Has Ron Paul changed your mind on any major issues?

[curtisag]

I thought this would be a neat topic for people to talk about how Ron Paul has changed their views on various issues.

As for myself, I used to support the death penalty, but Ron has convinced me it's just not fair given the way our justice system works. People like OJ Simpson get away with murder and poor people end up being executed. Then there's the problem of DNA evidence after the fact proving people innocent. Plus, even when people are convicted, and justly so, the endless appeals process makes the whole system seem ridiculous.

[travismofo]

There's too many to name. He has helped put almost everything in perspective for me about what the role of government should be. I was an O'Reilly drone for the past 2 years and thought he was just God. Enough said about how Paul has helped change my beliefs.

[davidkachel]

No. He hasn't changed my mind on a single issue. What he has done is convince me there are more than just two cows and a goat out there who agree with me.
Before I heard about RP's campaign I was certain Hillary would be wiping herself with the last of the Constitution... she still might, but at least now I know that many thousands of us will be loudly upset about it even as most Americans cheer it.
I've been standing out there by myself (so I thought) since 1968. You guys have no idea how happy I was to see you after all those years!

(In fairness, though I can't really say Ron Paul has changed my mind about any issues, I do have to admit I've learned a lot from him.)

[Hook]

Ron himself used to support the death penalty, but changed his mind after seeing the end results.

[Mandrik]

He brought clarification. I simply didn't have opinions on many issues until I started to study what he was saying. The way he talked and what he talked about really got me interested. But I'm not one to believe anyone blindly, so I read online, watched videos, read books, and talked to people.

I credit RP as the deliverer of my Red Pill. I wasn't a Bushy or anything before, nor was I really into the media or anything. It was mostly just disgust with everything, and a general feeling of mistrust towards government.

[Lord Xar]

yes. ON our foreign intervention. On our government being hijacked by those who do NOT have America's best interest in hand. And on corruption. I believe that it IS possible to have a transparent government... and Ron Paul will do that.

[Adamsa]

Ron himself used to support the death penalty, but changed his mind after seeing the end results.

Things like DNA evidence technology also influenced that. I see how he changed his mind too, when innocent people are getting executed for crimes they didn't commit...

[Original_Intent]

In a proper justice system I think the death penalty has its place.

He has made me a lot more tolerant towards homosexuals. I have never been a gay hater, but I pretty much agree with the Llibertarian position on this issue.

Other than that I have maybe moderated a couple of my personal opinions, but largely I was already an RP supporter before he even announced.

[Misesian]

Yes. Foreign Policy.

I was essentially an Objectivist though I still have never read Rand and am a devout "Original Intent" Christian.

The more I read about Austrian Economics the less of a warmonger I became essentially because "terrorism" became much less important of an issue to me. I saw that the threat of providing for my family was much higher than that of a muslim extremist blowing me up. Therefore I ingested my red pill and the distrust of government in general sank in. At that point the I then opposed unconstitutional wars but after reading a lot of Ron Paul's TX Straight Articles and hearing his speeches earlier this past winter I became a non-interventionist.

This is how we have to get the neocons. Get them to focus on economic matters, terrorism becomes less of a priority, and they can still vote for Ron Paul. We want their vote, we don't need to change them into becoming Ron Paul overnight!

[DealzOnWheelz]

He has changed my mind on issues such as disolving certain govt agencies.

And monetary policy.


But as far as foreign policy, I've been waiting for someone like him to come along for a while; I've always thought we should mind our own damn business.

[awitelin]

I used to be supportive of strict anti-gun-ownership laws, but I changed my mind after hearing Ron Paul speak in support of the Second Amendment. Something about the way he said things put it in an entirely different perspective for me.

[samtechlan]

Yes, I was never a believer in the Gold standard but Paul has been pretty convincing on that matter.

I am a long time fan of Paul but it was his foreign policy views that first drew my attention. I think his foreign policy views are more correctly viewed as anti-imperialism rather than just anti-war. He wants to radically reform the establisment interventionist foreign policy that has dominated this country for the last 100 years. It is a lot more than just ending the Iraq war.

[user]

I'm not sure he's changed my mind on any major issues, but his writing is always informative.

