Be Careful, Ron Paul Is Right On Certain Things

J.J. Jackson | December 29, 2011 

As I have made it abundantly clear, Rep. Ron Paul, while nutty beyond all belief on certain things, is actually right on others. Although Ron Paul is not qualified to be President based on his nutty stances and his various hypocrisies, this is a lesson my fellow, self-professed, “conservatives” would do well to remember.

By way of demonstration I would like to present this email from Lydia in Wyoming:

I think you are right when you say that Ron Paul is just too out there to be President. As a conservative I agree with a lot of his economic philosophy but his foreign policy is just well NUTS. And then there is his stance on legalizing drugs? Is this man serious? Drugs destroy lives and families and everyone should be prevented from taking them but Paul wants to let people get high if they want to? That’s just dumb.

Actually Lydia, it’s not “dumb”. It’s conservative. I know, common, but wrong, wisdom is that supporting the decriminalization of drug use is a liberal position. It is not. Supporting the legalizing of drugs so that one can them self can take them to escape from a reality that is unpalatable is a liberal position. On the other hand, believing that currently illegal drugs should be legalized so that poor, pathetic souls who want to take them to escape from reality because they cannot cope, i.e. liberty, is right in line with conservative/libertarian ideology and the belief in limited government intrusion into the lives of others.

Now, as I and other conservatives have said before that if someone steals money to do drugs or commits other crimes while under the influence of these drugs, i.e. harming others, then that should be punished. But if they are doing no such thing they should be allowed to light or shoot up any drug they choose which makes them feel better. And “destroying a family” is not a crime. Other crimes such as assault, battery and neglect may be committed during the course of that destruction and those should be prosecuted if they happen.

But, J.J. you whine, such acts alone harms families and society as a whole and must be prevented. Well, they certainly can. But that is not a carte blanche statement of fact. Consider this. A man and his wife opt not to work. They and their with three children live in poverty while they tool around the countryside in a dilapidated van and panhandle for just enough money to scrape by. They are certainly causing harm to others and society. Their sloth drains resources while they produce nothing in return and their children, while fed and clothed are certainly not in what would normally be considered a standard and stable home that is what is best for them. But should this man and this woman be forced to work because of this? No. That is not the government’s role. You cannot force them to get up every morning and go do “something” other than what they are already doing. The state may intercede on the behalf of the children if they are found to be harmed but only in limited ways, such as allowing relatives who are actually responsible to adopt the children and get them away from these lazy souls.

Conservatism means letting people making their bed and then allowing them to lie in it. That is a lesson many “conservatives” need to learn. Otherwise, when they try to engage in social engineering of society such as on the issue of drug use they show themselves to be the big government liberals that they are on such issues. Because true conservatives, unlike what Newt Gingrich believes, do not engage in social engineering.

Copyright © 2006-2011
J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the Pittsburgh Conservative Examiner for Examiner.com. He is also the owner of The Right Things - Conservative T-shirts & Gifts. His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at LibertyReborn.com (Digital Fingerprint: libertyreborn123456789)


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