You've got to love this guy. It's a shame that there are no others like him: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2007/200207paul.htm
While I still feel this nation lacks the sophistication to elect Ron Paul as president, I do find it encouraging to see him gain the support of so many ET posters who have never before endorsed Libertarian ideas. ___________________ New Statement from Ron Paul: After serious consideration with my family, and in response to many requests, I have agreed to form a Presidential Exploratory Committee, as a preliminary step to becoming a candidate in the Republican primary for the 2008 election. My concerns for the future of our country are deeply held. The Republican Party has floundered in its effort to shrink the size of government and restore our constitutional republic. Instead, in recent years our deficits have exploded, entitlements are out of control, and our personal liberties are threatened. We have embarked on a dangerous and expensive foreign policy, acting as the worldâs policeman and nation builder. Very simply, we no longer can afford the extravagance of this ever growing and intrusive government, both at home and abroad. Last year alone we added $4.6 trillion to our national debt. The problems seem overwhelming, but in reality they are not complex. We only need the will to go forward with the solution. We may have lost our way and strayed from the free society our Founders secured for us in the Constitution, but thereâs no reason the principles that made us the greatest nation ever canât be restored. We merely need to respect and follow the rule of law-- the U.S. Constitution-- and elect leaders determined to stand firm in its defense. Liberty once again must become more important to us than the desire for security and material comfort. Personal safety and economic prosperity can only come as the consequences of liberty. They cannot be provided by an authoritarian government. To expect government to take care of us from cradle to grave undermines the principles of liberty. Returning to the dark ages of authoritarianism is no substitute for resuming the most modern and grandest experiment known to man-- promoting human liberty by strictly limiting the arbitrary power of government. Political and economic conditions today are at a crucial crossroads. A financial crisis is looming, and our foreign policy of empire building cannot last. Both conditions threaten our prosperity, safety, and above all our liberties. The foundation for a police state has been put in place, and itâs urgent we mobilize resistance before itâs too late. But todayâs problems need not lead to despair. Instead we must become energized, and use this time of turmoil to offer the American people the solution found in freedom of choice in all that we do. We must reject the bureaucratic management of our lives and the economy. We stand on the threshold of a true revolution of ideas. As the welfare/warfare state loses its steam, we now see how the seeds of the freedom movement over the past 40 years are starting to bear fruit. A nation under great stress is ripe for a change. A major change in direction is not a theoretical dream, but actually quite possible. Authoritarianism is intellectually bankrupt-- and it has bankrupted our country and undermined our moral principles. Respect for individual liberty and dignity is the only answer to government force, force that serves the politically and economically powerful. Our planners and rulers are not geniuses, but rather demagogues and would-be dictators-- always performing their tasks with a cover of humanitarian rhetoric. The collapse of the Soviet system came swiftly and dramatically, without a bloody conflict--surprising many. It came as no surprise, however, to the devotees of freedom who have understood for decades that socialism was doomed to fail. Communism, like all socialism, failed intellectually and failed practically. And so too will the welfare/warfare state fail, and then our cause will be heard. The love of liberty will not die. Opportunity is now at our doorstep. We need now only to mobilize the army of true believers to present the case for the principles that built America, and can make her great once again. The American experiment over the past 200+ years has provided us with the greatest amount of personal freedom and subsequent wealth known in all of history. Yet today, because of our careless attitude toward freedom and the responsibilities it requires, we face a crisis that everyone recognizes but few understand. A free society is based on the key principle that the government, the president, the Congress, the courts, and the bureaucrats are incapable of knowing what is best for each and every one of us. They donât know how to run the economy, regulate our lives, or manage a world empire. A government as a referee is proper, but a government that uses arbitrary force to mold every aspect of society threatens freedom. Such governments have failed thousands of times over the centuries. The time has come for a modern approach to achieving those values that all civilized societies seek. Only in a free society do individuals have the best chance to seek virtue, strive for excellence, improve their economic well being, and achieve personal happiness. It is only through this personal effort that peace and freedom can be achieved. The worthy goals of civilization only can be achieved by consensual and voluntary means. When government uses force, liberty is sacrificed and the goals sought are never achieved. If I am to be your president, these are the goals I would seek. I reject the notion that we need a president whose purpose is to run peopleâs lives, plan the economy, or police the world. Our goal always should be the preservation of liberty. It is much more important to protect individual liberty and privacy than to make government even more secretive and powerful. These goals are worth fighting for. Please support me in these efforts.
the diebold machines may take care of ron. they are the biggest obstacle to democracy u have over there, even if he gets enough votes. i still wonder how arnold got re-elected when the polls during his first term reached an all time lows never seen before in a governor approval ratings. good luck u all, and bless.
The Dems should hope that Paul's 3rd party run works...works to draw votes away from republicans that is. Imagine if Billary did get elected, on the basis of third party votes taking away votes from the republican candidate....just like 1992...putting Bill Clinton in the White House. Heck, maybe Perot would come out of retirement and Paul could make him the VP candidate...
Ahnold got re-elected because he got his ass kicked in a referendum election the year before his re-election run, and he learned that he had to bend to the will of the people...which he has done. Ahnold distanced himself from Bush, went moderate, went environmental, took a pretty soft position on the border, the economy got stronger, and the democratic candidate who ran against him in the re-election bid was a first class loozer. Any one of the three powerful women in the Senate and House from California (Pelosi, Boxer, and Feinsten) could easily wax Ahnold's butt, but they have no interest in a step down to gov of Cali. I would like to see Alec Baldwin take a shot at governor, but unlike Ahnold, he still gets decent acting gigs. But an Alec vs. Ahnold would be a regular prime time made for TV drama to watch.
i know about that, do u think that was enough? people in california couldn't stand him mainly because of his incompetence in domestic policy. amazing and inexplicable turnaround in public support; the guy is been groomed to become president and the neonazis put and are still putting a lot of effort into changing the laws so that he can run and help them realize their dream of total dictatorship.