Understanding Ron Paul
Ron Paul's followers keep telling me that his policies make sense. Even amongst the accusations of racism they keep telling me that his policies make sense. Before today, I had no idea what Dr. Paul's policies even might consist of, so in fairness I decided to look at what Dr. Paul proposes for US policy at home and abroad. My research materials consisted of Wikipedia and a Wifi connection at a cafe along with a measure of common sense.
Dr. Paul is an isolationist and believes that the USA has no business in other countries. He believes that the assassination of Obama Bin Ladin was incorrect and that the USA should have cooperated with the Pakistani government. The problem with this thesis is that the Pakistani government had been protecting Bin Ladin. Oops.
And then, negating that earlier policy, Dr. Paul argues that Israel should receive more aid from the USA. Huh?
Dr. Paul believes that illegal workers take a toll on welfare. So people who are working and supporting themselves and families at below minimum wage are mysteriously draining welfare.
Dr. Paul supports parallel currencies. This only makes sense if you also understand that he also wishes to go back to the gold standard. What this means is that money would be backed by actual gold and that trade would be limited to gold. Currency would actually be notes and corporations could mint their own currency. What this would mean internal to the USA is that wealth would be contingent on ownership of gold. Demutualized stock exchanges would need to close and reopen or would need to own gold themselves. International trade would become almost impossible. The ultimate outcome would be that those who own gold would become even richer.
As an aside how much gold do Andrew and David Koch own?
Dr. Paul is extremely anti-Medicare. He has shown this in that his own campaign manager died penniless of pneumonia and without health insurance. With friends like Ron Paul you die penniless of diseases that are curable.
I continued to read about Ron Paul's policies and got sadder and more confused. I decided that if a man who wants simpler government is so very confusing and self contradictory then maybe I had better go to something much simpler like nuclear physics or game theory. Perhaps it is Ron Paul's genius that he is so very confusing or maybe he's just nuts? Then I gave up.