[runderwo]

He changed my mind on Immigration. You don't reward people who choose to break the law, even if you disagree with the laws, as long as the law itself is legal. Plus, it just makes sense. A welfare state and open borders are mutually exclusive -- unless you want to have to carry your papers around with you. Ending the welfare state is a far more laborious process than simply guarding the borders and consistently performing immigration status checks as the course of doing business with the government, regardless of skin color. So until the welfare state is ended, make it tough for illegals to freeload off us citizens paying both explicit taxes like the income tax and implicit taxes like the inflation tax.

[Corydoras]

He changed my mind on Iraq.
Before, I wanted us to get out of Iraq because we are not getting anything out of the war. I wouldn't have minded staying if we were actually getting some benefit from it, because from the very beginning I knew it was about oil and I viewed (and still view) oil as a vital national interest.
But now, I want us to get out of Iraq because it is provoking unrest in the Middle East, and because it was started without a declaration, and now I think we never should have gone.

[JordanL]

Yes. I was a staunch supporter of Iraq once upon a time. No longer.

[DRV45N05]

Somewhat on immigration and abortion.

[cien750hp]

Iraq, and our interventionism foreign policy. I used to believe, being young and naive, that they hate us for our freedom. I knew they never attacked us and weren't responsible for 9/11, but that we were helping them. I never thought of thinking things from the perspective of what if someone was doing it to us and liberating us, while policing us too. We would fight. And that Bin Laden gave reasons for attacking us, not the reasons our government told us they did.

Also, the roll of government. Im only 15, I've never experienced anything less than Bush really. I viewed the government as a huge power you fear and controls you, while taking alot of your money and does everything for the world because thats just their job. Though, now I realize how huge and unnecessary alot of the things the government does are, and that we aren't responsible for the rest of the world. The governments job is not to support other nations, if you want to do that with all the money youre going to save on your taxes and start a charity, more power to you, but thats not what should be done with taxes. Ron Paul has really changed my views, making me realize i need my freedoms back and we're going to be stuck with no social security after paying all our lives, and trying to get rid of the national debt, all while being spied on, thats after being drafted into Iraq. yay!

Ron Paul (mainly the message itself though) is my new god.

[jake]

he's made me rethink my stance on abortion, in that it does NOT make sense to take a one-size (Federal law) approach to the issue; and despite his own personal pro-life stance, by strictly adhering to the constitution, it is infact the stats prerogative in regards to abortion law.

[AdoubleR]

He changed my mind on Iraq.
Before, I wanted us to get out of Iraq because we are not getting anything out of the war. I wouldn't have minded staying if we were actually getting some benefit from it, because from the very beginning I knew it was about oil and I viewed (and still view) oil as a vital national interest.
But now, I want us to get out of Iraq because it is provoking unrest in the Middle East, and because it was started without a declaration, and now I think we never should have gone.


Are you serious or is this a joke? The Iraq war is cool so long as it serves national interest? Do you really view the world this way?

[Anti Federalist]

No, he hasn't changed my mind on much of anything.

I've pretty much been where I am right now for the last ten years or so.

But as another poster already noted, it's nice to see it's not just me, a few guys with big belt buckles in Montana, and an organic farmer out there.

Freedom IS popular, and it's a glorious sight to behold. (this is the edit)

I've dumped the "pro death penalty" stance, realizing that many of those faced with death by the state are in the worst position to defend themselves, and hundreds on death row have been found innocent over the years.

I don't trust government to fix a freakin' pothole, I damn sure am not willing to trust them with another man's life.

That's led me to be more understanding of issues that affect blacks and other "minorites" (not sure that word has much meaning anymore given current demographic trends).

Those on the "fringe" or those in a "minority" are those who feel the club of government, which is going to hit everybody soon, first.

[MGreen]

I wouldn't say he changed my mind on much (I still feel the same about abortion, for instance), but he has made me think of things I'd never considered. I always thought we should have lower taxes, but I never even considered the idea of abolishing the income tax altogether.

[JordanL]

Are you serious or is this a joke? The Iraq war is cool so long as it serves national interest? Do you really view the world this way?

