Ron Paul Speech

On Tuesday, April 3rd, Dr. Ron Paul came to Chico State for an appearance. It was outside and open to anyone. Needless to say, I was there. I'll give you a synopsis of his speech after the jump.

Ron Paul at Chico State
I'm not going to lie, I was incredibly excited to get to see Ron Paul speak. I believe that he is the most viable candidate to restore our nation to the glory that it so deserves. While supporting him, I also understand that he will not win the nomination for President due to a smaller base and less name recognition than Romney and Santorum. I was also excited to see him in person because all that I had heard of him had come from the news and I had never watched a full rally or speech. In comparison, I have read Mitt Romney's Believe (which will be wrapping up soon I swear) and so I can clearly see his stance on a range of issues; Santorum does not have a sensible idea in his head so I don't really care to read his books or go to a rally for him.

Congressmen Paul came on to stage in a sweater (with sleeves) on top of a dress shirt and jeans. Classy, yet casual. He began to discuss the liberty that we have lost since the beginning of the new millenium and stayed on this topic for the remainder of his 45 minute speech. He touched on the monetary policies which led us to the economic recession that we are presently mired in. This transitioned beautifully to a audience-catered topic on the rising cost of school along with the debt that is being placed on the college generation's shoulders. This drew applause that interrupted his next sentence and forced him to pause as he chuckled over the voracious response. The Congressman also touched on the Patriot Act and its contradiction to the 4th Amendment, the necessary transparency of the Federal Reserve and also that there is no obligation to lend to other nations while we are stuck in such economic peril.

Overall, Dr. Paul engaged a fiery crowd of 3,000 college kids throughout his speech. There were clear pandering attempts when he defended those who were incarcerated for such small crimes as marijuana possession. In Chico, marijuana possession is not a rare occurrence. The main theme was liberty on both national and personal levels. Paul continued to enforce his idea for a smaller government that intruded less into the lives of individuals and pushed for personal freedoms that are granted to individuals through the Constitution.
His speech was effective and relatable because it centered around ideas that are concievable to the average college student. He never once named nor insulted another GOP Candidate and acknowledged that all legislation goes through Congress and he could not change anything individually. The price of gas was never a topic and was never promised to be lower. Also, he seemed to signal that his campaign would soon come to an end when he asserted that "an idea cannot be controlled by a majority" and that "the revolution is just starting". At age 74, Dr. Paul knows that this will be his final election and that he needs a strong base to carry on his revolution. Our generation is this strong base.

 I hope to see the Congressman gracefully withdraw from the Presidential race, yet not give up on spreading his message of a smaller government. If we continue to expand government, it will only lead to less freedom for the American people. That will be when we cry for someone to lead a revolution against this expansion of government, only to realize that we had missed that chance when we failed to elect Ron Paul to office. Congressman Paul put it best when he said, "when government messes up, it messes up really bad!"