No thanks!
Posted on 09/16/2007 8:53:29 AM PDT by NapkinUser
When Americans evaluate today's political landscape, most feel something between impotence and disapproval. So, while citizens shake their heads or shrug at the mainstream media's “top tier” presidential candidates, it is extraordinary how many are becoming overjoyed about one lesser covered candidate.
Tens-of-thousands have joined the appropriately named Ron Paul Revolution, joining Meetup.com groups, putting up signs, and crossing states to attend rallies. Congressman Ron Paul's genuine message and untarnished record of promoting individual liberty for everyone, a free-market economy of wealth and abundance, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade, has attracted vast support from diverse individuals. Inspired libertarians, Democrats, independents, and previous nonvoters have registered Republican so they can vote for Ron Paul in the primaries.
For those who watch mostly mainstream media sources, Paul is one of the most “searched” humans in cyberspace, has won several straw polls, has been the subject of dozens of blogs, and has an amazing number of entertaining, amateur Youtube.com videos promoting him.
Ron Paul, a medical doctor, worked as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force before becoming an obstetrician. As a 10-term congressman, he has consistently promoted individual rights and kept his oath to defend our Constitution. In 1988, he was the Libertarian Party's nominee for president. As a supporter of Dr. Paul's for more than a decade, I enjoy watching people first learn about this great statesman and appreciate the universal benefits of liberty.
So just what is it that many of us think Ron Paul gets? Why do we want a president who does not want to run our lives nor our economy? How can we make our lives on this planet more peaceful, fairer, greener, and more prosperous? Let me discuss (too) briefly a few important, and recently highlighted, issues.
Our foreign policies have gone well beyond matters of defense. Regardless of whether our intervention in the affairs of other countries is altruistic or self-interest, it is a negative for everyone. Not only do we not have the right, we have created enemies who are now aggressors against us, making us less safe; we have supported those who would oppress many; we have militarized areas of conflict; we have unwisely spent borrowed trillions; we have created opportunity for large-scale graft; many well-intentioned Americans and innocents have been killed or injured and otherwise have had their lives disrupted.
Military is for protection
The only appropriate use of our military is to protect Americans. It is immoral and illegal to order U.S. soldiers into battle for any other reason. If we truly want peace, to be safer, and to not drain the pockets of our children, we should redeploy our military personel back to our shores and waters and trade freely with all nations.
Consumers have enjoyed the benefits of lower prices and better quality in products and services offered by the least regulated industries. Unfortunately, two of our most important services are the most heavily regulated. Public education has innovated little in 50 years and student performance is poorer. Patients find it more and more difficult to access affordable health care.
To provide quality health care to the greatest number of people, the costs for all levels of care need to be less prohibitive, so that near everyone can achieve a level of care to which they are comfortable. This is accomplished by deregulating the industry, re-establishing competition amongst health care insurers and providers, and allowing patients more freedom in their health choices.
Corporations benefit unfairly from favorable legislation that drives out competitors, harming the consumer. There is only one way to end this inequity and to get money and corruption out of politics. Take back the power from politicians by returning government to its constitutional limits.
There is no surer way to have the money you have earned for yourself and your family be used to support that which you do not value and given to those who have not earned it than by allowing the government to tax your income.
They say a frog thrown into a pot of boiling water will immediately jump out, while a frog in a pot of water that is slowly brought to a boil will remain to be cooked. Authoritarian usurpations of our freedoms progresses.
Laws prevent adults from making decisions for themselves every day. They decide when you must use personal protective equipment, what you cannot eat or drink, what you cannot sell and buy, how much you are to get paid for a service, who is not allowed to provide services, and what medical therapies you may choose for yourself.
Right now there are untold numbers of people being imprisoned, without due process, by the U.S government that have not been charged with a crime. The Real ID Act has been passed and soon Americans will have to present their papers to be allowed the privilege to travel domestically. Citizens are spied upon by government officials without legal warrant.
In our often well-intentioned attempt to solve more quickly the few problems suffered by any free society, we have created wider-spread, deeper-rooted and longer-standing ones by burdening ourselves with the heavy fist of government. Many of us think an effective way to advance liberty and enjoy the benefits of a free society is to elect Ron Paul president. So, order a yard sign and a bumper sticker, donate to the campaign, join a local Meetup group, register Republican for the primary, and join the Ron Paul Revolution.
