Making the case for Ron Paul

By KEVIN EGGERS

Republican Presidential hopeful Ron Paul of Texas is campaigning on a platform that is principled on restoring our U.S. Constitution as the law of the land.

Somehow this has become a revolutionary idea in today's government-dependent America, where many Americans have lost sight of the importance of the Constitution and our inalienable rights and individual liberties that it protects.

Rep. Paul, R-Texas, having served 10 terms in Congress, is a politician whose actions are driven by the Constitution, not big business. Because Paul takes his oath to the Constitution very seriously, if a policy is unconstitutional, he doesn't vote for it. Dr. Paul has served as a flight surgeon in the Air Force and Air National Guard, and, as a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, he has delivered more than 4,000 babies in his private practice. Because the majority of the policies that he votes on are unconstitutional, he has been nicknamed "Dr. No" by many of his colleagues in Congress.

Dr. No has never voted to raise taxes, never voted for an unbalanced budget, never voted to raise congressional pay, never taken a government-paid junket, and has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch. John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union said, "If every member of Congress voted like Representative Paul, Americans could enjoy much lower taxes and less waste in government."

Dr. Paul chose politics because of his economic concerns. On July 18, Paul went head to head with Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke over Fed policies that have led to the mortgage crisis, the falling value of the dollar worldwide and the "inflation tax." There is a YouTube video of Chicago traders cheering as Paul challenged Bernanke.

From an October 2007 "Middle American News" interview, asked about how Paul could reduce the size and scope of government, "The first thing to do is to focus on overall spending. Bring the troops home from around the globe, stop policing the world, and use the savings to eliminate deficits and tide over those who have become dependent on the welfare state, while allowing younger people to opt out. ... If people continue to expect government to take care of us from cradle to grave, then it will be impossible. But if we spread the message of freedom, tell people that we can eliminate the IRS, keep the fruits of our labor and regain local control, then we can cut the size of government in half."

Dr. Paul is one of the few in Congress that warned against the Iraq war and never voted in support of this "unconstitutional war."

This is an excerpt from Ron Paul's address to the House of Representatives on May 22: "Unquestioned loyalty to the state is especially demanded in times of war. Lack of support for a war policy is said to be unpatriotic. ... It is conveniently ignored that the only authentic way to best support the troops is to keep them out of dangerous, undeclared, no-win wars that are politically inspired."

Dr. Paul also wants to protect our privacy and Constitutional rights by stopping the national ID card and ending the Patriot Act.

He opposes any trade deals or groups that threaten American Independence, such as the UN, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, WTO, SPP, etc. In a Middle American News interview, Paul said "... they are not free trade, they are government-managed trade and they are ultimately bad for American workers."

He wants to secure our borders and end illegal immigration. On June 13, Paul introduced bill H.J. Res. 46 that would end "birthright" citizenship for illegal aliens.

From the MAN article: "First, we need to bring home our border patrol agents we have sent to Iraq and get them back guarding our border. ... Next, we need to immediately end federal mandates compelling states to give state welfare benefits to illegals. Right now, states are required to provide free medical care, education and sometimes even food assistance to illegal immigrants, and this acts as a subsidy for illegal immigration. ... If we cut off the subsidies, a lot of people here illegally would just leave."

On Nov. 5, Paul raised more than $4.2 million through Internet donations by more than 37,000 supporters. This was a single day record. On the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Paul supporters have planned another "money bomb," where they hope to set a new record.

Dr. Paul is gaining support from Republicans and Democrats, the old and the young, and surprisingly, many military personnel. Putting aside their differences, Americans from all walks of Iife have come together in support of his message of limited government and individual freedom. Paul's grassroots Internet support is swelling with more than 1,100 meet-up groups formed in the United States. These supporters are intent on people seeing who Ron Paul is and what he stands for.

(Eggers lives in Napa.)

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