron Paul notable viewpoints: On 9/11: Paul was the only Republican to vote against the Iraq War Resolution in 2008, claiming that the government used 9/11 as an excuse to curb civil liberties and invade Iraq. On defense spending: “Billions of dollars have been spent on the M-1 tank over the years and yet there has never been a need for it for the defense of our country – it was purely a military-industrial complex boondoggle to serve the interests of the demands of big business and big labor and to save Chrysler and at that time to stick it to General Motors. But in the end, General Motors got its bailout, too.” On taxes: “’Taxes are the price we pay for civilization,’ according to Oliver Wendell Holmes. This claim has cost us dearly… If we as a nation continue to believe that paying for civilization through taxation is a wise purchase and the only way to achieve civilization, we are doomed.” On unions and government labor laws: “Union power, gained by legislation, even without physical violence, is still violence. The laborer gains legal force over the employer. Economically, in the long run, labor loses… If only it were so easy to help the working class.” On individual freedoms: “Government should not compel or prohibit any personal activity when that activity poses danger to that individual alone. Drinking and smoking marijuana is one thing, but driving recklessly under the influence is quite another. When an individual threatens the lives of others, there is a role for government to restrain that violence.” On markets, the individual, and Austrian economics: “The phrase ‘Austrian School’ or ‘Austrian economics’ [as founded by Carl Menger] is not something I ever expected would enter into the vocabulary of politics… But since 2008, it has. Reporters use it with some degree of understanding, and with an expectation that readers and viewers will understand it too. This is just thrilling to me, for I am a longstanding student of the Austrian tradition of thought… We need markets to reveal to us the valuations of consumers and producers in the form of the price system that works within a market setting.” On a welfare state: “We need to surrender our attachments to government in every aspect of life. This goes for the right and the left. We need to give up our dependencies on the state, materially and spiritually. We should not look to the state to provide for us financially or psychologically… Let us understand that it is far better to live in an imperfect world than it is to live in a despotic world ruled by people who lord it over us through force and intimidation.” On the power of liberty: “Liberty built civilization. It can rebuild civilization.” |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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