Ron Paul

This has been a tough year for choosing a candidate. Today I'm here to tell you why I'll be voting for Ron Paul.

First, who else could I vote for?

Life is sacred. This is not politics, this is ethics, folks. Tell me, if a president said that it was okay if people wanted to kill their four year olds, that he wouldn't outlaw the places were you could take them to be murdered, would you consider the guy? Even if he made it clear that he would never want to murder his four year old? Does that make it clearer for some of you that think you can avoid that issue? That four year old, that baby, could be your future grandchild. Are you okay with that? If you are, then you have bigger problems than I can deal with right now.

But let me just say. No culture that has allowed this has survived. It takes very little time to digress into euthanasia and the elimination of all with special needs, or anyone deemed less than desirable. The Jews and mentally handicapped children in Nazi Germany, the elderly in Holland today, the second children in China could testify to this. If they hadn't already been slaughtered. Because someone thought that that wasn't the most important issue.

Ron Paul is pro-life. He is an OB-GYN who has delivered over 4000 babies, never has considered performing an abortion, and has made it clear that it was never necessary to save the life of a mother. Every pro-life politician has a different line of attack for changing the progress of abortion in America. Ron Paul's choice is consistent with his platform of limiting the federal government. He wants to obliterate federal opinion on the matter, making it a state issue. This would throw out Roe v. Wade and most states would immediately outlaw abortion completely when freed of the meddlesome federal courts. Ron Paul has made it clear that he is running for life and liberty, and that that life begins at conception.

Few choices remain with even some who claim pro-life status being seriously questionable. Mike Huckabee is one exception. He is pro-life and his position papers read well, but his political track record is anything but a recommendation. Even Ron Paul's most adamant opposers will say that his track record is flawless. I don't always agree, but he knows what he believes, and votes it consistently. Integrity. I'll take that. At least I know what to expect.

Ron Paul believes in the Constitution. This is the highest and most forgotten, and most twisted law of our land. If you know anything about the Constitution and our founder's intentions for it, then you will see that Ron Paul's entire platform is mirroring those very intentions.

I wavered on Ron Paul because of his foreign policy. Not that I necessarily disagree with it, It's just a messy subject. He attracts a lot of the anti-war people because he's the only Republican that's against the war in Iraq - he wants a full immediate withdrawal. While this seems like a lousy solution, I surely don't expect Iraq to become a peaceful democracy and stay that way in this life. I appreciate that his stance on it has been consistent from the beginning and, like everything else he does, is based on the Constitution. He won't support it, because it is not a war declared by Congress, and is therefore unconstitutional. He says he is not antiwar, just a non-interventionist - and he can quote a bunch of founders on that being there intent for our country. He's also made it clear that just as we do not go and buy things that we cannot afford, we can not fight all over the globe when our nation is in debt. We will turn into someone else's slaves.

The Patriot Act is a gross violation of our freedom, and Ron Paul seeks to restore our right to habeas corpus.

So his foreign policy stance and other of his more libertarian positions seem to be why a lot of really conservative people don't like him. I'm still not sure how I feel about all of that, but in every other regard he is the small government, no IRS, no Dept of Ed, etc guy I've been dreaming about since high school. All of these things conservatives complain about, he is ready to take on. He has a vision, and a consistent record. He believes that morality must start with the individual and be built from the inside out, not the federal government in. He is a believer that doesn't hide the fact, but refuses to use his faith to garner votes. He is loved by the home school community and fights for their right to freely educate their children. He has been married to the same woman for fifty years. He really seems to be a man of principle and a staunch Constitutionalist. This year was the first national caucus. he garnered 50% of the republican caucuses. The media hates him and purposefully cuts him out.

When I approach this election in terms of choosing a candidate, I'm putting on my hundred year glasses. In a hundred years, the war in Iraq will be a blip on the timeline. I appreciate all of the good that our troops are doing there. We have a lot of great Americans doing a lot of great things, but this is not my main issue. In one hundred years the continued assault on our civil liberties will have consequences. They will have ceased to exist as the Constitution continues to be regarded as an archaic document. We cannot see the future, but this could be our last opportunity. How will our grandchildren judge us if we take the safe path? Maybe it's time to go out on a limb. Time to say, "Enough! Not on our watch!"

Oh, and by the way, some people don't believe that he could win a general election. I believe that he has a much better chance of winning it than Mike Huckabee. Mike Huckabee only appeals to one voting sector. He will not gain swing or crossover votes. Ron Paul crosses party lines. This may occassionally bring out some unsavory-looking supporters, but the point is, he has supporters on more than one side of the fence. And frankly, folks, that wins elections.

Check out Ron Paul. And maybe you'll find that you, too, can dare to believe.

Tell me what you think.