Presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, discussed the war in Iraq, monetary reform and entitlement programs as he presented his Libertarian platform to students this Saturday at an event sponsored by the College Republicans.
Paul, often referred to as "Dr. No" for his opposition to most government regulation and spending bills, prides himself in his strict interpretation of the Constitution. Among some of his goals are abolishing the income tax and the IRS, ending birthright citizenship to discourage the migration of illegal immigrants and repealing the Patriot Act.
"We're ignoring the Constitution and I think that's why we're in such trouble," Paul said.
Paul argued for a return to the text of the Constitution, to rule of law and to American heritage and tradition. He referenced the war in Iraq as a departure from tradition and the tenets of the Constitution.
"Since 9/11, we've occupied two Muslim countries and we're on the verge of doing a third," Paul said.He believes there to be a 50 percent chance that the United States will take military action of some form against Iran in the next few months.
Paul, who has taken a firm stand against the war from the beginning, criticized current foreign policy, which he said was not designed to protect national security but instead to police the world.
"We're not supposed to go to war to enforce U.N. resolutions," Paul said.
When asked if he thought leaving Iraq would cause more unrest, Paul said that he believed that withdrawing the troops would lead instead to more security in the region and lower oil prices.
"If it said in the news we were going to leave Iraq and Iran alone, I think oil would drop $20," Paul said, though he conceded this may just be his optimism talking.
Paul later spoke about his belief that individuals have a right to freedom and to the fruits of their labor, but not necessarily to government entitlement programs or to national education.
"We've lost faith that free people will take care of themselves and [they have] come to depend on the government," he said.
Paul is in favor of abolishing the Department of Education. He said that an amendment outlining the need for equality in education ought to be added to the Constitution if Americans want it.
Paul, who is also a supporter of returning to the gold standard as a monetary system, discussed his distrust of the Federal Reserve and the excessive printing of dollars, which he believes is lowering the American standard of living.
"We as a country have done the unthinkable: turned the authority to print money to a secretive Federal Reserve System," Paul said.
When asked about his religious beliefs, Paul said that the government should not be in the business of promoting personal virtue.
"My religious values should reflect on my personal behavior. But those are your beliefs and that's it. The government should butt out," Paul said.
Paul's campaign, which has proven successful on the internet, has grown faster than he previously expected. Although he and his campaign managers expected to collect only $500,000 in private donations, Paul said that they now expect to raise over a million dollars.
Some speculate over whether his internet supporters will vote in the coming election, however, and his online popularity has not translated into broad public support, according to recent polls.
"The only poll that counts is the one at the voting booth," Paul responded.
Paul ran for president in the 1988 election as the Libertarian candidate, though he kept his affiliation to the Republican Party.
