Politicians Gone Wild - Ron Paul

Where to begin? Ron Paul has been around for what seems a painful eternity and resurfaces regularly as a potential presidential candidate that everyone knows will never win.  There are so many different ways we can explore Ron Paul's history that it might serve us well to start at the beginning and work our way to present time.

COMMON KNOWLEDGE

• Ron Paul was born 76 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• Medical Doctor that served as a surgeon in the Air Force.
• Ron Paul delivered thousands of babies while in private practice.
• He entered the political field in 1976.
• Ron Paul has run for President as both a Libertarian (1988) and Republican (2008 and 2011)
• He is referred to as "The Grandfather of the Tea Party" 

The Good?

Ron Paul's idealistic view of society and government has appeal for those of us who would like to live in a perfect world.  Vitriolic rhetoric about our imperfect governmental structure has made it possible for likely supporters to follow blindly a man that seems to hate government and endorses personal freedoms and liberties using the American Constitution as the backdrop of untested, and doomed to fail, ideology.  Ideology that benefits the few will fail for the many.

• Insists on term limits for legislators (good?).
• Voted to authorize George W. Bush to pursue those responsible for the attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001. (good right?)
• Voted against the Iraq War Resolution. (also good)
• Voted repeatedly against bills that would expand government functions and programs. (borderline good)

The Bad

Ron Paul wants to abolish everything he can think of.  As an example, he wants to do away with the Department of Education, the IRS and the Federal Reserve.

While everyone has an opinion on how to make these entities function better on behalf of the population, Ron Paul's drastic ideology does not include revising what works and improving what he, and others, view as weaknesses in the system.

The Ugly

It is not hard for many to view Ron Paul as an unabashed racists and homophobic individual.  Newsletters sent out to supporters have the following statements:

"Boy, it sure burns me to have a national holiday for Martin Luther King. I voted against this outrage time and time again as a Congressman. What an infamy that Ronald Reagan approved it! We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day."

"opinion polls consistently show only about 5% of blacks have sensible political opinions".

"Homosexuals, not to speak of the rest of society, were far better off when social pressure forced them to hide their activities."

"if you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably fleet-footed they can be"

Lew Rockwell has been cited as Ron Paul's ghost writer by sources, but he denies writing the newsletters and Ron Paul insists that he is not a racist without addressing why these newsletters were written in the first person or in the first place. Why would Ron Paul approve such literature to be sent out and never issue statements denouncing their contents at the time they were issued?  As a matter of fact, the first time he ran for president, both Ron Paul and his staff defended the newsletters and in subsequent runs he has chosen to be defensive or dismissive of something that happened "A long time ago".

Those reactions are neither an explanation, nor an apology.  It is also not a denial of his core sentiments.

Women 

For a man who has seen what it takes for a woman to take a pregnancy to full term and attended, by his account, 4,000 births, this man's voting record and opinions leads to the conclusion that if he does not hate women, he certainly comes close to it.

Ron Paul introduced H.R. 1094 stating that human life begins at conception and "...Recognizes that each state has authority to protect the lives of unborn children residing in the jurisdiction of that state."

Libertarian? not for women.

He has voted to defund Planned Parenthood. As an Obstetritian he KNOWS for a large number of women, this is the only place where they can get routine medical exams that include cancer screenings and prevention.  While Planned Parenthood is not free, it is a more affordable option for women whose medical insurance won't cover necessary screenings.

He KNOWS that for many women, Planned Parenthood is the only place they can get a mammogram or pap smear without having to sacrifice on basic necessities for their families and keep as healthy as possible while continuing to struggle with diminishing wages and increasing costs.

CHILDREN

Maybe delivering 4,000 babies has made him realize that once they are born they can be a pain in the ass.  It is the only logical explanation for preventing unwanted children from being adopted by loving parents.  It is best if they rot in foster care and are deprived of a nurturing home in which they can thrive and grow to be independent thinkers. (Maybe that is the root of the problem).  Gay parents, need not apply.

Keep in mind that Ron Paul also believes that being  born in the United States should not automatically make you a US citizen.  Just in case you are of Hispanic descent and feel that you are just as American as everyone else.  Get it through your head Sanchez, Ramos and Hernandez.... you are not as American as Ron Paul.

This (un)constitutionalist know-it-all introduced a bill in 2005 that would deny citizenship to any child born in the United States whose parents are not citizens. (H.J. Res 46). Fortunately, only four other Republicans were stupid enough to go along with him. 

Gay Rights

Ron Paul has a problem with 'the gays'.  He can't imagine that 'they' are human beings entitled to have the same "Libertarian" rights he spouts. (unless of course, you are a woman, black or hispanic).  

• He cosponsored The Marriage Protection Act.
• He would not vote to abolish 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'.
• Ron Paul is against gay adoption.

Ron Paul is against gays. Period.

Hypocrisy

Ron Paul is adamant about personal responsibility - Unless it is our country and you are an oil company. In this case, you must drill freely, without being held accountable for toxic spills or poisoning human beings.  He also believes that National parks are made to be exploited and polluted.  Oil companies should not have to pay royalties and as a physician... he has an abysmal record on environmental issues based on science.

CONSTITUTION - One would expect a constitutional purist like Ron Paul would defend to his death 'separation of church and state', but the opposite is true.  Ron Paul knows that liberals can't be trusted. You see, they READ. So he introduced H.R.4379 to circumvent pesky democrats having separation of church and state cases heard in federal courts.  Hypocritical? You decide.

SOCIAL SECURITY - Liar, liar, pants on fire - Ron Paul continues to spew that social security is broke when we all know that Social Security is solvent and with proposed changes to negotiate with vendors as a volume purchaser of durable medical goods, fraud and excessive payments will be eliminated.  It would only strengthen a program that is already solid as a rock. 

Ron Paul wants social security terminated.

He calls it unconstitutional and blames liberals for this type of  'welfare'.  Someone should explain that Social Security is an insurance program we, Americans, pay into it during our working and most productive years, in order to have a cushion of financial stability in our 'golden years'.  It does not take a genius to figure out how much those monthly INSURANCE checks help our grandparents and assists them in remaining independent in their later years.

Is that not what insurance is for? Is that not the result a libertarian would expect from those who have planned for their retirement without being a financial burden to society?  Even Mike Wallace could not get this through this man's head.  Mike Wallace, of all people!

RON PAUL BULLET POINTS

• Hates government but has spent over 3 decades in it and won't give it up.
• Spouses personal liberties unless they are applied to women, gays, blacks, or Hispanics.
• He is a strict constitutionalist unless it clashes with his agenda and must introduce bills to counteract that pesky Constitution.
• Ron Paul believes government has no place in people's lives, unless you are a people of the female variety, in which case your uterus must be regulated.  As a gynecologist, he must feel entitled to do so.

@APBBlue Hey Ron Paul: You talk and talk about "property rights." Well guess what: My uterus, my property. Butt out. #p2 #prochoice

• He hates workers of all stripes and voted to decrease standards in the mining industry.  (We all know how safely they do their jobs now and how much better it will get with less regulations, right?). He voted to defund OSHA in 2001 because apparently, workers are 'safe enough'.
• As a Constitutionalist, Ron Paul does not know Jack. Privatization is the name of the game and if the oil companies could own the entire country and drill into your backyard, Ron Paul would claim the constitution guaranteed them the right to do so.
• A Libertarian, he is not. Personal liberties only apply by dictatorial decree to the selected few, for everyone else, there is a loop hole or new amendment to be introduced to make it constitutionally impossible for the "wrong people" to have equal rights.

Ron Paul is not a constitutionalist, he is an opportunist.  He will continue to profit from being a GOVERNMENT employee and being in the limelight as a power-hungry old man whose time, like dead fish and bad company, has come to an end.

Unfortunately Ron Paul spawned 'Aqua Buddha' and he deserves his own page on this blog.  After all, what would Rand Paul be without Ron Paul? - While the fruit does not fall far from the tree, this particular fruit seems to be a bit nuttier and bit greener, but worth exploring just the same.

Thank Goodness for Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, and in general, thinking people.  We are the last line of defense against these type of demagogues who feel entitled to pass judgment and assert their will where it is not wanted or Constitutional.