Top Ten Reasons to Support Ron Paul

I've been "unofficially" supporting Ron Paul for a while now but I've decided to come out so to speak and announce my support.  In reading up on the candidates I found more and more reasons to support Ron Paul while other candidates in either party have been demonstrating more and more reasons not to vote for them.

What I'm also amazed at are those I've spoken to who are publicly supporting other candidates, most others seem very uninformed about who they are supporting or where their candidates actually stand on most issues.  I would think if you were going to hold a sign for someone or march in a parade on their behalf you would take the time to read more then just the buzz words on a campaign site and know who it is your supporting and why. 

Without getting into the negativity I will focus on the top ten reasons I'm supporting Ron Paul in the Primaries.

1) Ron Paul is fiscally responsible.  The  non-partisan group The National Taxpayers Union have voted him as a "Taxpayers Friend" multiple years and has their highest rating on over all political careers.  Of those running in 2008 only three candidates even made their list in their last rating and they were Ron Paul at 84%, Tancredo 80% followed by John McCain rated 78%.  In their most recent ratings only Congressman Flake 91% and Senators Sununu 91%, Kyl 87% and Demint 85% scored higher.  So of those running you cannot find anyone more fiscally responsible then Ron Paul.

2)  He doesn't support debit spending.  His record speaks for itself in that he has NEVER voted for an unbalanced budget.  Every year Ron Paul has returned a portion of his own annual budget to the US treasury.  How many other members of congress and senate can say that?

3) He has integrity.  While we see others in congress continue to vote themselves raises year after year, Ron Paul has NEVER voted to raise congressional pay.

4) He's never flip-flopped on Iraq, he voted against it from the start.  I will admit I supported the war to begin with as did most of America based on the belief that Iraq had WMDs.  Once it was proven they didn't we lost any true justification for being there.  Ron Paul believed from the start that they were of no threat to us based on the evidence he was given (which I would believe to be more than you or I would ever see) and has voted to keep us out from day one.

5) He doesn't believe the Federal Government should put a corporation in charge of our money.  The Federal Reserve is an outside corporation in charge of our nation's money which we pay them to borrow increasing our national debt.  Our Constitution (Article 1 Section 8) gives the Federal government the exclusive power to coin our money so we have no reason to essentially indebt ourselves to a corporation as we currently do, not to mention it is unconstitutional.  Ron Paul has proposed legislation to get us back to the gold standard and end this cycle of increasing debt to a corporation.

6) He believes in states rights.  On many issues our federal government has overstepped its bounds.  Ron Paul believes in giving the power back to each individual state to allow the people (not the government) to have more control over issues they feel are important.

7) Ron Paul supports the 2nd amendment and has never voted in support of unconstitutional gun restrictions.

8) Ron Paul is a good honest person.  He and his wife have been married for over 50 years and his personal life is very respectable.

9) He doesn't walk the party line.  Ron Paul ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988 against George HW Bush because he disagreed with the loose fiscal retraint of the Republican party at that time.

10) He has mass crossover appeal with supporters coming from all types; male/female, black/white, young/old, straight/gay, rich/poor, Democrat, Republican and Independent alike.  I was a little surprised showing up at a sign holding for Ron Paul when I saw someone I knew from Merrimack who is what I would consider a very left wing person.  He's registered Democrat, works a government job etc.  Yet, there he was holding a sign for Ron Paul.  He, as I, sees Ron as a person of integrity who has true values and morals and he agreed that Ron would be a great choice to have as president.

I would be interested in hearing the opinions of others, both positive and negative in regards to Ron Paul.

Note: The views expressed here are my own and may not represent the views of Ron Paul or his campaign.

Update on Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 12:03PM by Rick Barnes

This article has created an off shoot discussion found here:

http://disinter.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/top-ten-reasons-to-support-ron-paul/ 

Comments

[abitarecatania]

Great article! Thank you!

[Thatguy]

I hope you guys in NH can wake the rest of the nation up to RP when the time comes.

[Jeff Crichton]

Thanks for the Ron Paul support. All the other politicians running are more interested in power and prestige then doing what is best for America. RON PAUL 2008!

[Bede]

As an Englishman, I marvel that such politicians exist anywhere. A man obviously very honest, and has worked and earned a living outside politics, prepared to refuse anything other than normal reward, and sticking to the rules even when it disadvantages him. It's a miracle.
The simple rules advocated by Adam Smith, and developed by the Austrian School of Economics, would quickly make any country rich and happy. Ron Paul advocates all of this. Why would an American citizen vote for anyone else? Would that we had such a choice for prime minister.

[Bede]

As an Englishman, I marvel that such politicians exist anywhere. A man obviously very honest, and has worked and earned a living outside politics, prepared to refuse anything other than normal reward, and sticking to the rules even when it disadvantages him. It's a miracle.
The simple rules advocated by Adam Smith, and developed by the Austrian School of Economics, would quickly make any country rich and happy. Ron Paul advocates all of this. Why would an American citizen vote for anyone else? Would that we had such a choice for prime minister.

[Bystander]

Ron Paul is the 'most honest politician'. Just look that up in Google.

