Ron Paul Gives His Farewell Address, Touting His Views on Freedom

On Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, took to the floor of the House and gave what he termed his farewell address. Paul is concluding his 36-year career in politics with the end of this Congress.

Paul, a different kind of congressman

In some ways, in his farewell address, Paul seemed to suggest that his career has been a failure. He noted that there are no important pieces of legislation that bear his name and no named landmarks. These are things he regards as a virtue, however. He did note that despite his decades of fighting against it, the growth of government has gone unabated. Wars and poverty remain unchecked.

Paul restates his political philosophy

Paul spent the greater part of his farewell address restating his political philosophy. He promoted the maintenance of an economy that is based on "Freedom, private property, and enforceable voluntary contracts." He decried government policies that attack those foundations, including wealth redistribution, catering to special interests, profligate spending, and enormous debt. He attacked the Federal Reserve and what he terms "undeclared wars" being waged by the United States as well as the homeland security regime. He also attacked laws that he says attack individual freedom, such as restrictions on the use of medical marijuana and the production of raw milk. Paul took an indirect swipe against the state of Israel and its supporters with a mention of AIPAC, the American-Israel Political Action Committee.

Paul offers some solutions to the current crisis

Paul, besides complaining of the dolorous state of America, offered some solutions in his farewell address. He called for people to change their hearts, to take on the attitudes of tolerance and nonaggression. He believes that a free society is impossible without a moral people who believe in freedom. His vision for America is that of a country that lives under a greatly limited government that eschews the use of force to change people's behavior, either at home or abroad.

Paul finishes his career as a congressman and as a perennial presidential candidate

Paul, as has been noted, has been a congressman from 1977 to 1985 and again from 1997 to 2012, according to Politifact. Paul ran for president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988, getting less than 0.5 percent of the vote according to Presidential Election Polls. Paul also ran for president in 2008 and again in 2012 on the Republican Party ticket, failing to get the nomination both times.

Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ron-paul-gives-farewell-address-touting-views-freedom-195300275.html

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