Category Archives: Ron Paul

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Ezra Levant, the carnival barker of the conservative movement in Canada and the foremost heel to Canadian progressives, was trying to explain the problem with environmentalism.

I have no problem with treating the environment on an issue by issue basis: weve got to fix this or solve that, he said. But environmentalism is a philosophy, like most words ending with ism. Socialism, communism hinduism, its a faith. And so the question is if your true ideology is conservatism or libertarianism, and you also think you can be an environmentalism person, you may have a conflict there.

***

Mr. Levant and Mr. Solberg were one of three short debates that preceded the arrival of the star attraction of this weekends Manning Networking Conference. After a short introduction from Preston Manning, the would-be grandfather of Canadian conservatism, Ron Paul arrived on stage to warm applause and what sounded like the theme from Star Wars.

The American libertarian, a whimsical little old man, is an icon of ideological purity. His answer to most any issue of social order and well-being is liberty. In a world of compromise and contradiction, he is a model of consistency. And consistency of thought has its appeal. Up and until the point you realize it means opposing the Civil Rights Act.

The spirit of liberty seems like its alive and well in Canada, he ventured upon taking the lectern, winning whoops from the crowd.

After explaining that he thought the world was undergoing profound change in the direction of liberty, Mr. Paul took a moment to discuss labels.

This is a conservative group and Im seen as a conservative, but even the term conservative has relative terms. You know, if you were in the Soviet Union, when it was starting to come apart, the conservatives were the ones who wanted to conserve Marxism and the Liberals were the ones who wanted to believe in liberty, he explained. The founders of the United States called themselves liberals and that term was in many ways destroyed and undermined. Today, you know, one of the terms that I used to always have sympathy for because it sounds goodshouldnt we all be progressives, shouldnt we want to look in the future and see new things. But progressives, I dont know how the word is used up here, but in the States its a bad term, if youre a conservative. But maybe thats true here too. But then the term libertarian comes up and that has a controversial connotation. So you have moderates and libertarians and conservatives and liberals and progressives and socialists. And terminology is very tricky. So Ive simplified my terminology for what I believe in to a simple term and that is interventionism. If you believe in interventionism across the board, that means you want the government to tell us what to do with our personal lives, you want the government to tell us what to do with our economic activity and you allow the government to tell other people around the world what to do. So guess what? Ive come down on the side of saying, I am a non-interventionist.

This pronouncement won more applause and more whoops.

See more here:
Ezra Levant, Ron Paul , Jason Kenney and the eternal conflict of the ideological mind

The big draw guest at this year's Manning Networking Conference is former Republican congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul. He's best known as the world's most prominent libertarian politician.

But are libertarian values a large part of politics in Canada?

In the annual Manning Barometer report, less than 1% of Canadians identified as libertarian. This is despite the fact the majority of respondents indicated a preference for small government over big - the hallmark of libertarian philosophy.

While many small government proponents may end up siding with big tent conservative parties - like Ron Paul did throughout most of his political career - Canadians on both sides of the border also have the option of electing outright libertarians.

While not widely reported, the official Libertarian vote more than doubled in the United States' 2012 presidential election to 1.3 million votes. Their candidate was former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson.

The Libertarian Party of Canada was founded in 1973 and received registered status after fielding 50 candidates in the 1979 election.

The party has yet to capture a sizeable number of votes. In the 2011 federal election the party received 6,017 votes, down from their 1988 peak of 33,000.

"I didn't become a libertarian until 2008 because I didn't know the party existed," says Allen Small, current leader of the provincial Ontario Libertarian Party. "The most important thing we want to do is raise the profile."

Ron Paul speaks Friday morning at the Ottawa Convention Centre.

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Ron Paul headlines Ottawa Conference

Americas foremost libertarian, Ron Paul, received a standing ovation Friday from Canadian conservatives gathered for an annual conference, after a speech that advocated the abolition of central banks, income tax and social programs.

But on the sidelines of the networking conference, sponsored by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, some Tories noted that Mr. Pauls views were disconnected from the more moderate Canadian conservative movement and the nation in general.

