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- Candidate Status:
- Out
- Current Job:
- Congressman from Texas
- Birth Date:
- August 20, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Family:
- Wife Carol Paul; five children
- Religion:
- Protestant
- Education:
- Gettysburg College, B.A., 1957
Duke University, M.D., 1961
- Career:
- Ron Paul is a 10-term U.S. representative from Texas. He is a strong proponent of limited government, and was the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 1988. By profession, Paul is a medical doctor specializing in obstetrics/gynecology. He was first elected to the House in the 1970s, but left in 1984 to return to medicine; he returned in 1997. Paul served in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, where he worked as a flight surgeon.
- Other facts:
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- Paul has delivered over 4,000 babies.
- Paul's nickname is "Dr. No."
- Abortion:
- Paul is a self-described "pro-life libertarian" who believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. He says abortion is not a constitutional issue. He voted to ban partial-birth abortions, and would not use American money to help fund family planning abroad.
- Energy/Environment:
- Paul says U.S. foreign policy contributes to global warming because it fighting a war in Iraq to protect access to oil. He has introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, which would require the federal government to respect state laws allowing the growing of industrial hemp. He believes hemp can be used as an alternative fuel.
- Immigration:
- Paul thinks birthright citizenship acts as an incentive for illegal immigration. He says border control is the first step toward immigration control. Paul does not believe in amnesty. He says illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for breaking the law, and that U.S. taxpayers should not have to pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and other social services.
- Iraq:
- Paul has been a fierce critic of the Iraq war, and was one of six House Republicans to vote against the 2002 resolution authorizing it.
- Taxes
- Paul says he is opposed to the income tax, and would like to see the 16th Amendment repealed. He signed a no-tax hike pledge, saying he never has and never will vote to raise taxes.
