I am currently finishing up my Bachelors Degree, double-majoring in Political Science and Economics, and while I don't feel that this background makes my opinion any more valid than anyone else's, I do feel that I have a solid foundation for why I believe in particular policies. I don't believe in every single one of Ron Paul's ideas (I am more moderate on foreign policy for example, feeling that in some instances, defense expenditures not directly for defense of our own land can be in the best interest of providing national security to American citizens) but I do find myself aligning with him on most all cases.
I will list just a few of the many ideas Paul holds which I agree with, so I'll try to list the one's most important to me. Coming from an economic background, I always feel that maintaining the economy should always be the most important political goal. While other people are off crying about gay-marriage, marijuana, or abortion laws, I feel that especially today with people as distraught about the economy as they are, it should be every politician's priority to radically change the economic policies that have dominated the last decade.
The U.S. nominal debt is currently around $15 Trillion, a number that exceeds the Real GDP of 2010. Just as it is unwise to live your personal life constantly in debt, a country cannot sustain itself on policies of deficiet spending. Many people consider Ron Paul's ideas on how to cut back on government spending "radical" or "too much too fast", but the simple fact of the matter is without drastic change, we will never be able to dig ourselves out from the hole we are currently in. Things will almost certainly be tough for a few years, and a recession is all but a necessity at this point, but the importance of balancing our budget cannot be overstated. It should also be mentioned that as a Congressman, Ron Paul has never once voted for an unbalanced budget. If only more politicians had done the same, there is no way we would find ourselves in the situation we currently do.
Cuts must be made ESPECIALLY at the federal level, and I agree with Paul that the federal government has grown far beyond what the founding fathers every intended for it. Paul is a strict constitutionalist, and almost never votes for anything unless it is expressly granted by the Constitution. Part of the changes he has propsed are the complete disbandment of 5 cabinet level agencies, which include: Education, Interior, Commerce, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development. He has also proposed large budget cuts to FDA, CDC, DHS, NIH, and EPA. Ron Paul is a strong opponent of the Federal Reserve, and despises their power to freely print new money with no form of commodity backing. Paul wants to return to a hard money policy, such as a bi-metallic gold/silver standard as a way of stabilizing and lowering inflation, which Paul has many times referred to as "the most insidious of all taxes" (Paul).
Ron Paul feels, much like myself, that Social Security is little more than a massive government run Ponzi Scheme, and the fact that government borrows money from the system to augment their budgets is a testament to how corrupt and inefficient the system is. Paul seeks to honor older members who have paid into the system for most of their lives, while offering people under the age of 25 the ability to opt out of the system (a decision I would easily make).
Ron Paul is a strong supporter of all civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, and many of his ideas do not coincide with many of his Republican contemporaries. Congressman Paul voted against the Patriot Act, as well as the REAL ID Act, has voted to end affirmative action (calling it a system obsessed with promoting racial stereotypes, and criticizing racism in general), believes firmly in the Second Amendment as a means to prevent government tyranny, and is against the war on drugs (basically agreeing with Milton Friedman that going after the drug trade only makes things worse, and that citizens should be free to destroy their bodies should they choose to do so).
Congressman Paul defines marriage as between a man and a woman, but he also feels that it should be an issue left to the states to decide, saying that he did not want for any state to have to honor what they do not feel is a legal marriage . When asked if he supported gay marriage though, Paul responded by saying that, "I am supportive of all voluntary associations and people can call it whatever they want."A truly libertariam answer Paul, nice work.
Many liberals have criticized Ron Paul for his unwavering pro-life stance. This is a tough issue, and I won't go too far into it, but I have some slightly conservative views on the issue as well. I believe life starts at conception, but I also try to respect a woman's right to choose what she wishes to do with her body. It is almost hypocritcal that I support a woman's right to choose in many ways, but it is the decision I have made personally. I do agree with the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban (2003), and Ron Paul (an obstetrician) stated after witnessing one such procedure being performed during his residency, that it was "pretty dramatic for me to see a two-and-a-half-pound baby taken out crying and breathing and put in a bucket." Are any of us really more qualified than Paul on this particular subject?
There are so many other political issues I could go into, but I've probably already lost most people reading this, so I'll keep it down to these few key issues. If you found yourself agreeing with some of the ideas Paul has held, check out his platform on his website http://www.ronpaul.com/ , and consider making the wise decision this coming election, vote for who you want to run this country regardless of what any news channel or poll says. Democracy is an amazing system, and we all have the right to vote for whoever who wish to vote for, so examine every alternative before voting for the lesser of two evils, because there just might be someone out there running who you agree with more than you might have thought.
-Chris (Viva la Ron Paul Revolucion!)
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