A survey released at the conference indicated Canadians still count on government to handle the economy.

Were not Americans in that sense [Canadians] regard government as a positive force, said longtime conservative pollster Andre Turcotte, adding that the public is looking for more innovative ways of service delivery.

Few Conservative parliamentarians attended Mr. Pauls morning speech, in which he encapsulated his views on the primacy of individual liberty and the problems with current economic models all centred on the concept of government getting out of the way of peoples lives and the free market.

Mr. Paul formerly a Republican leadership candidate and congressman is an opponent of centralized monetary policy, government support for industry, federal social programs and the regulation of illicit drugs. At home, he has advocated for the abolition of the federal Health and Education departments.

Wouldnt it be correct to assume that the fruits of your labour are also yours to keep? Mr. Paul said, interrupted by applause.

My goodness, that would be a challenging thought. What does that mean? There wouldnt be any income tax? Thats right, we wouldnt have income taxes, because it would be your money. Then everyone would start worrying then how would you pay for the government? Well, why dont we have a lot less government and we wouldnt have to worry about that. Thats what Id like.

Preston Manning, the former Reform party leader and host of the conference, later asked Mr. Paul questions but did not challenge his views. Much of the conference agenda was dominated by guests associated with the more libertarian Reform party-Canadian Alliance side of the Tory family.

But the current Conservative government under Stephen Harper has heavily branded its stimulus project the Economic Action Plan as the cornerstone of the governments agenda. Its skills programs, funding for seniors and snowmobile clubs, and various industrial subsidies would appear antithetical to Mr. Pauls non-interventionist policies.

See more here:
Conservatives warmly welcome U.S. libertarian Ron Paul in Ottawa

Follow along as the CBC's Kady O'Malley takes in the Manning Networking Conference, an annual gathering for Canadian conservatives run by the Manning Centre.

The conference draws the biggest names of Canada's conservative movement and this year features former U.S. congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul, who kicked off Friday's events in conversation with former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.

Paul, America's foremost libertarian, received a standing ovation Friday from Canadian conservatives gathered for an annual conference, after a speech that advocated the abolition of central banks, income tax and social programs.

But on the sidelines of networking conference, sponsored by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, some Tories noted that Paul's views were disconnected from the more moderate Canadian conservative movement.

Few Conservative parliamentarians attended Paul's morning speech, in which he encapsulated his views on the primacy of individual liberty and the problems with current economic models all centred on the concept of government getting out of the way of people's lives and the free market.

Paul formerly a Republican leadership candidate is an opponent of centralized monetary policy, government support for industry, federal social programs and the regulation of illicit drugs. At home, he has advocated for the abolition of the federal health and education departments.

"Wouldn't it be correct to assume that the fruits of your labour are also yours to keep?" Paul said, interrupted by applause.

"My goodness that would be a challenging thought. What does that mean? There wouldn't be any income tax? That's right, we wouldn't have income taxes, because it would be your money.

"Then everyone would start worrying then how would you pay for the government? Well, why don't we have a lot less government and we wouldn't have to worry about that. That's what I'd like."

Preston Manning, the former Reform party leader and host of the conference, later asked Paul questions but did not challenge his views.

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Ron Paul talks abortion, GOP future as Tories gather in Ottawa

OTTAWA Canadas conservative movement was warned Friday that Americas war on drugs now being emulated by the Harper government with tough mandatory jail terms has been an expensive disaster that has stripped millions of people of their civil liberties.

The message came from Ron Paul, a former U.S. congressman and failed contender for the Republic presidential nomination last year.

Paul delivered the opening address to hundreds of conservatives gathered at an annual conference sponsored by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy.

A well known libertarian who is considered the godfather of the Tea Party, Paul spoke about the many dangers that citizens face when governments intrude into either the economy or their personal lives.

If you believe in liberty, you will protect economic liberty and personal liberty. They are all one and the same.

Paul said citizen freedom should extend to personal behavior and lifestyle.

If we have legalization of religious freedom, some people have this religion or that religion, and some people have no religion. Most people will accept that as rather tolerant.

