Difference between revisions of "Ron Paul"

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Ronald Ernest “Ron” Paul (born 20 August, 1935) is a 10th-term Congressman, a former Air Force Flight Surgeon, a medical doctor (M.D.) and a 2008 presidential candidate from the U.S. state of Texas. As a Republican, he has represented Texas's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, and had previously served as the representative from Texas's 22nd district in 1976 and from 1979 to 1985.

Paul, a pro-life libertarian, advocates the limited role of government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He has earned the nickname "Dr. No" for voting against any bill he believes violates the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill. He has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay. He has always voted against the USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and the Iraq War.

Congressional record

• 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.
• He introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any other single member of Congress.

Early life and education

Dr. Ron Paul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Howard Caspar Paul and Margaret Paul.^[1][2] He graduated from Dormont High School in Dormont, Pennsylvania, in 1953. Paul attended Gettysburg College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957, and the Duke University School of Medicine, receiving M.D. in 1961. He did his internship and residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, from 1961 to 1962, and was a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1968. He and his wife Carol moved to Texas in 1968, where he began his medical practice in Brazoria County. As a specialist in obstetrics/gynecology, Dr. Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies. He and Carol, who reside in Lake Jackson, Texas, are the proud parents of five children and have seventeen grandchildren.

Political affiliations and support

Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas whose political views are considered libertarian. Paul remains on good terms with the Libertarian Party and addressed its national convention as recently as 2004.^[3]

Paul served as honorary chairman and is a current member of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a political action organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.^[4]

Unlike many political candidates, Paul receives the overwhelming majority of his campaign contributions (96.8% in 2005-2006), from individuals. [1]

Political Views

Paul wants to "reinstate the Constitution and restore the Republic." He rejects a welfare state or nanny state role for the federal government, and advocates a strong non-interventionist foreign policy.

He voted against the Iraq War in 2002 and has offered alternatives such as granting the President authority to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and arming pilots. He is the only Republican presidential candidate to have voted against the Iraq War.

Paul's desire to secure U.S. borders remains a key topic in his 2008 presidential campaign. He opposes the North American Union proposition and its proposed integration of Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada. Paul voted "yes" on the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which authorizes the construction of an additional 700 miles of double-layered fencing between the U.S and Mexico. Paul opposes illegal immigration as well as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In the May 3, 2007 GOP Debate, Ron Paul stated that as President, he would seek the immediate abolition of the IRS and the abolition of the income tax. As Congressman, he has long fought for the prohibition of direct taxes by repeal of the 16th Amendment which created the income tax.

2008 Presidential Campaign

Paul formally declared his candidacy for the Presidential election in 2008 in 12 March, 2007 as a guest on Washington Journal on C-SPAN.^{[5] [6]}. In regards to his candidacy, he had a 30-minute interview with online political analyst James Kotecki regarding foreign policy, Congress and the Constitution, and personal liberties. ^[7]

Paul participated (along with nine other Republican presidential candidates) in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates Debate on May 3, 2007. Ron Paul finished first in the MSNBC poll following the GOP primary debate with 43 percent -- beating second place Mitt Romney by 5 percentage points.[2]

Paul seemed to have dropped slightly in the polls that followed the second Republican debate in Columbia, South Carolina, to 25 percent. This was probably as a result of his suggestion that weekly bombing of Iraq following Operation Desert Fox in December 1998 may have contributed sufficiently to Arab anger at the United States as to make the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks inevitable. Paul was excoriated by Rudy Giuliani, who said that this was the most bizarre explanation for the attacks he had ever heard. Other Republican commentators sought to explain Paul's continued strength in post-debate polls as the result of multiple votes by his supporters or voting by non-Republicans. In response to Rudy Giuliani, the next day at the National Press Club, Ron Paul offered Rudy a book list to read regarding the issue of American foreign policy. These books are Imperial Hubris by Michael Scheuer, Dying to Win by Robert Pape, Blowback by Chalmers Johnson, and The 9-11 Commission Report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.

Eric Dondero, a former Ron Paul staffer, has declared himself a candidate against Paul in the 2008 Republican primary election to represent the 14th District of Texas in Congress.

Telephone hotline

Ron Paul runs a toll-free telephone hotline with a recorded message of conservative commentary. It is updated every Monday. The number is 1-888-322-1414.

Books by Ron Paul

• Challenge to Liberty. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• Gold, Peace, and Prosperity. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• Ten Myths About Paper Money. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education
• The Case for Gold. Reprinted by the Cato Institute, 1982; Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ISBN 0-932790-31-3. ([3])
• A Republic, If You Can Keep It
• Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View. Auburn, Ala.: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 1984.
• Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200 Years. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 1987. ([4] Book distributed with permission in 7 parts in pdf-format)
• A Foreign Policy of Freedom. Lake Jackson, Tex.: Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, 2007. ISBN 0-912453-00-1

References

• Gwynne, Sam (1 October, 2001). Texas Monthly.
• Bernstein, Alan (May 23, 1996). “Newsletter excerpts offer ammunition to Paul's opponent; GOP hopeful quoted on race, crime”, The Houston Chronicle, p. A33.

1. ↑ http://dailypaul.com/node/53
2. ↑ http://www.wargs.com/political/paul.html
3. ↑ Liberator online archive on Advocates for self-governing accessed at March 4, 2007
4. ↑ Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida accessed at March 4, 2007
5. ↑ Martin, Gary. "Paul formally launches presidential bid", San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved on 2007-03-13. 
6. ↑ Ron Paul announcing candidacy on C-SPAN
7. ↑ James Kotecki interviews Ron Paul

External Links

• Official Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Site
• Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign Overview
• Ron Paul's MySpace page
• Official web site of Congressman Ron Paul
• Ron Paul 2008 Blog
• Rep. Ron Paul's Column for Antiwar.com
• The Ron Paul Report
• OpenSecrets.org - Congressional campaign contributions
• Vote 2008: Ron Paul - Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
• Ron Paul 2008 social network
• Federal Election Commission - Presidential campaign contributions
• On the Issues - Ron Paul issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Ron Paul
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Ron Paul
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• Ron Paul 2008 Blog
• Ron Paul for President 2008 Blog and Links
• Advocates for Self-Government profile of Ron Paul
• Congressman Ron Paul and Medical Marijuana
• Congressman Ron Paul Talks About Gold, Oil & the Economy
• National Taxpayers Union Honors Ron Paul as one of 29 Congressmen who are "Taxpayer's Friends"
• Commentary by Rep. Paul on U.S. policy in the Middle East
• Virtue Magazine Political profile of Ron Paul
• The Broadcast Indecency Act, An Indecent Attack on the First Amendment by Ron Paul
• Is America a Police State?, speech before the U.S. House of Representatives on June 27, 2002
• The American Dream - Through the Eyes of Mrs. Ron Paul by Mrs. Ron Paul on TheDailyPaul.