THE HONESTY OF RON PAUL

Brutal honesty in politics is a rare commodity these days, but Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul's comments regarding federal aid to victims of last week's tornado strikes in the Midwest and the South shows that the concept isn't totally dead. Paul appeared on a CNN broadcast and said that sending federal aid to the victims of those calamities was akin to stealing from taxpayers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should play no role in attempting to alleviate the suffering of those devastated by the tornadoes. That's about as brutally honest as a politician can get! Don't get me wrong! I think Ron Paul's views on federal disaster relief are cruel and inhumane and demonstrate the ugly underside of libertarian principals. I don't buy the "each man for himself," mantra that libertarians champion. I don't see it as being practical in today's world and I think it promotes human cruelty, selfishness and unbridled greed. That said, I appreciate Ron Paul's brutal honesty. As offensive as I find his opinions, at least I know he's not blowing smoke. You can't say the same about his fellow Republican candidates.