There is one thing that has emerged as consistent during this election season. Whenever an article appears online discussing or even mentioning Ron Paul, there is never a lack of reader commentary on the article. There is usually plenty of support for Dr. Paul in the comment section, but there is also a group of people that leave comments that are not supportive. More than that, these comments are usually geared to say that, if elected, Ron Paul would revert back to some outdated and impossible scenario by today’s standards. These comments, although completely lacking in any fact-based reasoning, underscore the major problem some people have with Ron Paul. He promises real change.
Here are a few examples of some of the comments that I have come across in response to articles about the Ron Paul presidential campaign:
“Ron Paul wants to take us back the good old days. He wants us to return to a time when women couldn’t vote and children were allowed to work in dangerous conditions.”
“Crazy uncle Ron wants to let companies poison the drinking water and destroy the environment.”
“He wants to just let poor people die in the streets if they do not have health insurance.”
Now obviously there is a depth of ignorance in these comments. Any research about Ron Paul would show that none of the above is remotely true. But there is another side to this. There is fear. Fear of real change. One thing Ron Paul is clearly vocal about is the need for people to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. He believes that the government is not the answer to our problems and we should not rely on the government to take care of us from cradle to grave.
Obama was elected based on a happy, abstract “hope and change” campaign. But his “hope and change” campaign didn’t actually promise specific changes and certainly he did not campaign on the condition that people would need to change how they view the role of government. It was a “change” campaign that required no change at all. And with no actual changes to worry about, it was easy for people to rally behind him without any fear. Is it any wonder that the country is no better off today than it was when he took office?
Ron Paul is not just proposing the concept of change. He has laid it all out on his campaign website for all to read. One trillion dollars in real cuts to the budget in year one. A balanced budget in three years. An end to the unconstitutional wars that are un-winnable and do not make us safer. And a government that focuses on what it is supposed to do, namely protecting our borders and our freedoms. These things require real change from not only politicians, but also from the citizens of the country. Change can bring about fear. And fear can spark some totally illogical and irrational statements. But that does not make the change any less necessary.