As a liberal reading the book The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater — a former Republican presidential candidate — I can understand why his libertarian viewpoints inspired many modern-day libertarians. While I disagree with many of things he wrote, I do find it intellectually stimulating. It’s a shame his brand of libertarianism was marginalized in the Republican Party and replaced with this tea party nonsense. Now many voters across the country are longing for a return to libertarian principles and looking for a leader to take them to their libertarian paradise.
Then I see columns in The Diamondback and a number of media sources around campus dedicated to Ron Paul. I can’t even search one page on Reddit without his name popping up. Paul is no libertarian, and I worry about the large number of students who have dedicated their time in recent weeks to this man they think truly fulfills libertarian viewpoints.
The truth is, Paul is a Republican similar to Ronald Reagan. If you liked Reagan and support the right-wing status quo, then go ahead and support Paul. But for those of you who think by supporting Paul you are supporting someone who wants small government, liberty and something different than what the Republican Party has been spitting out lately, I urge you to examine his record.
Let’s start with the obvious. Libertarians pride themselves on individual liberty — or at least the decreased influence of the federal government. First and Second Amendment rights are prized almost to an extreme. Why then, would a libertarian support the Family Protection Act? This bill, which Paul introduced in August 1980, prohibits federal funds to any organization that suggests homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle. It also requires federally funded abortion centers to notify the parents of unmarried minors in the event the minor requests an abortion, contraceptives or treatment for venereal diseases.
Generally, libertarians don’t trust their government. The government has often been “the oppressor” in the past, especially during the civil rights era. Moreover, school systems have often made minorities feel like outcasts. How does that correlate with Paul’s constitutional amendment to allow prayer in public schools? To his credit, the amendment doesn’t force students to pray, but as a libertarian, do you trust schools in heavily religious districts to happily stand by as students refrain from praying? I’m not even libertarian, and I don’t see that happening.
Of course, there is the gold standard of Paul’s non-libertarian policies. (You’ve got to love puns.) Paul’s views on abortion are a complete contradiction to individual freedom. According to his website, as president, Paul would pass a “Sanctity of Life Act,” defining life as beginning at conception. And while we’re at it, let’s talk about sanctity. The word comes from the Latin “sanctus,” meaning holy. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state, Paul? Surely the federal government legislating on the basis of religion isn’t a libertarian principle.
If you are a libertarian and you actually look at what Paul has put out there, I can’t imagine why you would ever want to support him. You are looking for a libertarian savior — I get that. However, he is by no means your answer. If you are conservative, then maybe it would make sense. But even then, how can you support a candidate who has said time and again he opposes civil rights legislation, while wanting to dismantle the Department of Education? What do you think this would mean for the future of race relations in this country? How can you support someone who wants to put us back on the gold standard, and even introduce competing currencies to the dollar in a constitutionally-questionable act?
I know that we live in scary times, and that many of the candidates out there are pretty crappy. I know that many of you are angry at the current president and dissatisfied with both major political parties. But Paul is no libertarian and he is not even close to what we need right now.
Jon Saltzman is a junior government and politics major. He can be reached at jonnsaltzman@gmail.com.
