An Endorsement for President of the United States

After careful, and prayerful consideration, I have decided to endorse Congressman Ron Paul of Texas for President of the United States. This endorsement is not unqualified. There are a number of points where I have concerns and respectful disagreements with the Congressman. But in general I think he is the best of the candidates now running. Point in fact, with the possible exception of John Huntsman, there are no other candidates running that I feel certain I could in conscience vote for. Ron Paul is not the perfect candidate. But he is the best one out there.

First my points of concern and disagreement with the Congressman from Texas. Rep. Paul is an economic anarchist. That is to say he is not merely in favor of reducing government regulation of business, Wall Street, and private enterprise, he wants to eradicate it. Giving a blank check to the same people who, thanks to the abandonment of the regulatory reforms following the crash of 1929, bear a great deal of responsibility for the current economic crisis is unwise. He also favors completely dismantling the social safety net and returning to a purely Darwinist society where the poor either pull themselves up by their own bootstraps or are left to depend upon the often arbitrary and unreliable mercy of private charity. Fortunately, neither of these things will happen if he is elected. He would require the assent of Congress to undertake such a radical reversal of American economic and social policy which will not be forthcoming no matter who wins the election. At times Congressman Paul has hinted at sympathy for some of the bizarre conspiracy theories that I routinely lampoon on this blog, such as Birtherism and 9-11 Trutherism. Finally there is the question of his age. Ron Paul will be 77 on Jan 20th 2013. One should reasonably assume that he would be a one term president purely on that basis. Also more care than normal would have to be given to his selection of a Vice-Presidential running mate.

Reservations aside however, Paul is the only candidate who has demonstrated a consistent record of principled constitutional conservatism. Just a few of the reasons why I am supporting him include...

• He is the only candidate committed to ending the incestuous relationship between the War Department and private business which has lead to a policy of perpetual war for perpetual profit, otherwise known as the Military Industrial Complex.

• In line with the above he will end America's post World War II policy of interventionism and enlightened imperialism. The Cold War is over, and we won. It's time to give up the cold war mentality and move on. We need to learn to mind our own business.

• He is the only candidate who grasps that bombing people is a lousy way to make friends but a very good way to make enemies. Likewise when almost every bomb dropped on Muslims has “Made in America” stamped on it, irrespective of who is dropping it, this does great harm to our country's image in the world. The world has enough bombs. We don't need to add to the supply.

• He will end foreign aid except for the purely humanitarian kind. It's time to take care of our own first. And it is again time to stop meddling in other people's affairs.

• Based on his track record one may reasonably assume that he is the only man running for President who really will wield the veto ruthlessly in an effort to cut spending and end legislative pork. It is possible that some of his proposed spending cuts will exceed the tolerances of the American people. Again however we will know we have reached that point when Congress says “no” and votes with a bipartisan super-majority to override a veto. The constitution provides wonderful checks and balances.

• He is the only man running for office who grasps the dangers of our out of control monetary policy. And while I am dubious about efforts to return to a rigid gold standard, I think we can count on a President Paul to clip the wings of the FED.

• Ron Paul is committed to ending the undeclared wars at home as well as abroad, including the war on our civil liberties. He will move to repeal the USA Patriot Act (one of the most noxious pieces of legislation passed in the last 100 years). He will end the unconstitutional spying by the government on its own citizens and the illegitimate suspension of Habeus Corpus along with the government sponsored murder of American citizens.

• Ron Paul will end the domination of American Foreign and Domestic Policy by persons committed to governing based on religious belief. To whit he will end the modern American version of prohibition, meaning our disastrous so called “war” on drugs. That war is over, and we lost. And while people's personal domestic living arrangements may make a very good topic for a sermon in church, they are not an appropriate subject for intrusive legislation. Likewise the blank check support for Israel demanded by the religious right on Biblical grounds will go away. Theo-cons and social-cons beware. Ron Paul is your worst nightmare.

All in all Ron Paul is the best, if perhaps not the perfect candidate for President of the United States. While I am not able to vote for him in the primary, having disaffiliated myself from the Republican Party, I nonetheless express my support for his candidacy and would encourage others to consider doing the same.