Ron Paul: 19th Century Man

by: El Jefe

Wed Jul 12, 2006 at 00:37 PM CDT

However, they are probably unaware of the breadth of Paul’s strange Libertarian philosophy. They should know that they are throwing in with a guy who holds decidedly 19th century views – on race, health care, aid to the needy and dispossessed, and the border with Mexico.

Paul and some progressive may come down on the same side on some issues, but it’s pretty clear they didn’t get there on the same path. And I would imagine that almost every progressive would deem many of Paul's other views as reprehensible, at minimum. The proof is below, in Ron Paul’s own words.

A 19th Century Vision

Republican Ron Paul missed out on the 19th century, but he admires it from afar. He speaks lovingly of the good old days before things like Social Security and Medicaid existed, before the federal government outlawed drugs like heroin. [Washington Post, 7/9/06]

Race
“If you have ever been robbed by a black teen-aged male, you know how unbelievably-fleet-footed they can be.” [Victoria Advocate, 5/24/96]

“Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.” [Victoria Advocate, 5/24/96]

“Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action.” [Victoria Advocate, 5/24/96]

“The Criminals who terrorize our cities - in riots and on every non-riot day - are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are.  As children they are trained to hate whites, to believe that white oppression is responsible for all black ills, to fight the power, to steal and loot as much money from the white enemy as possible.  Anything is justified against The Man.’”  [Victoria Advocate, 8/7/96]

“There is no such thing as a hate crime.” [Ron Paul: Political Action Report, 1/15/92]

Aid for Hurricane Katrina Victims

NOTE: Paul’s own district, the 14th, has about 150 miles of coastline and was struck by Hurricane Rita a few weeks after Katrina inundated New Orleans.

"Is bailing out people that chose to live on the coastline a proper function of the federal government?” he asks.  “Why do people in Arizona have to be robbed in order to support the people on the coast?" [Washington Post, 7/9/06]

Health Care
Paul’s press secretary said that Paul believes that Medicare is “unconstitutional” but instead of scrapping it immediately, according to his spokesperson, he believes that Congress needs to “wean people off the federal pig.” [Victoria Advocate, 8/11/96]

“I am opposed to any form of government health insurance as I am opposed to the taxes, regulations, licensing requirements, and monopolistic practices, which keep health costs higher than their true market value.” [CNN Presidential Questionnaire, 1988]

Social Security
As for Social Security, "we didn't have it until 1935," Paul says. "I mean, do you read stories about how many people were laying in the streets and dying and didn't have medical treatment? …Prices were low and the country was productive and families took care of themselves and churches built hospitals and there was no starvation." [Washington Post, 7/9/06]

“Something must be done to phase out the government’s involvement in Social Security.  Pension and annuity plans should be the concern of the people, not the government.  Political control of these things will lead only to bankruptcy and misery for retired persons.” [CNN Presidential Questionnaire, 1988M]

The Border
In the 1988 Presidential campaign, Paul argued that “the U.S. Border Patrol should be eliminated.  Any necessary guarding of our borders should be done by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.”  This would effectively militarize the Mexico-U.S. border. [CNN Presidential Questionnaire, 1988]

“Immigrants can spread diseases for which we may have no immunity. There is also the question of crime and culture.  Many immigrants come from countries with different legal structures and are not willing to behave in the way we expect American citizens to behave.” [Ron Paul Political Report, 3/15/92]