Ron Paul Background Information

About Dr. Ron Paul:

• Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) is a 10-term member of the US House of Representatives.
• As a physician, he has specialized in obstetrics for 40 years and delivered over 4,000 babies.
• Served his country for five years as a flight surgeon in the US Air Force.
• Has never taken Medicare or Medicaid payments as a doctor, instead doing work at a reduced fee or for free.
• Paid for the university educations of all his children instead of letting them receive government loans.
• Married to his wife Carol for 50 years; they have five children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
• Serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joint Economic Committee and the Committee on Financial Services in Congress.
• Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, graduate of Gettysburg College and Duke University School of Medicine, and current resident of Lake Jackson, TX.
  

Congressional Record & Recent Facts

Dr. Paul's congressional record, stretching over 30 years:

• Has never voted to raise taxes.
• Has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
• Has never voted for federal restriction on gun ownership.
• Has never voted to raise congressional pay.
• Has never taken a government-paid junket.
• Has never voted to increase the power of the Executive Branch.
• Voted against the Patriot Act.
• Voted against the Iraq War.
• Does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program because he believes it is unfair to taxpayers.
• Returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the US Treasury every year.

Recent facts about his current presidential campaign:

• Grassroots supporters raised $4.3 million in 24 hours on November 5, setting an online record. 38,000 donations and 17,000 first-time donors.
• Over $5 million raised in the 3rd Quarter, and currently has raised over $8M in the 4th Quarter.
• The campaign believes in complete transparency; all fundraising information is available at www.ronpaulgraphs.com.
• More than 70,000 people have volunteered their time to 1,100 local groups on Meetup.com (http://ronpaul.meetup.com/about)
• More Meetup members than all other campaigns combined: http://www.infiniteronpaul.com/meetupmaps

Key Policy Positions

Soundbite policy positions:

Follow the Constitution Freedom & Liberty Will of the People Small Government Fix our financial crisis Sound currency Free trade & diplomacy

Noninterventionism Bring troops home Prosperity leads to charity Strong national defense Protect our borders Eliminate income tax Local decision making

More detail on some of his policy positions which have gotten the most attention:

• Adheres to a foreign policy of nonintervention in the tradition of Washington, Jefferson and Madison. Strong national defense, strong military to protect the country and the borders, strong diplomacy and trade, and avoid entangling alliances with other nations.
• If the will of the people is to go to war, then the government must follow the law of the Constitution to formally declare war, including a set budget, timeline and goals. War with no declaration or end is unconstitutional.
• Smaller federal government, no income tax and sound fiscal policy.
• Nation building and policing the world will bankrupt our country. We are currently $9 trillion in debt, with most owed to China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The money spent overseas would allow us to eliminate the income tax and still have enough to ensure solvency of Social Security for current participants.
• Allow younger generations to opt-out of Social Security if they wish.
• Eliminate federal departments which are better served by state governments, local communities or businesses. The budgets for these departments should be given back to the people and their states.
• Views inflation as an underhanded form of taxation, because it takes value away from the money that individuals hold without having to directly tax them.
• Sees the Federal Reserve as responsible for eroding the value of money since they are able to "print money out of thin air" without any commodity backing.
• Supports the creation of competing currencies, such as a gold-backed currency or potentially a currency based on a basket of commodities (does not support returning to the gold standard).
• Believes in protecting the freedom and liberty of all individuals. For example, he believes the government should have no place in mandating or prohibiting school prayer. As well, the government should not regulate or tax the Internet, and should never violate habeas corpus, through which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment.

Historical Perspective

Some who have heard of Ron Paul tend to be confused on how he could have such disparate views. He's against the Iraq War but for going after terrorist groups. He believes in sound money and free trade, yet doesn't support NAFTA. He's supportive of pro-life activists, and also supportive of alternative medicine. He wants to allow parents to have school prayer if they wish, but also wants to do away with the Department of Education and the IRS.

