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Written by Juliana Simone

New Orleans, LA – Friday afternoon at the Hilton Hotel Riverside’s Grand Ballroom, Presidential Candidate Ron Paul took the stage.

Congressman Ron Paul

The Texas Congressman who is also a medical doctor spoke to an already energized audience following Presidential Candidate Herman Cain. Always with his devotees in tow, most of his remarks and insights were met with cheers of “Ron Paul” throughout his time on stage.

Speaking about the continual assault on our liberties as Americans, Paul talked about how people are sick and tired of being prodded by the TSA at airports, the endless wars around the world, too much taxing, spending and borrowing and how we can’t print money by the Federal Reserve and pretend we have wealth. Like Speaker Newt Gingrich the day before, Paul also called for the Federal Reserve to be audited and to get rid of the Federal Reserve stating how it is the culprit of the housing and financial bubbles. Paul said people that went bankrupt should have gone bankrupt and didn’t deserve to be bailed out by the 5 trillion dollars that was created out of thin air and we the taxpayers will have to pay back 3 trillion of this bail out. The Congressman continued that the Federal Reserve outspends Congress and it needs to be curtailed, because it is the Federal Reserve that will create the inflation tax.

He asked attendees to worry about the next generations but that the most important thing we can give them is to make sure we give them their freedoms back. Dr. Paul proclaimed he believed there should be no nation building and pointed out how, in one instance, (former President) Ronald Reagan admitted if he followed neutrality the Beirut marines that were killed would still be alive. He also quoted Robert McNamara, (a former Secretary of Defense, Officer, Viet Nam strategist, World Bank President, now deceased, who authored books about implemented war strategies and became a liberal darling for reversing his pro-war views and being critical of the Bush administrations invasion of Iraq) who said we need to look at our policies and change our ways. Paul continued in his view, “I say if we have to get in a war, declare war and win it and get it over with.” “It’s up to us to get a President who won’t go to war so carelessly.”

The Texas Congressman told the audience Bin Laden had said he cannot stand occupation and control of their country, just as we wouldn’t either. He said Bin Laden’s stated strategy towards the United States was to bog them down into an endless war and bankrupt them. Ron Paul continued, we’re in five wars right now. We let the Soviet’s self destruct because they spent too much and we didn’t need to go into war with them. Paul said our military is in 130 countries, 900 bases and we’re still building embassies. The embassy in Iraq cost 1 billion dollars to build – who’s going to leave this base, he asked.

China has three trillion in the bank – are they going around building bases in other countries? No, they’re buying oil. We put Shiite’s in control in Iraq who support Iran. We need pro-American foreign policy. He said America needs to get out of the U.N.

We are losing our liberties he told the crowd and proposed getting rid of the FDA and asked if we really needed one. As a Doctor, Paul spoke about drugs and said don’t be stupid about using them and asked about prescription drugs. In addressing marijuana, he said more people smoke it today and some states have legalized the medical use of it. In his profession, he said people on chemotherapy do benefit from it, but we shouldn’t tell people what they can or can’t do.

We have more prisoners than anyone in the world. “I don’t think too many prisoners are the problem – I think too many laws are the problem”, Ron Paul remarked.

Continuing, he proclaimed, we spend too much, borrow too much, print too much (money), and get into debt. The Federal Reserve will not solve the problem. Get government out of the business of regulating. We’d have savings if we changed our tax codes. We have a trillion dollars overseas that stays there to avoid taxation. Corporate tax is a sales tax that is passed on to the consumer.

Congressman Paul also said he would repeal Roe vs. Wade and that it is bad legislation.

“Let’s talk about what a free society is. People need to make their own choices not have the government make choices for them. Think about the first amendment – it legalized freedom of thought. We don’t have a first amendment so we can talk about the weather. You don’t endorse what they have to say – you endorse they have the right to say it. It’s your right, your liberty that comes from your God, not your government.” Freedom brings people together. It’s not authoritarian. Free society is the most productive society.”

Out of 8 thousand years, we’ve only had about 200 years of liberty – and we’re still testing it, but some people are ready to give up on it, Paul reflected. We are more overburdened than ever before by big government. The purpose of life is to strive for virtue and excellence. Fair and economic redistribution cannot be done without hurting your liberties.

In closing, he quoted Samuel Adams and how he talked about brush fire freedom in the minds of mans and how brush fires are starting here and there and everywhere. As a personal accomplishment, Congressman Paul left the stage noticing how ‘people running for office are starting to use our language’ to enthused “Ron Paul” chants and sign waving from his supporters.