Troyhand
12-23-2007, 02:47 AM
http://www.gazette.com/opinion/process_31195___article.html/paul_city.html
Paul finding more support
Ron Paul, the libertarian-oriented and commendably antiwar 10-term Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate, has in some ways been the most interesting phenomenon of the early going in the campaign, although a case can be made for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Paul’s Internet-oriented supporters are not only fervent, they have supported him with record-breaking amounts of money, most notably in two single-day fundraising “bombs” of more than $4 million and $6 million respectively.
Few observers would have predicted last summer that Paul, little known outside Texas, would be a financially viable candidate long after former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo had dropped out.
Now, Paul’s enthusiastic support is starting to show up in poll numbers. We’ll soon see if it translates into actual votes.
So far Paul has not risen above single digits in either statewide or national polls, while Huckabee has actually taken the lead in Iowa. But the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers shows him tied with Rudy Giuliani at 8 percent, only one percentage point behind Fred Thompson at 9 percent, and ahead of Sen. John McCain at 6 percent. Most interestingly, the only two candidates showing an upward trend are Huckabee and Paul; all the others have been trending downward.
If those trendlines continue, Paul just might finish third in Iowa. He could do even better in New Hampshire, whose state motto is “Live Free or Die,” reflecting a libertarian tilt.
In Congress, Paul has consistently voted against tax increases and against spending that he doesn’t believe is authorized by the Constitution. As a small-government proponent who also advocates a more modest non-interventionist foreign policy, he speaks to what many voters used to think the Republican Party stood for. His positions also appeal to a substantial number of younger people.
The Paul campaign is already the most significant pro-freedom mass movement of recent times. It’s time to find out if it brings him enough votes to at least give him a seat at the table when future policies are determined — and perhaps more.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opi...,6595181.story
School behavior incentives should be set locally
December 23, 2007
Re the Dec 9 article about schools offering incentives to students for behaving as opposed to doling out punishment: I am all for trying non-conventional methods to try to fix what is broken. The statistics so far seem to show that, at least in the schools where it is used, positive results have occurred.
What made me sick, though, was the proposition that the federal government, in the form of Sen. Barack Obama's bill, add this policy to the No Child Left Behind Act. The federal government should not coerce school districts into adopting policies. NCLB has done enough damage with its across-the-board curriculum standards, and now it is going to trudge the murky waters of behavior management? Different methods of discipline work for different kids, and allowing individual districts to control these policies will ensure that they are appropriate for the students involved, and that one policy does not become gospel, ignoring other methods.
I am tired of the federal government using money to bribe local governments into doing what is not necessarily best. Step back and let local professionals make decisions. Democrats may cry about NCLB, but it was a Democrat who wanted to make it even more restrictive. It is time to look at candidates who will act to reverse the federal controls stifling progress in this country. My recommendation is Ron Paul.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/585647.html
Why's media ignoring Ron Paul?
Re "Paul gets $6 million in day," Dec. 17: Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul made campaigning history by raising $6 million last Sunday.
While the self-annointed, aspiring tyrants of both parties are supported by their rich buddies, Paul is supported by lots and lots of mere "peasants." So why do the media try so hard to ignore him, and when they do mention him, why do the constantly denigrate and insult him?
For all the hoopla the talking heads and reporters give about democracy, they don't mean it. When a lot of the people really do want something, as is obviously the case with Paul, the elitist media show their true disdain for the general public. Who are you stupid peasants to like someone that the media hasn't told you to support?!
No matter how much money Paul raises, or how many supporters he has, the statist propagandists will treat it like a fluke – an insignificant anomaly that really doesn't matter at all. Both Democratic and Republican talking heads are doing it constantly.
And if you watch closely, every once in a while you can catch a glimpse of the terror in their eyes, when they contemplate the possibility that someone who actually believes in the Constitution might win.
- Mark Raus, Rancho Cordova
Paul finding more support
Ron Paul, the libertarian-oriented and commendably antiwar 10-term Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate, has in some ways been the most interesting phenomenon of the early going in the campaign, although a case can be made for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Paul’s Internet-oriented supporters are not only fervent, they have supported him with record-breaking amounts of money, most notably in two single-day fundraising “bombs” of more than $4 million and $6 million respectively.
Few observers would have predicted last summer that Paul, little known outside Texas, would be a financially viable candidate long after former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo had dropped out.
Now, Paul’s enthusiastic support is starting to show up in poll numbers. We’ll soon see if it translates into actual votes.
So far Paul has not risen above single digits in either statewide or national polls, while Huckabee has actually taken the lead in Iowa. But the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers shows him tied with Rudy Giuliani at 8 percent, only one percentage point behind Fred Thompson at 9 percent, and ahead of Sen. John McCain at 6 percent. Most interestingly, the only two candidates showing an upward trend are Huckabee and Paul; all the others have been trending downward.
If those trendlines continue, Paul just might finish third in Iowa. He could do even better in New Hampshire, whose state motto is “Live Free or Die,” reflecting a libertarian tilt.
In Congress, Paul has consistently voted against tax increases and against spending that he doesn’t believe is authorized by the Constitution. As a small-government proponent who also advocates a more modest non-interventionist foreign policy, he speaks to what many voters used to think the Republican Party stood for. His positions also appeal to a substantial number of younger people.
The Paul campaign is already the most significant pro-freedom mass movement of recent times. It’s time to find out if it brings him enough votes to at least give him a seat at the table when future policies are determined — and perhaps more.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opi...,6595181.story
School behavior incentives should be set locally
December 23, 2007
Re the Dec 9 article about schools offering incentives to students for behaving as opposed to doling out punishment: I am all for trying non-conventional methods to try to fix what is broken. The statistics so far seem to show that, at least in the schools where it is used, positive results have occurred.
What made me sick, though, was the proposition that the federal government, in the form of Sen. Barack Obama's bill, add this policy to the No Child Left Behind Act. The federal government should not coerce school districts into adopting policies. NCLB has done enough damage with its across-the-board curriculum standards, and now it is going to trudge the murky waters of behavior management? Different methods of discipline work for different kids, and allowing individual districts to control these policies will ensure that they are appropriate for the students involved, and that one policy does not become gospel, ignoring other methods.
I am tired of the federal government using money to bribe local governments into doing what is not necessarily best. Step back and let local professionals make decisions. Democrats may cry about NCLB, but it was a Democrat who wanted to make it even more restrictive. It is time to look at candidates who will act to reverse the federal controls stifling progress in this country. My recommendation is Ron Paul.
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/585647.html
Why's media ignoring Ron Paul?
Re "Paul gets $6 million in day," Dec. 17: Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul made campaigning history by raising $6 million last Sunday.
While the self-annointed, aspiring tyrants of both parties are supported by their rich buddies, Paul is supported by lots and lots of mere "peasants." So why do the media try so hard to ignore him, and when they do mention him, why do the constantly denigrate and insult him?
For all the hoopla the talking heads and reporters give about democracy, they don't mean it. When a lot of the people really do want something, as is obviously the case with Paul, the elitist media show their true disdain for the general public. Who are you stupid peasants to like someone that the media hasn't told you to support?!
No matter how much money Paul raises, or how many supporters he has, the statist propagandists will treat it like a fluke – an insignificant anomaly that really doesn't matter at all. Both Democratic and Republican talking heads are doing it constantly.
And if you watch closely, every once in a while you can catch a glimpse of the terror in their eyes, when they contemplate the possibility that someone who actually believes in the Constitution might win.
- Mark Raus, Rancho Cordova