Combate a la corrupcion - Fight corruption

Ron Paul (R)

Representative from Texas

Kevin Alexander: Ron Paul is being hailed as a Libertarian in Republican clothing. The real question is if he is a favorable choice for Libertarian voters.

For the economic Libertarian, Paul is your man. He opposes welfare programs and has voted against every minimum-wage increase proposed during his term. He is a vehement opponent of unbalanced budgets and a huge supporter of tax cuts at the expense of trimming government programs. He has based much of his opposition to the Iraq War and the War on Drugs on the huge money sinks they have created.

The problem is that he has rejected legislation that would lower college loan interest rates and financial aid eligibility limits. He also voted against additional funding to the National Endowment of Arts and wants to cut funding to the International Space Station, which may be unsettling to some.

For the social Libertarian, Paul offers a lot, though he isn’t quite the supporter of freedom he would have you believe. He is OK with same-sex marriage and has supported freedom of expression over every medium available, including proposals to limit fines to “shock jocks″ regarding indecency over the radio. He supports the Second Amendment and voted against the USA Patriot Act.

However, there are also problems here. He is decidedly pro-life and has supported legislature to restrict privately funded abortions for military personnel at overseas military hospitals, a position not in step with Libertarian ideas on abortion. Also significant - he wants to weaken the establishment clause of the Constitution. For this Libertarian atheist, that is a deal-breaker.

Paul has also shown a propensity for turning scientific issues into political issues. He rejects embryonic stem cell research, supports alternative medical treatments and has shown distrust toward genetically modified foods. This tells me that Paul is feeling around in the dark when it comes to how science works. Coupled with his desire to weaken the establishment clause, I’m afraid Paul′s rock star charisma just isn’t going to work.

Wes Kimbell: Ron Paul is the limited-government, lower taxes, pro-peace candidate of the 2008 elections. He has more in common with Ronald Reagan than any of the other Republican candidates and fights for the Constitution more than any other candidate.

Paul’s chances for nomination have increased over the previous few months, but his chances for winning the Republican nomination are still slim. His message of “Liberty, prosperity and peace″ however, is catching on.

Paul surprised the political candidates when his campaign earned more money than John McCain’s in the third quarter. He surprised them again on Nov. 5 when he received more online donations in one day than any other Republican candidate. The media called it the $4.2 million “money bomb.” This fundraising drive was not organized by the official campaign. Instead, it was organized by a Paul supporter and the 37,000 that contributed that day.

Ron Paul has also received more donations from servicemen than any other Republican candidate. This has surprised some Republicans and it’s no coincidence. Ron Paul is the only Republican candidate who voted against the Iraq War and is calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Our servicemen and -women and veterans understand, like Paul, that our foreign policy is in shambles and is hurting our nation.

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