0
0
Paul believes in liberty… for businessmen.
November 28, 2012 |
By Robert Parry
Rep. Ron Paul, an icon to the libertarian Right and to some on the anti-war Left, gave a farewell address to Congress that expressed his neo-Confederate interpretation of the Constitution and his anti-historical view of the supposedly good old days of laissez-faire capitalism.
In a near-hour-long rambling speech on Nov. 14, Paul also revealed himself to be an opponent of “pure democracy” because government by the people and for the people tends to infringe on the “liberty” of businessmen who, in Paul’s ideal world, should be allowed to do pretty much whatever they want to the less privileged.
In Paul’s version of history, the United States lost its way at the advent of the Progressive Era about a century ago. “The majority of Americans and many government officials agreed that sacrificing some liberty was necessary to carry out what some claimed to be ‘progressive’ ideas,” said the 77-year-old Texas Republican. “Pure democracy became acceptable.”
Before then, everything was working just fine, in Paul’s view. But the reality was anything but wonderful for the vast majority of Americans. A century ago, women were denied the vote by law and many non-white males were denied the vote in practice. Uppity blacks were frequently lynched.
The surviving Native Americans were confined to oppressive reservations at the end of a long process of genocide. Conditions weren’t much better for the white working class. Many factory workers toiled 12-hour days and six-day weeks in very dangerous conditions, and union organizers were targeted for reprisals and sometimes death.
For small businessmen, life was treacherous, too … READ MORE
"A century ago, women were denied the vote by law and many non-white males were denied the vote in practice. Uppity blacks were frequently lynched.
The surviving Native Americans were confined to oppressive reservations at the end of a long process of genocide. Conditions weren’t much better for the white working class."
All of the above were initiated and in some case made into law by government.
Ron Paul opposes this type of immoral government. the same type we have today.
The same government you are shilling for… killing babies with drone bombs around the world.
I hate pure democracy as well. The majority should never be able to strip away the rights of the minority.
This article made me laugh. God your a moron.
Democracy does suck.
Here, let's start a democracy: Me, my friend, and you.
"Let's pass a law. Who wants to slaughter Rob Parry, and then take his money?"
2 – 1
PRAISE DEMOCRACY!
Garbage article complete with garbage title. Anything for a paycheck though, right?
…and how long will the garbage headline stay up on Google when you search "Ron Paul?"
You are really confusing the modern day "conservative" with what Ron Paul is. He loves freedom, and condemns oppression.
Also, next time try not to be so one sided…it was gross. Your just another blind one :/
What a conniving devil you are! Ron Paul does NOT believe in the majority ruling the minority, a system of gov't better known as democracy. He absolutely does not believe an oligarchy, where a few despotic men/women (like GW Bush or Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton) run roughshod over and terrify the people. On the contrary, Ron Paul believes in and calls for a Republic and he has said so countless times. A REPUBLIC!! Look it up if you don't know what that is, you halfwit!!!
I have ideas.
Let's wait until US currency is so inflated that Parker Brothers are putting it into their game boxes because it's cheaper than manufacturing Monopoly money. Let's NOT(!) audit the Fed.
Let's pretend Congress isn't a bunch of special interest yes-men and women.
Let's pretend gays and lesbians don't have the right to marry because of some endless idiotic conservative obsession.
Let's pretend the federal government is a boundless cornucopia that can solve everyone's problems.
Let's pretend our national defense requires we spend lives and trillions of dollars fighting desert wars on the other side of world when we can't even control our own borders.
I hate to write it but some people would say it all sounds good to them.
I thought journalism should be unbiased and should present both sides of the story. If your even have half the brain you will know that you are wrong and that all you said was baseless crappy ignorant moronic opinion. Why don't you defen your article right here, right now? Awwwww….he can't, because it's just a stupid hit piece…
This was weak. Try harder next time.
Ron Paul has done a lot of good work at educating the electorate. Ron Paul supporters will not be fooled by any other politician. Ron Paul turned me on to Hayek, Rothbard, Von Mises and other brilliant economists who understand that government needs to be kept in check. This author is a tool and I would suggest he start writing more facts so that he doesn't have to use his opinion as often.
His opinion is very wrong.
I see the Ron Paul cultists are out in droves…can't wait for the mass suicide that will take place when Dear Leader hitches a ride on the Great Liberty Train in the sky.
Mr. Robert Parry,
Do you have any idea how big of an idiot you made of yourself?
http://www.c4cg.org/republic.htm
"A Republic, if you can keep it." – Benjamin Franklin, when asked by a woman while he was leaving the Constitutional Convention what kind of government they had given us.
