Rand Paul

From what I gather, Rand Paul, the Republican Senate candidate from Kentucky, has views similar to his father, Ron Paul. I find much to praise in his father's views. Ron Paul has expressed disapproval over both the foreign wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the domestic Drug War.

Where I differ from the Pauls is their defending the rights of businesses over the rights of individuals. A common libertarian belief is that business owners should have the right to do basically whatever they please, without regard to how it effects individuals or society as a whole. It derives from Ayn Rand, whose last name is Rand Paul's first. Objectivism is alive and well and riding upon the shoulders of the Tea Party.

Noam Chomsky pointed out that government is the only thing that can counter the power and influence of large corporations, something that Ayn Rand never accepted. She believed government was always in the position of tyrant, perhaps because she fled a communist society, where that was indeed the case. In the situation of a capitalist economy, such as that of the U.S., sometimes private power can grow to have such a pervasive amount of power and influence that it becomes tyrannical.

The influence of business interests over government policy has for a long time been of concern to our leaders, dating back as far as the time of Thomas Jefferson. The owners bribe and coerce government officials, one way or the other, to do their bidding, even in cases where business interests conflict with the greater interests of society. This was true in the past and remains true today. Businesses can threaten to remove their operations to neighboring states, causing unemployment and loss of tax revenue in a state or local community. Placed in the position of competing with neighboring states for the jobs and tax base, many states grant generous tax incentives, land grants and other favors even to foreign corporations such as Honda or Mitsubishi. Only the federal government has sufficient power and influence to curb that of corporations.

It troubles me that Rand Paul believes criticism of British Petroleum is "un-American." It also troubles me that Rand Paul believes restaurants have a right to refuse to serve minorities. If restaurants have that right, then by extension, so would gas stations and hotels, and entire spans of our country could become inhospitable to minorities. Imagine driving for hundreds of miles without the ability to purchase gas, eat a meal, or sleep in an inn, only because of the color of one's skin. This is the kind of future Rand Paul envisions? I believe Martin Luther King, Jr., would have begged to differ.

I like Rand Paul when he talks about legalizing medical marijuana, though. I wish he'd support legalizing marijuana for everyone. Perhaps he should talk about the Drug War more, and the Civil Rights Act less. I also like him when he points out the wastefulness of foreign wars. He's got some good ideas, certainly better ones than other conservative Republicans. I'm glad the Republican Party is starting to have ideological diversity, if no other kind. However, I have the feeling Paul is selling out when it comes to businesses. Taking the position that businesses are always right, and government is always wrong may please some of the rich, but where does that leave the poor and the middle classes?

I do not believe Thomas Jefferson would have supported this idea that corporations should be permitted to do whatever they want, and should not be criticized by public officials, such as President Obama. If that ever becomes the situation, then all of us will be owned by companies like British Petroleum. It is bad enough BP's product is entering our food chain at the moment. I don't want them telling me whether I can buy gas based upon my physical characteristics. Government regulation is about the only thing protecting consumers from arbitrary hardships, fraud, and pollution. Government regulation is the only way workers are protected from their employers. It is why many people work an eight hour day rather than a twelve hour day, like my grandfather, who worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week, with a half-day off on Sundays for church.