As a result of a petition endorsed by the N.C. State’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, TX Congressman Ron Paul will speak tonight at 7 p.m. at the McKimmon Center.
According to Rob Bryan, a senior in political science and founder of N.C. State’s chapter of Young Americans for Liberty, over 2,000 students signed a petition to bring Paul to N.C. State, and at least 1,000 are expected to be in attendance.
“Not only were we blown away, but our national organization was blown away as well. We realized that the students of NC State were interested in bringing Congressman Paul to campus,” Bryan said. “Normally it takes two to three months to gather the same amount of signatures.”
Brady Nemeth, junior in international studies and current leader of Young Americans for Liberty, said this event will bring together students and organizations from all across North Carolina.
“We have other Young Americans for Liberty chapters from ECU, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, and even an upstart group in Campbell making the trek to Raleigh,” Nemeth said. ”There are people driving from all parts of the state to see Ron Paul speak, as is typical of his enthusiastic supporters.”
According to Bryan, the reason these groups are so interested in hearing Paul speak is because his ideas are often radically different than other political officials.
“When someone comes along who swims upstream, people start to pay attention. Dr. Paul definitely swims upstream,” Bryan said. “Out of 435 members of the House, Dr. Paul stands out.”
And Bryan said it is Paul’s unconventional ideas that make students stop and listen—even if they don’t agree with what they hear.
“Dr. Paul often interests students with his principled and consistent positions on the issues,” Bryan said. “Some students start listening because he talks about things such as the decriminalization of some drugs, or his opposition of foreign intervention.”
Bryan said not only is Paul expected to discuss the future of American liberty, he is also set to talk about the Federal Reserve and the intervention in Libya.
According to John Starbuck, assistant director for marketing for N.C. State’s bookstore, following his presentation Paul will participate in a book signing, as his books End the Fed and The Revolution: A Manifesto will be available for purchase at the event.
While Bryan acknowledged there are issues that divide people along party lines, our national debt is an issue the country needs to fight together.
“With over $14 trillion in national debt, this is not a left or right issue,” Bryan said. “Getting people engaged in politics so that they start considering present issues is my goal with bringing Congressman Ron Paul to campus.”
However, Bryan said this event is not meant to simply thrust Paul’s ideals onto the student body, but rather to show students that such political discussion is both acceptable and necessary.
“I believe the greatest benefit to the campus community is the opportunity this event presents for opening a political dialog. I know that not everyone who attends this event will agree with Dr. Paul, or even like what he has to say,” Bryan said. “They will however, feel the need to express their own opinions. This is the spark that our generation needs to openly address issues that loom in our future.”
