Amanda Michel wrote:
>>>He followed that up by declaring "I don't
>>>want to run the economy. I don't know how
>>>to." (That seems a bit of a worrisome
>>>statement from a candidate confident enough
>>>to offer a campaign t-shirt emblazoned
>>>with "Abolish the Fed.")

Some people believe in a free market and free economy in which people are allowed to compete and to choose.
Other people, like Amanda Michel, believe in centralized planning (socialism) in which the government runs the economy.
Amanda seems to believe that the government knows what is best for each of us, and should control the economy.

In healthcare, education, energy, and other industry, the government should compete with private enterprise. To find out whether crimes are being planned, the government should listen in randomly on phone calls. My healthcare needs and my doctor should be decided upon and paid for by Washington. The price of farm goods ought to be set by Congress. Federal judges should decide important moral and philosophical questions for everyone else. Federal bureaucrats should plan my children's school curriculum.

Attention Americans: We're living Herbert Hoover's worst nightmare. If you approve, Ron Paul is *not* your candidate.

Bgodley: "Our troubles will not be defeated by force they will be defeated by thought - man's greatest weapon."

Best. Quote. Ever.

What remains curiously unspoken by pundits is the alternative to Ron Paul's Hayekian gambit. Some day Real Soon Now (TM) someone in the Chinese, Russian, or Japanese central banks are going to pull the trigger and either STOP showing up to buy US Treasury certificates, or show up in the international markets to DUMP US Treasury certificates. When this happens, the other two major buyers are going to race each other to the auction and dump their currency reserves as well, perhaps in favor of metals or the Euro and we can kiss our collective lifestyles good-bye.

We need to prevent that from happening. And that means complete cessation of currency devaluation. No more printing fiat currency. Let the market correct itself. That means no bailing out Wall Street banks. It means no bailing out the "subprime" mortgage borrowers who can't pay back their debts. Let people work it out with their creditors. Bailing out borrowers gives creditors little reason to participate in the market and only makes credit more scarce for tomorrow's new homebuyers (hint: today's 20-somethings).

If you go out binge drinkin on New Year's Eve, the federal government doesn't come by in the morning to fix what ails you, does it? But that's what we want for our easy-money hangovers. Recessions are market hangovers caused by excessive devaluation of the currency that leads to easy access to credit, bad investments, and bursting bubbles. Don't like recessions? Then stop inflation and force people to invest more responsibly. Ron Paul style.

Libertarianism is no mirage, is it the natural progress of American political thought. In case you hand't noticed the Cold War is over and socialism is dead, so is Marx. Our generation sees no reason to worship the ghost of FDR, he was just a socialist apologist, and Reagan walked in his shadow.

Actually, I think quite a few of Ron Paul's supporters could explain why the gold standard is a good idea. (Technically he doesn't advocate a gold standard specifically - but rather a currency backed by something of value).

This is important so that a person that works for 1 hour gets paid for 1 hour's worth of work. As it stands currently, the Fed can, at will, devalue that time you spent working by watering down the currency. So that hour you worked at the beginning of the year is only worth 40 minutes at the end of the year - and you got nothing for it. This is what the fed is doing.

If you have ever wished you could be somewhere else, but find yourself working -- the very least you can expect is that the value of your labor holds. The Fed is robbing people not just of money, but time spent with families, vacations, etc.

With a gold standard, the Fed could not arbitrarily dilute the currency, and thus could not covertly steal the product of your labor.

I think a lot more people realize this than are given credit.

Thank you for the article, though. Very thought-provoking.

You know what would be really nice if everyone would also add their age to this forum. I'm 61 so I have some history watching politics and I have also been on both sides of the fence. There is no fence anymore, both parties are about making and spending money but not really protecting you and your rights. I don't agree with everything Ron Paul may say, but I like what he says more than any other candidate and his voting record proves would prove that.

Well, I know most who will read this article support Paul so the undertones are probably going to fall on "deaf ears".

For those that wish some accuracy I will set a couple of things straight. This idea of Paul being at 1% national is wholly inaccurate. There isn't virtually a single poll that says that. However, the MOST RECENT national poll from Rasmussen puts Paul at 7% with the leader being only at 16% (McCain). The CLOSEST gap since the starting of the race.

This idea of Paul's policy not being functional is an apparency. Everything is based upon agreement. When enough people agree that such and such should happen, well that is what happens. Many people including existing legislators have changed their tune because of his candidacy. The more that these economic troubles come to roost, the longer the war drags out, the more Paul's positions will become salient in everyone's mind.

