Liberty Maven

The ideological Ron Paul math can be summed up with the following expression:

Ron Paul(Foreign Policy) + Ron Paul(Economy) = The Solution

Ron Paul’s position on foreign policy is consistent with his position on economics. He preaches non-intervention overseas and the deregulation of markets. His positions are interesting in that they steadfastly refuse to contradict each other. Likewise, He is pro-life and against the death penalty. Many other Republicans contradict their pro-life view by supporting the death penalty.

His is a true non-interventionist position. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have a faux non-interventionist position. They make the colossal mistake of thinking that pulling out of Iraq is enough non-intervention. Ron Paul correctly and consistently points out that Iraq is only part of the entire foreign policy portrait. Obama and Clinton do not preach non-interventionism because they don’t believe in the principle. They will not bring our troops home from Germany or Korea. They advocate repositioning troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. This is hardly any real “change” from George W. Bush. Chances are neither would even follow up on their promise to bring our troops home from Iraq. Certainly, some new excuse to keep troops there can be manufactured when the time comes.

John McCain is no better. His blatant interventionist foreign policy is now legendary. On the economy he seems to be preaching non-intervention, but trust is a factor with McCain. Contrary to the myth, McCain has a history of flip-flopping. His interventionist foreign policy runs at odds with his supposed free market approach to economics.

Ron Paul opposes meddling in foreign countries as well as meddling in markets. He is a consistent non-interventionist. Barack Obama attacked John McCain as one who would “do nothing” to help the economy. Ron Paul would wear the “do nothing” tag with honor. After all regulated free markets are not free at all.

In this nanny-state day and age it is impossible to get elected below a banner that reads “do nothing”. Too many look to the government for answers instead of looking within. When a candidate claims, as Ron Paul has, that he “doesn’t want to run the world” and “doesn’t want to run the economy” he panders only to honesty. It is sad that consistency and honesty are so rarely rewarded with political victory anymore.

Foreign policy, specifically the Iraq war, and the state of the US economy have something a bit more sinister in common. They both represent doomed catch-22 situations that could have been prevented. The excuse for keeping troops in Iraq has gone from finding weapons of mass destruction, to removing a dictator, to spreading democracy, to nation building, and finally to the notion that if we pull out only chaos and bloodshed will be left behind. Aren’t we tired of this yet? Ron Paul gave us the answer with three magic words spoken during a debate last year, “Just come home.”

The economy is also in a precarious situation. Like the war it is also a catch-22. Current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke inherited the problems created by former Fed Chief Alan Greenspan. Bernanke must not look like he’s doing nothing, so the interest rates get lower and lower, more money is printed, more financial companies are bailed out, more inflation occurs, and the dollar loses more value. Now, the Bush administration is advocating more regulatory powers for the Federal Reserve. That isn’t enough for the democrats who are pushing for still more widespread regulation. Capitalism began dying years ago. If the democrats get their way, it will be completely dead soon. Ron Paul has four simple words as a solution to this problem, “let the market decide.”

Out of the remaining Presidential candidates only Ron Paul seems to hold the solution to the two major problems facing America today. The equation above can then be reconstructed using Ron Paul’s seven words of ideology.

Just come home and let the market decide are the solutions.

The reality is that it’s probably not quite that simple, but dumbing it down is entirely appropriate because most aren’t even listening… yet.