5 questions ... for Ron Paul

5 questions ... for Ron Paul
12:02 AM, Oct. 6, 2011
Written by The Des Moines Register
­ Interviewed by Mary Stegmeir


1. You voted for the initial Afghanistan invasion, targeting those who attacked the U.S. on 9/11. Many people view you as a complete pacifist. Are those people correct or is your foreign policy view misunderstood?

A: I don't like war, I like peace -- and we should have a lot more peace and a lot less war -- but I'm not a pacifist. I'm a stickler for the Constitution. If we fought wars only when they were declared, we'd have a lot less fighting. Going after the people who were responsible for 9/11 is a different story. As a matter of fact, I did vote for the authority (to target the 9/11 terrorists), but immediately I realized that the authority would be abused, so I introduced a resolution to re-emphasize the principle of letters of marque and reprisal, which would be the authority to go after specific groups. They used that in our early history to go after the pirates. I thought this would be a good example where you can't declare war against a country, but you can go after a smaller group. So, I was strongly opposed to occupation and taking over countries that had nothing to do with (9/11). Besides, if they were following that logic, they should have invaded Saudi Arabia. Fifteen of (the 9/11 terrorists) came from Saudi Arabia.

2. Could you beat President Obama in a debate?

A: I would have to believe I could (laughs), but I don't go around talking about that. I think that I've been known to be very, very consistent, and he hasn't been. So I think that would be enough to win the debate.

3. Even in a free market, costs for hospitals, doctors, drug and insurance companies can be high. You don't support Obamacare. What could be done to correct that situation?

A: If you take something that is completely out of the government's realm like computers and cellphones and televisions -- even with inflation -- prices go down because there is competition. Can you imagine if there were one (cellphone) company, or if we had government regulations requiring cellphones for everybody? It would have been a rip-off. The corporations would have run it, and prices would have skyrocketed. So there should be more competition in medicine.… There's too many regulations. The drug companies and the insurance companies come in and they control it. They make more money, and patients get poorer medical care, and the doctor-patient relationship is destroyed.… Prices would go down -- even on services -- if the market was allowed to operate. There's not been a market in medicine since 1965 (when Congress adopted Medicare and Medicaid).

4. Is it true that you have nothing to do with lobbyists? If so, why? And is it true that you accept no campaign donations from corporations?

A: I actually take a position where lobbying is petitioning, and you have to protect the right of all citizens to petition the government. But lobbyists generally stay away from me because they know where I stand…. They're not going to change my vote, so they tend not to come to my office.… As far as funding goes, there are some corporations that believe in free markets, so they would send donations. It's just so small compared to everybody else's.

5. You have many positions that do not resonate well with either Republicans or Democrats. Very simply: How would you get anything accomplished if both sides of the aisle are not willing to work with you?

A: In reality, that sets the stage for me because people are sick and tired of a system that doesn't work. Republicans and Democrats are always fighting. I work very well with opposition. I put coalitions together. You take, for instance, auditing the Fed. I had Democrats and Republicans support that. And a lot of Democrats and progressives don't like the foreign policy that we have, and they're unhappy with Obama. Civil liberties is something that both conservatives and libertarians and Democrats are concerned about. So actually, it's a plus to say that the establishment Republicans and Democrats don't agree with a lot of the things I say.… I think the people are closer to my positions than they are to either party's leadership.




www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111006/NEWS/310060054/5-questions-for-Ron-Paul