Liberty Maven

In a debate earlier in the year Ron Paul said the following about the war on terror, “It’s a tactic. You can’t go to war against a tactic!”

Yet here we sit, skipping past the final days of 2007, in the midst of many wars on several tactics. None of which seem to be nearing completion and all of them costing us more money and, in some cases, more lives. It seems that once a war on a tactic is declared by our beloved government calling an end to it equates to political suicide. Why?

Here is a list of our current “tactic wars”:

1. War On Terror
2. War On Drugs
3. War On Poverty
4. War On Illiteracy

One thing these “wars” share is a perpetual nature. How does a government actually “win” any of these wars? What are the tangible goals to signify victory? It’s nice to promote a reduction in illiteracy, poverty, illegal drugs, and terrorism, but do you believe the government has the ability to win (ie. end) these things?

There will always be illiteracy. There will always be poverty. There will always be illegal drugs, and there will always be terrorism. No amount of money or sloganeering will change this fact. Surely we can encourage a reduction in these horrible things, but we must do so responsibly. Why spend one more dime today when tomorrow we’ll be asked to spend two dimes, and the next day, three dimes, and so on until the end of time?

Some may call this a defeatist attitude, but what is more defeatist: putting money in the perpetual war pocket that has an unpatchable hole, or investing that money in concrete endeavors of true national defense and practical domestic solutions?

The act of bringing terrorists to justice should not be thought of as a “war”. Wars are waged against countries, not criminals. Terrorists are criminals and should be treated as such. They are most analogous to the mafia. The difference is that their main goal is to generate fear through mass murder, while the mafia’s is to make money through illegal means.

Also, it is most horrific if we choose to invade a country in the name of the “War on Terror” as we have done with Iraq and are gearing up to do with Iran. These actions will embolden terrorists and increase their numbers due to the animosity created by the invasion. That is precisely what occurred in Iraq. Prior to our invasion terrorism was very minimal in Iraq. The years following it has seen their numbers increase drastically (source). Violence begets more violence. We can break that vicious circle by never invading in the first place and getting out of the places we are occupying now.

The act of locking up drug users should not be thought of as a “war”. Wars are waged against countries, not citizens pursuing their own happiness. No matter how misguided drug users and abusers are, the mere act of ingesting, smoking, snorting, shooting up some form of narcotic should not give them a one way ticket to our overcrowded prisons. They should be able to do whatever they want with their own bodies. It is after all their property. This freedom should only end if they harm others in the process of pursuing their own happiness.

The act of charitable giving to those less fortunate should not be thought of as a “war”. Wars are waged against countries, not selfishness. The government is the most selfish of all. Americans, on average, assuming a 40 hour work week, work 16 hours each week for Uncle Sam. Sam takes your money for the greater good. Unfortunately, Sam’s view of the greater good is not the same as your view of it.

By nature, Americans are a very charitable people. The 1980’s are often thought of as the decade of greed. In fact, the prosperity of lower taxes in the 80’s gave rise to one of the most charitable decades ever in America (source). The best way to reduce poverty is to lower or abolish the income tax, not wage “war” on it.

The act of setting high standards for education to reduce illiteracy should not be thought of as a “war”. We wage war on countries, not our public education system. The federal Department of Education’s mission is “promoting education excellence for all Americans.” This mission is failing.

The Republican Party platform had a goal to eliminate the Department of Education starting in 1980 when Reagan took office. In fact GOP presidential candidates from then until now ran on abolishing it. That is, except for two: George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The department’s budget was increased 69.6% from 2002 to 2004 under George W. Bush’s “no child left behind” effort (source). Teachers, students, and parents of students generally view it as a colossal failure.

The Department of Education is just as ineffective as it is unconstitutional. Abolishing it would give power back to the states and local governments who can and have done a much better job of educating children. This would help reduce illiteracy rates.

Ron Paul was wrong on one thing: You can go to war against a tactic, as we have.

But he is so right with his practical ideas on how to fix the problems these perpetual wars create. Don’t we owe it to our country to elect this man?

For more on Ron Paul, patriotism, and perpetual wars read and watch him speak on the subject from the House of Representatives on May 22, 2007.