Ron Paul’s Campaign Manager Died Sick And Unisured, The Way ‘Freedom’ Allows

And, might I add, he did financially-destitute leaving his family with $400,000 in medical treatment bills.   There is some incredible irony in this story.  As there is with Paul’s answer to a health care question in the Republican debate a few nights ago.   That is, if someone gets sick and doesn’t have health insurance, well, shit happens and you pay the price with your life. 

Update:  I forgot to insert in the above paragraph that Paul’s campaign manager was denied health insurance.

I like Ron Paul as someone who sees the massive fraud in Washington and the encroachment of the state on our freedoms but some of his views on freedom,  libertarianism and economics are batty as hell.  I want government cleaned up but I don’t want to live in a society he envisions.  It is a world seemingly where no matter what adversity you face in life, whether it is by chance or dumb luck, you are left to the forces of the “free market”.   Personal responsibility is important but his neoliberal view is not representative of a healthy state of mind.  The human mind is healthy when its basic needs are met as outlined by Maslow’s hierarchy.  That means the human mind is granted safety, community and connectedness.  

On some level I view Paul’s perspectives as often anarchist rather than libertarian.  There is a substantial difference.  Paul takes an extreme view of government and community in the sense that he seems to think government is always the problem and no matter what happens in life, there is no formal support structure or connectedness or community to assist.  Actually, a true libertarian understand that functioning government (the rule of law and the will of the people) is the solution.  These ideals of community and connectedness are clearly outlined in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

Being a libertarian means one values the primacy of individual liberties.  That does not mean one thinks functional government is a problem.  In order for the primacy of the individual to be possible, effective government is necessary.  For some who may be mentally-challenged or some who may experience bigotry and hate because of skin color or sexual orientation or gender or someone who is disabled in any way or some who have been victims of Wall Street fraud or countless other examples, often people need effective government to become who they were meant to become.  Government  must play a role in supporting the primacy of individual rights and with that comes the rights of supporting individual opportunity.   In other words, people and society need community to become who they are meant to become.  To become personally responsible.  To become whole.   To be given the fundamental opportunity to lead a self-determined life.   The only formal facility we have to accomplish this is community itself.   That is government.  Government is the will of the people.  All people.   Individual responsibility and accomplishment takes primacy but in many situations, we often need assistance to lead that self-determined existence.  A true libertarian understands the complexities of life as opposed to viewing everything as a black and white ideology.