Ron Paul had more people at his rally party than Obama. (400)

Ron Paul had more people at the forum in Iowa than the whole GOP lineup combined (1,200 vs 600)

Ron Paul has 3 times as many YouTube subscribers than Obama (21,000) and dominates all the other social networking sites.

Ron Paul is the most searched for term on Google, even before iPhone and Paris Hilton.

Ron Paul has 527 Meetup groups, with thousands on a waiting list to form one in their area. Ron Paul has more than 4 times as many volunteers as Obama, 22 times more volunteers than Hillary, and hundreds of times more volunteers than Giuliani or Romney, per Meetup.com. In addition, new Ron Paul volunteers is growing at a rate of 36 times faster than Obama, and 96 times faster than Hillary

Ron Paul voters know WHY they are voting for Ron Paul compared to other voters who are just following the lead of the media and can't name one reason why they 'like' someone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVv9mrKZcrE

The military loves Ron Paul:
http://thespinfactor.com/thetruth/2007/07/16/military-support-for-the-republican-candidates

Ron Paul raised more money in one house party than any of the other canididates ($17K) and is ahead of most in fundraising in NH. He is third now having topped McCain for cash on hand.

"Ron Paul is the ‘hottest’ GOP candidate at the moment."
http://www.etherzone.com/2007/lebo071707.shtml

Why don't you know this? Because the media controls who you would vote for, and doesn't include him in phone 'push' polls. However 33% of all voters in NH gave their answer as 'other' when asked who their choice was for a candidate in the GOP primary...

Get to know Ron Paul
www.ronpaul.2008.com

[Syren123]

Rock on, New Hampshire!!

[rho]

Bede's point is excellent and deserves reiteration:

**The simple rules advocated by Adam Smith, and developed by the Austrian School of Economics, would quickly make any country rich and happy.**

Dr. Paul's free-market advocacy is given much lip-service by the Republican Party, but is abandoned instantly when it suits the Party's purposes of expanded political power. Yet the free-market is the best way to get everything the Republicans claim to want: low-taxes, a healthy business environment, and peace at home and abroad.

Astonishing that it is so roundly ridiculed by Republican Party leaders and candidates.

[muni]

The most important point is the crossover appeal. Running against Clinton or Obama, he's the only one who can attract Democrats and independents,

[Will]

Here in the Mississippi, we've always felt a little at odds with the whole system. We aren't very well represented, yet we continually vote the biggest douche bag (Trent Lott) into office. Why? Because he has some seniority in this corrupt, inefficient douche bag supporting system that we call the Federal government.

With Ron Paul as President, maybe we as Mississippians down here could feel more comfortable with wiping out Senor Douche (Trent Lott) and his cronies. Hell, I might run as a "Ron Paul Republican." Then maybe we could return to glory.

[Chuck George]

Richard: Great article. Articulate, concise, and beautifully organized.

The responses from 'the Bede' and from Bystander are right on, too.

Just a thought: you might evaluate using "states' sovereignty" instead of "states rights". "States rights,"in certain circles and certain parts of the country has become a buzz word(s) for racial bigotry....

Chuck George

[mike in St. Lucia]

Besides all of the above mentioned characteristics, Ron Paul can give a spontaneous, unscripted, and even lengthy speech on any subject at any time. You will never even see him with notes. In my lifetime, I can not recall one other politician that I could say that about. If America elects anyone other than him, it will be the nail in the coffin of a once-great nation

[Rick Barnes]

One other positive point I forgot to mention and I don't see brought up yet is he answers questions directly. His answers are not political double speak, they actually tie back to the specific question he was asked. That's very refreshing in today's politics.

[mike in St. Lucia]

Absolutely! Not only does he give specific answers to questions. He doesn't pander to what the questioner or audience wants to hear. He speaks according to his principles even if the questioner won't like the answer.
He constantly votes against pork barrel spending in his own district, yet he gets elected with a greater majority every time he runs, because his constituents have so much respect for his honesty and integrity.

[Bystander]

Oh gosh speaking of pandering, is that not all that Hillary does? It is so sad to see so many fall for her type of jingo-ism.

Anyway, here is proof that even though they don't ask you specifically in the polls, I suspect there is a great percentage of the 'other' vote that is going to Ron and this is how they hide it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070717/ap_on_el_pr/presidential_race_ap_poll

[mesogen]

I think there is really one reason to vote for Ron Paul. Actually, it's more of an ultimatum. Either Ron Paul becomes president or the destruction of America continues.

The one reason: He's our only hope!

[Will]

I have always liked NH's "Live Free of Die" attitude. But now with you guys' refusal to submit to the national ID card and your support for Ron Paul, I might have to move there myself.

I LOVE you guys. Rock on NH.
From TX.

[mike in St. Lucia]

I'd even take it one step further. Not only is he America'only hope. He's the only hope for Peace on Earth!!!

[Mike]

THIS IS THE KIND OF PERSON WE NEED IN CHARGE

[Gary]

How can anyone make a Ron Paul "Top Ten" list without putting at the very top - never mind that it's not on the list at all - the facts that (1) He's the ONLY candidate running that would abolish the Federal Income Tax and the IRS, and (2) He would completely and immediately end the insane and utterly wasteful War on Drugs?