Why you should vote for him:
He’s not the typical Texan. If the most important issue to you is ending the war in Iraq, Ron Paul is the candidate whose plan is the quickest and most straightforward. Rep. Ron Paul opposes the war in Iraq and has been the only Republican candidate to consistently do so from the beginning. He supports the most immediate withdrawal of troops from the Middle East. His radical plans for economic reform draw attention to the way the government spends our money, and compels us to search for better solutions to our economic problems.
Why you shouldn’t vote for him:
While his “no income-tax” plan appeals to people as individuals, it becomes more disturbing when you look at the big picture and all the programs and benefits that our pooled money provides us as a society – benefits which pale in comparison to the amount we would keep as individuals. Paul’s strong dislike for Federal level government leads him to disband as many Federal departments, budgets and programs as possible and return these to state-level control. Because individual states do not have the same resources or budget as Federal programs, this serves to eliminate possibilities, particularly for those who cannot afford to relocate to another state in order to suit their needs. For example, in Paul’s world abortion could either be ensured or outlawed in individual states, and your right to control your body and your future would depend entirely on where you were lucky enough to live or wealthy enough to move.
In economic scenarios, such as energy and health care, his solution is almost always to remove regulations and return control to free market forces, which does not ensure quality or safety, especially in light of his intent to reduce federal power. If corporations have no legal requirement to make their products safe and good quality and no agency to enforce any regulations that do exist, they won’t bother to produce high-quality, safe products. We will have unregulated nuclear development and health insurance companies can deny even more people while taking their money. Paul’s solutions will not help our problems; they’ll just make them worse.
-Ruthie Kelly is a journalism junior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.
