Within my first couple of weeks on the job, I was pleased to observe that the Ron Paul Revolution, of which I am a part, has made huge in-roads into the minds of blue-collar Americans.
While on my lunch break, I couldn't help but overhear a number of ladies who were discussing our national debt, budgetary woes, and the general economic malaise of our day. To my delighted surprise one of the ladies frustratedly remarked, "I don't see why they keep printing money, when it just makes the money we already have worth less."
There it was--monetary policy being discussed in a blue-collar breakroom! This was no political wonk or economic junkie lamenting poor economic policy; this was an average lady showing concern over the inflationary policies of our government. Naturally, I couldn't help but encourage her and offer some empirical data to back up her point.
For me central banking has been a concern since I first fell in love with the writings and political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson long ago, but I can't imagine the average American really cared about it until he or she saw the results firsthand and were, likewise, exposed to Congressman Ron Paul's crusade to bring down the Fed and the bad policies it supports.
Needless to say, I was even more excited when I once again was involved in a monetary policy discussion at work less than a week later.
Having heard from a guy with which I frequently discuss politics that I support Ron Paul, I was approached by a fellow worker out of the blue. She came up to me and questioned, "So, you like Ron Paul, huh?" I affirmatively nodded as she continue, "Well...what do you like most about Ron Paul?"
Of course, answering why I like Dr. Paul is no small task, but I did my best to summarize my affection for his philosophical consistency and constitutional fidelity. She thought for a brief second and responded, "I'll tell you one think I like about him: He is for the gold standard, and that is a good thing."
I was floored! A rejection of fiat money in favor of hard currency is not usually a selling point for any political candidate. especially if you are not an economic wonk. It is a secondary issue at best, if it ever makes it to the point of being an issue at all. But here I was, speaking to a lady who had done her homework on the issue and admired Dr. Paul for doing his.
Once again, I couldn't imagine this issue even seeing the light of day 5 years ago. But this isn't 5 years ago. We now live in a time where people are hurting economically and are beginning to look to those like Dr. Paul, who predicted the economic collapse well before it arrived, for leadership.
These are trying times that we live in, but these are also times in which people are waking up to reality long overlooked. The Revolution is already showing fruits; I believe my experiences above point to such, but there is still much work to be done and a greater harvest to reap--a harvest of liberty and a return to Founding principles. Let us keep our hands to the plow and continue to sow the seeds of liberty in the hearts of those around us. Soon occurrences like those above may become the norm.
Daryl Luna,
Columnist, THL
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