AMERICAN INTERVENTION ABROAD, REGULATION AT HOME ISN’T HELPING
By RON PAUL || According to Forbes magazine, at least 5,000 Americans contacted healthcare providers fearful they had contracted Ebola after the media reported that someone with Ebola had entered the United States. All 5,000 cases turned out to be false alarms. In fact, despite all the hype about Ebola generated by the media and government officials, as of this writing there has only been one preliminarily identified case of someone contracting Ebola within the United States.
Ebola is a dangerous disease, but it is very difficult to contract. Ebola spreads via direct contact with the virus. This usually occurs though contact with bodily fluids. While the Ebola virus may remain on dry surfaces for several hours, it can be destroyed by common disinfectants. So common-sense precautions should be able to prevent Ebola from spreading.
It is no coincidence that many of those countries suffering from mass Ebola outbreaks have also suffered from the plagues of dictatorship and war. The devastation wrought by years of war has made it impossible for these countries to develop modern healthcare infrastructure. For example, the 14-year civil war in Liberia left that country with almost no trained doctors. Those who could leave the war-torn country were quick to depart. Sadly, American foreign aid props up dictators and encourages militarism in these countries.
President Obama’s response to the Ebola crisis has been to send 3,000 troops to West African countries to help with treatment and containment. Obama did not bother to seek congressional authorization for this overseas military deployment. Nor did he bother to tell the American people how long the mission would last, how much it would cost, or what section of the Constitution authorizes him to send U.S. troops on “humanitarian” missions.
The people of Liberia and other countries would be better off if the U.S. government left them alone. Leave it to private citizens to invest in African business and trade with the African people. Private investment and trade would help these countries develop thriving free-market economies capable of sustaining a modern healthcare infrastructure.
Legitimate concerns about protecting airline passengers from those with Ebola or other infectious diseases can best be addressed by returning responsibility for passenger safety to the airlines. After all, private airlines have a greater incentive than does government to protect their passengers from contagious diseases. They can do so while providing a safe means of travel for those seeking medical treatment in the United States. This would remove the incentive to lie about exposure to the virus among those seeking to come here for treatment.
Ebola patients in the U.S. have received permission from the Food and Drug Administration to use “unapproved” drugs. This is a positive development. But why should those suffering from potentially lethal diseases have to seek special permission from federal bureaucrats to use treatments their physicians think might help? And does anyone doubt that the FDA’s cumbersome approval process has slowed down the development of treatments for Ebola?
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company has successfully contained the spread of Ebola among 80,000 people living in Harbel, the Liberian town housing employees of Firestone’s Liberian plant and their families. In March, after the wife of a Firestone employee developed Ebola symptoms, Firestone constructed its own treatment center and implemented a program of quarantine and treatment. Firestone has successfully kept the Ebola virus from spreading among its employees. As of this writing, there are only three Ebola patients at Firestone’s treatment facility.
Firestone’s success in containing Ebola shows that, far from justifying new state action, the Ebola crises demonstrates that individuals acting in the free market can do a better job of containing Ebola than can governments. The Ebola crisis is also another example of how U.S. foreign aid harms the very people we are claiming to help. Limiting government at home and abroad is the best way to protect health and freedom.
Ron Paul is a former U.S. Congressman from Texas and the leader of the pro-liberty, pro-free market movement in the United States. His weekly column – reprinted with permission – can be found here.
21 comments
You tell’em Paul, we turned up our collective snouts at these “backward” countries because despite the willingness of medic facilities yearning for potential Ebola patients to come in get treated or disquished as having the virus, these poor stupid dolts from the low brow uneducated countries didn’t realize that’s what they needed to do to get diagnosed/treated and keep from spreading the virus.
Fast forward to the US where there’s arising a huge back log of testing human tissue/fluids from doctors too scared/dumb/uneducated? to deal with it and saying to potential Ebola patients “stay home” eg first US case, he says look where I traveled & look at might symptoms, and the brilliant US doctors say “whoa, this seems scary, don’t bother us, it could be contagious, go home and infect your neighborhood but stay out of the hospital capiche?”. They may do a news story on it but he’s dead now….I think a coordinated educated response may help more than you and your egotistical bozo doctor friends political pablums about liberty. Or at least if the US medical system could catch up to that of western Africa – and they need to do so in a hurry!
