Ron Paul?

I'm currently trying to figure out Ron Paul. I've never been a fan of big government, however I do prefer a compassionate government. Where Mr. Paul stands on that spectrum I'm not sure. His website seems to hit the right cords with folks who are tired of illegal wiretaps, interference in their personal lives, etc. What I don't understand is how this minimalistic government concept is actually going to work. We're a huge country, not the size of France or Britain. States' Rights comes with some downside. Will we have to move across the country to a state that allows "X" but doesn't rule out "Y"? Don't know.

However, I was struck by how much Mr. Paul's being noticed in one niche - the gun owners of America. A Disclaimer: I own a firearm. I am licensed to carry said firearm as I occasionally drive across the country from Point A to Point B on my own. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have to think of such things. Unfortunately, we left "perfect" behind a long time ago. However, I'm not a member of the NRA as we part company on the notion of owning assault rifles. End Disclaimer.

So hubby and I attended a gun show on Saturday in search of a discrete carrying case that doesn't scream "she's got a gun" to all and sundry. I've never been to a gun show before. I figured it would be all Good Ole Boys. As usual, I got it wrong. There were a fair number of Georgia boys there, but the cross section of the attendees was like going to a baseball game: WASPs, Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics and everyone in between. So much for stereotypes. I should know better.

There was a Ron Paul supporter there who'd bought a table and was handing out his candidate's literature. That literature ended up on a number of the other dealers' tables, a not so subtle hint they like this guy. I didn't get a chance to buttonhole the Paul dude and ask pointed questions. I'll be doing that this Saturday at yet another gun show. After that, I'll be gun-showed out I suspect.

This week I'll be digging into what Paul's rhetoric actually means. My gut tells me that a hands-off government comes too late at this point in the game. We're terribly screwed up as a nation and trying to let States' Rights shift it back where it should be probably won't work. Not when you have 40 million people without health insurance.

So I admit my ignorance about Mr. Paul, at least until I do some research. I welcome my blog readers' input on the fellow. He's not as easily dismissed as Giuliani or some of the other nutters. I suspect I'll have the same difficulty with Obama. I'm saving Hillary for last