Ron Paul recently released his bold “Plan to Restore America,” which would cut nearly a whopping $1 trillion in one year and eliminate five federal departments. While many Republicans like to talk about slashing spending, Ron Paul has consistently proved himself to be a rare man in Washington who can walk his talk. As Cato Institute scholar Tad DeHaven says, “my reaction to the proposal can be summed up in one word: hallelujah.” His budget blueprint would set us in the right direction to restore a constitutionally limited government.

The “Plan to Restore America” would deliver a true balanced budget in year three of Dr. Paul’s presidency without raising taxes. He is the only presidential candidate that has revealed a balanced budget plan and it’s much bolder than plans introduced by other sitting congressmen. Unlike President Obama’s so-called spending cuts that just reduce expected spending increases, Ron Paul’s plan would cut real dollar spending.

Many Republicans just want to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic while it’s going down. Ron Paul offers real solutions to balance the budget in the near future instead of several decades down the road. His plan would eliminate the Department of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Commerce and Interior. Are any of the other GOP presidential candidates—besides former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson—calling for the elimination of even one department? Tinkering around the edges won’t cut it in the long term.

One of my favorite highlights of the proposal is that it would allow young people to opt out of entitlement programs. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons young people have flocked to Ron Paul’s campaign. Forcing individuals into a mandatory government program against their will is antithetical to freedom. While some GOP candidates have called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, I have yet to hear any other candidate propose allowing individuals to opt out.

Ron Paul reminds fellow Republicans on what it means to be a fiscal conservative. Or as the National Review’s Kevin D. Williamson titles his blog post on the budget plan, “Ron Paul Dropping a Reality Bomb on the GOP Field.” Other highlights of his plan include abolishing the Transportation Security Administration, ending corporate subsidies, eliminating the Death Tax and repealing ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Though a largely symbolic measure, Ron Paul will take a salary of $39,336, which is approximately equal to the median personal income of the American worker. This should come as no surprise since Ron Paul never votes to raise congressional pay and returns a portion of unspent office funds to the U.S. treasury every year. And of course, any Ron Paul budget plan includes a full audit of the Federal Reserve and allows for competing currency.

The Washington Post concurs that Paul’s budget plan “goes well beyond what other Republican candidates are proposing.” It is refreshing to see a Republican presidential candidate spell out specifics rather than offering up vague statements on what he wants to cut. With such a great plan to get America back on track, it’s a huge disappointment that Ron Paul has placed dead last in allotted speaking time at the GOP debates. He has only been allotted a total of 18 minutes and 47 seconds in three GOP debates while the less principled Mitt Romney has had 41 minutes and 9 seconds of speaking time.

Ron Paul's voice of sanity deserves to heard. The other GOP candidates are sounding more and more like Ron Paul these days. They should follow in his footsteps by naming specific departments they would cut if elected.