Dr. Ron Paul – On Three Issues

This time around I decided I wanted to take a good, close look at where Dr. Paul stands on a few of the issues that litter the American political landscape. To some degree I’ve tried to keep my politics and my “voice” out by not providing commentary beyond the information. I don’t know how successful I’ve been, but I have put forth the effort. We’ll get started with a bang and jump right into his position on:

Dr. Ron Paul on: Abortion

First of all the Doctor in Ron Paul’s title is NOT an honorarium. He is in fact a licensed doctor who just happened to be a OB/GYN while he was in practice. Which of course means he has more than laymans knowledge of the whole process of birth.

The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is at the heart of the American ideals of liberty. My professional and legislative record demonstrates my strong commitment to this pro-life principle.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. Source

He is the primary sponsor of H.R. 300, a bill designed to limit the influence of the federal courts in state affairs. This came about in order to try and block the feds from making ruling on state issues as some states have begun to really crack down on the abortion industry and put a lot of regulations in place that Roe v. Wade seems to indicate are unconstitutional.

Dr. Ron Paul on: Taxes

Ron Paul is probably one of the last, if not the last, “dictionary definition” (if there was such a thing) conservatives left in American politics at the federal level. Essentially he’s about lowering taxes, AND lower spending. Something which no politician has been successful in doing at a presidential level. They’ve all done one or another or they’ve done them both but it’s never worked out very well for one reason or another.

Whether a tax cut reduces a single mother’s payroll taxes by $40 a month or allows a business owner to save thousands in capital gains taxes and hire more employees, that tax cut is a good thing. Lower taxes allow more spending, saving, and investing which helps the economy — that means all of us. Source

He also takes a shot at the Federal Reserve (aka “The Fed”) which if you don’t know anything about you should really do some reading about it and see exactly what they are and what it does.

Dr. Ron Paul on: Gun Control

While Dr. Paul’s website has nothing directly regarding gun control he does have a very public and very prominent record as voting against more restrictive gun control and in many instances he actually seeks to repeal current gun control laws. Here is a list from the Ron Paul library with a record of speeches and documents which spells out Dr. Paul’s position on the issue. In a speech to Congress he stated -

Mr. Speaker, I rise to restore the right the founding fathers saw as the guarantee of every other right by introducing the Second Amendment Protection Act. This legislation reverses the steady erosion of the right to keep and bear arms by repealing unconstitutional laws that allow power-hungry federal bureaucrats to restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Specifically, my legislation repeals the five-day waiting period and the “instant” background check, which enables the federal government to compile a database of every gun owner in America. My legislation also repeals the misnamed ban on “semi-automatic” weapons, which bans entire class of firearms for no conceivable reason beside the desire of demagogic politicians to appear tough on crime. Finally, my bill amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 by deleting the “sporting purposes” test, which allows the Treasury Secretary to infringe on second amendment rights by classifying a firearm (handgun, rifle, shotgun) as a “destructive device” simply because the Secretary believes the gun to be “non-sporting.”

Thomas Jefferson said “The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; …that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.” Jefferson, and all of the Founders, would be horrified by the proliferation of unconstitutional legislation that prevents law-abiding Americans form exercising their right and duty to keep and bear arms. I hope my colleagues will join me in upholding the Founders’ vision for a free society by cosponsoring the Second Amendment Restoration Act. Source

For something a little more current we have-

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2640, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act, and I urge caution.

In my opinion, H.R. 2640 is a flagrantly unconstitutional expansion of restriction on the exercise of the right to bear arms protected under the Second Amendment.

H.R. 2640 also seriously undermines the privacy rights of all Americans–gun owners and non-gun owners alike–by creating and expanding massive federal government databases, including medical and other private records of every American.

H.R. 2640 illustrates how placing restrictions on the exercise of one right–in this case, the right to bear arms–inevitably leads to expanded restriction on other rights as well. In an effort to make the Brady background check on gun purchases more efficient, H.R. 2640 pressures states and mandates federal agencies to dump massive amounts of information about the private lives of all Americans into a central federal government database. Source

It should be clear what Ron Paul’s position is on gun control from both of these statements which are matters of public record before the Congress of the United States of America.

There as I promised a brief overview on three issues two of which always prove divisive and one of which (taxes) everyone seems to agree on in one manner or another. I encourage everyone to consider Ron Paul as a viable candidate for the Presidency of the United States. I’m still undecided, but I believe he deserves as much consideration and as much scrutiny as any other candidate out there. Don’t simply cast you ballot based on his position on one issue and if it is in agreement with or in opposition to your own position. Take a look at the entire package and then make that decision.