Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Why I'm for Ron Paul

I know Texas Congressman Ron Paul doesn't stand a snowball's chance in Key West, Fla. of winning the Republican Presidential nomination. My friends tell me I'm wasting my vote. And others say Paul is a political "kook."

Nevertheless, I will do all I can to help Paul and I'll vote for him in the GOP primary on March 11th. The reason is the bankruptcy of ideas in the Republican Presidential race. ALL the candidates are for growing the government. The questions are which one will do it the least and the efficiency of that growth. Day by day some candidate has some scheme on how to attack global warming or combat Iran. And ALL of them support the war in Iraq.

I am not a neoconservative or a libertarian. I am like Ron Paul--an Old Right Conservative (hereafter abbreviated as ORC). I'm for giving the states more rights to chart their own destinies, stay out of foreign affairs and limit the powers of the Federal government. Unlike the New Left who wants us to pull out of Iraq because we are an evil and rotten people, I'm for pulling out because Iraq was never a direct threat to the safety and well-being of the US. If Saddam Hussein had those weapons of mass destruction, he would have gone after Israel or Iran--not the United States. Ron Paul is the only one who is in favor of pulling out of Iraq.

Most of all, I'm tired of big government running my life. Now the government is going to tell us what kind of light bulb we should use. No, I am NOT kidding. By 2012, the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be sold. You will have to use a CFL bulbs, or compact fluorescent. Indeed, the government may make it illegal for an individual to use an incandescent light bulb in his home. That is the goal of the environmental wackos. Other than Paul, I have YET to hear a word of protest about this dim bulb bill Congress passed just a couple of weeks ago. Right now, I'm stocking up on incandescent light bulbs. Let the Feds come after me.

When does all this nuttiness end? Why is Paul the only one protesting this idiocy? Where are Romney, Huckabee (He'll preach the bulbs to come on.), Giuliani, Thompson and McCain on the growth of idiocy on the part of government? When does government get out of our lives? In the People's Socialist Republic of Massachusetts, you can be fined $912 by the state for not having health insurance. This is freedom? Thank Mitt Romney for that. And this guy wants to be our President?

Where do we draw the line? Mike Huckabee wants a national ban on smoking. I don't smoke and I don't allow it in our office. I don't go to restaurants that have smoking. But that's MY business. I don't want government telling places you can't have smoking. Smoking bothers you? Boycott the place. But the last thing we need is government dictating to businesses they must ban smoking. For God's sake--is this the United States or a dictatorship?

Now there's a war on trans fats. Okay, we all know fatty foods are not good for you. But now New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg (who may run for President as an independent) demands all restaurants and fast-food places ban trans fats. You don't like foods with trans fats? Don't eat them. Can't you read the stinking ingredients? Or are you too stupid or lazy?

Government loves to run our lives so we can fit the images the elite wants us to be. We must not smoke (What about booze? Why isn't there a war on booze?), eat fatty foods, not have guns, not drive big cars (I drive a Beetle. But that's MY business--not the government's.), not use incandescent light bulbs, not be uninsured for health insurance, be socially tolerant of every perversion that hits and let the government dictate to us their diktats. And yet there is not ONE candidate other than Ron Paul who is complaining about omnipotent government snuffing out our liberties.

I'm tired of getting involved in every foreign dispute because we don't like the government. I was a cold warrior because I was totally opposed to communism. And yes, the Soviet Union and Red China were direct threats to our liberty. But the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union fell starting in 1989. Now we have the Islamofascists. It's strange we didn't mess with them until the first Bush had to wage war against Iraq in 1990-1991. That was a totally useless war that dragged us into the Middle East mosh pit. Now we are stuck in a permanent war in Iraq with very little chance of getting out in the next ten years. Iran could be our next war. The Middle East wars will cost us TRILLIONS of dollars with no end in sight. When do these foreign entanglements end? We are knee-deep in NATO. Do you know if Russia attacks Estonia, a member of NATO, we are obligated to come to Estonia's aid? We are talking armed conflict, folks.

I'll write in another post as to what the Old Right Conservative (ORC) philosophy is. But Ron Paul is a firm spear carrier for the Old Right. I'm tired of big government conservatism. In fact, I'm tired of big government period--both in the domestic and foreign spheres.

It's time for a change in direction in the GOP and the nation. It's time to elect Ron Paul as President.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice Piece John. I can't agree more! What I don't understand is how shallow minded many folks are.
How can anyone with half a brain vote for anyone but RON PAUL is beyond me... Of course one must do a little home work (and Ron's info is only on the net!) So many people have never heard (or care to hear) of Ron Paul!!!

You know, many people gloss over this, but think about this for a moment... Ron is 72 yrs, been on the job for 20 yrs and has NO retirement!!! As you know, he doesn't participate in the lucrative gov. retirement program.
Many people may say, "That's nice!" But they miss the DEPTH of this one point. I consider myself a pretty principled man, but I'm afraid I would have taken the pension program, I think if most folks are honest, many would have taken this retirement. Not because we are bad people, I just don't know that (before studying Ron Paul) I would have even thought about it, I would have just signed up, no big deal... But Ron is so.. so.. so damn learned and principled and honest and thoughtful, etc., etc...
That he refused this program!!! That really is a BIG deal! And shows that his heart is in the right place!!!
Have you read much about Ludwig Van Mises???

steppo said...

I've heard that argument -- "Paul has no chance to win, why waste your vote?" Well, to vote for anyone else seems to me to be a really wasted vote, in fact worse than wasted, as it went to someone you didn't want in the first place; and don't surrender your vote by note voting. Your candidate might well lose, but the majority is not always right... one thinks of Socrates, who lost a big vote -- hemlock and all that. There are others in history who have lost "elections" but were later recognized as being right when all others were wrong. Paul might lose, but what he stands for will, as it has been said, "not only endure but prevail".

Kate Pitrone said...

Part of your post was quoted here on No Left Turns. I had written Some Ron Paul fan, please tell me, has he come out against this, yet? If elected president, will he work to save the incandescent bulb?

Another question: do we HAVE to become libertarians to stop this kind of thing? Once upon a time, being a Republican was enough.
When your comment was part of the response, I had to read the whole post. Except for Ron Paul's Iraq policy, which I understand based on his principles, I like what he says. Otherwise, I am also tired of big government trying to run every aspect of life and wonder when that nuttiness will end.

However, I do not expect Paul to win, because most Americans WANT government to protect them and to extend a blanket of protection over nearly every aspect of their lives and will put up with that smothering control for the implied security that big government offers. Yet I hope Ron Paul is extremely articulate and can persuade America on his complaint about omnipotent government snuffing out our liberties.

This is a nice post. I hope it is widely quoted.