How all of these tie together is the Constitution, and specifically the 10th Amendment—the Power of the States & the People. Ron Paul's philosophy is quite simple: the federal government is not in a position to mandate singular national standards unless it is the will of the people. Local communities and state governments should have greater authority to set standards which work for them. His consistent approach to all issues is quite Jeffersonian. Here are some key historical thoughts to consider:

• The Constitution is a mandate against a large, central government. Thomas Jefferson, who feared tyranny and thought in terms of freedom, successfully argued this point against Alexander Hamilton, who feared anarchy, thought in terms of order, and admired the British monarchy.
• Smaller government means individuals have more resources and funds to impact their local communities and states.
• When individuals have more control and there is less government intervention, there tends to be more creative energy and charity (e.g., Andrew Carnegie used his personal wealth to build thousands of libraries in the 1800s, and church-run hospitals provided low-cost health care throughout the 19th and 20th centuries)
• Both Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin warned against too much government authority. More federal programs means more politicians and lobbyists divvying up the pie (and taking their cut) before sending money back to the states.
• The more difficult the issue, the more need there is for local decision making rather than a 'one-size-fits-all' for the nation.
• The Founding Fathers believed in true free trade, commerce, friendship, travel and diplomacy with all, entangling alliances with none.

These basic principles can be applied to any Ron Paul position. One example would be the Department of Education, which did not exist prior to 1980. Dr. Paul believes the department should be eliminated because it is an extra bureaucratic layer, and one that has not improved our children's education relative to the rest of the world. He feels we would be better served by sending the department's budget back to states and local communities.

This would allow parents, teachers and local officials to decide how the money should be used. Creative ideas would flourish from the masses, and the best ideas would spread to other districts and regions. Eventually this would lead to market-driven advocacy groups to provide oversight and direction, rather than government-created entities. Dr. Paul's belief is free market forces will always do a better job than the government can.

As a footnote, my personal opinion is this policy approach has become a much more intriguing option due to the existence of modern communication. The spread of cell phones and the Internet allows idea-sharing among the masses. In the past, communities may have created great ideas, but had no easy method of mass distribution.

Key Quotes

Key quotes on which Ron Paul's principles are based:

• “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” — Thomas Jefferson
• “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” — George Washington
• “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” — Thomas Jefferson
• “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” — George Washington
• “The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad.” — James Madison
• “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” — George Washington
• “Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.” — Thomas Jefferson
• “The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war.” — James Madison
• “A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.” — Barry Goldwater
• “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” — Abraham Lincoln

Official Campaign Videos

NOTE: Each playlist viewer below is a compilation of multiple videos. For example, the first viewer includes a New Hampshire ad and Ron Paul's appearance on the Tonight Show. The viewer will automatically move to the next video once one is complete. You can hover over the viewer to advance to other videos in the playlist.

Official Campaign New Hampshire Ad (0:30)

• Recently been running in NH and targeted at NH residents ("Live Free or Die").
• Compare with ads created by grassroots supporters.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (9:47)

• Since this interview, polling figures have doubled, and in some cases tripled.
• Provides a good overview of many of his political positions.

Early Grassroots Videos

Stop Dreaming (8:46)

• Published in May; a driving force in increasing grassroots support.
• Motivation was a quote from a Congressional colleague: "Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers' ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are."

A New Hope (8:44)

• Has become a sensation with nearly 800,000 viewings.
• Not as polished as some of the newer videos, but showcases a lot of the reasons for his support.

An American Tune (3:45)

• Producer voted for President Bush twice and considers himself dedicated to traditional Republican values of the past.

Recent Grassroots Videos

Tea Party '07 (5:33)

• Video for the new grassroots fundraiser planned for the 234th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on 12/16 (www.teaparty07.com).
• Goal is to top $10M in donations in one day. This would surpass all records, online or offline, for a single day political fundraiser.

A True American Underdog Story (4:15)

• Starting to see higher production quality.
• Draws a comparison between media messages from a couple of months ago versus those heard more recently.
• A bit more edgy than other videos.

Ron Paul - Animation (0:48)

• Catchy video has garnered a lot of support within the campaign.

Imagine America (0:30)

• New grassroots commercial which has found a great amount of support.

More Information

If you have an interest in economic policy, watch the video below of Ron Paul's discussion during Ben Bernanke's testimony before Congress on November 8, 2007 (6:02), and the subsequent reaction by CNBC and the Chicago Board of Trade (8:03).

Also included is an interview given by Ron Paul to employees at Google and hosted by VP of Global Communications, Elliot Schrage. Fairly lengthy, but quite informative.

If you are seeking more information other than what is provided here, view one of the following websites:

• Ron Paul Official Campaign Website: RonPaul2008.com
• Ron Paul Library (writings and positions): RonPaulLibrary.com
• Summary of Political Positions: wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul