Daniel Miessler would have us believe that Ron Paul is Seriously Flawed as a Candidate; We’re Just So in Love With Him That We’re Not Paying Attention.
Well I am paying attention and Dr. Ron Paul is one of the least flawed presidential candidates in the 2008 race. Here’s why:
Here’s why
- Ron Paul is a physician, and not a lawyer, actor or lobbyist. Enough said.
- He is the only Republican presidential candidate who voted against the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.
- He voted against the Patriot Act, the Iraq war resolution, and the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
- He’s not afraid to demand immediate withdrawal from Iraq or fight tooth and nail those pushing us into Iran.
- He has opposed legislation that would have garnered funds for his district when he deemed it against his principles, including federally-funded flood insurance and farm subsidies.
- He’s against a national ID card, the war on drugs, foreign interventionism, domestic surveillance and the income tax.
- He stands by his less than expedient principles and yet has three times won House seats without the benefit of incumbency.
- He still practices medicine.
- He has worked against eminent domain seizures.
- He visits his district weekly and attends all kinds of local events.
- He actually served in the military, saving lives as a surgeon.
- He supports a non-interventionist foreign policy and states’ rights.
- He’s no silver-spooner, having started work at his family dairy at age 5.
- He once worked in the emergency room of a church hospital for $3/hour.
- As a physician in private practice, he worked for free, offered discounts or accepted custom payment plans instead of accepting Medicare/Medicaid from needy patients.
- When he ran for president in 1988 he spoke to groups of children who couldn’t even vote yet. This is rare for a presidential candidate.
- He introduced the Constitutional War Powers Resolution of 2001, which would prohibit war without a congressional declaration.
- More than 99% of his presidential campain funds come from individuals. And 47% are small contributions of $200 or less.
Mr. Miessler’s charges
Let’s move on to Mr. Miessler’s specific charges:
He Doesn’t Believe in the Separation of Church and State
False. He simply doesn’t believe that we must entirely drive religion out of ‘public life’. I’m no fan of religion but his position is reasonable.
He’s Not For Federally Supported Public Education
Good! Federal education dollars are just local dollars, our dollars, with the federal bureaucracy’s percentage taken off the top and mandates added on. Whether you believe in publicly-funded education or not, wouldn’t you prefer it be managed locally?
Yeah, That Means No College Loans
Good. Government participation in this industry raises costs for everyone and results in private entities accruing public and monopoly-like powers that benefit individuals with political pull and hurt our best. See StudentLoanJustice.org.
He’s Not For National Health Care
Fantastic! Government entry into and regulation of the health care industry is what caused this mess we’re in now. So to fix this we’re going to nationalize the entire thing? That’s not a solution. We’re not Europe or Canada. We need a solution with less government control, not more.
He’s Against Abortion and Would Like to See Roe vs. Wade Overturned
True. But he wants the issue to be decided by the states. This is, without a doubt, a serious problem for anyone who values personal liberty.
He Doesn’t Believe The Evidence for Man-Made Global Warming Is Convincing
Neither do I and a lot of other people. Even NASA’s study is not conclusive, to say the least.
Not Perfect
Ron Paul may not be the perfect candidate for progressives, libertarians or conservatives but he’s darn close. He’s a a lot less flawed than the corporatist, “top-tier” candidates who would continue the statist, interventionist policies that have made us less free, more heavily-taxed, more indebted as a nation and more involved in foreign wars. Ron Paul is a person of principle who does not surrender when its politically expedient.
