Ron Paul For President
Diverse groups should support him, because he supports the Constitution.
by James Leroy Wilson
March 22, 2007Peaceniks have found their Presidential candidate. His name is Ron Paul.
The "get the U.S. out of the U.N" crowd and opponents of the New World
Order have found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.Those who want to reform our drug laws have found candidate who will not just
legalize medical marijuana, but all drugs. His name is Ron Paul.Populists who want to get us out of NAFTA, CAFTA, and the World Trade Organization
have found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.Laissez-faire entrepreneurs have found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.
Pro-lifers have found their candidate, a man who has introduced legislation stripping
the federal courts from reviewing abortion cases, effectively overturning Roe
v. Wade and returning the question to the states. His name is Ron PaulAnti-tax libertarians have found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.
Enemies of inflation have found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.
Members of the Religious Right who want to put God back into the schools have
found their candidate. His name is Ron Paul.Free speech advocates who oppose all censorship have found their candidate. His
name is Ron Paul.Opponents of unlimited immigration and amnesty have found their candidate. His
name is Ron Paul.Civil libertarians who strongly oppose the Patriot Acts, warrant-less spying,
the national ID card, torture, and the revocation of habeas corpus have found
their Presidential candidate. His name is Ron Paul.The man with a 100% rating from the Conservative Index also got a 61% "liberal"
rating from the National Journal – the second highest score for a Republican.
He’s not one of those northeastern Republicans either; he’s a Texan. His name
is Ron Paul.One candidate served in the Air Force and, in his real job before and in between
stints in Congress, delivered 4000 babies. His name is Ron Paul, M.D.One candidate who has served in Congress for 18 years is blacked out by the major
media, which is not acknowledging his candidacy at all – even so much as to put
his name in the polls. His name is Ron Paul.One would think this "maverick" candidate for the Republican nomination
for President must be a man with many contradictions. Based on what you’ve read
above, you might think Paul is not "consistent" on the issues. Or maybe
he’s an "extremist," whose ideas are so dangerous that the Establishment’s
options are to ignore him as best as possible, or kill him.Is Ron Paul a throwback, a reactionary? Or is he the future? In a way, he’s both.
Paul’s views are similar to those of the American Revolutionaries. And of the
Jeffersonian Republicans. They remind one of Andrew Jackson, who abolished the
unconstitutional National Bank, but also of the anti-Jacksonian Whigs who opposed
Jackson’s dictatorial style. They remind one of Martin van Buren, who kept his
hands off the economy and spent his Presidency preventing wars instead of starting
them. Of Grover Cleveland and the Bourbon Democrats who opposed imperialism and
government hand-outs to Big Business, and supported low tariffs and the Gold Standard.
Of the opponents of World War I and Prohibition. Of the anti-New Deal, America
First "Old Right." And of some latter-day conservatives tired of high
taxes and "legislation from the bench." And, of course, of the modern-day
libertarian movement that believes government should be as small as possible and
should just leave people alone.Ron Paul has a reputation in Congress as "Dr. No." If he believes that
the Constitution does not authorize a particular law or appropriation, he will
vote against it. Often, his is the only "No" vote. When he’s in the
White House, expect a record number of vetoes.The Constitution is the foundation of many of Paul’s beliefs. Paul has a common-sense
interpretation of the language and structure of the Constitution. He will enforce
what the Constitution says, not what he wishes it to mean. Nor will he ignore
it; ignoring the Constitution is the source of most of the problems facing America
today, and is also the gateway to tyranny. Most federal criminal laws, particularly
our drug laws, are unconstitutional; such restraints on personal behavior are
properly and constitutionally left to the states. Most federal programs designed
to "help" individuals and communities are also unconstitutional, as
are most regulations on business. Paul would cut taxes and spending sharply, reduce
America’s prison population of non-violent drug offenders, end corporate welfare
and protective tariffs, and deregulate the economy to allow small businesses and
entrepreneurs to compete freely.Paul’s interpretation of the Constitution, which is also mine, sees the federal
government as limited by what the Constitution authorizes, and the states virtually
unlimited except where the Constitution explicitly puts restrictions and prohibitions
on them. Thus, abortion shouldn’t be decided by the federal government one way
or the other, because it is out of its Constitutional jurisdiction, but the Constitution
doesn’t prohibit states from banning abortion. Whether or not there is prayer
in public schools is a question the federal courts shouldn’t interfere with, because
the First Amendment only prevents Congress, not the states, from making a law
"respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof." One may not like the laws a state may pass, but that doesn’t mean
Congress or the Courts have the authority to overrule such laws. Such abrogation
of state power by the federal government is actually the bigger threat; better
to have some people suffer under bad state laws than have everyone suffer under
bad federal laws.The Constitution does authorize Congress, and Congress only, to declare war; it
doesn’t authorize Congress to delegate or "authorize" the decision to
start war in the President. Paul believes the war in Iraq was wrong-headed and
unconstitutional from the start, and advocates a timely and safe pull-out of American
troops. Paul would also adhere to a policy of "non-interventionism,"
wherein the United States would not interfere in the internal affairs of other
countries. Paul would end all forms of foreign aid, opposes the expansion of NATO,
and advocates withdrawing America from "entangling alliances" wherein
we station tens of thousands of troops in countries like South Korea and Germany
that are more than capable of defending themselves.The Congress does authorize Congress to "raise and support Armies" and
to "provide and maintain a Navy;" such powers do not belong to the President,
and he has no inherent, extra-Constitutional powers as "Commander in Chief
of the Army and Navy" to revoke habeas corpus, search people and their houses
and effects without a warrant, or inflict cruel and inhuman punishments like torture.
Paul would restore the Bill of Rights.The Congress does have the authority to "coin Money, regulate the Value thereof,
and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures." It does
not have the authority to transfer this authority to an independent bank such
as the Federal Reserve. Paul would abolish the Fed and restore the gold standard,
that is, define the dollar as a unit of weight in gold. This would mean that gold
would our money, with dollar bills as their representation. The money supply would
be limited because the gold supply is limited. Monetary inflation will be conquered.Along with his strong Constitutionalism, Ron Paul is very strong on national sovereignty.
By no means a protectionist, he opposes "free trade" agreements and
other international treaties and commitments in which Congress cedes authority
to supra-national courts and bureaucracies. Americans ought to make laws for Americans.
Not an anarchist, he believes the federal government has the right to determine
immigration policy and patrol the borders and coasts to guard against illegal
immigrants and terrorists, but opposes anti-immigration policies like a national
ID card that would undermine the freedom of Americans.Ron Paul’s views, when one boils them down, reveal moderation and common sense.
To ignore the Constitution is to invite tyranny. American troops should protect
America, not police the world, and America’s own borders and coasts really should
be protected. Taxes should be low and tax policy should be neutral, not favoring
some groups over others. Inflation is bad and money should actually be backed
by something real and valuable, like gold. Most decisions shouldn’t be made by
the federal government, but by states, local communities, and, most of all, individuals.A successful Ron Paul campaign will go a long way toward correcting America’s
course.Copyright ©2000-2007 partialobserver.com
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