What he's saying is he used to. :)

I did as well, and those days are behind me. Liberty is a hard call to ignore, no matter how brainwashed you used to be.

[james1844]

For me, its enough that he will end the war in Iraq. That situation has been a debacle from day one.

[10thAmendmentMan]

He tuned me in to monetary policy. He also inspired me to do more reading which have made me shift my ideas on a number of philosophical issues.

Edit: james1844 and I have the exact same number of posts.

[akovacs]

Nothing really, though he's made me much more forceful for gold (I ended up buying some after seeing the prices increasing over time). He's also clarified issues that I somewhat agreed on, but didn't really care about and so couldn't argue it effectively. He's perhaps radicalized me a bit more than I would otherwise be as well.

He's also given me hope for the country. I was about ready to hunker down and make sure I was well prepared for the mess that was (and still is) about to collapse around me.

Anti Federalist: I think the death penalty should be kept, but reserved for politicians :P

[AdoubleR]

What he's saying is he used to. :)

I did as well, and those days are behind me. Liberty is a hard call to ignore, no matter how brainwashed you used to be.

Thanks JordanL... I love Ron Paul even more now!

[Misesian]

Are you serious or is this a joke? The Iraq war is cool so long as it serves national interest? Do you really view the world this way?

He's saying Ron Paul CHANGED HIS MIND on this matter. What are you attacking him for?

[Anti Federalist]

akovacs wrote:


Anti Federalist: I think the death penalty should be kept, but reserved for politicians

Tar and Feathers are too good for 'em.:mad:

[AdoubleR]

He's saying Ron Paul CHANGED HIS MIND on this matter. What are you attacking him for?

We posted at the same time :). And no, I didn't attack the gentleman. I guess it was my ignorance that shocked me... But for what it's worth, I'm glad it's in the past... And I have a deeper appreciation of Ron Paul now...

[Misesian]

We posted at the same time :). And no, I didn't attack the gentleman. I guess it was my ignorance that shocked me... But for what it's worth, I'm glad it's in the past... And I have a deeper appreciation of Ron Paul now...

How did you post at the same time when you quoted him? Not sure what you mean but glad you realize this is what Ron Paul changed him on.

[transistor]

he's completely changed my view of everything... i used to be sympathetic to neocons

[ronpaulfan]

He changed my mind about abortion. Watch this if you have a strong stomach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k-me7FdnYg

[Ethek]

he's completely changed my view of everything... i used to be sympathetic to neocons

I always in my heart sided with Dr. Paul's views. This country is the best in the world because I was born into a system that enables me to keep the Government the hell out of my life. I was born to support Ron Paul for president!

[James R]

I thought this would be a neat topic for people to talk about how Ron Paul has changed their views on various issues.

As for myself, I used to support the death penalty, but Ron has convinced me it's just not fair given the way our justice system works. People like OJ Simpson get away with murder and poor people end up being executed. Then there's the problem of DNA evidence after the fact proving people innocent. Plus, even when people are convicted, and justly so, the endless appeals process makes the whole system seem ridiculous.

He changed my mind on a lot of things, especially:
1. Get rid of the federal reserve.
Initial reaction: "You're nuts!".
After thinking about it: "You're certainly right!"

2. Get rid of the income taxes.
Initial reaction: "Wow this guy is nutty! How did he get into the debate?"
After thinking about it: "Well, he's actually right."

3. Get rid of department of education.
Initial reaction: "What are you thinking!"
After thinking about it: "Maybe he is right" (still not fully decided)

[user]

He changed my mind on a lot of things, especially:
1. Get rid of the federal reserve.
Initial reaction: "You're nuts!".
After thinking about it: "You're certainly right!"

2. Get rid of the income taxes.
Initial reaction: "Wow this guy is nutty! How did he get into the debate?"
After thinking about it: "Well, he's actually right."

3. Get rid of department of education.
Initial reaction: "What are you thinking!"
After thinking about it: "Maybe he is right" (still not fully decided)
I'm surprised by this because #3 is the most obvious and closest to the mainstream for me. As Ron Paul has said, even Reagan said he wanted to get rid of the Department of Education. Reagan is about as mainstream neocon as you can get.

