Sunday, October 2, 2011

If You Believe

If you believe the Federal government doesn't have the authority to provide most of the social services they do

If you believe the states and cities (if ANY government) are the correct vehicles for health care, social services, etc.

If you believe people are more engaged and better represented with smaller forms of government,

If you believe that most schools won't be teaching about Jesus creating the world in seven days, hating blacks, etc., and that some standard deviation from the social norm is expected when people are allowed to live as they wish

If you believe people should be responsible for themselves, and you know that without government crutches, the 'charity vacuum' will be filled by private organizations,

If you believe that (as Ron Paul has stated himself) strong property rights would properly handle litigious matters of environmental pollution,

and finally, if you believe we should stop acting like the king of the playground that is the world,

vote for Ron Paul.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Why everyone should vote for Ron Paul

His most popular opinions are those he can most easily affect

Ron Paul has a lot of opinions. End the wars. Legalize Heroin. Cut our spending. Get out of other countries' businesses.

Some of those are a bit out there for a lot of people. But think about what a president bound by the Constitution has substantial control over:
-The armed forces (as Commander in Chief)
-Approval for all bills from Congress, as well the budget
-Treaties with other countries

...among a limited list of other things, as outlined by Article II of the Constitution.

These responsibilities coincide with some of Paul's most universally accepted stances: End foreign wars, end the drug wars (as he controls the DEA), cut spending, end our meddling in foreign affairs. These are the things this man can do for our country.

His less popular stances are not as easily changed, nor as important

Ron Paul talks about legalizing drugs (which goes beyond halting the "Drug War"). People freak out about this. People think that since Ron Paul thinks abortion is wrong, he'll ban it. People think that since he has doubts about the theory of evolution, that will somehow affect his ability to lead, or make him enforce Creationist teachings in schools. These points are all wrong or overstated, for one of two reasons.

Some things Ron Paul expresses intent for, like legalizing drugs and prostitution, are not Executive roles. He might try to influence Congress, but he can't do things like that on his own. Moreover, things that are banned at a state or local level really can't be touched by the Federal government, unless they go against Federal law.

Qualms like his religious beliefs don't really matter. That's right, you heard it from an agnostic: His religious beliefs don't matter. Why? Because he respects the boundaries set up by the Constitution, and his political beliefs lead him to let people live as they want, free from Federal intervention. Hell, the man doesn't believe in the existence of the Department of Education; do you think he's going to push Creationism on people?

He is the most honest and fearless politician in Washington

I have not seen anyone disagree with this, except for Bill O'Reilly (make your own judgement on that one). The man has been fighting for his ideals for the majority of his lifetime. His stances are well outlined in several books. He has stood by his beliefs with dedication few politicians have ever shown. If Paul says something, it's because he believes it.

He's better than the Republican nominees

Look at the front-runners so far in the Republican bid for President: Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann. I don't have anything to show about Bachmann, I just don't like her. As for Perry: This is a man who has been quoted as saying he'll continue to 'take the fight to the enemy'(Perry at the VFW) (relevant: 25-50 sec marks). Despite his claim that we should not take up a policy of "military adventurism", one can hardly be blamed for being skeptical of his motivation to keep us out of wars.

Rick Perry also backs AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile. I believe even most free market libertarians recognize that this sort of monopoly on communications, built by a history of government sanctioned telecom monopolies, is not good for the consumer.

He is better than Barack Obama

Obama still blocks FOIA requests regarding Bush-era wiretapping. He got us into a war with Libya. He acts, as many do, like 2 trillion dollars in "reduced spending growth" is any meaningful step in keeping this country from financial oblivion. He continues to fight against consumers of marijuana, when he said he would stop.

I'm sure more posts and a search on r/Libertarian would reveal more. Suffice it to say, many of the things Democrats expected Obama to do didn't get done.