I was walking across the parking lot on my way home from church this past Sunday when a good friend of mine, a dyed in the wool Democrat, asked me if I was on my way to the Obama rally. We chide each other from time to time knowing that there is a fairly deep canyon in our political philosophies. I mentioned that I didn’t have much regard for any of the front runners in either party, that I considered them all to be too shallow and transparent. I told my friend that my personal choice would be Ron Paul; admitting that Ron Paul had about as much chance of winning the presidency as I would winning the lottery.
I read an article by Radley Balko on the Foxnews website this morning, “Ron Paul, the Real Republican?”. It covered my thoughts on the matter better than I could myself so go read it ( linked via title bar ).
“Paul isn't a reflexive contrarian--he doesn't oppose just to oppose. Rather, he has a core set of principles that guide him. They happen to be the same principles envisioned by the framers of the U.S. Constitution: limited government, federalism, free trade and commerce -- with a premium on peace.”
A little further down in the article Balko stated, “I don't agree with Paul on everything. His stance on monetary policy (he wants to return to the gold standard) is a bit out-there for my taste. He favors strict limits on legal immigration, and is far more alarmist about illegal immigration than I think is necessary.” I happen to agree whole heartedly with Ron Paul on both of those issues.
There has got to be an end to the devaluation of our currency through our own government’s policy of printing worthless paper backed by nothing more than a hollow promise. Having seen the lack of principles exhibited by our elected officials, with the exception of a very few, their “promises” are as worthless as the money they print. Look at how they have managed Social Security into bankruptcy because of the way those in charge have looted the system. Holding them to a fixed and structured monetary system such as the Gold Standard might be the only way to salvage the Dollar.
I agree with Ron Paul’s alarmist attitude regarding illegal immigration; however, I would add to that alarm the added burden on our infrastructure created by the increased numbers of legal immigrants as well. I have reviewed Roy Beck's celebrated demonstration of the population consequences of current U.S. immigration policies. This video is packed with the facts and analysis that make moral and practical sense of a complex and highly contentious issue. What’s the line from Star Wars, the one where Yoda cautions young Skywalker about confronting Darth Vader, something about being afraid… “Afraid you are not,. . . you will be.” I should probably ask my daughter and resident expert on Star Wars trivia; but you get the idea. A tip of the hat to my friend James Orr for sending me the link to Roy Beck’s immigration video.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4094926727128068265&q=roy+beck&hl=en
I’ve been disappointed with the crop ( spelling options available ) of candidates showing up on the ballot; so poor are their qualifications as to make voters stay home rather than pick from the “lesser of two evils”. Ron Paul’s character rises above the mire; I would rather “waste” my vote on a good man who hasn’t got a chance of being elected than to endorse any of the so called front runners. The Presidency is all about character, isn’t it about time America returned to the basics?
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