Maybe we ought to consider a Golden Rule in foreign policy: Don't do to other nations what we don't want happening to us. We endlessly bomb these countries and then we wonder why they get upset with us?
No one talks about the real ethics disaster in Washington. It's that many members of Congress will listen to any argument against a bill except for two: that it's not moral or that it's not Constitutional.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the ethical failures in Congress regarding the importance of morality and constitutional integrity in decision-making.
Ron Paul's quote critiques the political landscape in Washington, suggesting that lawmakers often disregard fundamental ethical considerations when debating legislation. He argues that members of Congress are open to various arguments opposing a bill, yet they seem to dismiss those grounded in morality or constitutional adherence, highlighting a concerning trend in political discourse where ethics are sidelined.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, one might reference this quote to emphasize the need for moral considerations in legislative discussions.
More from Ron Paul
All quotes →Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
If we are not even free anymore to decide something as basic as what we wish to eat or drink, how much freedom do we really have left?
I wish I could say I was shocked at the reports the NSA is secretly spying on the private phone calls of millions of Verizon customers. However, this is a predictable result of a government that continues to erode our liberties while promising some glimmering hope of security.
They ask me if I'm going to quit. I thought we were just getting started. We have a revolution to fight, a country to change.
When one person can initiate war, by its definition, a republic no longer exists.
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I get asked a lot about getting into politics. I say, 'Take a look at politics. You tell me what seems appealing about that.'
If ever there were a place where people not only tend not to face economic facts, but it's almost their purpose not to face economic facts, it's Washington.
Voting rights is how we address the deepening divides in our country, by ensuring every eligible voter's voice is heard.
It's really a pity that there are observers who view political events like comic strips. There has to be a Zorro, there has to be a star. No, the problem of Upper Volta is more serious than that. It was a grave mistake to have looked for a man, a star, at all costs, to the point of creating one, that is, to the point of attributing the ownership of the event to captain Sankara, who must have been the brains, etc.
The essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries.
For the Palestinians' efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure. Palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if Hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. And Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist.