I'm Out!

No, not in that way.  I am officially out of the Republican party.  So what did it?  Well, the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the GOP's shameful treatment of Ron Paul, and by extension all of his followers (which includes me!)  Why should I be part of a political party that actively campaigns against the things I hold dear?  That's just stupid - right? 

So I am now a registered Libertarian.  It was only a matter of time anyway.  I've been attracted to the Libertarian party ever since I read the voter's pamphlet entry by the Libertarian candidate for President back in 2000 (who I voted for by the way).  He said (paraphrasing) "we have a Department of Transportation that doesn't transport anything, a Department of Energy that produces no energy, a Department of Agriculture that produces no crops..." well, you get the idea.  All of these government agencies tend to get in the way of the producers who want to transport things, and give us energy and food.

Now, I don't agree with everything the Libertarians believe (I am decidedly pro-life) but I agree with way more Libertarian ideals than Republican ideals (do they have any?)

So that's it.  34 years (plus or minus) as a Republican.  Seems weird.  I think I'll get used to it though.

Ron Paul Or No One At All!!!

I've been a Republican for over 30 years.  I've never voted for a Democrat in my life.  But I've become so disillusioned with the Republican party lately---because of their hostility toward Ron Paul and his supporters (like myself)---that I've decided that I will not vote for anyone else.  I don't care who the nominee is, if it isn't Ron Paul, I'll write his name in (or I'll stay home).  I'm so sick of this "electability" crap!  Ron Paul is the only candidate who represents me, and, in a representative form of government, that's all that matters!

If that helps Obama get re-elected, so be it.  I honestly don't care anymore.  If the Republican party cared about that - they wouldn't treat their own members with such disdain!  Screw them.  4 more years of Obama is what they deserve!!

Why I Support Ron Paul

1.       Politics:

Ron Paul doesn’t play politics.  He’s unique in that he has principles that he doesn’t veer from – whether it is politically expedient for him or not.  He’s been saying the exact same thing for over 30 years (the political world just finally caught up to him!)  In short – he won’t flip/flop and he can’t be bought.

2.       Monetary Policy:

Ron Paul wants to restore the US dollar to a fixed value (the gold standard) and end the Federal Reserve’s power to print (inflate) money.  He argues that every time more money is printed, the dollar is devalued and everybody loses!

3.       Size and Scope of Government:

Ron Paul is the only candidate who I can guarantee would shrink the size and scope of government.  He is a strict constitutionalist who believes that the federal government should not be involved in half of the things it has involved itself in.  He is advocating ending whole departments.  He would end the Department of Education (created in the 70’s… just look at our test scores to gauge its effectiveness!) and a whole host of other departments.  His budget plan calls for $1 trillion in cuts the first year.  And these are not “cuts in growth” that politicians falsely call “cuts”; these are real cuts in spending.

4.       Foreign Policy:

Ron Paul is a non-interventionist (he is not an isolationist.)  What that means is that he wants the US to butt out of other nations affairs, but he does not advocate that we restrict trade between private US businesses and other countries.   He is also against all foreign aid. 

5.       Militarism:

Ron Paul would end our military presence in all 130 countries we are currently in (almost 900 bases!) and bring all the troops home to defend our own borders.  He also would not deploy troops unless there is a constitutional declaration of war (something that hasn’t happened since WWII!)  Once there is a constitutional declaration of war however, he would fight that war to WIN IT!!  There would be no long troop deployments with undefined mission goals under a Ron Paul presidency.  (This is probably why he receives more donations from active duty military than all the other Republican candidates combined!) 

6.       Israel:

Ron Paul would end all aid to Israel’s enemies and agree to never sell weapons to a nation hostile to Israel.  He would also cut the apron strings and quit trying to control Israel.  Many have called him “anti-Semitic” because he would end foreign aid to Israel as well, but they don’t consider how our foreign aid hinders Israel’s efforts to attain peace on its own terms.  He is the only candidate who would honor Israel’s sovereignty and allow the Jewish nation to live in its region, amongst its neighbors, in a way that only the people of Israel have a right to decide.

7.       Drugs:

Ron Paul would end the federal “War on Drugs” (States would still have the right to do as they wish regarding drugs.)  His policy would end ridiculous situations like the one in California where federal drug agents are raiding medical marijuana facilities that are legal in the State of California.  One lesson that we failed to learn during prohibition is that whenever you outlaw something popular, a black-market will immediately pop up to profit from it.  When we outlawed alcohol, gangsters made money running booze.  As soon as we legalized it again, the black market disappeared.  We have spent trillions on a war we can’t win and drug cartels are the only entity to profit from it.  It’s time to end the war on drugs.

8.       Other:

There are lots of other reasons I support Ron Paul, but I’ll leave it at that for now.  Any discussion on these issues is welcome!