Texas Congressman Ron Paul spoke to students packed on Hayden Lawn on the Tempe campus on Friday, headlining an event to denounce intrusions in personal freedoms and poor federal economic policies.
The event, co-hosted by the College Republicans at ASU and ASU Students for Liberty, highlighted the complaints related to the Transportation Security Administration’s security procedures and how the Federal Reserve negatively affects the country’s economic system, among other issues.
“Times have changed, not only at ASU, but around the country,” said the event’s opening speaker, former California Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. “We are an experiment in liberty, and whether the republic will be successful is truly up to us.”
On Wednesday, Paul introduced House Resolution 6416, dubbed the “American Traveler Dignity Act,” which would establish that TSA employees are not immune to any laws regarding physical contact or making images of another person, nor allow them to expose others to radiation-emitting machinery. TSA employees would be subject to the same laws as any other citizen.
By Dylan Abrams
“With what’s going on at the airports, there’s not much hope for us,” Paul said. “We need to stop this tyranny at the airports. Whoever heard of giving up your rights when you buy an airline ticket?”
Paul also described the “cell phone philosophy,” in which he explains why the government shouldn’t have more responsibilities in allocating resources to citizens.
Suppose the government was in charge of giving everyone in the country a cell phone, Paul said.
Not only would there be various problems in getting everyone a cell phone, he said, but it would be the same phone for everybody, and likely be of weaker technology.
“If you don’t like a product, you boycott it and don’t buy it,” Paul said, alluding to the health care bill passed this year. “We want to get the government off our backs and out of our wallets.”
Paul also talked about his ongoing intents to audit the Federal Reserve, which he first introduced to Congress in early 2009 and gathered 320 co-sponsors, and plans on resubmitting the bill when Congress reconvenes.
The bill would place the Comptroller General in charge of an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and all of the Federal Reserve’s banks. A report of the audit would be presented to Congress before the end of the year in which it is passed.
Other speakers in attendance touched on their general distrust of America’s politicians.
College Republicans at ASU President Tyler Bowyer told the audience of a trip to Russia he had taken, and how Russian police mistreated him during his trip.
How he was bullied by police in Russia, he said, reminded him eerily of how politicians present themselves in America.
“Why is it when I turn on C-SPAN, I think of the crooked cops in Russia?” Bowyer said.
Goldwater conveyed a similar tone.
“Politicians are like babies, they need their diapers changed,” Goldwater said. “Next thing you know, they’re going to want to ban Four Loko.”
Reach the reporter at mhendley@asu.edu