[Ready2Revolt]

He has opened my eyes to such evils rather then change them.

Shortly before finding out about the RP I watched Money Masters. He was featured in that movie so I consider him to be one of the people who informed me of the fact we are getting robbed.

He has opened my eyes to the extent of what the federal government is supposed to be accountable for.

I thought I was the only one who thought like he does on foreign policy.

I still disagree with him on Nationalized Healthcare and Subsidized Education. I still believe in order to be truely free we need to be of sound mind and body. It should be free to everyone, the debt that is incurred because of these two can be crippling.

[Marceline88]

He changed my mind on welfare. I used to be a bleeding heart type....steal from the rich to feed the poor, I guess you could say. Although I still have a heart of compassion, I now understand that forced redistributing of wealth goes against the very principles of freedom I hold dear.

The way that Ron Paul put it that made me "get it" was that you can't have the welfare state without the warfare state. They are one and the same....it's all big government and it all destroys personal liberty.

[hard@work]

This might sound corny and simple but he made me believe we have a real shot at getting Christmas back for everyone. That maybe we don't need to fight over whether or not we should have trees up and decorations and all that jazz. Just really, Merry Christmas!

:)

I miss just plain ole' Christmas.

[aroberso]

I used to be a neocon and think the US was invincible. After 9/11, I wanted someone to pay and supported going after the Taliban in Afghanistan. I trusted that we had good reason to go into Iraq as well, but then I started losing my way (or so I thought).

I already knew the welfare state is an absolute failure because I have been a service-provider for several State Human Services agencies. The government does a terrible and wasteful job of providing handouts to people who would be better off without it (for the most part). I've just seen millions wasted, and given away to politically connected criminals. I've been asked for bribes. I've met with lobbyists and they disgust me.

I also drifted away from Christianity. I repsect my upbringing certainly, but personally just couldn't support what I thought the church stood for, especially as I saw so much racism and warmongering being proliferated there.

I lived a couple of years in Santa Fe, NM and there were people demonstrating on the streets there from day 1 of the Iraq war. I thought the were wrong initially, but end the end my eyes were opened on that front as well. When I officially registered as an Independent, that was a monumental step for me.

I started having my family do good works instead of going to church. I did more talking about works than actually doing good works, but my family and I spent last Thanksgiving visiting an assisted living community and spending time with people who would otherwise have been alone and sad.

It wasn't until the last 5 months or so that I began to realize how things worked in the world, and became increasingly concerned aobut the energy situation, and came to my own conclusions about why we went to Iraq in the first place. In my opinion, it was a demented attempt to keep oil trading in US dollars (petrodollars) and to potentially secure a US oil supply in preparation for the impending crisis. I think the Bush administration sees any attempt to move away from greenbacks for petrodollars as economic warfare.

Anyway, Dr. Paul just crystalized the whole thing for me, and helped me to further see the light and really GET the big picture of what is happening here. I have just come to this conclusion, and the Good Doctor saw it coming 30 years ago.

He has helped me to understand the importance of sound money.

He has helped me to understand that a big foreign policy results in a big domestic policy, and neither one is good.

He has helped me to understand that policing the world makes no sense.

He has helped me to understand that I can/should take care of myself and to realize there is no safety net.

He has helped me to realize that if we do not elect him President, that this country is in for a world of hurt.

He has helped me to realize that the rest of the world wants us to leave them alone. Soon, we may be wishing they would leave us alone.

This has been such an enlightenment for me, that I am obsessed with getting the Good Doctor's message to everyone I talk to, and to do anything I can to get him elected President.

I wish us all the best of luck in doing so.

If you are still reading, thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

[mwkaufman]

He moved me quite a lot towards the pro-life position. After thinking about it though, I'm still pro-choice and would not support a lot of the legislation he has introduced, stuff like defining life at conception. While I believe life does start at conception, I don't believe that not letting a baby feed off you is murder. Some things like partial birth abortions as he describes, throwing the baby in the trash, is definitely murder in my opinion though.

He's probably a tad too anti-government interference at home and abroad, but it's way better than everyone else who is way off on the other side on these issues.

