Who Is Ron Paul?
There has been a lot of buzz recently about Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. But because the media has declared him "unelectable" not many people know exactly where he stands on the issues. This is a nonpartisan guide to Ron Paul.
Overview:
Ron Paul claims to "never vote for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution." He served in the US House of Representatives in 1976, 1979-1985, and has held his current position representing Texas' 14th Congressional district since 1997. He has never voted to raise taxes, and maintains one of the most consistent voting records in Congress. He was even given permission by a top-ranking member of the Republican party to go against them on a bill which would undermine his Libertarian position. Paul has voted with the Republican part 77% of the time, not including bills on which he did not vote. A record of key votes by Ron Paul can be found here.
On Libertarianism:
Ron Paul is a self-described Libertarian. He was the Libertarian Party's candidate for president in 1988, and has demonstrated a Libertarian voting record in Congress. But what exactly is a Libertarian? Libertarians believe in the rights of an individual, and maintain that all people should have the right to complete personal freedom, as long as they do not deny others that right. As a consequence, most Libertarians favor an extremely limited federal government, and a policy of non-aggression. But what exactly does Ron Paul believe?
On Immigration:
Most Libertarians support open borders. However, Ron Paul does not, citing the federal government's constitutional obligation to secure the borders. He is against illegal immigration and amnesty for illegal aliens. He has repeatedly described benefits such as welfare as supporting illegal immigration.
On Abortion:
As a former obstetrician, Ron Paul is pro-life. However, he does not believe the Constitution gives the federal government the right to legalize or ban abortion. Rather, he believes these decisions should be left up to individual states.
On Capital Punishment:
As a Right-to-Life Libertarian, Paul opposes capital punishment.
On Education:
Paul believes that the federal government should not control the educational systems, but rather the school system be handled at the state and local levels. Thus, he opposes the No Child Left Behind Act. He also opposes the proposed federal voucher system that would give families money to pay for private schools. Instead, he supports tax credits for families with children in private schools.
On Gay Marriage:
Ron Paul has not come out firmly on either side of this issue. Although he is personally against gay marriage, he believes it is not the federal government's place to define a marriage. He has stated that he believes any individuals have the right to get married, because marriage existed before government, and is an individual right. However, he also has said that the decision should be made at the state level to decide whether or not to allow gay marriage.
On Healthcare:
Ron Paul supports tax credits to reduce health care costs. He has voted in favor of several bills that would establish such credits. He has also consistently voted against government regulated or socialized healthcare, claiming that government interference in healthcare will cause higher prices and worsened quality.
On Social Security:
Paul believes that the Social Security system is in jeopardy, due to a lack of funds. Paul cites the repeated borrowing of Social Security funds by Congress to fund the budget as a primary concern. He has encouraged reassessing the system, and allowing citizens to not pay Social Security taxes, and drop out of the Social Security system if they wish.
On Gun Control:
Paul is a firm believer in the rights of gun owners, repeatedly citing the Second Amendment. He was the only presidential candidate to earn an A+ rating from the Gun Owner's Association of America.
On Drugs:
Paul supports industrial and medical use of marijuana, and believes that the prohibition of any drugs is an affront to an individual's rights, and would be ineffective regardless.
On the Economy:
Paul has proposed several radical measures. As a Libertarian, Paul is an advocate of small businesses, and a strong proponent of lowering taxes. He has fought against direct taxes, including the income tax. Paul also opposes the Federal Reserve, because he believes it causes inflation. Paul also believes that a return to the gold standard would prevent inflation, and he strongly supports this. He is also a proponent of free trade.
On the War in Iraq:
As a non-interventionist Paul opposes the war in Iraq, and voted against the Iraq War Resolution, which authorized the war. He has also said that the war in Iraq is being used as an attempt to rob citizens of their rights and liberties.
I've included your article on the Unofficial Ron Paul 2008 Blog. Thanks for sending your link!
8:51 PM
Thanks for the info on Ron Paul! I've linked it here: http://ron.paul.on.nimp.org
10:33 PM
A fictional case study about how a future terrorist attack against the US and the Bush administration response elects Ron Paul as President.
Learn what could happen when the United States is hit by another terrorist attack by Islamic extremists that creates an extreme response by Washington in “The Final Presidential Executive Order” at http://www.swissconfederationinstitute.org/swisspreserve14.htm
This fictional case study example is from “The Swiss Preserve Solution” & it results in the election of Ron Paul as President, not in 2008 but in 2012.
7:22 AM
I've been registered Independent since I turned 18. Luckily in GA (where I currently live), they have open primaries (NOTE: if you are registered as an Independent and want to vote for a Dem or Rep in the primary, you must re-register for that party NOW, prior to the primary) I have typically voted for democrats at the state and national level.
Ron Paul is the first Republican I'm excited about, and he is the only candidate that I believe will take the country in the right direction for the future. Ron Paul is the first politician I have ever donated money to. He has a lot of Internet recognition, but what you need to run a campaign is dollars. Please go to https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/ and donate whatever you can afford. Congressman Paul is about to move into larger offices and needs a boost of money to help pay for a long term lease. Individuals can donate up to $2,300.00 (couples $4,600.00) per election cycle.
Making sure he wins Internet/phone polls is great, but in this day and age, money is needed to grease the political wheels.
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6:03 AM