Let Us Set a Different Course

TEXAS CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL, like Dixie herself, extends to the United States an alternative pattern to the misguided, broken notions that have plagued it throughout the modern era. Mr. Paul’s ideas are not new. They are shaped by the perspectives and principles possessed by America’s Founders and the authors of the federal Constitution. He is the best choice for president in 2012.

We heartily agree with Ron Paul with regards to the poisonous effect that the Federal Reserve has had on our monetary policy. Opposition to a national bank has deep roots in American history, and it is telling that such a position has been relegated to the fringe of public discourse. It is imperative to our present economic health to retreat from the 20th Century ideas about currency that was never truly sustainable even when it took hold.

We heartily agree with Ron Paul with regard to limiting the federal government. Mr. Paul’s proposals to cut government have been the boldest and most refreshing of any of the candidates vying for the Republican nomination. A minimalist approach, such as has been proposed by former governor Mitt Romney, will fail as it has in the past.

On foreign policy, we yet again agree with Ron Paul. Mr. Paul does not propose authentic isolationism, but an end to an empire that has military bases over the entire world and has involved us in virtually every foreign entanglement imaginable. Mr. Paul seeks to restore the wisdom of George Washington’s farewell address to our foreign policy. Back when we were truly a republic, this was not only plausible, but universally lauded. Why it is so radical and roundly criticized now is astonishing.

The time has likely past for a candidate such as Ron Paul to rise to the presidency of the United States. But the fact that the discussion is even taking place is encouraging. We suspect most Americans do not possess the foresight or historical perspective to make the choice, but we can hope.

A Long-term Mistake

IF CONGRESS SETS THE PRECEDENT of conceding to the executive branch the authority to raise the debt ceiling, it will have ramifications that will impact the United States for centuries. Republics almost always experience decline when the legislature parcels out its authority to a single individual. But this is never more true when matters come to the purse-strings. 

In the seventeenth century, Oliver Cromwell and the ”Round-heads” were only relevant in the discussion of public worship and the proliferation of the Bible because Parliament possessed the power to cut off Charles I’s funding of the wars he wished to fight. With that power, Cromwell and the Puritans were able to force the issue to the front and center of Charles Stuart’s political (and actual) life. 

Granting Barack Obama authority to raise the debt ceiling means Congress must be prepared for other presidents to do the same. Mitch McConnell’s gamble is that the president will raise the ceiling, Republicans will vote against it, and Mr. Obama will absorb the full impact of the negative political consequences in November 2012.

It may or may not work in the short-term. But it will almost certainly weaken Congress in the long-term. No wonder President Obama is so eager to accept Senator McConnell’s plan. That alone should indicate to the senator that there is more at stake than the next election.