Ron Paul doesn't embody me, but I think he would be a terrific President for this country.

[American]

Freedom to Fascism movie has sent me on a trip down the worm hole and when I come out of the many stages or disbelief, anger, fear there was Ron Paul talking to me and how he wanted to change it all.

I was sold, and hooked ever since. I was raised a Democrat and just "accepted" certain things as "what are you gonna do" until that movie and the message of liberty and Ron Paul.

Every issue we really face is about money and power. If we can drive the money issue to as many people as we can they will certainly follow.

[aroberso]

Freedom to Fascism movie has sent me on a trip down the worm hole and when I come out of the many stages or disbelief, anger, fear there was Ron Paul talking to me and how he wanted to change it all.

I was sold, and hooked ever since. I was raised a Democrat and just "accepted" certain things as "what are you gonna do" until that movie and the message of liberty and Ron Paul.

Every issue we really face is about money and power. If we can drive the money issue to as many people as we can they will certainly follow.

Is that the kind of movie I could find at Blockbuster? I need to see that one. I need to keep drinking the Kool-Aid. ;-)

[Ready2Revolt]

Is that the kind of movie I could find at Blockbuster? I need to see that one. I need to keep drinking the Kool-Aid. ;-)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5355374476580235299&q=Freedom+to+Fascism&total=921&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Free on Google

When your done google "Money Masters" for info about the Federal Reserve.

[Karsten]

Somewhat on immigration and abortion.

Me too. I was a Libertarian Party Member before I switched to Republican to support Ron Paul in this election. The LP is open borders and basically pro-choice. But now I'm for border security and pro-life. How can you disagree with Ron Paul after listening to him over and over again??? It's amazing.

[user]

Me too. I was a Libertarian Party Member before I switched to Republican to support Ron Paul in this election. The LP is open borders and basically pro-choice. But now I'm for border security and pro-life. How can you disagree with Ron Paul after listening to him over and over again??? It's amazing.
Ron Paul is also pro-immigration, but after we end the welfare state, so I can support him on that. Also I think there are a significant number of LP members who are pro-life, and the party platform is now ambiguous on abortion.

[lastnymleft]

I've always been "on-message" on his big ticket issues of non-interventionism, individual rights, and sound money, but it's a couple of the 'lesser' (for me) ones on which he has made me reconsider my position.

Firstly, abortion. I'm a male, so it hasn't been a *huge* issue for me, but I've always considered myself "pro-choice", without too much ideological substance to support it other than "It's a woman's body, so she can do with it whatever she wants" argument. But I found Dr Paul's arguments regarding legal and criminal liability meted out to those that accidentally harm foetuses, such as doctors, and those undertaking criminal acts, to be compelling. His point about terminations the minute before birth being legal abortion, and minute after birth being murder, was also compelling. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's inconsistencies, and double-standards, and he made his point out very well on this by pointing such things out. Plus, third-trimester, partial-birth abortions is pretty abhorrent, probably no matter which side of the fence you probably sit on. So I'm now notably more pro-life than I was before, thanks to Dr Paul, and leaning towards that there should be some limitations on the practise. I believe that his position of it being a state-level problem, and his policy of sending complex issues not defined in the Constitution back to state level is very sound.


Secondly, firearms. I used to think that (1) the overriding gun culture that caused general thuggishness and crime, (2) the impulsive, crimes of passion, that leave mainly women and children as victims, and (3) the shocking number of thefts that cause guns to end up in the hands of criminals, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence, far outweighed any benefits, either real or perceived, due to owning a gun. It wasn't the *right* to own a gun that I opposed, so much as the *want* to own a gun.

I completely discounted the value of having a gun to protect yourself from the government, on the basis of perceived low likelihood of such a breakdown in the system that would warrant such ever occurring, and because the few at the "bleeding edge" are generally taken out by the State (eg Waco; Ruby Ridge), thus meaning others would be too scared to use them against protection from the State, anyway.

After quite a bit of serious study, I am now convinced that the threat of fascistic-authoritarianism/tyranny is quite literally on the doorstep, due to Executive Orders that have been essentially snuck through by Presidential fiat over the last ~20 years. In the singular, they can be written off as being an aberration. In plurality, they can be seen to be a plan.