Marc Guttman is an emergency doctor and vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut. He lives in East Lyme.
That bizarre little non-sequitur has nothing to do with the war in Iraq.
I’d be curious to hear what you think that Ron Paul doesn’t understand about the Constitution.
I was under the impression that it was one of the reasons the President gave for going to war, along with ensuring Saddam Hussein could not possess or manufacture WMDs and ending his state's sponsorship of terrorism
Source: President George W. Bush as archived at whitehouse.gov.
No special language is required of a declaration of war. The Constitution does not limit the Federal government to the gold stnadard.
L.Ron is a crackpot. He’s the Cliff Claven of constitutional thought.
No...they held an evil Star Trek weapon like a phazer or something to my head and made me do it! Spock threatened to do that mind-meld thing and all. It was SCARY!
You missed the point of my post completely, by the way. Not that I'm surprised. Dishing up all those Burrito Supremes for the late-night crowd can be a bit taxing, I imagine.
Here, I'll type real slowly for you so you can get it
. We..get..tired..of..the..war..too..with..even..more..justification..but..we..are..not..a..bunch..of..weinies..so..we..don't..see..quitting..as..a..solution..to..getting..tired..of..it..on..occasion. It's..called..."commitment".."backbone".."perseverance."
Now get me my 7-layer burrito and make it snappy. I haven't got all night. And NO, I don't want fries with that.
Sounds like the words of a chickenhawk arguing with someone who has been there.
Aren’t you precious.
Jack Murtha served honorably in the Marine Corps. So did Lee Oswald. I’m not about to take foreign policy input from them either.
Heeheee....see my post #127. :-)
And that is the stuff that just kills me, there is a segment of rich Saudi’s who are supporting Al Quida with their checkbooks, yet pointing that fact out is “kook” label worthy?
I disagree with Ron Paul on Iraq, I am completely in foavor of getting all of the facts out on the table such as Gen Petreaus mentioned that Hizbollah terrorist tactic trainers have been captured in Iraq, so now Israel’s enemy is now our direct enemy.
Look, I don’t mind that you’re there and your reports are as welcome as those we get from troops blogging or writing to newspapers, either for the war or against it. But since you signed up for it as a civilian, you have less right to complain about it than do our soldiers, many of whom signed up for military service before the current situation developed. And you can always quit and come home. Not so for the troops.
Again you have missed her point completely.
Atty General Gonzalez said point blank that “This is not a declared war” during Congressional Testimony.
Thank you. I've done a year in Iraq and might be overseas again in a few months. I think Ron Paul is a good candidate and has some valid points on the war, even if I don't agree with his solution 100%. There are other people serving right now who would agree with me.
Look folks, there are veterans on both sides of this issue and people who haven't served on both sides of this issue. Most are sincere in their beliefs and motivated by what they think is best for the country. Let's focus on the merits of the argument and not take shots at each others' character.
That's nice. Because I never was going to ask your permission.
But since you signed up for it as a civilian, you have less right to complain about it than do our soldiers...
Don't you tell me what my rights are, you little tyrant wanna-be. I have freedom of speech and freedom of expression. You Paulies thought you were the only ones who had constitutional rights, didn't you? LOL
And, oh Obtuse One:
a. I didn't complain. You just missed the point again.
b. If I do want to complain, you have no room to say anything. Life in Iraq ain't a nice finished-basement room at Mom and Dad's, you know. If there is anyone who doesn't "have any right to complain," it's you.
Now, stop saying silly things and get back to making those Supreme Nachos.
Gonzo is an idiot.
That point went so high over his head that it's already back here in Baghdad...like a freakin' boomerang. ;-)
No thanks!
i was opposed to one aspect of Desert Shield/Storm:
That we were sending American Troops to protect the interests of the Saudis, when they hold American Citizens in their prisons (often for years), and many of them have never found out what they were charged with, let alone sent to trial.
They hate us, until they need to have their “b@ll$ pulled off the barbed wire”, and then they sing their favorite song:
Onward Christian Soldiers.
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