Ron Paul: Idiot

I've gone back and forth lately on writing anything about the myriad reasons why Ron Paul is one of the most ludicrous candidates still in the race for president. He's not going to win anyone's nomination, so he's kind of a moot point. But more and more, I personally encounter otherwise thoughtful, intelligent people who seem to have been snookered by Paul's libertarian promise of small government and increased personal freedom. While the war on drugs is an obviously intrusive and unnecessary expenditure and civil liberties should be protected at all costs, most of Paul's platform is outright insane. Privatization of libraries, public schools, and charity hospitals would be a disaster. Big government does not always mean bad government, and even still, where does Paul's libertarianism mesh with his public belief that there should be no separation between church and state? Not to mention his recently uncovered racist and paranoid newsletters or his idiotic denial of evolution. And now he says immunization should not be mandatory, because it's mandating the injection of foreign substances and only those who aren't immunized suffer for their decision. As a doctor, Paul should know better than most that this just isn't true. Even a small percentage of non-immunized children in a classroom would be enough to spread fatal and preventable diseases such as smallpox. Immunization isn't a case of some oppressive government "forcing" behavior upon the people. It's a case of the people collectively agreeing to ensure their own public health. This anti-immunization stance from Paul is just another example of his courting of the paranoid, misinformed, and ideologically blinded. A libertarian may one day make a great president, but Paul is no great libertarian. More details here.