Ron Paul VS. Obama: A closer look

By now, most Americans realize Barack Obama does not understand how to fix things. Whether it be the economy, health insurance, immigration, education, energy, or homeland security, Obama has either done nothing or made things worse. On the economy, he has added regulations and spent billions on a "stimulus" program in which little of the funds actually went to private sector job growth, and less than 15% of the funds went to much needed infrastructure. On health care, the President passed a bill with an unconstitutional mandate that gives a monopoly to the insurance industry. As a result, premiums jumped by 9% in 2011. On immigration, the President has been ineffective even as increased violence has taken place at the border. On education, the President has begun to scrap historic education reform that has helped the poor and minority children. On energy, the President has simply continued most of the Bush policies and he has been slow to make progress. On homeland security, the President does deserve credit for extending the USAPatriot Act, but he has ruined the Bush-era increase in airport security by allowing for tsa pat-downs and full-body scanners. These policies have led to high levels of unemployment, poverty, food stamp participation, and increased costs of living. The American people recongnized this during the election of 2010, and republicans gained seats in the U.S. Senate and won a majority in the U.S. House. Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Mitt Romney all have remedies to fix the Obama mess. But one presidential candidate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, has a very different view than main stream republicans like Gingrich, Romney, and Santorum. Part of the problem with the policies over the past 3 years is uncertainty. Companies, businesses, and families have not known what to expect from the Obama economy. As a result, they have not invested nor spent money but saved and worried. Switching over to a gold standard as Congressman Paul proposes would further uncertainty in the economy. While most regulations have become excessive and need to be eliminated, there is a basic need for the safety of the public and the enforcement of the law. The Food and Drug Administration is necessary to make sure that the foods being imported from foreign nations and those here are safe to eat. Congressman Paul proposes eliminating the FDA. Conservatives and independents alike know the need to cut the federal deficit. However, there are very few people who support cutting spending on military affairs. Keeping a large military, sustaining overseas bases, developing new technologies for the military, making sure our troops have the equipment they need to fight effectively, and training our troops are all vital for national security. President Obama has cut missile defense spending and will now cut the size of the U.S. military. Congressman Ron Paul agrees with both of these things. President Obama has a mixed bag on foreign policy by most measures. His administration has aggressively fought global terrorism and they successfully helped in the effort to defeat a brutal madman in Libya. However, the administration has failed to even begin an effort to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, they failed to react when North Korea began seeking to extend its power, they have limited our missile defense by agreeing to extend the Start Treaty, and they have failed to be good allies with nations such as Poland and Israel. This mixed bag on foreign policy leads to many questions about the President's competence. But, like him or not, Barack Obama has done some things right in foreign affairs. Congressman Ron Paul has questioned what Obama has done right and has taken a worse position on what he has done wrong. For example, the administration's position on Iran, which is to enact some sanctions than ignore the threat, is still not as dangerous as the Paul position, which is to not care if Iran should go nuclear. Simply put, Congressman Paul is as almost as bad as Obama on economics, but he is not capable of leading the nation in foreign affairs. A Paul presidency would be dangerous and a Paul administration would be ignorant of the many foreign policy issues facing the nation.