But when it comes to lifestyle in the last 30 to 40 years, we have spent about five to six trillion dollars enforcing laws which I think make no sense whatsoever, (and) has caused our prisons to have more prisoners than China.

Paul blasted the irrationality of the drug laws that tell people what they can put in their mouths and what they can put in their bodies.

I think the drug war needs (to be) repealed, he said to cheers and applause from many people in the conference centre, a short walk from Parliament Hill.

Continued here:
Ron Paul warns Canada’s conservatives that the U.S. war on drugs failed

Ron PaulA left-leaning think tank is chiding a right-leaning think tank for inviting the 'Godfather of the Tea Party movement' to speak at an event later this week.

The Manning Centre for Building Democracy of which Preston Manning is the President and CEO has invited Ron Paul to speak its annual Manning Networking Conference (MNC) which, "brings together conservative-oriented thinkers, interest groups, activists, politicians, critics, and students."

[ Related: The top 10 family dynasties in Canadian politics ]

The Broadbent Institute named after former NDP leader Ed Broadbent is "concerned" about it.

Former Republican Congressman Ron Paul has been invited to speak at this years Manning Centre convention in Ottawa. Considered the Godfather of the Tea Party movement, he will deliver the keynote address at an event about Big Ideas for Conservatives.

If you are wondering what Ron Paul has to teach Canadians, or why the Manning Centre has invited him to share his perspective, you are not alone.

Broadbent's team has produced a video reminding Canadians who Ron Paul is.

"The same Ron Paul who recently suggested: The United States should have competing currencies," claims an excerpt from the video.

"And on the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act suggested that it violated the constitution and reduced individual liberties.

"Oh, and it's 2013 and he still doesn't believe in climate change."

View original post here:
Broadbent Institute bemoans Manning Centre inviting Ron Paul to speak

Jessica Burt/GWU

The George Washington University College Republicans host former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul on March 4, 2013.

Little things are different for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, now that his name no longer hangs outside a Capitol Hill office door. He wears ties less often. He writes his own posts on the Facebook. He had time to plant tomatoes at his Texas home last weekend. But his role as a libertarian political hero hasnt really changed since he retired from Congress in January: the outsider status he spent decades cultivating from within Washington is simply official.

He is still anxious to weigh in on the issues of the day.The sequester is a farce. Secretary of State John Kerry is stirring up more war. And he maintains his distinctive obsessions.In just the first five minutes of aspeech to George Washington University students on Monday, Paul struck his favorite themes: individual liberty, the gold standard, the Federal Reserve, the wealth gap, inflation and the future of the Republican Party. He even declared that Were all Austrians now! (a reference to his economic messiah, Ludwig von Mises). The speech could have been pulled directlyfrom his 2008 or2012 presidential campaign bids. Except now Paul is working purely to change minds, not win votes.

And thats a kind of liberation. Speaking to TIME, Paul says that he doesnt miss the Washington job he had, on and off, for nearly a quarter century. He just carries on with his longtime message of personal and economic freedom. My focus has always been about the same, he says. I just look for different vehicles. His vehicles used to be hearings and speeches aired on C-SPAN. These days, his vehicles include his non-profit group and lobbying arm Campaign for Liberty; a weekly onlinecolumncalled Texas Straight Talk; an upcoming one-minuteradio programdubbed Ron Pauls America; a book hes writing on home-schooling; and, of course, speaking engagements. After GWU, hes heading to Canada and New York where he will continue to spin what he calls the broken record.

Pauls style may be better suited to life outside of Congress, wherehes even less bound by political practicalities. During a Q&A session after his GWU speech, a young man asked about who would take over Americas roles overseas if all our troops returned.I think we should just come home, Paul said. Another student asked whether the federal government should recognize gay marriage. In the past, Paul has supported the federal Defense of Marriage Act but suggested the issue should be left to states to decide. On Monday, he responded by saying, People should do what they want. Asked about whether people should abandon electoral politics given the hegemony of the two big parties, Paul quipped, To each his own.

