GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, trying to get traction beyond distant third to Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, has made a bold promise. If elected, the Texas libertarian would reduce his own presidential salary to $39,336 (from $400,000), the median salary of an American worker. The offer, of course, is moot. He won’t be elected president. But it is a perfect parallel to his libertarian views. Some things work best in the abstract.