Hi! I'm a long time Republican, so I understand where you're coming from. Let me see if I can answer some of your questions.
Before I start let me describe the kind of guy I am. I vehemently support the Iraq War. I don't think we should of gone in there (but back then, it seemed like the right thing to do) but I can't see us ditching the Iraq people like that.
At some point, the Iraqi people will have to defend themselves, against themselves. I understand your sympathy for the Iraqi people, but what about America? How much money can we spend to try to keep two groups of people, who've hated each other for hundreds of years, from killing one another? How many American soldiers should we lose to try to get these people to get along? To give them the liberty the do not desire and will not fight for?
We talk about giving the Iraqi's freedom, but isn't true freedom self-determination? What I mean by that is, if they want a theocracy, shouldn't we let them have it?
Already the Middle East is so messed up, and if we leave there will be genocide there.
I'm going to basically repeat myself here, but how much American money, and how many American lives should we sacrifice to try to save the Sunni from the Shia?
I mean, it's working in Afghanistan. Businesses are opening up, less deaths are happening there, and the Taliban are having a lot of trouble regrouping. So with that perspective, it seems Iraq can work. There are already signs of it working.
Iraq and Afghanistan are two very different countries. I could point to various things that show progress is pretty bad in Afghanistan, but think about this...The Afghanistan government was going to kill a christian for trying to convert people there. Is that the kind of government America should be spending money to keep afloat?
Though in foreign policy in general, I agree with Ron Paul. We are wasting money there and our army is being worn thin. I think those soldiers would be safer and more affective in America. They could be helping patrol our nation's borders instead of worrying of returning home in body bags. But then again, if we have sudden leave of troops, how would that affect us? A lot I would think. And what happens if a country like Taiwan is invaded by China? Should we really let them to fend off for themselves?
China/Taiwan is a tough call. On one hand, we want to promote democracy, but on the other hand, we have to go back to my original question. Is it worth it? For me, the first question that should be asked about any policy is does this benefit America? America should always come first.
Really, I don't think China will attack Taiwan at this point. That would endanger good relations with the US, and their economy is predicated on us buying their cheap goods.
Lets look at it from the other point of view. If the cost of defending Taiwan is the loss of California to a nuclear strike, is it worth it?
Economically I am somewhat worried with Ron Paul's stances. I mean, the gold standard? How can we just have that sudden change in currency, while eliminating tax as a whole!?
Yes, he wants to eliminate the federal income tax. This would send government revenue back to the levels of the mid-90's. Government would still function, they'd just have to be fiscally responsible and cut some programs.
Paul doesn't want to switch to the gold standard, he wants to create a second currency, basically a gold backed dollar, and you could choose which one you wanted. Both would be legal tender, and the market would decide. Personally, I'd like some of the gold backed dollars, as they would be a good hedge against inflation.
The Fair Tax scares me a bit too. In another forum someone said "If you're a wealthy businessman or investor, the fairtax is a great idea. But if you're middle-class -- even upper-middle class -- and you're a Conservative, the fairtax essentially amounts to a massive tax hike which is stupid."
It depends, the fair tax has it's supporters and its detractors. Ron Paul doesn't want the Fair tax. He wants to get rid of federal income tax period.
And for illegal immigration, I understand the notion "we shouldn't reward people who break the law." Morally I agree. But how should we send them back and still not ruin our economy? Does Ron Paul's plan assure it won't?
Sending them back wouldn't ruin our economy. Don't believe the propaganda that there are jobs Americans won't do. Americans are better than that, and our politicians who pimp that line are slandering us as a people.
Ron Paul's plan on immigration is simple, deny illegals all benefits. No free schooling, No free healthcare, no welfare, and fine businesses who hire them. If they can't get work, and they can't get free stuff, they will go home willingly.
I don't know where you are from, but three hospitals in my state have closed recently, due to the influx of people (mostly illegals) who use hospitals as their primary care physicians.
Ending the Drug War I am skeptical of too. While I admit it is not working, can we honestly legalize crystal meth? Cocaine?
Heroin would actually be the worst.
Some of the drugs made could really ruin lives. The potential of a large portion of Americans even just trying it once is extremely high, and unlike drinking or smoking a cigarette it can do real damage.
Notice however, that even though we have the strict drug laws, they're still ruining lives. If we made things legal, do you think it would change anything all that much?
The other problem is how much power you give to the government. While maybe you and I find heroin being banned a good thing. Of course, then our tax money is spent to jail marijuana users as well. At one point they even banned drinking! That is the real problem, whenever you involve the government in anything, it always expands to take away as much freedom as it can get away with. It's not just the freedom of the user either, it's our tax money they take, thus taking away our ability to spend the money as we see fit.
And now for the big concern. Will his movement continue after Ron Paul? Because right now, his chance of being elected is minimal. Ron Paul is an old guy, and his life in politics is coming to an abysmal close. I don't know one politician that has similar stances as he. Whats the point of jumping this band wagon (besides fighting for what you believe in) if everyone is going to jump off in the final stop?
While Ron Paul's positions are unique to him, he isn't unlike some other conservatives that have run. Take for example, Pat Buchanan's presidential runs in 1992, 1996 and 2000. While they don't agree on everything (Pat is a wee bit protectionist, and isn't as anti-intervention as Ron Paul) they agree on a lot.
To put it simply, the conservative party is divided. In one camp is the neoconservatives, who believe in an aggressive foreign policy, free trade at all costs, and a bit of liberalism on social issues and spending. On the other side is the paleoconservatives and paleolibertarians who believe in cutting government (departments!), an America First foreign policy, and traditional stances on social issues.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservative_-_Paleoconservative_Conflict
And then there is experience. Currently my ideaologies in my opinion link with Fred Thompson but I am supporting Rudy Giuliani. A major reason is because of his experience, chance of beating the Democrats, and good representation of his party (by that, I mean unlike Bush he will defend himself and party if elected president).
Rudy did a good job in NYC, but honestly, I spend every day in NYC, and being mayor of NYC does not prepare you for the white house. If your looking for executive experience, Romney or McCain would be a better choice.
Don't discount Ron Paul's experience. Unlike Romney he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Yet, he created his own business as an OB/GYN, served his country in the military and congress, and educated himself on economics. He really is a great man.
Now, after reading that you wonder what I am doing here. Well, I actually do like Ron Paul a lot. He is an honest politician (one of the few), has a great and stable voting record, pro-life, brings new ideas to the table and more. His foreign policy really intrigues me, and his ideas in general are fascinating. I've been liking him more and more, and recently for some reason something plugged and now I am here. Should I support Ron Paul, and if so, why?
I think you should support him because he will cut government more than any other candidate. You can trust him to do that, because he's been voting for government cuts in congress for years.
The greatest threat to this country is socialist programs and economic mismanagement. Medicare and social security will break us if we continue our current course of out of control spending. As we're seeing in the market now, loose fed policy can really hurt our economy as well. If you vote for Ron Paul, you're voting for a candidate with a deep understanding of economics, and someone who will always vote for what is right. Unlike many of the candidates he doesn't switch positions for political gain, if you haven't noticed by his Iraq war stance.
Don't take my word for it, read his own writings:
http://www.house.gov/paul/
You can see what he was writing about years ago. You can read his statements warning of terrorism against us before 9/11. You can read him months ago talking about the housing bubble and inflation when every other candidate was saying "The economy is fine!". Most of all, you can get an in-depth review of where he stands on every issue, and where he's stood for years now.
That is how I found out about Ron Paul, and that was 2 years ago!
Anyway, welcome to RonPaulForums. It can get a little rough here, don't let any of the others scare you off though.