Our troubles will not be defeated by force they will be defeated by thought - man's greatest weapon.

The only true part of your statement, Waiguoren, is that you discern little. Allow me to quote Bastiat's 'The Law' if I may.

Socialism, like the old policy from which it emanates, confounds Government and society. And so, every time we object to a thing being done by Government, it concludes that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of education by the State — then we are against education altogether. We object to a State religion — then we would have no religion at all. We object to an equality which is brought about by the State then we are against equality, etc., etc. They might as well accuse us of wishing men not to eat, because we object to the cultivation of corn by the State.

We are not against helping other citizens. In fact, it is a moral imperative. However, the role of Government is NOT to rob one citizen of his wealth, to give it to another. Charity and goodwill must be voluntary, or else they are worthless...as worthless as the 'mandatory volunteer work' that students are being required to complete before graduating.

You cannot legislate morality. People must be responsible for themselves, and must choose to accept responsibility for their family, friends, and neighbors, but not for the Government to rob them of their wealth, and tell them, "I'm sorry, but us lawmakers in Washington DC decided the money you earned while working would be better spent (insert 'for the children' cause here)."

That might've been money needed for his or her own family, money needed to give charitably to his own neighbors. When the government redistributes your wealth, its called socialism and tyranny. It doesn't MATTER how 'good the cause' is. Its still a fascist thing to do.

"I don't want to run the economy. I don't know how to."

Ms. Michel, these words are 100% accurate and NOT a bit worrisome. The President and/or government SHOULDN'T be running the economy. Or in the case of our Fed today - RUINING is the more appropriate word.

How much did it cost you that last time at the pump? Do you think it will get better with a Dem in office? If so, please enlighten us.

The high prices on everything (NOT imported from China) is a direct result of monetary inflation caused by the Fed.

Be sure to thank them when your credit card bill comes in.

Duhhh! I'll bet that 95% of Paul supporters thoroughly understand the gold standard. It's not rocket science. All it represents is a non-inflationary dollar, like in the US Constitution, backed by some form of precious or semi-precious metal. If intrinsic value was given to the worthless paper we carry in our wallets, then the Fed could not print up billions more worthless paper to bail out bankers and Wall Street. Every dollar they print now, lowers the value of every dollar I possess. For example, the Canadien dollar, never really equal to the US dollar is now worth more than my dollar. The Euro, which traded at 80 cents when GWB took office, now cost me more than $1.60. This is called the inflation tax. It now cost me twice as much to buy anything manufactured in Europe. If the dollar was pegged to gold or silver, this wouldn't have happened. If it did happen, it would be immediately visable to the public which means that a whole lot of Congress Critters would need to start preparing their resumes, because the public would throw them out on their ear. I remember when good quality products were made in America. Ah, but you say that some prices have droopped. Right, today I buy a Chinese shirt, wash it twice, then have to throw it away because it is falling apart. Great quality there. How about someone to run the economy? Should we leave it to the Fed? Right, the guys who destroyed the value of our currency. I believe in free and open markets. Let the economy run itself. When you manage the economy, you end up favoring those big businesses who can afford the best lobbiests. Get rid of the income tax, where a city of 100,000 people will immediately have $2 billion/year injected into their economy. New businesses will start and existing businesses will grow. Unemployment will be wiped out to the point where those looking for work will be holding all the cards. In other words, better pay and benefits.

"If a Paul government ever came to power, they might realize just how little many of them have in common."

Hence the desire for Freedom and Liberty. We don't all want to be Identical and conforming :)

The dollar slid across the board on Friday as data showing a 9 percent decline in sales of new U.S. homes last month heightened concern about the economy, putting the greenback on track for its worst week in more than a year.
The housing report, which was weaker than economists had expected, also bolstered the case for more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2008. Earlier this week, the S&P/Case-Shiller index showed a record decline in U.S. home prices in October.

This is what's happening to YOUR house. All the 'money' and 'equity' you thought you had saved - eliminated! The equity through falling house prices - and the money because we are DEBASING OUR CURRENCY. That low fed rate you're reading about gets created by printing money and lending it to people. With more money, the money YOU have is worth LESS. So your money is worth less and your property is worth less - where can you turn to keep ahead of inflation? I think you BETTER turn to Dr. Paul. He's the ONLY one running that has a HOPE of being able to deal with this.

In a few days this fraud Ron Paul will be forgotten and we'll never need to hear his name again.

From what little I discerned from his ramblings, his idea of government is an entity that must never, under any circumstances, lift a finger to in any way furthur the well-being of the citizens of this country.