On most issues, Pauls stanceslike closing all our foreign military bases and bringing home all the troopsremain well outside of the Republican mainstream. Which is why his new outside game doesnt feel so different from the inside one. I was never frustrated in Congress because I never really believed that what I would do or say would reverse federal policies, he explains.Paul never measured success through chairmanships or named legislation. He measured it in individual converts and any stamp of approval on his views, which the obstetrician plans to pursue over the Internet just as he did on the House floor.

Paul does believe that the world, includingsome conservatives, has finally come around to seeing one thing his way: the war on drugs.I think weve won, and Ive predicted this for a long time, he tells TIME,that some day the country is going to wake up and say this is stupid and theyre going to change the drug laws.The audience at GWU was definitely awake. The thousands packed into Lisner Auditoriumburst into applause when Paul decried government efforts to controlwhat people can put into their mouths, be it raw milk or doobies.

Still, Paul is pessimistic about the GOP. Their future is dismal, he says, until they start adhering to a more peaceful, more uniform ideology.What do they believe in? he says to TIME. I hear their rhetoric but nobody believes them. When asked whether his son, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, is setting a decent example within the party, Paul jokes that Well, hes the best Senator there is!Asked whether his son will bear the libertarian torch in Congress now that hes gone, Paul isnoncommittal. He and a bunch of others all have their role to play, he says, mentioning Michigan Rep. Justin Amash and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. Asked whether he thinks his son might run for President one day, he hedges:Hes been asked that, and he hasnt denied it, so I guess thats his answer.

At 77, Paul seems to be transitioning from politician to pundit. His radio spot will be produced by the same entertainment group as Bill OReilly, and FOX News went to Paul for his reaction afterPresident Obamas State of the Union address. But he knows that his relevance may be hard to maintain. Usually you cant stay the same. Either you have to get a little better or you have to be forgotten, Paul says of life after Congress. That doesnt bother me, because I know that I only have one job. And that is to present my case.

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Ron Paul ’s Transition from Politician to Pundit

Former Texas Congressman Ron Paul is known for his full-throated endorsement of gold as money. And he's put his money where his mouth is by investing in a lot of it.

Last year during the presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reportedon Paul's financial disclosure.

The Congressman's portfolio washeavily weighted with precious metals. Last year we learned that a shocking 64 percent of Paul's $2.4 to $5.5 million portfolio is tied up in precious metals like gold and silver.

At the time, people were gushing at how smart of a move that was in that market.

But today, gold is getting massacred it's been said to be ina "death cross,"the market rally meansprices are sliding, andsellers are getting desperate and Paul's investments seem to be tanking too.

Via Google Finance, here's what has happened to three of Paul's largest holdings Barrick Gold, Goldcorp and Newmont Mining in the past 6 months. Losses of over 20% on each:

Paul has investments in23 other miners many of them small Canadian risky "juniors" so it's doubtful he's doing much better with the rest of the portfolio.

Of course we don't know for sure that he hasn't -- since leaving politics -- taken his money out of gold and put it all in Google. But that seems unlikely.

(h/t) Peter Eller

More From Business Insider

See the original post here:
The Ron Paul Portfolio Has Been Getting Crushed

Earlier today we revisited former Texas Congressman Ron Paul's precious metal-heavy portfolio.

Paul is one of the most famous advocates of gold as an investment, so we took a look at how his 64 percent precious metal portfolio was handling the recent crash in the price of gold.

We took a look at the three major mining stocks that the Wall Street Journal described as the largest of Paul's holdings. Here's what has happened to them in the past six months:

Looking at the twenty-one publicly listed mining companies in the Ron Paul portfolio, the average return on investment was a dismal 22.62% over the past six months.

Given that the Wall Street Journal reported that Paul's portfolio was worth between $2.44 million and $5.46 million and that 64 percent of his assets were in these precious metal stocks a very loose estimate is that Ron Paul has lost between $353,204 and $790,366 over the past six months, based on the average loss of his mining holdings.

The moral of the story: don't just be in gold related assets.

More From Business Insider

Read this article:
If You Thought Ron Paul 's Investments In Big Gold Miners Were Doing Badly, Check Out His Investments In 'Juniors'

Jessica Burt/GWU

The George Washington University College Republicans host former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul on March 4, 2013.

