Since I’m only two months into blogging, I’m not sure how sensitive people are about things like religion and politics, but it doesn’t seem to get the same stigma as bringing it up in person does. So here goes. Smart people are backing Ron Paul. My husband is a smart person, and he told me so. So I did some reading myself. Here are some facts:
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
Can’t say the same for the other guys…
I know a lot of you readers are mommies and homeschoolers and Christians. Guess who doesn’t support school vouchers? Mike Huckabee. Guess who does? Ron Paul. Guess who has voted consistent with that for which he stands? Ron Paul. Guess who doesn’t get a fair chance to participate in debate on major networks (because they know he would pulverize his opponents)? Ron Paul. In fact, Jay Leno had him on last night to discuss this very thing (see below). I encourage you all to do your research (read comments from folks here–will point you to some good stuff). Thoroughly. I know I will be. I will no longer be voting for someone just because they’re a Republican or a Christian. I will vote for a person who will lead our country in the way it was set out to be run. There is a reason that Ron Paul is generating great support among opponents of Big Government across the nation.
Tell your friends.
Minnesota Mom 
I’m not that smart, but he is in fact my second choice right now.
Wow… that really has some solid thinking behind it doesnt it? So how does the nation get to know and understand this? Because I can feel it in my heart of hearts that this election is going to be based on celebrity not on values, and the country’s piece of mind.
I have always touted myself as a Repub, but in this last term, I have hidden in shame at some of the c.r.a.p. that has spewed (or stumbled) from our “great leaders” mouth. And now watching the debates, and listening to the garbage that is on TV from Iowa, or New Hampshire, or Mass, and wonder… do people understand what this is? Its not a made for TV movie, it is not “pick the cutest”, or the “blackest” or the “ladyest” contest, its not about who is too old, or who “was” famous, or who outspent who at the caucuses. This is about running the friggin country! And not running us into the ground, or into an “on our land” war, or running other countries. It is about the USA. And the “popularity” quickly will become the “hilarity” if we dont unbury our heads from the sands they are in and get a real candidate with real vision and real values into the presidency before the USA truly does become the laughing stock.
Some things that have torqued me…
We are spending more time and money on a war that wasnt ours to fight in the first place. (and I am not against the war, but come on… its gone on long enough)
We still have our biggest enemy hiding someone plotting and scheming against us – what are we doing about it? (quit playing “secret messages” on the news and do something about it!)
While we are making policies that hold no weight in water, the eastern countries that were always considered “Third World” and “underachievers” and “poor” are all of the sudden getting into the game and pulling ahead of us in technology, and exports.
If we dont get our stuff together, we will no longer be the power hitter we have always been, and we will quickly become a second power that is poor, and violent, and struggling. We have a potentially violent outcrop of individuals who are taking notes and numbers, and soon I fear the world news events of suicide bombers and assassins will become local news. And that scares me.
Oh to go back to the olden days of a real political race that wasnt about spending billions on campaigns and getting real with the people.
Sorry, I totally hijacked this post.
Stepping down from my soap box. š
No, Lori, you didn’t hijack at all. That was my hope: to generate some intelligent discussion. And I agree in that I wish we could see some debate that wasn’t shrouded in make-up and thumbs-up and throw-up (me).
Amen, sista! But, the number one reason is… He’s a Texan!
This homeschooling momma is supporting Rep. Paul. It’s not about intelligence, I think. It’s about voting our heart.
So often I have voted in a way that expressed who I “thought” could win, and/or against someone else.
I don’t agree with everything that Rep. Paul stands for, but I know where he stands and he’s got the voting record to prove it. His positions are his convictions and I deeply respect that.
I am so tired of the politician who isn’t a stateman but instead is about popularity and about staying in power and office. This, I think, is what I wholeheartedly can endorse about Rep. Paul — he’s a stateman.
I pray he wins, for our country needs change that’s progressive and not about one party winning or the other.
Thanks for opening this up for discussion here!
Well-put, Paula. I didn’t mean to insinuate that anyone who supports someone else is stupid or that it’s all about being smart.
Erica, while being Texan generally makes one a shoo-in for the presidential campaign, it doesn’t seem to be Paul’s greatest strength. If you can get the WHOLE state of Texas out to vote for him, now there’s some backing. š
Sigh… indeed. Indeed.
Heidi,
I didn’t think you were implying that intelligent people only were voting for Rep. Paul.
But I do think we — meaning voting Americans — have a tendency to want to vote for a winner so we over-think and over-analyze ourselves away from our hearts.
Now I’m not advocating voting our hearts only, because I believe to do that would be foolish. But how many times have I gone to the polls in November to vote and had to hold my nose because I was just voting for the “lesser of two evils?”
The only way for our country to change is to vote that way. For me that means I gotta stop listening to the pundits, the polls and start finding out about candidates and comparing them myself — not relying on the media to do it for me.
Look how wrong they were in New Hampshire!
Haha, Erica!! So very true, so very true. š
Lori, very well said.
Spunky (at spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com) has written some very interesting and enlightening stuff on the Huck. If you’re interested, start at the beginning on her series on Huckabee, and read on. And then be a little concerned, and maybe a tad scared.
I just wish Ron Paul had a shot in hades at getting enough votes. It’s too bad we have the political system we do, where only the two big parties will ever get voted into the White House.
Good post!! Thought-provoking and well worded.
~Brea, the tinymama who loves politics and whose husband is a precinct chairman for the Repub Party (and no one is more surprised by that than he is!)
thanks for that insight. One never really knows about theses candidates. I do have one big question though..how come none of them mention gas prices?
Good question. I thought maybe it was because they couldn’t do anything about it, but I asked Husband and here’s what he said:
They have talked about gas prices (Hillary has gone off about it from time to time). The problem is that most candidates don’t talk about anything when they talk. Sure they say things like “we need to move forward” or “we are one nation” but nothing of substance. They usually lump in the cost of gas in statements about addressing the “energy crisis”. A lot of the candidates have addressed this problem with gusto earlier last year because a lot of people are (rightly) worried about it. Well they say not to worry because they, the champions of the people, will go after the big bad gouging oil companies. They want heavy taxes on the oil companies and have basically said that they want to take away their profits and “redistribute” them. Of course this line of thinking is simply used to blame someone and pacify us while looking like a hero.
There is a real reasons why oil prices are so high: high demand + constrained supply = high cost
Why is there high demand? Well China and India among others are developing at an explosive pace consuming more and more energy and oil. If you think prices are high now, just keep watching. The oil companies are not gouging. They make only about 9-10% profit, which is fairly modest (Microsoft makes 30%) Taking away their profits is only going to drive prices higher. Also, Venezuela is a huge producer of petroleum and Pres. Hugo Chavez just kicked all foreign and domestic companies out of the oil business there. The middle east is 1) in turmoil and 2) not selling to the US (Iran). Katrina rocked the market and that is probably still being felt.
So it is natural that prices should go up and will continue to go up as world wide demand increases. The politicians could actually take some positive steps here but they certainly won’t. One plan of action would be: allow exploration for oil here in the US (we have tons in Alaska in a very small footprint) and stop perusing non-viable energy (ethanol, biodiesel, wind turbines etc.) Allow new nuclear facilities (the cleanest and safest energy) to be built as well as clean coal. And if they have to spend money let them promote viable research not politically motivated ones.