A National Emergency can be declared at the drop of a hat now. The triggers for a National Emergency (ie martial law) to be invoked include things such as domestic unrest due to political events, or economic events, and the level at which they trigger is entirely at the President's discretion. That is, if the dollar hits a singularity, and collapses, or just drops precipitously (either of which is a VERY real risk, within the next Presidential term), martial law can be declared. If Nov 2008 is taken by Diebold (etc.), and exit polls prove such, leading to RP's movement (ie US) taking to the streets, martial law can be declared. If there is a domestic "terrorist" attack, or incident, martial law can be declared. Same too, should there be a natural disaster, or some type of epidemic, or public health 'emergency'. All at the President's sole discretion. None of this has been approved by Congress, or the Senate, but it's in, nonetheless. Who becomes President in these times matters *a lot*, considering the unconstitutional power that they have assumed in the last generation or so.

I've seen enough evidence to convince me that the threat is VERY real. I now concede that it is not only acceptable, but outright prudent to possess a gun in order to protect yourself (from both the Government, and barbarism, should things devolve to that point) and that the odds of having to need to use it is - very worryingly - high enough to outweigh the negatives associated with gun ownership.

[Hope]

He hasn't changed my mind on any issues, but he has brought issues to my attention that no one had before. Like inflation and the gold standard. Those things were never properly discussed even in my college political science courses.

About the death penalty, that's one of the few things I disagree with Ron about. On the logic of, "Innocent people are being criminalized!" we shouldn't have a justice system at all for fear of catching the wrong people.

[Anti Federalist]

lastnymleft wrote:


After quite a bit of serious study, I am now convinced that the threat of fascistic-authoritarianism/tyranny is quite literally on the doorstep, due to Executive Orders that have been essentially snuck through by Presidential fiat over the last ~20 years. In the singular, they can be written off as being an aberration. In plurality, they can be seen to be a plan.

A National Emergency can be declared at the drop of a hat now. The triggers for a National Emergency (ie martial law) to be invoked include things such as domestic unrest due to political events, or economic events, and the level at which they trigger is entirely at the President's discretion. That is, if the dollar hits a singularity, and collapses, or just drops precipitously (either of which is a VERY real risk, within the next Presidential term), martial law can be declared. If Nov 2008 is taken by Diebold (etc.), and exit polls prove such, leading to RP's movement (ie US) taking to the streets, martial law can be declared. If there is a domestic "terrorist" attack, or incident, martial law can be declared. Same too, should there be a natural disaster, or some type of epidemic, or public health 'emergency'. All at the President's sole discretion. None of this has been approved by Congress, or the Senate, but it's in, nonetheless. Who becomes President in these times matters *a lot*, considering the unconstitutional power that they have assumed in the last generation or so.

I've seen enough evidence to convince me that the threat is VERY real. I now concede that it is not only acceptable, but outright prudent to possess a gun in order to protect yourself (from both the Government, and barbarism, should things devolve to that point)

QFT

Glad you've seen the light.

[Grandson of Liberty]

I used to think Fox News was actually fair and balanced. :rolleyes:

[RPTXState]

Gold standard. I used to think it was a crazy scheme that would never work. Now I know better.

[hocaltar]

I have always been a strict constitutionalist (my teachers used to tell me I didn't have a heart) but, when RP said, "inflation tax" in one of the debates I just about ran out of the house screaming, "there is a man running for president who actually knows what the hell he is talking about!!!"

[user]

Like inflation and the gold standard. Those things were never properly discussed even in my college political science courses.

They aren't properly discussed in college economics courses either, unfortunately.

[robert4rp08]

Ron Paul opened my mind about EVERY major issue.

[mesler]

I had no idea inflation was an issue before RP.
I now consider myself non-interventionist.
I'm personally pro-life now. Not absolute pro-life, but I definitely look at the issue differently now since I actually looked a good look at the issue while researching.
There are others, but there are the three that came off the top of my head.

