This video is going back a few years, only because I am just hearing about it now. So I apologize for not doing it sooner. This is a tremendous demonstration of Libertarian ideas in action. If one is to simply ignore Somalia and claim they “don’t count” because of thinly veiled reference to race. An important Libertarian who was close to presidential candidate Ron Paul passed away from a lack of health insurance.

Wolf Blitzer once asked Ron Paul at a Republican debate about the hypothetical situation where an uninsured man requires medical care but could not afford it, if “society should just let him die.” As to be expected, Ron Paul basically agreed that the man should in fact die. This response, in a sickening display of inhumanity, drew a cheer from the crowd.

As reality so often does, it proved this not be a “hypothetical situation”. Kent Snyder is the man who is commonly given credit for being the individual who convinced Republican party member Ron Paul to run for president of the United States. Snyder did astonishingly well for Paul, he managed to serve as campaign manager raising $19.5 million for his 2008 presidential office bid.

Two weeks after the campaign Snyder passed away at the age of 49 from pneumonia. As his campaign manager, Paul did not feel he was valuable enough to offer health insurance too. He died because he did not have private health, because he was unable to afford it on his own due to a preexisting medical condition. After Snyder died, his mother was handed the bill for his medical care, a massive $400,000.

Unable to afford this bill campaignforliberty.com publicly asked for donations to help pay for these bills. They spoke of him as a hero who “sacrificed dearly to see freedom prevail”. At the closing of the donations, they hand only raised 8% of the necessary funds.

After Snyder died Ron Paul left a message about him on the Campaign for Liberty website. (This was before the Tea Party took it over.) A site that promoted Ron Paul but free market ideals as well.

“Like so many in our movement, Kent sacrificed much for the cause of liberty. Kent poured every ounce of his being into our fight for freedom. He will always hold a place in my heart and in the hearts of my family.”

It appears Kent Snyder lived for, and died because of, Libertarian values. That’s what freedom is all about.

Ron Paul’s Campaign Manager Died of Pneumonia, Penniless and Uninsured
http://gawker.com/5840024/ron-pauls-campaign-manager-died-of-pneumonia-penniless-and-uninsured

Asking For Donations
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=119