Most everyone has heard the saying, “live and let live.” It is simple, and most people would agree with the basic ideology. To believe and support an idea like this requires some understanding of human life. Major ideas that founded Western civilization, like equality under the law and the exclusive power to choose your way of life, are in line with basic human rights.
It is imperative to sustainable liberty to understand the philosophy behind political claims. Going through the basic claims of the Republican hopefuls sheds light on their core philosophies.
Both sides of the political aisle are different from one another, however, a simple look at their actions will show that both are responsible for the massive national debt and great losses in civil liberties.
In economics, the president as well as most of the Republican hopefuls come to an unknowing agreement. While their rhetoric is quite different, it is much more important to pay attention to their actions and beliefs. Jobs programs, corporate bailouts, increased funding for the drug war, unbalanced budgets and no end in sight for more than a decade of war. From this perspective, the only difference between President Obama and hopefuls Romney, Gingrich and Santorum is their form of speech.
Aside from protecting our nation with a military and our rights with the courts, the Constitution says very little about government involvement in the economy and our personal lives. Those that may not care for the Constitution should at least acknowledge that every individual must possess the freedom to run his or her own life.
Freedom cannot be split into pieces. Liberty comes as a package and underlines every aspect of human life —personal and economic.
Republicans today believe in “the conservation of family values,” in other words, they believe they know what types of values are best and hope to further those through government. I would argue that most college students would disagree with the premise that one ruling entity knows what is best for the personal lives of an entire citizenship.
Democrats, on the other hand, claim to know what is best for the economy and how to manipulate it for “the greater good.” This is just the other side of the same coin, an attempt to manipulate others. The results are the same regardless of what political party is in power.
The infection in our political arena is concentrated power. It makes a man believe he has the authority to rule over other people. From the numerous debates in the past year, as well as the one last night, it is clear that only one man stands out from the status quo.
Ron Paul not only argues that he stands for liberty, but his record as a politician is an impeccable illustration of his philosophy.
To put it simply, Ron Paul spoke about his campaign like this: “I'm running on the things I don't want to do. I don't want to run your life, I don't know how to run your life, I don't have the authority to run your life, and the Constitution doesn't permit me to run your life.” I would invite anyone who does not know who they should vote for to consider a free society for a change.
Reach the columnist at calfaro2@asu.edu
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