I personally read the Firestone story as a farmer who keeps livestock, and one of his cattle got sick, so he set up a spot for a vet to treat any of his sick cattle. After all, having a sickness spread through your cattle has a tremendous cost to you. L. Ron Paul’s “freedom” boner is hard enough to cut diamonds just thinking about it.
Meanwhile, in evil socialist USSA, the evil socialist government tries to get a poor, defenseless coal company to help pay for some moocher employee with black lung, instead of letting the company do what it knows best: put him on the “nothing” health plan and watch as his black lung problem solves itself (by killing the patient).
http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrishamby/how-a-coal-miners-autopsy-proved-a-top-doctor-wrong?utm_term=4ldqpia#41qno7a
The Free Market solves all, folks!
I read this “news” story smirks, and I had troubling reconciling the fact that docto s ar infallible with this piece. Doesn’t compute, the new Hippocratic oath under Paul is give me liberty AND give me death.
So, Delta Airlines flight attendants will now establish hospital protocols. I sure am happier knowing that.
Don’t forget, they’re going to sterilize the plane as well cause they have an incentive to do so…
This is one of the funniest columns yet to appear on FITSNews. Lets give infected people the “liberty” to wander around as they see fit. Lets give small African countries the “liberty” to be overrun with disease. Let’s give corporations the “liberty” to react in any haphazard way their CEO wants.
What’s really funny is that you’re too damn stupid to understand his point… which is that if people were allowed (through less Gov’t intrusion) their God given property rights – which come with it, the right to discriminate – than Ebola would be a non event in most places.
Why Barbarossa, how UN-PC of you!
Back to the corner with you! And while you’re there thinking about the soon to be coming charges of “raciss” hurled your way, just remember to be happy with the property government allow you to keep.
Sure, because a virus really respects your property rights. Or maybe you plan to hole up in your house and shoot anyone who crosses your front lawn.
No, No Ron Paul is clearly is a victim of dementia and the “I want to say something relevant” because I ran for President. and I know more than anyone else on Earth. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts his son Senator Rand Paul is cringing with embarrassment. I’m betting Kiispy Kreme donuts so you know I’m serious.
I wish Ron Paul would just shut up. I have everything under control.
“Sadly, American foreign aid props up dictators and encourages militarism in these countries.”
If Ron Paul had ever had an honest day in his life, he would admit that it’s not just foreign aid, it’s Congressional members of The Fellowship/The Family/C Street (Mark Sanford’s friends) who are responsible for the foreign aid going to every murderous dictator on the planet for the past 60+ years as long as they promised to fight commies and love Jesus.
Then, The Fellowship sells access to the US president at its National Prayer Breakfast once a year to put some of that foreign aid back in pockets of The Fellowship.
Ron needs to keep up with the Ebola story. Treating these few people in the US has led to the discovery that the virus lives on their skin, not just body fluids. When I locate that link, I will post it.
Ebola and ISIS denial from Dr. Paul. Say doesn’t that sound like our current administration, just add “liberty” to it.
Ron, is right. The free market can handle Ebola. I know I feel confident that Delta will screen its passengers for Ebola and handle those passengers properly.
Ron, where do you stand on tort reform? Do you agree we also need to reduce the ability of people to sue people and companies who injure them? If so, we better do that fast.
Finally, under Ron’s theory, this Ebola thing should play itself out. Since we are going to allow people who cannot afford health care to die, the rest of us should be able to wait them out. Sooner or later the poor people will die off. More land for the rest of us. At least that was the theory with the Native Americans.
As Barney would say, “that guys a NUT!”
Ron Paul has the same problem most Libertarians (and many Bible Thumpers) have. They have foundational beliefs that they extend to areas that are not applicable.
A health crises is not solved by the profit motive alone and the public is at such a risk that the government has a responsibility that it can’t be left to private charities alone.
In other words, they are so rigidly dogmatic they can’t see the forest for the trees?
Exactly.
this is pure parody. this is someone making fun of what ron paul might say about ebola right?
Ron Paul is a great man. This is not a great column. Ebola is one issue where we need the Powell doctrine of overwhelming force.