Libertarians for Ron Paul » 2007 » July
“Health care is in the spotlight again, with the premiere of Michael Moore’s movie Sicko and the state of Massachusetts switching over to a mandatory universal single-payer program. But also sharing center stage are the same controversies that have bedeviled government’s involvement in anything that demands excellence.”
“The basic question is whether we want a political system to manage doctors, hospitals, and patients. What is the history of government’s accomplishments? Are politicians and bureaucrats known to be pillars of efficiency, impartiality, and competence? Or will government’s escalating foray into medicine turn into a Laurel and Hardy comedy with the catchphrase: “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten us into.” “
Larry Samuels looks at problems with government-managed medical care http://ca.lp.org/lp20070730.shtml
“More adults in the United States question their government’s rationale on foreign affairs, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 54 per cent of respondents think the U.S. will be safer from terrorism in the long run if it stays out of other countries’ affairs in the Middle East, up five points since October.”
It appears that a majority of Americans now agree with Ron Paul’s view that blowback from our foreign policy is a major cause of terrorist attacks on Americans.
Angus-Reid polling has details http://tinyurl.com/2dlose
For the first time ever, Iraq won the Asian Cup football (soccer) title, beating Saudi Arabia in a match held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Violence has been down the last couple of days as Sunnis, Shi’ites, and Kurds came together in a unity that trumps politics.
“This is a game that Iraq won, and I hope Bush won’t now say, look, I made them win that match,” a member of the Iraqi Olympics Federation in Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS. “He did it once and we hated him even more for that because it was our boys who won despite the miserable support we are getting from the Americans and our government.”
After the 2004 Olympics win, Iraqi football star Salih Sadir told reporters, “Iraq as a team doesn’t want Mr. Bush to use us (in an ad) for the presidential campaign…we don’t wish for the presence of the Americans in our country. We want them to go away.” Iraq’s football coach Adnan Hamad Majeed had then said: “(My problems) are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American Army has killed so many people in Iraq.”
“Americans are justifiably concerned over the government’s escalating intervention into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of their health. ”
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in order to comply with standards dictated by supra-national organizations such as the UN‘s World Food Code (CODEX), NAFTA, and CAFTA, has been assuming greater control over nutrients, vitamins and natural health care providers to restrict your right to choose the manner in which you manage your health and nutritional needs.”
“Among her critics, Clinton is known for a mother-knows-best domestic policy that relies on overbearing interference from Washington to remake the landscape to her specifications. The flip side is a mother-knows-best foreign policy that relies on overbearing interference from Washington to remake the landscape to her specifications.”
“Democrats hope that when it comes to international affairs, Clinton would represent a big change from George W. Bush. Republicans harbor that fear. In truth, this is one realm where the two are more alike than different. It’s no accident that she voted for the resolution authorizing the president to invade Iraq. And it’s no mystery that she was slow to admit the war was failing.”
Steve Chapman on Hilary’s Imperial Hubris http://reason.com/news/show/121601.html
Ron Paul, a Republican Presidential candidate who is opposed to the war in Iraq, believes that lawmakers can reach across the aisle to pass legislation that will bring American troops home as soon as possible.
“Sometimes, those [liberal and conservative] labels are misleading,” he told Joe Scarborough on MSNBC Tuesday. “I think if you approach this from a constitutional viewpoint, we can join hands with the left as well as the right and come up with a solution and get our troops home.”
As the host mentioned, the Texas Congressman has co-sponsored a bill with another presidential contender, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, that would repeal President Bush’s authority to use force in Iraq within the next sixth months. Besides Kucinich, 18 other Democrats have signed on.
More along with video @ http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Ron_Paul_teams_up_with_Dem_0724.html
Dr. Paul’s 1988 book, Freedom Under Siege: The US Constitution After 200 Years, is now available free online from Mises.org.
Thanks to Lew Rockwell.
Rod Dreher, a former National Review champion of the war, explains that the colossal failure of the Iraq War has “shattered his illusions” about government.
Among his reflections:
I no longer implicitly trust governmental institutions, including the military — neither in their honesty nor their competence.
I no longer have confidence in the ability of our military, or any military, to solve deep cultural and civilizational problems through force alone.
Thanks to Lew Rockwell.
Rasmussen Reports, one of the nation’s top pollsters, just analyzed the hypothetical general election match-ups between Ron Paul running against Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama.
Ron Paul gets 34% in a head-to-head match-up with Hillary Clinton, and gets 30% against Barak Obama. Among Republicans, Paul gets 65% against Clinton and 55% against Obama.
Paul has a favorable rating of 20% among likely voters nationwide. 38% have an unfavorable view, with 43% not sure. Paul is best known for his opposition to the Iraq War, while his pro-free-market and strict constutitionalist views are less known among voters.
Many Paul supporters may find these results discouraging, but they should not. The fact that this survey was done at all is a great victory, and the results are quite encouraging for a radical upstart campaign. Most people have now heard of Ron Paul, and one in five like him already.
Tom Engelhardt just posted this great piece on Ron Paul at The Nation magazine.