Today on January 4, 2012 marks a very special day; Ron Paul has officially retired from Congress for what looks like the final time. There will be little to no media coverage for this beloved Doctor who has devoted a large part of his life to the cause of freedom. More than any politician in the last centuries he appears to echo most closely the oath by Thomas Jefferson to fight “against every form of tyranny over the mind of man”. He has made enemies on both sides of the aisle for his strict adherence to the Constitution and the principles it was written to protect. In a place where back room deals, compromises, and shady deals are the norm, Ron Paul has stood as a beacon of light to those that value honesty and a just government. Agree or disagree with the principles of Ron Paul, nobody can say that Ron Paul changes his minds or votes to suit his audience or go along with his party for sake of convenience. That after all is the secret of to his ardent following of supporters who hang on his every word. Ron Paul’s political career is an almost impossible story, critics of his are right when they say he has done little or nothing in Congress, there is not one single bill his supporters can point to that has really changed things. Despite this Ron Paul has always stuck to his message of free markets, peace, and sound money. Below are just some of the causes Ron Paul has taken that deviate from the approved thinking media pundits would push on people.
(1) Over 30 years Ron Paul has never voted for a tax increase, think about that for a second. Just look at the latest deal Congress passed called the fiscal cliff. This plan raises taxes and only cuts future planned increases in spending. Republicans who are supposed to fight these increases voted for it! $42 tax increase for every $1 cut in future spending, wow talk about taking a huge bite out of taxpayer yet again. Here is Dr. Paul talking about the need to cut spending and not raising taxes (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI976wea00Q)
(2) Ron Paul promotes peace, not preventive wars of aggression. He does not support the US meddling in the foreign affairs of other nations and having the CIA engaged in regime change and assassination which he says create resentment to the US and cause blowback. He is the only candidate Republican and Democrat who advocated for immediate withdrawal from both Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008. Here is the Doctor in one of his more famous moments telling this to a room full of pro-war Republicans. (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD7dnFDdwu0)
(3) Ron Paul has put monetary policy and the Federal Reserve on the map again. Before Dr. Paul there was no mention of the Federal Reserve or its policy in debates or mainstream discussion. In the last Republican primaries all significant candidates included an audit of the Federal Reserve in their platform. Talking and learning about the FED is popular again. Here is the good Doctor in a showdown with FED chairman Bernanke. (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hepidgw-l1w)
(4) Ron Paul questions the overwhelming support the US gives to Israel and the perceived bias by other Middle Eastern countries. Both Democrats and Republicans go out of their way to pay respect to the Israel lobby. Ron Paul advocates cutting off all foreign aid to Israel and other countries. (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHmgoFDkqoA)
(5) When so called conservatives like Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney were voting and encouraging the bailouts of 2009 for Wall Street and Freddie Mac, Ron Paul was trying to save the taxpayers their money yet again and making sure the people responsible for the crises were held accountable by market forces. Many say that his heroic stance against this boondoggle spending inspired the Tea Party movement. (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNzjor5oCT4)
Taking on any one of these issues is enough to have the media pundits make a pariah out of any politician. This pressure coupled with threats from party leadership and big donors is enough to get most politicians to fall in line. The fact that Ron Paul has not just taken up one of these causes but all of them and more is testament to his courage and conviction. It’s widely accepted that lobbyists in Washington don’t bother going to his office because Ron Paul is not for sale. Former Secretary of Treasury Simon has called Dr. Paul the “one exception out of a gang of 535 individuals” on Capital Hill. Ron Paul has the nickname of “Dr. No” due to him often being the lone member in Congress voting “no” on a bill. In fact he has the most single no votes out of all other Congressmen put together. If you were to ask Dr. Paul about this though he would say he thinks about it more in terms of voting for the Constitution and supporting its principles.
The truth is that Dr. Paul has only gained notoriety after his 2008 presidential campaign where he was allowed to voice his views in televised debates. As they say the rest is history, once people heard his message it spread like wildfire with records on campaign donations being smashed by his grassroots army of supporters. When I spent several months in Italy at the start of the year I actually found a group of Ron Paul supporters that translated his speeches in Italian so people there could hear his message. Even today any time he speaks at a university attendance records are smashed. The youth are truly captivated by his message. And that right there to me is where his legacy will lie. Sure there will always be critics, but once this new generation starts to become involved in society and decision making then you will see the real result of Ron Paul’s legacy.