[freedominnumbers]

I was libertarian in most of my beliefs except for the war. I was very pro Iraq war. Even after getting behind RP I was still pro Iraq war. It took a few different speeches and such before I understood what was wrong with it and changed my views. Now I can't believe I was ever behind it, the logic against it is so sound.

[PatriotG]

He hasnt changed anything per say
I pretty much agree with him on all issues

His stance on abolishing the FED and the IRS is the great Seller for me.
I and my colleagues have been discussing this topic for years.

Finally a candidate who stands for the truth!

PatriotG

[joshuastjohn]

Up until recently I worked in the tariff and trade management industry and I've seen the inner workings of NAFTA at work. Because of that I was more of a protectionist. Ron Paul has shown me that true free trade could work.

[lastnymleft]

This has been a great thread. Please keep these stories coming. If you haven't posted yet, please do so.

[hells_unicorn]

He changed my opinion about the Federal Reserve Bank when I saw him in America Freedom to Fascism. Other than that, we were on the same page on every issue.

[manuel]

He changed my mind on abortion.

[work2win]

I think most people on here started with one cause...the one that affected them directly. I did, and I quickly realized that FREEDOM FOR EVERYBODY was the only solution, not just the freedom that I wanted. For quite some time I have been aligned with Dr. Paul's platform of freedom.

Foreign policy was the exception. Conservatives always accuse liberals of acting on emotion and not logic. Well, the subject of fighting terrorism is when conservatives get emotional and throw logic out the door. I was already done with Bush, but leaning towards the idea that we needed to get TOUGHER....that was why Bush failed. Too much emotional talk radio, combined with my strong feelings for defending the country led me astray I suppose. I already knew about Ron Paul, but his foreign policy kept me away until I listened to him explain his position. I actually think the turning point for me was when I read up on our involvement in Iran 1953. It was easy to put the pieces together after that.

If you want to get a different and interesting view on The US, Terrorism, Middle East, and the Cold war, watch: "The Power of Nightmares." It is a BBC special that you can find on google video or download the ISO if you can find it. It was pretty eye-opening to see Cheney and Rumsfeld on video, cooking up the same shenanigans back in the 80's, as well as video from the middle east covering their own local problems with the terrorists.

[ronpaulyourmom]

Well he's making me think critically about monetary policy, and I agree on many points now, but I'm holding out on a few aspects until I can take the time to learn more.

As for the rest of the platform, I either agreed with him already or still disagree even now.

[Richandler]

Did the fact that he is a Republican get put in the ad?

[Eric23]

He's changed my opinion about the Federal Reserve, but I still disagree with him on a few issues.

[angrydragon]

Nothing for me. My political ideas were still forming when I found Ron Paul in 1999. First I found the LP, did that for a lil bit, found Ron Paul by chance, read up on him. Then I found Lew Rockwell/Mises ever since 2000/2001 and stopped supporting the LP. Since 2001, I stopped believing in any politicians except for Ron Paul. Changed my party to RP from LP this year to vote for Ron Paul. Whatever Ron Paul's personal beliefs are doesn't matter, because I know he won't enforce it on anyone. Just wanna be free and have peace, that's all.

[TheConstitutionLives]

I've always been pro-life but Paul made me think of it from the legal perspective and that kind of solidifed my position.

He's helped me understand and appreciate our constitution even more. It's amazing what our federal government does today that is COMPLETELY outside their jurisdiction. The list of issues they regulate out of bounds goes on and on and on. The Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of our federal government are out of control. I mean, they're even regulating professional BASEBALL now!!! It's unbelievable what we the people have allowed our federal government to become. That's what a society more interested in sports and Britney Spears than their own country will allow.

It's time to get educated on what America is supposed to be about, what our constitution is really about, what our founding fathers were trying to do, etc.

[wildflower]

There were a few issues that I had mixed feelings about before... like foreign policy. I had doubts and questions about the war in Iraq from the start (like why are we going to war with Iraq, when it was some terrorists who attacked us) but I tried to give our leaders the benefit of the doubt, and I mostly stayed out of the debate on the war. As time went on, I became more opposed to it, and then when I heard Dr. Paul, he clarified the foreign policy issue for me, and made me realize that our interventionism, nation building, etc, is wrong and that the war in Iraq was wrong in the first place.

