Rand Paul On The Issues

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Rand Paul is currently the junior U.S. Senator of Kentucky. He serves on the serves on the Foreign Relations, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business Committees in the Senate, and has worked towards spending cuts and preventing government overreach. For example, one of his first legislative proposals cut $500 billion in federal spending over 5 years. He has since introduced similar bills, and is receiving increased support. Among other causes most important to Paul are term limits, a balanced-budget amendment, a Read the Bills Act, and an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Prior to becoming Senator, Rand Paul graduated from Duke University School of Medicine, and practiced ophthalmology in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Today, he still performs pro-bono eye surgery for Kentuckians.

Sections:

Rand Paul On Abortion

Rand Paul, despite accusations to the contrary, is pro-life. As he assured Sarah Palin in the Kentucky GOP Senate Primary, “My opponents call me a libertarian but I want to assure you that I am pro-life.” He believes that life begins at conception, and that therefore any conceived child should be granted legal protection. However, he stated in a CNN interview that be does see how there could be “thousands of exceptions” to any abortion ban. This has led to a good deal of controversy over Paul’s views. However, his aide later clarified that Paul meant that, as a physician, he could think of thousands of medical circumstances that would fall under the singular exception of receiving an abortion to save the life of a mother. In addition to being personally pro-life, Paul also believes that Americans have a duty to stand up against abortion. In a speech at the 2012 Values Voters Summit, he stated, “I don’t think a civilization can long endure that does not have respect for all human life, born and not yet born. I believe there will come a time when we are all judged on whether or not we took a stand in defense of all life from the moment of conception until our last natural breath.” He also opposes any federal funding of abortion, and signed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which prohibits federally funded abortions (with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the endangerment of the mother’s life), “Disqualifies, for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses, any amounts paid for an abortion, and excludes from the definition of “qualified health plan” after 2013, for purposes of the refundable tax credit for premium assistance for such plans, any plan that includes coverage for abortion.” On March 14, 2013, he introduced S. 583, the Life at Conception Act which would extend the Constitutional protection of life to begin at conception.

Rand Paul On Immigration

In regards to immigration, Paul’s website states, “I do not support amnesty, I support legal immigration and recognize that the country has been enriched by those who seek the freedom to make a life for themselves. However, millions of illegal immigrants are crossing our border without our knowledge and causing a clear threat to our national security.  I want to work in the Senate to secure our border immediately.  In addition, I support the creation of a border fence and increased border patrol capabilities.” He believes that the 14th amendment should be enforced as it was originally intended, which did not include the children of illegal immigrants becoming citizens. He is in support of Arizona’s immigration law, and supports their strict enforcement of it. He stated in a 2010 interview that he believes both parties are to blame for the lack of action against illegal immigrants, but that incoming immigrants register 3 to 1 Democrat to Republican, and that he believes this statistic plays a role in the Democratic hesitation to enforce stricter policies against illegal immigrants. Paul does, however, believe in a legal status for illegal immigrants, and does not believe in deportation.

Rand Paul on Homeland Security

Paul’s website states “One of the most significant issues we deal with in the United States Senate is foreign policy.  And in my opinion, one of the most important votes a Senator could take is on the declaration of war to send our men and women of the Armed Forces into battle.  If the military action is justified and there is no other recourse, I will cast my vote with a heavy heart.”

He believes that Defense spending, like all government spending, does need to be cut back, stating, “Of course, national defense is a primary function of our federal government and I believe should probably be the largest part of our budget–albeit a much smaller budget. Today, too many Democrats always want to cut the defense budget but never domestic spending, while too many Republicans always want to cut domestic spending while ignoring the defense budget. Americans who want to seriously reduce the debt, many inspired by the Tea Party, are beginning to realize we must look at the entire budget, leaving no stone unturned.” Paul questions how much of the defense spending is necessary, or is actively being used to defend the country, saying, “Of course we all recognize the need to fully fund military, to defend against any threats and defeat any enemies on the horizon. But we also need to recognize that America already spends nearly as much on defense as every other county on earth combined. Is this necessary? Are all of our foreign commitments necessary?… We spend billions of dollars keeping and maintaining foreign bases–shouldn’t our allies be shouldering some of the cost, particularly when it comes to their own defense? Much like entitlements, what we spend on our military has long been drastically out of sync with what we can actually afford, producing the same expensive results that always characterize big government.”

In regards to the Patriot Act, Paul describes it as “exactly the sort of intrusiveness the Founders feared most,” and voted against extending the Act.

Paul sponsored the opposing of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, expressing that it posed a risk to the safety and Constitutional rights of Americans, did not recognize the right to bear arms, put totalitarian governments on equal footing with democracies, creates the opportunity for others to take action against the U.S., and could hinder the U.S. from providing arms to allies.

