Ron Paul - 2008 Presidential Candidate

Ron Paul is one of the 2008 Presidential candidates in a field that is pretty far-flung. Since George Bush cannot be re-elected, the 2008 Presidential election has become pretty much a free-for all. Apparently anybody with a few million dollars and at least moderate good looks has a forum not only in the mainstream media, but also on myspace.com and U-tube. Democratic and Republican hopefuls seem to have come out from the woodwork this election cycle. Ron Paul is one of those presidential hopefuls who many of us have never heard of.

Ron Paul is a Republican Congressman from Texas. His Ron Paul 2008 home page declares him the "leading advocate for freedom in our nation's capital." His 2008 campaign slogan is Hope for America - Be a Part of It. Throughout his political career Ron Paul has been faithful to his belief that our government should rule according to the Constitution of the United States. If a bill oversteps the authority granted by the founding fathers, Ron Paul votes against it. In other words, he's a Libertarian at heart.

I'm all for reigning in out of control spending by our government, which is how Ron Paul votes consistently according to the research I've done. Ron Paul strongly favors reducing or eliminating many of the wasteful, ineffective federal programs currently in place. My social justice radar goes into overdrive, though, when I hear Ron Paul or any other candidate talk about reducing federal spending. That's because historically budget cuts are in the areas of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare and other similar programs.

In a July 9, 2006 article by Libby Copeland, Staff Writer for the Washington Post, Ron Paul's philosophy and political agenda is summed up:

"In his legislative fantasies, the amiable Texas congressman would do away with the CIA and the Federal Reserve. He'd reinstate the gold standard. He'd get rid of the Department of Education and leave the business of schooling to local governments, because he believes that's what the Constitution intended."