Getting rid of the income tax and phasing out the IRS is also something that he has opened my eyes to, and also our monetary system.

I was already pro-life, pro-2nd amendment, pro-constitution before.

The only other thing that he has been changing my mind on is drug legalization. I was not for it before, but because I realize that the 'war on drugs' has been used as a way to shred the constitution and our privacy, my position on legalization has been changing, even though i'm anti-drugs.

[Jagwarr]

Dr. Paul changed my mind on the Iraq war, not so much if it was right or wrong but the reasons behind it. At First I was ok with going back but then I began to think twice about it.

I always thought we had the authority to go back into Iraq because they broke the peace treaty they signed after the first conflict. Such as shooting at our planes and not allowing the UN inspectors to return, those were the very first reasons Mr. Bush suggested as a reason to return. Then they began changing the story to WMD's and then it was oil and then it was defending the dollar, the original peace treaty idea had long since been abandoned but I still held on to that in my mind as "my" reason.

But the first time I heard Bush say "We are spreading liberty around the world" while talking about Iraq I felt like I was going to get ill, I couldn't believe he said that while millions of American citizens were sitting in jail cells for non-violent drug offenses, which has always been one of my concerns. After that I lost interest in politics until this November 6th when I woke with an urge to look up Dr. Paul on the web.

Well I can now say that my views have changed dramaticly on a lot of things. I was not aware of the true nature of the federal reserve and the bigger picture of things in general. The more I learned the stranger things seemed to get. I suppose one could say I found myself climbing the "crazy tree". (using that term affectionately) Some of ideas I have been exposed to these past weeks are offshoots of Dr. Pauls message or maybe I should say I'm not sure if they are part of the message or not, so I have decided to climb down from the tree and stick with the message that Dr. Paul projects, at least until I hear him say that those branches are safe to sit on.

I think it's safe to say that I feel more alive then I have in a long, long time and it's not just Dr. Paul but all of you guys too, there is something very special happening here and I feel blessed to be part of it.

[navi]

He has certainly influenced me on many issues but I don't think he specifically changed my mind about anything. It's more accurate to say he opened up my eyes to a lot of government waste that I hadn't considered before.

The closest thing would be the abortion issue. I used to be adamantly pro-choice, but now I'm not so sure anymore. I'm still pro-choice but my convictions are not as strong as before. I'm an atheist by the way so religion has nothing to do with my struggles with abortion.

[rfbz]

Not changed my mind per se, but hearing him has broaden my perspective of thinking about the problems we're facing. We're moving more and more in a certain direction. The whole world is actually moving in this same direction. The government wants to do more more more. They want to solve all problems, take more money, and impose more legislation. When is it going to stop? We need to take a time out and look at what's going on.

I like to look at it like medicine. Every time the government tries to fix one problem, it creates a side effect. So it attempts to treat that side effect, which creates another side effect...in which they have to do something to treat that..and on and on. It's like a guy taking 50 different pills every morning. You've got to say hey time out, what's really the main health issue here, and is there another way other than taking 50 pills every day, most of which just cancel out the side effects of the others.

[lastnymleft]

Bump for a great thread.

Maybe if we get enough of these stories, we can put them all together into a website somewhere, along with a lot of testimonials about why you support RP, and what his campaign means to you. That'd be a big seller, I reckon. People speaking from the heart always sells.

[axiomata]

He hasn't changed my mind on any issues because I took the same positions on the issues as he does before I even heard of him. What he has done is provided coherent solutions to issues that I previously would dismiss as idealistic as well as opened me to problems that I was not familiar with.

[Ron Paul Fan]

He has opened my eyes about being humble in life. I am taken aback at how humble he is about all of his unexpected success and I have strived to emulate him in all walks of life, which is probably why I'm the most popular person on this forum.

[scrosnoe]

I always in my heart sided with Dr. Paul's views. This country is the best in the world because I was born into a system that enables me to keep the Government the hell out of my life. I was born to support Ron Paul for president!

just had to let you know that I have had the same 'calling' and sense of purpose here - wouldn't be anywhere else!

pm me with your contact info if you are willing