Thumannator.com

So, I have had this Ron Paul banner over to the right for a while now, but not given much explanation. I will try not bore my readers with too much to say, just some highlights. First of all, after having tried out both of the two dominant political parties in the U.S., I would now pretty much label myself an independent. I could possibly be one of the coveted "swing voters" I suppose, but I am pretty picky. Why independent? Both parties have "let me down." Both the Democrats and the Republicans, with but a few exceptions, have lost all ability to control spending. They tax hard working American citizens, and then spend it on "programs" that we may or may not agree with. Sound fair to you? These programs are out of control. The average American family pays 25% of their income in taxes!

Ron Paul has fought against the programs that our tax dollars pay for on the grounds that they are not constitutional. I know there has been some controversy about him putting "earmarks" into bills and then voting against them. I have to admit, I have not spent enough time following up on Ron Paul's explanation for this, but I do not think he is doing a bad thing. Regardless, I believe the Constitution allows for 17 or 18 "programs" that the Federal government is allowed to spend money on and I believe this is covered in Article I, Section 8. I am not completely sure about this. I thought I had heard it was 18, but I count only 17 items in that section. There might be another in the amendments that I have missed.

There has also been some talk of him making racist comments. I think he has cleared this up pretty well. Apparently the comments were published in a newsletter that he distributed during the 1980s and 1990s. Ron Paul has stated that the comments were made by a member of his staff. The staff member was fired, and Ron Paul issued an apology. I seriously do not believe he is racist. In fact, he discusses racism among his issues.

So, here is what I think is good about Ron Paul:

1) He wants to get rid of the IRS and eliminate the federal income tax. That will put money back in the pockets of every American. Can he pull it off? Seeing has how Congress sets taxes, I admit, he will have a very hard time pulling it off, but it is worth a try.

2) Ron Paul wants the U.S. to stop policing the world. Our biggest fight right now is in Iraq and was started on the premise that terrorists were hiding out under the protection of Saddam Hussein, and he had weapons of mass destruction that could presumably be used against the U.S. As we all now know, there were no such weapons, and in my opinion, the terrorist link between Iraq and 9/11 is weak if not non-existent. Why have we spent so much money fighting in Iraq when the guy who is said to be the mastermind behind 9/11, Osama, is in Afghanistan or Pakistan? A few months ago, most Americans were mostly displeased with the war and wanted troops home. I believe Ron Paul would get them home faster than even the Democratic presidential candidates. Hillary herself has said that she would bring the troops home, but does not know the full situation in Iraq and thus cannot lay out a time table until elected president. I think Ron Paul would start bring our troops back within his first month in office as president. This would be good because...

2a) ...if our troops are here in the U.S., we can actually defend our borders. As the old adage says, the best offense is a good defense, right? Well, not specifically a Ron Paul point, just my personal opinion.

3) Ron Paul wants to return our nation to a gold standard. Again, a constitutional issue. The Constitution allows only for gold and silver to even be used as money in the U.S. Look at our money now. Our dollar is nose-diving against foreign currencies. Returning to a gold standard would strengthen the value of our dollar and likely strengthen our economy.

4) ...I'm getting tired of writing. Basically, Ron Paul wants the federal government interference in the lives of individuals to be set back to the extremely low limits set in the Constitution. Check out what else he has to say here. It only takes about 20 minutes to read through all of the issues Ron Paul discusses on his web site.

While you're at it, read the Constitution for yourself and then learn more about it here. I bet most U.S. citizens have never even read the Constitution!

I think Ron Paul has some great ideas and I think it would be worthwhile for you to check him out. I back him strongly at this time, but I will caveat my support with this: Ron Paul is a person, and people will always let you down in some capacity. This is more true with politicians. I like what Ron Paul stands for, but I recognize that he will most likely not accomplish all that he plans to do. Even so, I believe he would serve the U.S. far better than any other candidate in the race. So, bearing in mind that he too will have shortcomings, I encourage you to at least check out Ron Paul.

Finally, whoever wins, remember whether or not you like the new president and other elected officials, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 reminds us to pray for them:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.