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Sat, Nov 21, 2009 - 05:17 PM EST  —  AAPL: 199.92 (-0.59, -0.29%)  |  NASDAQ: 2146.04 (-10.78, -0.5%)

Ron Paul attracts most campaign contributions from U.S. tech employees
Monday, February 04, 2008 - 02:24 PM EST

"While the U.S. electronics industry isn't a major donor to U.S. presidential campaigns, generally preferring to focus its financial clout on congressional races, something unusual is happening this election cycle. According to early federal estimates, GOP hopeful Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a libertarian, is attracting the most individual campaign contributions from employees of major U.S. high-tech companies," George Leopold reports for EE Times.

"Based on available donor data, the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics estimates that employees of Google Inc. and related political action committees are the top contributors to Paul's long-shot presidential bid. As of Sept. 30, Google employees had contributed $22,250 to Paul, and Microsoft Corp. employees were the No. 4 overall contributor to Paul's campaign, kicking in $12,863. Employees from Cisco Systems, Apple Inc. and Verizon have also contributed," Leopold reports.

"According to the most recent figures released by the Federal Election Commission, Paul has raised almost $8.3 million, nearly all of it from individual contributors. According to commission totals, Paul raised more than $214,000 in contributions through the end of the third quarter from computer and network technology companies," Leopold reports.

More in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Fred Mertz" for the heads up.]

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Feb 04, 08 - 02:41 pm Comment from: The Dude

RP is the man!

The Dude abides.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:42 pm Comment from: Daner

Agree with him or not, but he deserves to be recognized as the most consistent candidate that has been seen for years. Honest, principled, lives what he believes when it comes to reducing government spending - I wish that he was not so alone when it comes to those things.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:42 pm Comment from: John B

Could it have something to do with this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GZznxMC14

Feb 04, 08 - 02:46 pm Comment from: Berny

Dr. Ron Paul has the greatest message of them all.

Liberty!

Feb 04, 08 - 02:47 pm Comment from: Guess Poser

Yea, vote for honesty and principles. Just about all the rest are scumbags. Real people are financing Ron Paul, the corps are financing the others. Real people buy Macs, the corps finance MS.

You can trust the people, just give them the facts to make their own judgment, not all the Faux News etc.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:47 pm Comment from: Tommy Boy

Good job tech workers. Support the nutjob who would wreck our financial system.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:48 pm Comment from: COB w/BBs

What I can't figure out is why the "Reset Safari" menu option is on the Edit menu on WinSafari?

Just seems so strange to me...

Windows is dumb. So are the choices for our next president.

Like the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that and so on...

Feb 04, 08 - 02:51 pm Comment from: Matt Screen

Ron Paul is the only republican candidate telling the truth. We need to be talking about the real problems and stop bankrupting our country not squabbling about "he said, no he said" crap.

They barely gave him a chance to speak at the last debate but when he did, it was the truth.

What moron in their right mind would vote for Mitt Romney. The guy killed and exported thousands of US jobs as head of Bain Capital, his only real experience in economics is more satan than Bush. The Dems will have a field day with this guys REAL record.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:53 pm Comment from: Guess Poser

@ John B

Hemp solves global warming too, seriously, the oil companies don't like it, that's why it's illegal.

It used to be mandatory that farmers grew hemp, so damned useful it is, and cheap. But it grows everywhere real easy so they can't manipulate the price like they can with oil. Start another war, oil price goes up, Exxon, BP et al all have to excuse making such big profits whilst consumers are paying more.

Fun fact, the constitution is written on paper made from hemp.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:55 pm Comment from: librium

Tommy boy, your financial system is a complete fraud.

It's already wrecked.

Feb 04, 08 - 02:56 pm Comment from: Reclaimer

Ron Paul has some good ideas on the economy, but the rest of his ramblings are just plain crazy!

Feb 04, 08 - 02:57 pm Comment from: librium

Reclaimer can you elaborate?

Feb 04, 08 - 03:04 pm Comment from: Reclaimer

librium, low taxes, that's all. At least that's the way I understand it.

But Ron Paul is just plain nuts!

Liberty without responsibility is chaos.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:06 pm Comment from: Philip

Go Ron Paul! And by the way, Tommy Boy, wreck our financial system? If you're talking about the gold standard, we had it (more or less) until 1973. It's the Federal Reserve, that has money printed out of thin air in attempts to artificially lower interest rates, that has led to the devaluation of the US dollar and economic issues we face today.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:08 pm Comment from: MacLan

"The Federal Reserve is about as 'federal' as Federal Express."
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com

Skim past the religious stuff if it offends your sensibilities, but it's pretty much everything Ron Paul talks about.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:08 pm Comment from: shen

ahh, Ron, sexist, racist, batsh!t crazy..... i guess if you consider that "honest and principled."

what's not to like?