Little things are different for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, now that his name no longer hangs outside a Capitol Hill office door. He wears ties less often. He writes his own posts on the Facebook. He had time to plant tomatoes at his Texas home last weekend. But his role as a libertarian political hero hasnt really changed since he retired from Congress in January: the outsider status he spent decades cultivating from within Washington is simply official.

He is still anxious to weigh in on the issues of the day.The sequester is a farce. Secretary of State John Kerry is stirring up more war. And he maintains his distinctive obsessions.In just the first five minutes of aspeech to George Washington University students on Monday, Paul struck his favorite themes: individual liberty, the gold standard, the Federal Reserve, the wealth gap, inflation and the future of the Republican Party. He even declared that Were all Austrians now! (a reference to his economic messiah, Ludwig von Mises). The speech could have been pulled directlyfrom his 2008 or2012 presidential campaign bids. Except now Paul is working purely to change minds, not win votes.

And thats a kind of liberation. Speaking to TIME, Paul says that he doesnt miss the Washington job he had, on and off, for nearly a quarter century. He just carries on with his longtime message of personal and economic freedom. My focus has always been about the same, he says. I just look for different vehicles. His vehicles used to be hearings and speeches aired on C-SPAN. These days, his vehicles include his non-profit group and lobbying arm Campaign for Liberty; a weekly onlinecolumncalled Texas Straight Talk; an upcoming one-minuteradio programdubbed Ron Pauls America; a book hes writing on home-schooling; and, of course, speaking engagements. After GWU, hes heading to Canada and New York where he will continue to spin what he calls the broken record.

Pauls style may be better suited to life outside of Congress, wherehes even less bound by political practicalities. During a Q&A session after his GWU speech, a young man asked about who would take over Americas roles overseas if all our troops returned.I think we should just come home, Paul said. Another student asked whether the federal government should recognize gay marriage. In the past, Paul has supported the federal Defense of Marriage Act but suggested the issue should be left to states to decide. On Monday, he responded by saying, People should do what they want. Asked about whether people should abandon electoral politics given the hegemony of the two big parties, Paul quipped, To each his own.

On most issues, Pauls stanceslike closing all our foreign military bases and bringing home all the troopsremain well outside of the Republican mainstream. Which is why his new outside game doesnt feel so different from the inside one. I was never frustrated in Congress because I never really believed that what I would do or say would reverse federal policies, he explains.Paul never measured success through chairmanships or named legislation. He measured it in individual converts and any stamp of approval on his views, which the obstetrician plans to pursue over the Internet just as he did on the House floor.

Paul does believe that the world, includingsome conservatives, has finally come around to seeing one thing his way: the war on drugs.I think weve won, and Ive predicted this for a long time, he tells TIME,that some day the country is going to wake up and say this is stupid and theyre going to change the drug laws.The audience at GWU was definitely awake. The thousands packed into Lisner Auditoriumburst into applause when Paul decried government efforts to controlwhat people can put into their mouths, be it raw milk or doobies.

Still, Paul is pessimistic about the GOP. Their future is dismal, he says, until they start adhering to a more peaceful, more uniform ideology.What do they believe in? he says to TIME. I hear their rhetoric but nobody believes them. When asked whether his son, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, is setting a decent example within the party, Paul jokes that Well, hes the best Senator there is!Asked whether his son will bear the libertarian torch in Congress now that hes gone, Paul isnoncommittal. He and a bunch of others all have their role to play, he says, mentioning Michigan Rep. Justin Amash and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. Asked whether he thinks his son might run for President one day, he hedges:Hes been asked that, and he hasnt denied it, so I guess thats his answer.

At 77, Paul seems to be transitioning from politician to pundit. His radio spot will be produced by the same entertainment group as Bill OReilly, and FOX News went to Paul for his reaction afterPresident Obamas State of the Union address. But he knows that his relevance may be hard to maintain. Usually you cant stay the same. Either you have to get a little better or you have to be forgotten, Paul says of life after Congress. That doesnt bother me, because I know that I only have one job. And that is to present my case.

Read the original here:
Ron Paul : From Politician to Pundit