What would you
think if I informed you that many of the health and wellness alternatives that are showcased in this magazine are on the verge
of being taken away from you? That in the very near future you could
be required to have a prescription to purchase vitamins and
supplements? That safe, natural treatments, which have helped
countless people throughout history, could be outlawed in our nation?
Maybe this isn’t news to you, but the chances are that as a typical, busy
American, these scenarios aren’t on your radar.
So, who does
deserve to be our next president? We’re now in the early throes of
the 2008 presidential election. As mind-numbing a thought as an entire
year ahead filled with debates, media commentary and political mud
slinging may be, there is one particular person that we should be
watching. He is honest, intelligent, hardworking and operates
according to common sense. I know this sounds too good to be true, and
if you rely on the mainstream media for information, you probably
haven’t heard a lot of the truth about him and his quest to return
our country to its once-great state. The man I’m referring to is Ron
Paul. He is a doctor and 20-year Congressman running for the
Republican Party in the State of Texas.
Please do not
let the label of “Republican” fool you. The Republican Party has
lost its way and this man is not the modern Republican we’ve
come to distrust. Ron Paul is running on the original
Republican platform: personal liberty and responsibility, coupled with
a small, unobtrusive government system. Those characteristics do not
describe our current socio-political climate and, if we continue on
our current path, certainly not those of our future.
There
are many important
issues on which Paul takes a consistent stand, but I will mention only
a select few of them in this article. The
following is a direct quote from Paul’s website: “Americans are
justifiably concerned over the government’s escalating intervention
into their freedom to choose what they eat and how they take care of
their health.” Paul introduced the Health Freedom Protection
Act (HR 2117) to supply consumers with accurate information about
supplements and treatments. He opposed a Homeland Security bill,
which, in part, authorizes the government to forcibly vaccinate us
against smallpox. He supports expanding our access to alternative
medicines and new treatments. He opposes increasing the legal powers
of the Federal Drug Administration as the supra-national organizations
such as the World Health Organization, United Nations, North Atlantic
Free Trade Agreement and Central America Free Trade Agreement dictate.
Ask
yourself: Should we be running our country according to the
Constitution—or not? Ron Paul says: yes! He does not vote for any
measure unless it is expressly allowed by the Constitution. His
ten-term congressional career has produced a rock-solid voting record.
Our national
debt is now more than 9 trillion dollars. This money all must be paid
back—whether by us or by our children or grandchildren. Our consumer
debt was $ 2.46 trillion as of June 2007. Even if the ideas of
respecting our Constitution and living in a free Republic are not
important issues to you, you must face the fact that we simply can’t
afford to continue living the way we are currently
doing. We’re financing an empire here at home and around much of the
world—and going broke doing so! To keep our economy out of serious
recession our Federal Reserve System is in need of a complete
overhaul.
Please
remember that freedom is not free, and battling a foreign enemy
isn’t the only way to foot the bill. We must educate ourselves as
best we can, and in doing so, be aware that most of the stories from
the giant media sources come with a spin. It’s up to us to recognize
this and to ask ourselves how it affects our understanding of the
information. So where do we turn? I suggest the Internet. The Web is
today’s most abundant resource for accessing unbiased information.
Currently it’s an unregulated channel through which we are given the
opportunity to see an issue from many angles and decide for ourselves
which one makes sense.
We must also
begin living what we believe, which I don’t see many of us
doing. Most seem worried that others may not agree with us, or might
think less of us because we chose a particular stance on an issue.
We’ve been taught to keep our viewpoints neutral and act
‘politically correct’. Thus, we wobble on the fence in fear of
offending anyone.
We must
remember that this country was founded by courageous freethinkers who
valued liberty above all—even at the cost of life. What has happened
to that spirit as we citizens regress back to thinking and acting as
we’re told? We must begin to think for ourselves again! Our
forefathers would be ashamed of the corruption that we have allowed to
overrun this country. It’s time for us to stop complaining about our
state of affairs and begin living to improve them!
As
I write this article
in early January, the Ron Paul Revolution is quickly gaining momentum
(see www.RonPaul2008.com for
more). Our Alaska Republican Caucus (held on February 5, 2008)
will largely determine what chance Alaskans have for choosing this man
as our president. If you cherish the freedom of choice that you
currently enjoy, seek more information on the Internet, share your
findings with others, and get involved!
Lindsay
Kraft is currently living in Anchorage with her young son and her
husband, who also has a deep concern for the liberty of this country.
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Do you have an opinion you’d like to share with our readers?
Contact wellnesseditor@alaskawellness.com
to share your thoughts and insights.
