Just What The Doctor Ordered by Jack Carter

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Thomas Edison once said, “The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This is the best way to describe the current downfall of the United States. Election after election we are faced with the same status quo politicians that make big promises of “change” but lack a solid plan with real changes that will spur the country in the right direction. Overtime we have become accustomed to relying on the government to regulate almost every facet of our lives, without even questioning if it really helps. We have been conditioned to think that when it comes to government, bigger is better. We believe this because no mainstream presidential candidate has ever contested this belief, until now. The candidate to finally contest this belief is none other than Texas Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul. Ron Paul represents the Republican Party even though many of his views tend to align with the Libertarian Party. He is out to defend the liberty of the average American and the establishment has never had a bigger enemy. However there are still many American’s that receive mixed messages about Paul from the media and do not fully understand his plan for America. That’s where I come in. I will help to cut through the fog created by the mainstream media to reveal the truth about Ron Paul and his plan.

If you have ever thought, “I like Ron Paul, but his foreign policy ideas are crazy”, then you have been successfully affected by the one of the mainstream media propaganda tactics that surround his campaign. It is very easy for the mainstream media to write off his ideas by calling them “crazy” or “radical” instead of providing any intellectual argument to prove why they are such. However all it takes is a little research to find that Ron Paul’s foreign policy is very practical and far from crazy. Ron Paul takes a strong stance that we should not be the policeman of the world. Paul also takes an unpopular belief that 9/11 was caused by a series of events that came about because of American interventionism,  or what  the CIA refers to as "blowback". "Blowback has come to mean the unintended consequences of American policies kept secret from the American and other peoples—except, of course, for those on the receiving end"(Johnson 23). Essentially 9/11 was a form of blowback that resulted from covert foreign affairs against Saudi Arabia caused by the building of permanent bases on Saudi Arabia's holy lands. All of these acts were committed in protection of the United States' own special interests. The New American relates this blowback to a school yard fight. "The typical school yard fight could easily be used to explain the September 11 attacks. One boy (the United States) insults another boy (Saudi Arabia) by placing permanent bases on Islamic holy lands, and the second boy hits the first boy. The second boy is wholly responsible for starting the fight, but the first boy could have (and should have) avoided the fight altogether by not insulting the second boy and upsetting him." Only after we wronged Saudi Arabia, did the rise Saudi freedom fighters happen. These freedom fighters called themselves Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda became committed to seeking vengeance on America which eventually took the form of 9/11. The common belief among Americans that 9/11 was a result of Saudi Arabia hating our freedom is just ridiculous and nonsensical. "The suicidal assassins of September 11, 2001 did not "attack America," as United States' political leaders and news media want to maintain; they attacked American foreign policy." (Johnson 22). Ron Paul's solution to the catastrophic effects of blowback is simple. Treat other nations as we would like to be treated. According to the Harvard Independent, “[America's policy of interventionism] weakens our country, puts our troops in harms way, and sends precious resources to other nations in the midst of a historic economic crisis at home. The way things stand, taxpayers are forced to spend billions of dollars each year to protect the borders of other countries, while Washington refuses to deal with our own border security needs.” While our troops are stationed all over the world, it makes our military power very diluted. There is strength in numbers and Ron Paul wants to bring all the troops home so that they can all defend our own borders as one powerful force. Ron Paul believes that America should have a foreign policy that builds positive foreign relations through honest trade and diplomacy instead of forming alliances and being dragged into war. This policy aligns with the foreign policy of Thomas Jefferson who said, in his first inaugural address, “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations… entangling alliances with none”. I don’t think anyone would call Thomas Jefferson crazy. It's a matter of fact, however, that war is sometimes inevitable. When we do have to go to war, Ron Paul believes that congress should vote on a proper declaration of war. Once war is declared we should get it over with and then get out of there.

What really matters in our country right now, however, is dealing with the economic crisis at hand. Paul without a doubt has the most effective economic plan out of any of the candidates. Paul has released a "Plan To Restore America" which can be found on his website. In this plan Paul promises to cut one trillion dollars from the national debt during his first year in office and balance the national budget in only three years. On top of that he would also like to abolish the federal income tax and lower the corporate income tax from 35% to 15%. To do all this Paul would cut government waste by making a 10% reduction in the federal workforce, slashing congressional pay and perks, and curbing excessive federal travel. To stand with the American people Paul would want his presidential salary to be $39,336 instead of the usual presidential salary of $400,000. Paul chooses this salary because it is approximately the same as the median personal income of the average American worker. Paul would also eliminate five cabinet departments including the departments of energy, HUD, commerce, interior, and education. Any of the important functions of these departments would simply be relocated to other departments. The TSA would also be abolished which, in turn, would return the responsibility of security to private property owners. The rest of the savings would come from abolishing corporate subsidies, stopping foreign aid, ending foreign wars, and returning most other spending levels to what they were in 2006. According to the economy section of Ron Paul's website, Paul will end the nonsense in Washington by taking various steps. Paul will veto any unbalanced budget that congress sends to his desk, he will also refuse to ever raise the debt ceiling, which allows politicians to spend recklessly. The Federal Reserve has also caused nothing but problems for America. It has caused the US dollar to be reduced in value by 95%. Ron Paul will be auditing the Federal Reserve and then eventually terminating it. Finally Ron Paul will reintroduce the Gold Standard so that the government is forced to be serious about the dollar's value. Paul was the only one who predicted the economic collapse, in 2003, five years before it happened. He did this while he was bashed by the mainstream media and other members of congress for being crazy. Paul knew that big federal spending, manipulation of the US market, and artificial credit were the causes of the economic crisis, so he knows that he must correct those problems in order to turn the economy around.

 Ron Paul predicting the economic collapse along with many other events.

     Ron Paul has a track record that simply can not be surpassed. He has been described as a true conservative, constitutionalist, and libertarian and nicknamed "Dr. No" for constantly voting no against expanding federal government spending (Edwards 258). According to Gather Politics, Ron Paul was scientifically shown to have the most conservative voting record in Congress since 1937 by University of Georgia political scientist Keith Poole. The results from this experiment can be found here. He votes this way because he is different from most politicians. Many politicians today vote based on who's paying them or how they are personally benefiting. Instead Ron Paul's votes are based on his ethics and what he feels is right for the American people. You can count on Ron Paul to continue this attitude into the White House, with your best interest at the forefront of his choices as president. 

Works Cited

Edwards, J. A. "Debating America's Role in the World: Representative Ron Paul's Exceptionalist Jeremiad." American Behavioral Scientist 55.3 (2011): 253-69. Print.

Johnson, Chalmers. "American Militarism and Blowback: The Costs of Letting the Pentagon Dominate Foreign Policy." New Political Science 24.1 (2002): 21-38. Print.