There is a lot of talk these days about whether or not Ron Paul is a racist. Many of his comments would seem to indicate something like that. With respect to racism, only Paul knows in his heart of hearts what is really true. I do find many of his comments disturbing, because he denies the basis of what we know as our American Republic. We all pool our money to provide us with services and infrastructure that no individual could afford on their own. And we do this by electing representatives who will work out ways to use that money for the common good. So we have roads, bridges, schools, trash collection, clean air, public parklands we can all enjoy, rivers that don't contain mostly sewage, less disease and an enviable standard of living.
Paul wants to chuck all of that, based on a reading of the Constitution that completely denies the progress made by civilization in the last 200 years. And 200 years ago, there were no public roads. Instead, everyone was required to come out on road maintenance day with a shovel and work to maintain the dirt and gravel roads of that era. Would Paul suggest that we could all do that with our superhighways? Would he want us to return to the medicine of 200 years ago, when the proposed "cure" for George Washington's fatal pneumonia was to bleed him? While all other countries regulate their skies, would he want to return America to the time before the Wright Brothers, even though flight was invented here?
Paul's reading of our Constitution reminds me of Osama bin Ladin's deranged reading of the Koran; of a Fundamentalist's belief that the Earth sprang to life, just as it is today, in 4004 BCE (because the Bible says so). Having actually read the writings of James Madison, I would disagree with Paul's literalist interpretation of the Constitution, as Madison also would. While Madison penned most of the document and most of our Bill of Rights, as President, Madison demonstrated a clear understanding that our Constitution was a flexible outline from which progress should be made for the advancement of civilization.
The Press loves to follow Ron Paul because he says such funny things, just as they loved following Jesse Jackson. Both say the darndest things and both are fun to quote. Neither are actually seriously electable, as their ideals are a danger to our American system.