Feb 04, 08 - 03:10 pm Comment from: John B

@ Guess Poser

You're preaching to the choir.

Hemp is arguably the most valuable non-food crop known to mankind. It's oil is a substitute for petroleum. Imagine, a renewable source of biodegradable fuel, plastics, and paint. Not to mention its fiber, which is a substitute for both wood (paper) and cotton (cloth). It is fast and easy to grow, harvest, and process virtually anywhere, requiring little labor and no polluting chemical fertilizers.

Technically, it is legal to grow hemp in the US with a federal license. However the federal government does not grant licenses.

If it weren't for RP's views on abortion and creationism, I'd be all for him.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:12 pm Comment from: librium

First you might want to research where your taxes go (Hint: paying a private bank "The Federal Reserve" interest on the money it lends you to fight illegal wars.)

If it wasn't for that corporation, your country would have much, much, much lower taxes.

I'm not sure I follow the "Liberty without responsibility" part.

He's more of the "Liberty without government tyranny"

You Americans better wake up soon, cause I don't want you taking us down with you.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:18 pm Comment from: ericdano

*rolls eyes* Ron Paul. Might as well have Zune Tang run for office.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:21 pm Comment from: @Reclaimer

What's nuts about him? He actually obeys the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8 and the 10th Amendment: read it). So when he says "repeal all federal drug laws, including those that prohibit kids from smoking crack", note that the key word is FEDERAL. State and local governments are the only ones that constitutionally have the authority to make such laws, and anyway they would probably enforce them far more efficiently and sensibly, instead of the current failed, unconstitutional, one-size-fits-all federal War on Drugs.

So, after learning the reasoning behind his positions, which of his "ramblings" is actually "insane"?

Feb 04, 08 - 03:53 pm Comment from: Ampar

ericdano: Have you ever seen those two together? Hmmm.

Feb 04, 08 - 03:59 pm Comment from: Sublime

Ron Paul is my homeboy!

Feb 04, 08 - 04:01 pm Comment from: 84 Mac Guy

Understanding why tech workers support Ron Paul is easy. Tech workers typically have better math skills then the typical American who has trouble making change for a Big Mac.

Therefore, since tech workers can actually add and multiply, they can see the humungous US budget and trade deficits are driving the US toward bankruptcy.

Paul's solution: quit spending our tax money on foreign wars and entanglements and quit sending our jobs oversees for free.

Keeping the US from turning into a 21st century Argentina should be the only campaign issue and Ron Paul is the only one talking about it.

Feb 04, 08 - 04:05 pm Comment from: Shinobi

Ron Paul is the most honest in the race!

How can american people not be for their own freedom? We are not voting for a prom queen....

People wake the f*ck up! Ron Paul will eliminate the IRS and Taxes...You get to keep your the money you earn instead of paying the interest in the federal debt.

This country ran fine for nearly 200 years WITHOUT an INCOME TAX before the fradulent bad money system was brought into place in 1913 known as the Federal Reserve.

Which other candidate wants to give the American People back their Freedom that was taken away by the Patriot Acts?

Which other candidate wants the American People to keep their hard earned money by getting rid of the thugs called the IRS?

Most of the income tax we pay goes towards the interest payments we on the $9.2 Trillion Dollars we owe to foreigners like the Chinese.

In time we all will have wished we had the wisdom to vote for Ron Paul when our new chinese landlord is kicking us out in the streets.

I really don't understand how people are not interested in their own freedom and money....one of the mysteries of life.

Isn't freedom and prosperity two of the things that made the us great?

Now the US is the most in debt and bankrupt country in History because of the jokers in washington self serving policies.

For an eye opening experience watch this video...Then vote for whomever you think is really looking out for you and America.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_dmPchuXIXQ&feature=related

Feb 04, 08 - 04:07 pm Comment from: Rob Menke

@librium:

For one thing, he's almost as big a religious extremist as Huckabee. He outright rejects evolution, using the popular definition of "theory" over the more accurate scientific one (and he's a "Dr."!).

His foreign policy (what little he's espoused on it) pretty much boils down to extreme isolationism.

In many ways he reminds me of Lyndon LaRouche: brilliant in one area, but completely bizarre everywhere else. I prefer a more well-rounded candidate, thank you very much.

Feb 04, 08 - 04:12 pm Comment from: ReneLA

I love this man. smile Ron Paul. I changed my party affiliation when I heard this man speak. I think that Mr. Obama would make a good President but Ron Paul would be a great one.

Watch this video. He is starting a revolution. Ron Paul 08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqYuJ8vo7_A

Feb 04, 08 - 04:15 pm Comment from: ReneLA

I love this video. Spread the word!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb4HW3I82lg

Feb 04, 08 - 04:21 pm Comment from: @John B

When did Ron Paul ever say he was a creationist? Are you sure you're not thinking of Mike Huckabee? But anyway, how should that affect his presidency, even if he were?

