THE REAL RON PAUL

From the Houston Chronicle:

Some Galveston officials miffed by Paul's no vote on Ike aid

Some Galveston officials aren't too pleased with their congressional representative, Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, for voting against the $22.8 billion disaster recovery aid package on Wednesday.

"That's sad. That's bad," City Manager Steve LeBlanc said.

"I find it very distressing," said Councilwoman Karen Mahoney, who represents the West End of the island, where damage was extreme. "He's voting against aid for the region that he represents? I don't find that very representative."

And

Eight of the Houston area's nine lawmakers voted for the bill, with the exception of Paul. His spokeswoman, Rachel Mills, said Thursday that the congressman did not vote for the bill because it contained other "unconstitutional" provisions, which she did not specify.

Paul is famous for his consistent positions on limited government and low taxes. His views have drawn a vocal grass-roots following across the country.

Reactions among Galvestonians were mixed.

"That's not too good," said Mareia Schreiber while shaking out water-soaked artwork. "It feels kind of bad for the citizens of Galveston."

But other residents said Paul's vote didn't bother them. "We've worked hard all our lives," said Gene Lossow. "We take care of ourselves. I don't need FEMA or anything else. We got insurance."

More here.

A few observations:

1. This is the real Ron Paul. He's been a Libertarian, even when he's a Republican, for many years. Libertarians believe the government should do nothing except build roads, maintain a court and police system, and keep a military force only to be used if our borders are actually invaded. Seriously. They're total kooks, utterly disdainful of the complexities of modern existence, pushing a civic philosophy that has a serious chance of functioning only in pre-industrial societies.

Voting against disaster relief for his own constituents is thoroughly in keeping with his entire record as a politician. That doesn't make it right, but the majority in his district who voted him into office have absolutely no room to complain--this is what they get.

2. This Gene Lossow character, the Galvestonian who "take[s] care of [himself]," is fairly typical of the Libertarian point of view: we're all on our own; if you're in distress it's your own fault for not being prepared for every conceivable emergency; don't take my money; don't ask for help; fuck you. I'll be the first to admit that such an attitude probably works pretty well out on the range, or in the Yukon, or the Outback, or in some Robert Heinleinesque future Mars colony or the like, but the reality is that most of us are at the mercy of the vast concentrations of wealth and political power known as corporations, which are run by the wealthy elites who own the country--most of us cannot possibly be prepared for every conceivable emergency. We really do need Big Government to take care of us.

3. I continue to be amazed by Ron Paul's left wing popularity. I mean, he's clearly a nice guy and all, and it's hard not to like his anti-war views, but that's all incidental. His Libertarian philosophy is ultimately the exact opposite of everything the left believes. He would have the strong rule the weak, and too fucking bad because that's freedom. Well, okay, not really, but that's what these Libertarian loonies think. Clearly, all these dumbass hippie kids who love Ron Paul aren't really listening to what he has to say.

Score a few more points for American ignorance and apathy. Filthy goddamned hippies...

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