I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time. The reason I haven’t written it is because I usually steer clear from politics on this blog and people are usually overly sensitive about their political leanings. However, there are just some things that have to be said.

Admittedly, I used to be apathetic about politics. I’ve never voted in my life. But since pursuing a degree in social work, I’ve had my eyes opened to the world of politics and more specifically, social welfare policy making. If you asked me three years ago, I would have told you that I didn’t care for politics but that if I had to vote, I’d vote Republican. Not because I’m a Christian or because I’m conservative in my values, but simply because I was a business student. Capitalism, laissez faire, and small government were all things that appealed to me.

That was then.

Now if I were to vote, I’d vote Democrat. I’m not voting this year because it won’t make a difference in Texas (that’s a whole other post) but I’m hoping a democrat will win.

If you support a Republican government there’s no point in reading the rest of this post.

What really upsets me and makes me want to write this post is seeing the way my generation has suddenly become interested in politics– not because of global justice or sudden consciousness-raising, but because of presidential candidate, Ron Paul. I’ve heard them talk about his opinions on how our nation should be run and they relish in the idea of no income taxes and more freedom. Who could oppose more freedom? Isn’t that what America is all about? His popularity has spread over various social networking websites (i.e. Facebook) with people donating their time and money to create a grassroots campaign with flyers and posters made at Kinko’s. Supporters are organizing local meet-up groups in bars and restaurants to discuss libertarian ideas over beer, coffee and cigarettes. It’s all very romantic.

There are a lot of things in Ron Paul’s platform that are absolutely appalling to me. I don’t know where to start. You may want to take the time to orient yourself with Ron Paul’s website first. I don’t know how many supporters are thoroughly aware of what all Ron Paul supports. Most people hear one or two of his ideas and jump on the mini bandwagon. It frightens me.

A few weeks ago, I came across a powerful article, “Why the Left Should Reject Ron Paul” by Sherry Wolf of CounterPunch, that expresses much of what I want to say. Since she’s much more informed and eloquent than I am, I will break it down here for you by quoting her especially poignantly written points.

“Though Paul is unlikely to triumph in the primaries, it is worth taking stock not only of his actual positions, but more importantly the libertarian underpinnings that have wooed so many self-described leftists and progressives. Because at its core, the fetishism of individualism that underlies libertarianism leads to the denial of rights to the very people most radicals aim to champion-workers, immigrants, Blacks, women, gays, and any group that lacks the economic power to impose their individual rights on others.”

“Put simply, he is a racist. Not the cross-burning, hood-wearing kind to be sure, but the flat Earth society brand that imagines a colorblind world where 500 years of colonial history and slavery are dismissed out of hand and institutional racism and policies under capitalism are imagined away.”

“Citing statistics from a study that year produced by the National Center on Incarceration and Alternatives, Paul concluded: ‘Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.’ “

“‘A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked,’ reads his site. And he advocates cutting off all social services to undocumented immigrants, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and even roads (how would that work?).”

“Here we come up against the limits of libertarianism-Paul wants a strong state to secure the borders, but he wants all social welfare expenditures eliminated for those within them.”

“In that same book, written as the AIDS crisis was laying waste to the American gay male population prompting the rise of activist groups demanding research and drugs, Paul attacked AIDS sufferers as ‘victims of their own lifestyle.’ And in a statement that gives a glimpse of the ruling-class tyranny of individualism he asserts that AIDS victims demanding rushed drug trials were impinging on ‘the rights of insurance company owners.’”

“Paul wants to abolish the Department of Education and, in his words, ‘end the federal education monopoly’ by eliminating all taxes that go toward public education and ‘giving educational control back to parents.’ “

“Paul also opposes equal pay for equal work, a minimum wage, and, naturally, trade unions.”

“Libertarians like Paul are for removing any legislative barriers that may restrict business owners’ profits, but are openly hostile to alleviating economic restrictions that oppress most workers. Only a boss could embrace this perverse concept of ‘freedom.’”

“But the conclusion that the problem is ‘big government’ strips the content from the form. Can any working-class perspective seriously assert that we have too much government involvement in providing health care? Too much oversight of the environment, food production, and workplace safety? Would anyone seriously consider hopping a flight without the certainty of national, in fact international, air traffic control? Of course not. The problem doesn’t lie with some abstract construct, ‘government,’ the problem is that the actual class dynamics of governments under capitalism amount to taxing workers and the poor in lieu of the rich and powerful corporations and spending those resources on wars, environmental devastation, and the enrichment of a tiny swath of society at the expense of the rest of us.”

“Those of his supporters who are wholly ignorant of his broader politics beyond the war, should be educated about them. And those who advocate his noxious politics, should be attacked for their racism, immigrant bashing, and hostility to the values a genuine Left champions.”

“When the likes of Paul shout: ‘We need freedom to choose!’ we need to ask, ‘Yes, but freedom for whom?’ Because the freedom to starve to death is the most dubious freedom of all.”

Disclaimer: I did not take the time to verify Wolf’s fact finding abilities. If you find any false information or discrepancies, please bring them to my attention as I would love to learn more about the truth instead of just a particular argument.

——————————————————————————–

Honestly, I think the only people who would want to support Ron Paul are middle class and upper class white collar workers who are white and have no concern for the welfare of the poor and the oppressed in our country. If you do not fall in that category, you really should reevaluate what you are supporting.

I apologize in advance for anyone I offend by saying this. I really just want to make people think beyond “Anti-War, Anti-Taxes, Pro-Freedom– great! Where can I sign up to vote for Ron Paul?”

Next up, the tragedy of bipartisan politics. Haha, don’t worry, I’ll post some cute panda photos from the San Diego Zoo in between.