Ron Paul on CNN – YouTube video
Our good friend Mike Linksvayer is so wrong, politically, once again.
—-
Read the previous blog posts by Chris F. Masse:
- Bzzzzzzzzz…
- Bzzzzzzzzz…
- “No offense, but I think Radley Balko is the most valuable blogger in America right now.”
- Are you a better predictor than John McCain?
- What does climate scientist James Annan think of InTrade’s global warming prediction markets?
- Inkling Markets, one year later
- One trader’s view on BetFair’s new bet-matching logic
Ron Paul speaks highly of civil disobedience in the clip, and says that it is the reason that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are heroes to him, yet he consistently opposes the rights of some people to work in America on the grounds that that they broke the law by entering the U.S. (or overstaying a visa) without the permission of the federal government.
.
Clearly Paul must know of some higher, moral grounding for his opposition to the rights of people to move freely in the effort to improve their economic circumstances. What is this principle that supports the use of government coercion to impeded non-violent commerce freely entered into between consenting adults? It is almost funny that Paul says he would free people imprisoned for non-violent drug offenses, yet he would use the might of the federal government to capture and expel non-violent, freedom-seeking, hard-working people whose government paperwork is not in order.
.
I’m a big fan of Paul on many, many issues. I voted for Paul years ago, when I lived in Texas. But on immigration Paul is un-libertarian, un-liberal, and pro-government power in sometimes ugly-sounding ways.
I watched Ron Paul on Meet The Press.
http://www.midasoracle.org/200…..n-markets/
He explained that he was in favor of free immigration, years ago, but he changed his mind. Because of the high level of Welfare State, the immigration is in fact “subsidized”, these days. Which is whey he is now against open immigration.
.
Why is that the #1 issue for you?
We stray even further from prediction markets here, but since you asked….
.
I would not say immigration is my number one issue — on international issues the war in Iraq is more important to me, and on that issue I find Paul to be spot on. Next on international issues for me would be free trade, and Paul is pretty good there too. But free trade and open immigration policies seem to flow from the same general principle of not using the government’s coercive powers to interfere with voluntary social interaction.
.
The “welfare state” is no reason to oppose immigration in my view, but if that is the concern it seems like the appropriate policy response would be to more carefully tailor welfare state programs.
It is possible, even probable, that Paul is a free trader at heart, but his message and congressional voting record is meant to appeal to protectionists, eg voting against free trade agreements, supposedly because they aren’t really free trade agreements. This has a kernel of truth, but effectively makes him an ally of nativists and “fair” trade protectionists. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P…..onal_trade
Now of course he hasn’t the slightest chance of being elected so such contracts would attract no interest, but if he did have a chance, I would love to see contracts contingent on Paul’s election and some measures of barriers to trade and total trade.
Ron Paul speaks highly of civil disobedience in the clip, and says that it is the reason that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are heroes to him, yet he consistently opposes the rights of some people to work in America on the grounds that that they broke the law by entering the U.S. (or overstaying a visa) without the permission of the federal government.
.
Clearly Paul must know of some higher, moral grounding for his opposition to the rights of people to move freely in the effort to improve their economic circumstances. What is this principle that supports the use of government coercion to impeded non-violent commerce freely entered into between consenting adults? It is almost funny that Paul says he would free people imprisoned for non-violent drug offenses, yet he would use the might of the federal government to capture and expel non-violent, freedom-seeking, hard-working people whose government paperwork is not in order.
.
I’m a big fan of Paul on many, many issues. I voted for Paul years ago, when I lived in Texas. But on immigration Paul is un-libertarian, un-liberal, and pro-government power in sometimes ugly-sounding ways.
I watched Ron Paul on Meet The Press.
http://www.midasoracle.org/200…..n-markets/
He explained that he was in favor of free immigration, years ago, but he changed his mind. Because of the high level of Welfare State, the immigration is in fact “subsidized”, these days. Which is whey he is now against open immigration.
.
Why is that the #1 issue for you?
We stray even further from prediction markets here, but since you asked….
.
I would not say immigration is my number one issue — on international issues the war in Iraq is more important to me, and on that issue I find Paul to be spot on. Next on international issues for me would be free trade, and Paul is pretty good there too. But free trade and open immigration policies seem to flow from the same general principle of not using the government’s coercive powers to interfere with voluntary social interaction.
.
The “welfare state” is no reason to oppose immigration in my view, but if that is the concern it seems like the appropriate policy response would be to more carefully tailor welfare state programs.
It is possible, even probable, that Paul is a free trader at heart, but his message and congressional voting record is meant to appeal to protectionists, eg voting against free trade agreements, supposedly because they aren’t really free trade agreements. This has a kernel of truth, but effectively makes him an ally of nativists and “fair” trade protectionists. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P…..onal_trade
Now of course he hasn’t the slightest chance of being elected so such contracts would attract no interest, but if he did have a chance, I would love to see contracts contingent on Paul’s election and some measures of barriers to trade and total trade.