Ron Paul Makes First Official Trip As GOP Candidate to Las Vegas

Ron Paul spoke in Nevada for the second time in as many months, but this time around he did so as a 2012 GOP presidential candidate. The event took place at the Silverton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, just 24 hours after Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney raised more than $10 million during a phone bank fundraiser at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"It looks to me like the revolution is alive and well," said Paul as he took the podium with the crowd giving him a standing ovation. "And it's growing too!"

During his first official trip as a presidential candidate, Paul mainly spoke about the importance of a free-market economy, property rights, the government's encroachment on civil liberties, and most importantly, freedom.

"If I am the president, all I want do is release you from the burden of government," said Paul.

He also didn't hold back when it came to how he viewed the role of the Federal Reserve, who he feels is the most responsible for the economic crisis the country faces today.

"We as a country have lived with bad economic policies for a long, long time," said Paul. "The Congress runs up deficits, whether it's for the welfare entitlement system or the militarism of the world. (The Federal Reserve) is there to monetize it and just perpetuate the problem."

Paul said the crowd reaction to his stance against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has drastically changed since his last presidential run in 2008.

"This view is growing in popularity," said Paul. "A few years ago I made statements like these and I actually got booed. My speech is still the same, but now people are reacting differently."

The 2012 GOP presidential candidate said this would be the first of many trips to Nevada and hopes that the state will lead the way by "showing the country what liberty is all about."