Also, Paul's position on abortion is just that it must be dealt with at the state level (Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution and the 10th Amendment: read it). Why do you oppose this?

Feb 04, 08 - 04:31 pm Comment from: @ Rob Menke

"What little he's espoused on it"? Ron Paul has written a whole book on noninterventionist foreign policy, actually, called "A Foreign Policy of Freedom".

It is not isolationist. Isolationism is refusal to interact with other countries; noninterventionism is refusal to use military force against other countries. In fact, our interventionism has increased our isolationism, Cuba being a perfect example of a country that other countries can travel to and interact with but, because of our policies, we cannot.

There is nothing "extreme" about a noninterventionist foreign policy. It is practiced by Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Australia... the United States, somehow, is for the most part the "extreme" one, unique in feeling that IT, unlike any other country, for some reason must have bases in 130 countries around the world.

Feb 04, 08 - 05:24 pm Comment from: David

Too many of the readers here have show little understanding of fiscal policy.
Please read up on the gold standard here:
http://goldsilver.com/video_player.php?video_id=8&cat_id=2&ss=2b63135f144014f20cd33a6d1c453222

Feb 04, 08 - 05:26 pm Comment from: SB Dude

I gave thrice. And will do so thrice more times if he's still around after tomorrow. As long as those other two puppets don't win enough for a first round nomination lock there is always hope that sanity will win out in the end. If the libertarians succeed in taking over the Republican party we are in for a real treat of an election. Look what happened to Apple when Next took it over... same type of change if we succeed.

Stop dreaming, restore the republic. Tomorrow do yourself a favor and vote RP.

Feb 04, 08 - 05:52 pm Comment from: O'Neill

@ Ron Menke

"His foreign policy (what little he's espoused on it) pretty much boils down to extreme isolationism."

It's evident, like McCain, you don't know the difference between isolationism and non-intervention.

Break.

As for the Federal Income Tax. All you need to do is read, "Cracking the Code - The Fascinating Truth About Taxation in America" to set yourself free of the opressive income tax.

http://www.losthorizons.com

Feb 04, 08 - 07:09 pm Comment from: Mark

Ron Paul has some stances with which I disagree (for example, going back to the gold standard) but I like him the best.

I am going to write in his name for this coming election if he is not the front runner. I urge as many of you as possible who don't want another liberal (McCain or Clinton/Obama) as president to also write in his name. We need to send a message to the RNC that we are not going to tolerate these fake Republicans.

Feb 04, 08 - 07:13 pm Comment from: Reclaimer

I agree!
The war on drugs is a failure!
It's a war on people.

We need a middle ground, not one extreme or the other.

Feb 04, 08 - 08:32 pm Comment from: DX10

Evolution and abortion! Now there are some brilliant reasons not to vote for Dr. Paul. Try to remember that when you are in the soup line.

Feb 04, 08 - 08:33 pm Comment from: Rick

Tech workers understand Ron Paul because their jobs revolve around logic - every effect has a cause and every benefit has a cost. Other candidates promise short-term benefits but never talk about long-term costs.

Feb 04, 08 - 09:32 pm Comment from: Nuclear Kid

Ron Paul is the best hope America has. Wake up America before it's too late. Have you witnessed the games the establishment has played against Ron Paul? It's a war out there and amazingly, only about 5% of the population is even aware of it. Dr. Paul is the most inspiring and logical man I have ever listened to, but the powers that be what nothing of him or the mounting revolution. Tomorrow should be interesting....

Feb 04, 08 - 10:22 pm Comment from: Babysitter

"If it weren't for RP's views on abortion and creationism, I'd be all for him."

Please don't let this stop you from supporting this incredible statesman. Neither of these views matter because he believes they are to be settled at the state level, not by the federal government. So what's wrong with that?

And, anyway, if you check carefully, you'll see that his views on evolution are NOT what you think they are.

America needs Ron Paul BADLY. If we do not elect him, we may lose this country. If you care about your children, you MUST strongly consider voting for Ron Paul. Period.

Feb 04, 08 - 10:36 pm Comment from: Always Right

"...And, anyway, if you check carefully, you'll see that his views on evolution are NOT what you think they are..."


Ok. Let's see what R.P himself says.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML8rbbF53ak

Feb 04, 08 - 11:55 pm Comment from: Andrea

If you think about it, really, nothing is pure fact. Everything is theory. Science theories are disproven or modified everyday because what we know about the world can change. Sure, there are theories that have gained acclaim and the backing of major scientists.. but they have been wrong before. Although I do believe in evolution, I won't hold it against Ron Paul for believing it may not exist, as long as he doesn't enforce his beliefs on me. And I don't think he would either, because he has shown with his principled record that he believes in freedom for us to choose how to live which is why I will continue to support him.

