No Republican combines common sense and wackiness in as unique a fashion as Ron Paul.
In one 3 minute segment at the debate, Paul spoke of the evils of mandates and named the minimum wage as an example of one which should be abolished. Doing so, he tells us, would aid the poor in finding jobs. Typical Ron Paul ideology but just when you figure this guy’s a total loon, he comes right back to defend his past criticism of Ronald Reagan – namely that Reagan’s record on spending, taxes and overall fiscal austerity failed to live up to the man’s message. To criticize Reagan in his own home takes a certain amount of courage and conviction. You have to give Paul kudos for chutzpah.
Here’s the crazy…
“[Getting rid of the minimum wage] would help the poor people who need jobs. Minimum wage is a mandate. We’re against mandates so why should we have it? It would be very beneficial.”
“Mandates, that what the whole society is about, what we do all the time. That’s what government is about: mandate, mandate, mandate. We talk so much about the Obama mandate which is so important, but what about Medicare? Isn’t that a mandate? Everything we do is mandate. So, this is why you have to look at this, the cause of liberty. We don’t need the government running our lives.”
and the not so crazy…
“In the 1980s we spent too much, we taxed too much, we built up our deficits and it was a bad thing. But therefore, I support the message of Ronald Reagan, the message was great but the consequences – we have to be honest with ourselves – it was not all that great. Huge deficits during the 1980s.”
There’s something refreshing in hearing a conservative speak honestly of the Reagan record – one which had taxes being raised in 7 of Reagan’s 8 years as President, one which tripled the federal budget deficit and one which teabaggers would demonize today if they ever took the time to get informed.
If there was a way to extract the 50% crazy in Ron Paul and retain the rest, the man would be a force to be reckoned with.
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It’s almost as if Paul has two distinct personalities and one is the evil twin of the other. Every time the more reasonable twin starts making sense, the evil twin takes over and spoils the effect. It’s obvious that his son, Ayn Rand Paul (or Ron-Paul II) was sired by the evil twin. That pair (son and evil twin) are like a combination of Andy Rooney, Groer Norquist and Michele Bachmann with a pinch of Sharron Angle and Sue Lowden thrown in for good measure.
E.A. – that is one of the most frightening combinations I believe I have ever read. EWWWWWW. LOL
The minimum wage simply raise the poverty bar, it does nothing for the poor in the long run, or even the mid run..
and since no one here wants to remember this, it’s the economists that have been putting this fact out for years. you might want to consider the fact that with all the minimum wages hikes, they are still poor. how can this be?
Paul is simply reminding us all that the federal government does not have legitimate power to control wages in our republic, and that it does in fact hurt the low skilled among us.
looking at a problem like a child doesn’t make it simple
those that think Ron Paul is crazy for speaking the truth, but just dislike the truth 1/2 the time need to go buy a mirror and get a real look at crazy.
it’s sad how some of the people in this country think socialism is a new idea… and that people that support it are “progressive”
when in fact, they are regressive, trying to push us all back to a time when we were ruled by a King.
while reading this little hit piece, it’s clear the writer has a failing arguments, so the writer results to childish insults and personal attacks. Calling a person “crazy” doesn’t make it so. you can’t deal with his truth, so you resort to personal attacks, … wow
There is so much info out there about how both parties are going down the same road, but you guys just keep fighting the left / right diversion.
you don’t understand how half the time Paul is right, and have the time his “crazy”.
did you ever consider maybe you’re the one that’s crazy half the time?
Just because “you” agree with Ron Paul doesn’t mean he’s telling the “truth”. Some may be crazy half the time but some are crazy “all” the time.
Bob – socialism and feudalism (where the King was the ruler) and two entirely different things. In addition there are varying degrees of socialism. And there is plenty of it in place in this country already.
Schools, roads, bridges, libraries, police, fire, military, Medicare, medical research, you name it — anything that is purchased by pooling together our taxes in order to create or build or do something is socialist. If you want to end that, then you’ll have to just dismantle the government. Which is what Paul wants to do. Just turn everyone over to the corporations who will be magnanimous enough to pay us a living wage, make sure they provide us a safe environment in which to work, a 40 hour week and script that we can use anywhere across the country. Yeah, we’ve been there done that, haven’t we? Every heard the song about the Company Store? That song exists because the company stores existed. They used to pay their workers in the own script so it couldn’t be spent anywhere else but the “company store.” They also provided the housing for their workers — and NOT rent free. So every dime their workers got paid (in the company script) came right back to the company. Pretty damn hard to get ahead under those circumstances — the employers had their own little fiefdom.
As far as the minimum wage is concerned — it’s $7.25 per hour. At 40 hours a week that $1160 a month & less than $14K a year. You think employers are going to pay MORE than minimum wage if it’s ended? Yeah, I can just see them stepping up to the plate yelling “come on down — now that there’s no more minimum wage, I’ll pay you $14 an hour!”
Do you honestly know the history of the wage in this country prior to unions? Prior to the minimum wage?
And here’s one for you — while our tax dollars go to help the poor who can’t make a living wage — food stamps, health care, housing subsidies — and the corporations like WalMart, Home Depot and all the rest who are raking in huge profits — while they get the labor, we taxpayers get stuck with their tab. Now you have corporate socialism.
And that’s just one instance of it.
Ron Paul is just another Ayn Rand fan, bought and paid for politician running errands for the Koch brothers. I will never understand how the GOP fell in love in Ayn Rand – a Russian fiction writer who had no degree in economics and who was so utterly clueless about America and Americans. We built this country by helping each other out – in her world, we owe nothing to no one and it’s every man (or woman) for themselves. Well we’ve now seen what greed gets us — another Wall Street crash and bailout. — More socialism.