Rand Paul on Health Care

When it was pointed out to him that in his own state, 26,000 people had signed up for ObamaCare, Paul stated, “Nearly 90% of them are signing up for Medicaid, free health insurance from the government. My concern is not that we shouldn’t help people. I do want to help these people to get insurance. But there is going to be a cost. So I see the positive, but I also see the negative. And the real problem is we’re driving everyone out of the individual market. Where there were once hundreds of plans that you could choose from, there’s now four government-mandated plans. If your insurance is not as good as them, or even if it’s too good, you can’t buy it.” His opinion on ObamaCare is furthered with his statement that, “You know, I think government is inherently inept, because they don’t work on a profit motive. Government has to do certain things. But government shouldn’t take on new things to do when it’s not managing what it has now.” He believes not only that ObamaCare should be repealed, but that congress has a duty to fight against it. He also believes, despite the Supreme Court ruling to the contrary, that ObamaCare is unconstitutional. He sees ObamaCare as an expense that America does not need, and a hindrance to the economy, stating, “It’s incredibly foolhardy to have a trillion-dollar stimulus and then another trillion dollars into Obamacare. The thing about government also is they notoriously underestimate the cost of things. What the Democrats tell us will be a trillion- dollar health care could turn into a $3 trillion nightmare, a drag on the economy. It’s already causing unemployment in Kentucky. My health insurance went up 15 percent since Obamacare was passed. What is going to happen is it’s going to hurt the economy and hurt jobs in Kentucky.”

Rand Paul on Gay Marriage

Rand Paul is personally against Gay Marriage, stating that changing the institution of marriage compromises its integrity. He stated, “”If we have no laws on this people take it to one extension further. Does it have to be humans? I’m kind of with you, I see the thousands-of-year tradition of the nucleus of the family unit. I also see that economically, if you just look without any kind of moral periscope and you say, what is it that is the leading cause of poverty in our country? It’s having kids without marriage. The stability of the marriage unit is enormous and we should not just say oh we’re punting on it, marriage can be anything.” However, he does not believe in implementing a national law regarding Gay Marriage. He believes the issue should be left to the states to decide, stating, “My position on this is the same as Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Adams. Marriage is a state issue.”Paul supports banning homosexuals from the military.

Rand Paul on Gun Control

Paul stands in full support of the Second Amendment. He believes that the Patriot Act is a violation of gun rights, and should therefore be repealed. He is adamantly against restricting handguns, as well as banning high-capacity magazines. He voted against the ban on high-capacity magazines. He, in fact, opposes all restrictions to the Second Amendment, and criticizes politicians who do not do the same, stating, “Politicians often give lip service to the 2nd Amendment but then go off to Washington and vote to restrict gun ownership. How many politicians professed to support Gun rights and then voted for the Brady bill? How many politicians claim they are supporters of the 2nd amendment and then vote to restrict handguns? We need to send people to Washington that not only understand the 2nd amendment but the entire Bill of Rights. How many supposedly pro-Gun politicians supported the McCain-Feingold Act, which makes it illegal for gun rights groups to buy advertising criticizing a federal legislator for voting for gun control?…Gun rights advocates need to know that the 2nd amendment is only as good as the fourth amendment. If we are not free from unreasonable and warrantless searches, [then] no one’s guns are safe.”

Rand Paul on Term Limits

Term Limits is a cause that Paul is quite passionate about. He believes in imposing a term limit for House and Senate members. In regards to this issue, his website states, “In order to address this issue, I co-sponsored S.J. Res.1, along with my colleague, Senator David Vitter (La.). This joint resolution calls for a constitutional amendment which would place a limit on the amount of time a Member of the U.S. House or Senate may serve in office to a maximum of 12 years per chamber.” 

Rand Paul on Tax Reform

Rand Paul stands firmly against tax hikes, believing that spending cuts are a far better way to balance the budget. He believes that lowering taxes, not raising them, is what the American economy needs, stating “Only through lower taxes, less regulation and more freedom will the economy begin to grow again. Our party is the party of growth, jobs and prosperity, and we will boldly lead on these issues.” He particularly criticized President Obama for raising taxes during the recession, proclaiming, “We’re at 10 percent unemployment not counting those who’ve given up looking for work. In the midst of this recession, the president has said we need more regulation and more taxes. That is exactly the wrong thing to do in a recession.” He proposed a balanced budget amendment to extend many of the Bush Tax cuts, and believes that lower tax rates will encourage Americans to save and invest their extra money. He supports a flat-rate federal tax, and a single-rate tax system. Paul opposes, and supports the repeal of, tax hikes in capital gains, and the death tax.

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