"Wherefore honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil" (D&C 98:9-10)?
Were we not all in agreement 3 years ago when Ron Paul was the closest we could get to satisfying President McKay's admonition stating:
"Next to being one in worshipping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States." (Statements on Communism and the Constitution of the United States. Deseret Book Co., 1966 p. 6)
Why are things suddenly different today? What has changed? Should we not still actively do our part to bring about good in our country and the world? Will we not be found lacking when we stand before God to be judged for doing anything less (D&C 98:10)?
In considering the above statements, I came across the the following article: http://www.justinholloman.com/archives/218. The article tells exactly what Ron Paul would do as president, if the day were ever to come. He prefaces his entire plan by saying,
just as the welfare-warfare state was not constructed in 100 days, it could not be dismantled in the first 100 days of any presidency. While our goal is to reduce the size of the state as quickly as possible, we should always make sure our immediate proposals minimize social disruption and human suffering.
I have summarized some of his plans below:
1. "I would have no problem defunding corporate welfare programs, such as the Export-Import Bank or the TARP bank bailouts, right away. I find it difficult to muster much sympathy for the CEO’s of Lockheed Martin and Goldman Sachs."
2. "If the president has the power to order U.S. forces into combat on nothing more than his own say-so, then it stands to reason he can order troops home. Therefore, on the first day in office, a constitutionalist can begin the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. He can also begin withdrawing troops from other areas of the world."
3. "The president can use his authority to set policies and procedures for the federal bureaucracy to restore respect for the Constitution and individual liberty. For example, today manufacturers of dietary supplements are subject to prosecution by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if they make even truthful statements about the health benefits of their products without going through the costly and time-consuming procedures required to gain government approval for their claims. A president can put an end to this simply by ordering the FDA and FTC not to pursue these types of cases unless they have clear evidence that the manufacturer’s clams are not true. Similarly, the president could order the bureaucracy to stop prosecuting consumers who wish to sell raw milk across state lines."
4. "A constitutionalist administration would also defer to state laws refusing compliance with the REAL ID act and denying federal authority over interstate gun transactions. None of these actions repeals a federal law; they all simply recognize a state’s primary authority, as protected by the 10th amendment, to set policy in these areas."
5. "Another important step he can take toward restoring the balance of powers the Founders intended is repealing unconstitutional executive orders issued by his predecessors."
6. "Only Congress can directly abolish government departments, but the president could use his managerial powers to shrink the federal bureaucracy by refusing to fill vacancies created by retirements or resignations. This would dramatically reduce the number of federal officials wasting our money and taking our liberties."
7. "A president could also enhance the liberties and security of the American people by ordering federal agencies to stop snooping on citizens when there is no evidence that those who are being spied on have committed a crime.... He should also order the Transportation Security Administration to stop strip-searching grandmothers and putting toddlers on the no-fly list."
8. "The most efficient step a president could take to enhance travel security is to remove the federal roadblocks that have frustrated attempts to arm pilots... However, the processes for getting a federal firearms license are extremely cumbersome, and as a result very few pilots have gotten their licenses. A constitutionalist in the Oval Office would want to revise those regulations to make it as easy as possible for pilots to get approval to carry firearms on their planes."
9. "The first step in enacting a pro-freedom legislative agenda is the submission of a budget that outlines the priorities of the administration. While it has no legal effect, the budget serves as a guideline for the congressional appropriations process... If Congress failed to produce a budget that was balanced and moved the country in a pro-liberty direction, a constitutionalist president should veto the bill. Of course, vetoing the budget risks a government shutdown..." A constitutionalist president would repsond with, “I offered a reasonable compromise, which was to gradually reduce spending, and Congress rejected it, instead choosing the extreme path of continuing to jeopardize America’s freedom and prosperity by refusing to tame the welfare-warfare state. I am the moderate; those who believe that America can afford this bloated government are the extremists.”
10. "Eliminating federal involvement in K–12 education should be among a constitutionalist president’s top domestic priorities."
11. "A final area that should be front and center in a constitutionalist’s agenda is monetary policy." (This is the one some on this forum now disagree with Dr. Paul.)
Many people say that Ron Paul will have no power to change anything if he ever became president. I say that the above list of items are significant changes to our existing regime, more than any recent president I have ever lived under.
If you still will not support Ron Paul, who then will you support in 2012? Or will you sit this out and wait to usher in Zion (remember D&C 98:10)?
