Image via Wikipedia
While I still worked for a living, one of my engineers asked me who I was voting for. I answered “the most conservative candidate.”
“Oh, are you voting for Ron Paul?”
At the time, Ron Paul was a no name to me. I didn’t have clue about him or his background. Today, I know a bit more, but still not enough. Paul continues as a favorite in the Iowa polls. Why? I’ve tried to get answers from friends, and they tell me he has some radical ideas and is dangerous to the country. So why does he continue to show so well in polls during the primary campaign?
It is my belief that the man’s ideas resonate with the average person. So what are the ideas presumed so radical, and why do they strike such a strong appeal to we the people?
I had to read several articles to decide for myself what ideas Paul promotes. After doing so, I concluded the ideas are not so radical, and they appeal to me too. A few months ago I took one of those ten question tests to find where I stood on my political beliefs. Before this test, I considered myself a conservative; surprise, I tested strongly libertarian. Ron Paul is also a libertarian. Another person whose ideas and commentary I love is former ABC, and now Fox commentator John Stoessel. Stoessel is a libertarian who regularly exposes how when government gets involved things go seriously wrong.
Here are the Paul ideas that my friends consider radical:
1. A balanced budget, (Not radical)
2. Obey the Constitution, (Radical only to Progressives and Socialists)
3. Cut One trillion dollars from Federal spending in his first year of presidency, (Radical only to Democrats)
4. Iran is politically no different from any other country, (Yes, radical even to me)
5. All wars approved by the US Congress (In the current Constitution)
6. Remove sanctions from Iran, (I’m not sure on this one)
7. Establish a non-interventionist foreign policy, (Radical to US politicians)
8. Eliminate the Federal Reserve, (Radical to big banking)
9. Withdraw from the United Nations, (Not radical)
10. End the Cuban embargo, (No longer radical)
11. Repeal the Patriot Act. (Not radical)
Out of this list of eleven ideas I see four that may be perceived as radical. How do you feel about items 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10?
Four out of the five (6,7,9,10) listed are foreign policy issues, the fourth (8) is a banking issue.
Yet, the people of Iowa seem okay with these proposals? My wife often tells me we have no business in Iraq, Afghanistan, or in giving money to foreign governments to see them use it against us. Does that sound familiar to items 6, 7, & 9?
Maybe our foreign policy of past years has been the reason for the mid-Eastern countries hating the USA so much, and if we get the hell out of there they can go about their business of converting the world to Islam. Or, they might just be so happy with their new lives they will convert to capitalism.
I see Ron Paul resonating with common people because they like to hear him say things like obey the constitution, cut a trillion dollars in spending, balance the budget, or go back to the gold standard. The common guy who still believes in working for a living, while supporting government employees with the same labor, like to hear those ideas because they are the ideas the common guy lives by.
The real question, however, is not whether Ron Paul’s ideas are radical, or whether he resonates with the people, but rather can he beat Obama?
I don’t believe Dr Paul will be our next president, but I applaud him for awakening America by passionately discussing his libertarian values.
Related articles
- TROUBLING: REP. RON PAUL LEADS POLL IN IOWA DESPITE APPEASEMENT APPROACH TOWARDS IRAN: Will GOP voters follow this disastrous approach? (flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com)
- You Like Ron Paul, Except on Foreign Policy (politicalvelcraft.org)
- Ron Paul, Newsletters From the Past (jlue.wordpress.com)
- Ron Paul Roundup: On His Strength Against Obama, His Investments, His Ads, and Why the GOP Fears Him (reason.com)
Filed under: Conservative, Election, Government | Tagged: Federal Reserve System, Foreign Policy, Iowa, Iran, Obama, Ron Paul, United State |
Grumpa Joe, you have summarized very well the key Ron Paul issue positions that are considered most radical. I am a conservative voter and to me the foreign policy is where he especially goes too far. Although, we certainly should be limiting our foreign aid when we can’t afford it and we shouldn’t be providing to countries that don’t need it(Saudi Arabia) or where we have to borrow it from someone else.
I don’t think that he can win the election because of his more radical ideas, but I’m glad that he’s in the running because his better ideas are winning supporters and influencing the other candidates and voters too.
I’m not sure who I’m voting for. To be totally honest, I’m put off by most candidates. Michele Bachman used to go to my husband’s church and I have stories…I don’t hate her, but I won’t vote for her. This is interesting info on Ron Paul. I’ll have to put it in my thinker…I really need to figure out who to vote for because I honestly am sick of Obamination.
Grumpa Joe, I met Ron Paul in Aruba in 1998 and he was saying the same things then as he is now. The Federal Government has run our Constitution into the ground. The Federal Reserfve Act was passed in 1913 and gave control of our economy to a foreign entity based in London England, making the American People become the American Sheeple. Its time we returned to a REPUBLIC as our forefathers so founded this great land. Ron Paul and the Tea Party are our last HOPE.