Feb 05, 08 - 01:36 am Comment from: Lars

Thanks for reporting this!

We are collecting links to articles like yours at http://www.WhatTheySayAboutRonPaul.com for all the latest news about Ron Paul.

If you want to ensure your future articles about Ron Paul are noticed by even more Ron Paul supporters and others following the Ron Paul message you can go to http://www.WhatTheySayAboutRonPaul.com and post links to your own articles as soon as you make them available online.

Feb 05, 08 - 02:05 am Comment from: Merkhava

Ron Paul is a Republican and he has my vote - even if on the Nov. election day I have to write him in. By the way, McCain's campaign is a long shot. Huckabee is a no shot. Romney is a stain - a premature ejaculation. And yes, I'm one of those high tech engineers who has so far contributed to Ron Paul's campaign on three different occasions, and will do again as the campaign progresses. Live Free and screw Bush who defrauded my vote by lying to me!! But those fake Republicans will never get my vote again. I'm a life long Republican and a true conservative, and I will do my part to kick those elitist fascists out of my beloved Republican Party!!

Feb 05, 08 - 02:38 am Comment from: Lee

The problem with this guy being a creationist is that it shows a fundamental inability to think logically and objectively. This certainly isn't the sort of characteristic you'd want in a president, no matter how much he says he won't impose his views on others.

Feb 05, 08 - 03:46 am Comment from: Lee

The other problem with him being a creationist is that it speaks of someone who believes in simple, absolute solutions to complex and difficult problems, and I think this is reflected in his policy platform somewhat. He certainly has some good ideas that are worth discussing, but in practice I don't think he could fully implement his policy platform without some compromises.

Feb 05, 08 - 08:43 am Comment from: shen

"The other problem with him being a creationist is that it speaks of someone who believes in simple, absolute solutions to complex and difficult problems"

behold, the explanation for every stupid thing done by the moron in chief we have had for the last 7 years.....

shall we give another moron a shot at it?

fools like Ron and georgey the monkey see the world as black and white, and their responses are similarly ham handed. and then many people sneer and call appropriate reactions "nuance" and make fun of it, as if having the ability to approach issue with a fine grained approach is the mark of stupidity that there absolutist view shows....

the problem with the america is not people like shrub and Paul. the problem is the simpletons who support them because they think they are brilliant for suggesting that the solution to all problems can be fit on a bumper sticker or a 5 second sound bite.

Feb 05, 08 - 09:01 am Comment from: John C. Randolph

I wonder if the people calling RP an "isolationist" would consider Switzerland to be an isolationist country. The only foreign country that Switzerland sends any troops to is the Vatican.

-jcr

Feb 05, 08 - 09:03 am Comment from: John C. Randolph

" the problem is the simpletons who support them "

You know, I think the reason that the democrats lost two elections to GWB just might be the nasty habit you have of pouring out contempt upon your fellow citizens.

-jcr

Feb 05, 08 - 10:50 am Comment from: Mac_ATTY

Why are YOU PEOPLE bothering to have a debate about Ron Paul??? 99.9% of AMERICA could care less about this idiot.

Feb 05, 08 - 10:57 am Comment from: djfred

Yes, and it might get him all of 6 delegates.

Unless Bloomberg drops into the race, I'm going to vote for a Democrat, but I really have a hard time seeing why seemingly intelligent people rally behind this guy when a close look at his policies reveal so many holes the New England Patriots could establish a solid running game against them.

But toss in a few catch phrases like maverick Libertarian and everybody from right-wing military nuts to the legalize drugs crowd start acting like he's our nations one hope for freedom.

I respect him from speaking out against his own party for supporting the war in Iraq and their record of fiscal irresponsibility but that's hardly enough to base a presidency on.

You can't be libertarian and anti-choice. It's just not tenable.

In any case, he has no shot at winning. Some of you guys sound like you don't know that yet.

Feb 05, 08 - 11:04 am Comment from: djfred

John C, Randolph Yes, Switzerland is an isolationist country built on the proceeds from laundered money from drug smugglers, pornographers, Nazis, terrorist groups and the bank accounts of victims of the Holocaust.

And while the official military stance is neutrality their soldiers are world famous for fighting for whatever side will pay the most money.

Did you think they just made watches and hot chocolate?

Feb 05, 08 - 11:52 am Comment from: Douche Bag

Ron Paul is a moron and an old fart who wouldn't survive his term. No foreign leader would ever take this fool seriously so we stand no chance of fixing the mess Dubya is leaving behind. If this moron is so pro liberty then why the fsck does he dodge the abortion issue and say its the state's problem to solve. That would never ever happen. If he truly was for people's rights and liberty that issue would be a no brainer for him. Government has no right whatsoever to refuse a woman's choice on birth.

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