Dr Paul has always been very clear about his support for private sector assistance to those who need it. Churches and private citizens took care of this role until government usurped it. Theres nothing in his remark that indicates that he endorses government as the provider of this support. Please point me to something in his record or writings where he advocates increase government action in this area. You can’t because it doesn’t exist. No sane person who took more than 30 minutes honestly investigating Dr. Paul’s political philosophy would make the accusations you make.
re: Ron Paul, the socialist
Dr. Paul is an advocate of the Austrian School of Economics and as such is well versed in the writings of Ludwig Von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Murray Rothbard and others. These men wrote the best arguments every put forward against socialism and in favor of free markets. Really free markets, free of government intervention. And this same Dr. Ron Paul is a socialist? Dr. Paul is the clearest, most principled voice in the US Congress for Liberty and the Constitution and he is a socialist? Come on...
Paul is running for the Presidency on a non-interventionist, anti-war campaign. The fact that he'd use such a statement appears he's seeking support from folks who'd have no idea he means private sector assistance instead of from the government sector. And that's especially true in today's world where the government dole seems to be the norm.
No, you can put that spin on it. But most people would infer he means government assistance since he implies war funding could be better spent in such a manner, and I believe that was his intent.
You filter this stuff through the prism of libertarian hoopla. I filter it through the prism of reality.