The Madness of Ron Paul

Before the presidential campaign began, I had never heard of Ron Paul. But Ron Paul has burst onto the scene and gained a great deal of popularity. He's far from the front runner, but he has carved out a niche for himself amongst Americans who support small government. Hardly a day goes by when I don't see a "Vote Ron Paul" button or a sign that reads, "Google Ron Paul."

Ron Paul has high ideals. He believes in obedience to the Constitution, allowing the government to only take actions that the Constitution explicitly allows. It's a wonderful but blind ideal. So often, political debate in America turns to the question of what the founding fathers believed. My answer always is, who cares? They're dead, and they never lived in the 21^st century, a time with a substantially different political environment then the 18^th century. But Ron Paul wishes to throw us back into the past, ignoring the fact that times have changed.

The Constitution is an excellent document that establishes the processes of the government and protects civil rights. But it should be kept as a guideline. Rigid obedience to a document - especially one that is centuries old - is foolish. Ron Paul wants to throw pragmatism to the wolves. America has moved a great distance from its founding principles. Why? Because the people have forgotten where they come from? No, because times change, and the government has to change with them. Ron Paul puts philosophy over reality, and that's a dangerous thing to do.

Ron Paul also has the absurd idea of abolishing income tax. Nobody likes paying their taxes, but it's a necessary reality of the world. How would President Ron Paul run the government without money? Even with a small government, there are still government employees, officials, etc that have salaries. How does Ron Paul want to pay them?

Ron Paul has some rational ideas, such as state's rights. I can't argue with him on that. But on the whole, his politics are mostly absurd. If you're planning on voting for Ron Paul, I urge you to reconsider.