Ron Paul in his hometown
Congressman Ron Paul spoke at the University of Pittsburgh yesterday at nine p.m. This was too late or not a newsworthy enough event for the local newspapers (minus The Pitt News) and TV reporters to cover. Despite the fact that his main reason for campaigning is to raise awareness of the federal government's drift from constitutionalism, he may have benefited from the more personal setting.
There was no American flag behind him. There were no screaming supporters behind the podium either. It was just Ron Paul, some lawn signs, and his message.
He sported a yellow (gold perhaps?) shirt and a black suit. I wonder if he wore black and gold to entertain the crowd of Pittsburgh sports fans. He made no mention of it.
Paul supporters filled the Bellefield Auditorium easily (capacity 676) despite the popular yearly drag show happening a couple blocks away. Paul talked about everything from the war in Iraq to the war on drugs.
Remarking about the war in Iraq, Paul said, "We just marched in without a just march out." He talked about how the president declared war without Congress's approval. Paul said that the Constitution was put in place by our founding fathers to restrain the government, not the people. The crowd met this statement with booming applause.
Paul is most known for his strict constitutionalism, desire for the United States to stop "policing the world," and for his desire to return to the gold standard. That night, Paul admitted that bimetallism is not the best policy, but he considers it's a good launch point for restoring faith in American currency.
He said that he voted against the bill to give $41 billion to Africa to treat diseases such as AIDS because the United States does not have the money to give. To give the money, he said that the U.S. would have to print more money and cause inflation to increase. My understanding is that as money is printed, money is shredded. This is why people can buy jars or pens full of shredded money at U.S. mints. If the United States does not have the money to send to Africa, it would more likely borrow money from other nations (like China).
The fiscally conservative congressman also does not stand for spending billions of dollars funding the war on drugs. He talked about medical marijuana use and lifetime prison sentences for third time drug offenders in his case. Discussion of the war on drugs and the idea of removing the Social Security system received less applause than more popular issues such as the economy.
Paul's speech was possibly the most specific speech that I've heard during this election--including Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama--touching on issues such as a freer Cuba and detest for the North American Union (the theoretical EU of North America).
Ron Paul said that growing up in Green Tree taught him about hard work. Both he and his wife grew up in the greater Pittsburgh area and attended Dormont High School.
There was no American flag behind him. There were no screaming supporters behind the podium either. It was just Ron Paul, some lawn signs, and his message.
He sported a yellow (gold perhaps?) shirt and a black suit. I wonder if he wore black and gold to entertain the crowd of Pittsburgh sports fans. He made no mention of it.
Paul supporters filled the Bellefield Auditorium easily (capacity 676) despite the popular yearly drag show happening a couple blocks away. Paul talked about everything from the war in Iraq to the war on drugs.
Remarking about the war in Iraq, Paul said, "We just marched in without a just march out." He talked about how the president declared war without Congress's approval. Paul said that the Constitution was put in place by our founding fathers to restrain the government, not the people. The crowd met this statement with booming applause.
Paul is most known for his strict constitutionalism, desire for the United States to stop "policing the world," and for his desire to return to the gold standard. That night, Paul admitted that bimetallism is not the best policy, but he considers it's a good launch point for restoring faith in American currency.
He said that he voted against the bill to give $41 billion to Africa to treat diseases such as AIDS because the United States does not have the money to give. To give the money, he said that the U.S. would have to print more money and cause inflation to increase. My understanding is that as money is printed, money is shredded. This is why people can buy jars or pens full of shredded money at U.S. mints. If the United States does not have the money to send to Africa, it would more likely borrow money from other nations (like China).
The fiscally conservative congressman also does not stand for spending billions of dollars funding the war on drugs. He talked about medical marijuana use and lifetime prison sentences for third time drug offenders in his case. Discussion of the war on drugs and the idea of removing the Social Security system received less applause than more popular issues such as the economy.
Paul's speech was possibly the most specific speech that I've heard during this election--including Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama--touching on issues such as a freer Cuba and detest for the North American Union (the theoretical EU of North America).
Ron Paul said that growing up in Green Tree taught him about hard work. Both he and his wife grew up in the greater Pittsburgh area and attended Dormont High School.
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