"To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race." – Calvin Coolidge
"The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." – Thomas Jefferson
“We are a Republican Government. Real liberty is never found in despotism or in the extremes of Democracy.” – Alexander Hamilton
"[the framers of the Constitution] intended our government should be a republic, which differs more widely from a democracy than a democracy from a despotism.” – Congressman Fisher Ames
“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.” – from the US Constitutitution
"I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands." – from the Pledge of Allegiance
“The honest and serious student of American history will recall that our Founding Fathers managed to write both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution without using the term ‘democracy’ even once. No part of any of the existing state Constitutions contains any reference to the word. [The men] who were most influential in the institution and formulation of our government refer to ‘democracy’ only to distinguish it sharply from the republican form of our American Constitutional system.” – Clarence Manion – Dean of Notre Dame Law School 1950's
“Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos,” – John Marshall – US Supreme Court Chief Justice
"In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." – Thomas Jefferson
"Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy." – Ron Paul
"Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms." – Aristotle
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Democracy, in its best state, is but the politics of Bedlam; while kept chained, its thoughts are frantic, but when it breaks loose, it kills the keeper, fires the building, and perishes.” – Fisher Ames
"Liberty has never lasted long in a democracy, nor has it ever ended in anything better than despotism." – Fisher Ames
“Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” – Oscar Wilde
"Democracy is morose, and runs to anarchy." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians." – Benjamin Disraeli
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” – John Adams
“The one prevailing evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.” – Lord Acton
"The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy. The people do not want virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots." – Elbridge Gerry – Massachusetts, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Member of the Constitutional Convention
You're misunderstanding of how the U.S. government is intended to work is mind-numbing. You act as though it's a dirty secret to dislike true democracy, while not realizing that the Founding Fathers of the country created the Constitution and developed this country as a Constitutional Republic because of the dangers of an actual, true Democracy.
Democracy was a fundamental stepping stone to the creation of a lawful republic, but it's not the be-all-end-all of government. I tend to assume when politicians describe the U.S. as a "democracy", that they must know it's really not that, that it could not be that, and that the viewing public understands that it's really not that, as well. Clearly, I'm wrong. Some people aren't educated enough to understand the real difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic, or the dangers of having a true democracy. And some of those people write articles for newspapers on the internet.
The rest of the article includes some items that actual show why the rule of law in a republic is beneficial over true democracy, some items that are incongruent with the point that's trying to be made, and some items that jump to conclusions that are fairly irrelevant and not directly tied to the overall premise.
But, you know…thanks anyway?
Robert Parry, do yourself a favor…unplug your computer, put down your pen, and never, ever write or type another word for public consumption again. You are the culmination of billions of years of evolution in your specific genetic line, and you shame all those who came before you and (Gods forbid) in future generations by writing slur pieces based in ignorance such as this? Shameful.
Please, don't procreate.
Viva la Republic! over Demo
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. -Benjamin Franklin
When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic. -Benjamin Franklin
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty. -Benjamin Franklin
Please. Do the world a favor and NEVER EVER write AGAIN!!!!
Robert Parry is a Idiot …He doesn't know this country is a Republic. Why don't people research a topic before they write about it? About Ron Paul..you and the people you work for aren't a fraction of the person Ron Paul is.
Is this guy actually getting paid to write this? Go back to serving latte's man you're much better at it.
You truly are a Moron!
This article appears to have been written by a 17-year-old as an assignment for a HS class.
You are comparing to a time where the government used its armies to kill or threaten anyone who had any legitimate complaints and a government that ruthlessly slaughtered the Native Americans and a government that refused to allow blacks to get an education on par with whites. If you knew anything about Ron Paul, you would know that he finds both of these things to be disgusted. These are not problems with capitalism they are a problem with government. In a world without excessive government interference, people are able to protest against businesses without having to worry about the police coming to shoot them, blacks can pursue the level of education that they wish to achieve and minorities aren't slaughtered like cattle for simply existing. Ron Paul doesn't advocate a return to the 1870's, he advocates a future where we are free from the government
This is what you get when you send your kids off to college. Save your hard eaerned money and let them watch MSNBC and CNN. They can get the same education for the price of cable.
assassinate the new world order.
"Paul also revealed himself to be an opponent of “pure democracy” because government by the people and for the people tends to infringe on the “liberty” of businessmen who, in Paul’s ideal world, should be allowed to do pretty much whatever they want to the less privileged."
Does this Parry joker not see any similarity between this and those in power now? Isn't the fed engaging in this now? Aren't the establishment politicians doing this already? Are the politicians and the fed not in bed with big banks and big corporations that take peoples house and jobs while handing out billions to their friends?
Hopefully next time Parry decides to write something he will do some actual thinking and point fingers where they deserve to be pointed and not sound like a 12 year old in his first history or government class.
lol, what idiot wrote this article? Clearly your bias towards Dr. Paul shows as usual with many misinformed writers who don't understand the big picture of liberty and prosperity.