[img]583|left|||no_popup[/img]It’s frightening how many Americans are willing to listen to a guy like Ron Paul. The Congressman is one of two things, either a typical demagogue or an unthinking ideologue. He specializes in combining fact with fiction by pointing out everything that’s wrong with all of the policies that are contrary to his agenda. He claims that his irresponsible solutions are a cure for all of the nation’s problems. His solutions are drawn from an outlandish philosophy, which, on its face, is a corruption of the U.S. Constitution and would constitute an exercise in national destruction.
Paul said:
“The most basic principle to being a free American is the notion that we, as individuals, are responsible for our own lives and decisions. We do not have the right to rob our neighbors to make up for our mistakes. Neither does our neighbor have any right to tell us how to live so long as we aren’t infringing on his rights. Freedom to make bad decisions is inherent in the freedom to make good ones. If we are only free to make good decisions, we are not really free.”
Paul's entire premise is flawed. Total personal freedom was not the intent of the Founding Fathers. They had the good sense to recognize that a society or a civilization is defined as a “group of people who have joined together to pursue a common interest or goal.” They set out their intent in the preamble of the Constitution, which bears no resemblance to Paul's interpretation. The preamble reads as follows:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
He Can Go Elsewhere
Thus, if Ron Paul doesn’t like the rules we’ve set up to “promote the general welfare,” he has the freedom to move to the wilderness and not live among us. But according to Ron Paul’s philosophy, he thinks he should have the right to act however he wishes and the government should be precluded from stopping him.
Because you see, according to Paul’s philosophy, and his flawed reading of the Constitution, that should be his inalienable right since he is not hurting anyone else.
Paul wants to take advantage of the benefits of living in an ordered society while not having to adhere to the rules that make it a society. He contends that the civil rights laws that prevent him from refusing to serve certain groups in his restaurant abridges his right to private ownership. On the other hand, he has no problem with the fact that the group that he bans is forced to pay taxes that support “his right to private ownership.” If his business catches on fire, he’s going to expect the banned group’s tax-supported fire department to put it out. If he is robbed, he will expect the group’s tax-supported police department to come to his aid. He can’t have it both ways. If he is not willing to adhere to society’s rules, he can’t expect to take advantage of the benefits of living in an ordered society.
Paul also wants to abolish the Dept. of Education, which is essential to maintaining a “more perfect union.” His philosophy dictates that we should “trust” corporations not to grind up rats in our ground beef, or pollute our air and water. “Just let the free market handle it,” he says.
We saw how the free market handled the Wall Street fiasco, didn’t we? The free market created it, and we paid dearly. The only thing free about the free market is the freedom of ruthless, greedy capitalists to take advantage of a naive and unsuspecting public. Then they tell us we are un-American if we complain.
Ron Paul’s philosophy represents the rantings of a selfish, unthinking, irresponsible lunatic. If he wants total personal freedom, it is within his grasp. He can vote with his feet and move to the wilderness. Then he can act any way he wishes. But he should not expect us to come to his aid if he gets into trouble. That is the price of total freedom.
Intrinsic to every zealot’s passion for justice lies the seeds of tyranny.
Eric L. Wattree is a writer, poet and musician, born in Los Angeles. A columnist for the Los Angeles Sentinel, the Black Star News, a staff writer for Veterans Today, he is a contributing writer to Your Black World, the Huffington Post, ePluribus Media and other online sites and publications. He also is the author of “A Message From the Hood.”
Mr. Wattree may be contacted at wattree.blogspot.com or Ewattree@Gmail.com
