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Club for Growth on Ron Paul
By sage of monticello | November 26, 2007
When it comes to limited government, there are few champions as steadfast and principled as Representative Ron Paul. In the House of Representatives, he plays a very useful role constantly challenging the status quo and reminding his colleagues, despite their frequent indifference, that our Constitution was meant to limit the power of government. On taxes, regulation, and political free speech his record is outstanding. While his recent pork votes are troubling, the vast majority of his anti-spending votes reflect a longstanding desire to cut government down to size.
But Ron Paul is a purist, too often at the cost of real accomplishments on free trade, school choice, entitlement reform, and tort reform. It is perfectly legitimate, and in fact vital, that think tanks, free-market groups, and individual members of congress develop and propose idealized solutions. But presidents have the responsibility of making progress, and often, Ron Paul opposes progress because, in his mind, the progress is not perfect. In these cases, although for very different reasons, Ron Paul is practically often aligned with the most left-wing Democrats, voting against important, albeit imperfect, pro-growth legislation.
Ron Paul is, undoubtedly, ideologically committed to pro-growth limited government policies. But his insistence on opposing all but the perfect means that under a Ron Paul presidency we might never get a chance to pursue the good too.
Read the entire report here.
Topics: Club for Growth |
November 28th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Screw the Club for Growth; Ron Paul is the best candidate for President for he will not only grow the economy but he will also expand people’s freedom to pursue their own happiness.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:38 am
I know you are not Ryan Bilodeau, but whoever you are, the Club for Growth report on Ron Paul is arguably the best relative to the other major Republican Presidential Candidates for the reasons that you stated Ron Paul would be the best candidate. Namely that his radically limited government approach would unleash the free marktets to create wealth in an unprecedented manner while expanding human freedom to “pursue their own happiness.”
Correct me if I am wrong, but you seem like a John Stuart Mill fan?
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Actually I detest John Stuart Mill because Utilitarianism believes people should be free only in so far as it benefits society. I am much more of a Rothbardian in that I believe the state should never exercise violence against an innocent man. In addition, I believe that people in society should discourage bad behavior and encourage virtuous behavior which is a position that contradicts Mill’s “Live and let live” philosophy.