Rand Paul, son of small government champion and Republican Ron Paul of Texas, officially announced his intentions to run for a senatorial seat in Kentucky earlier in the month and immediately gained national recognition after interviews with CNN and Fox News, not to mention several news reports through syndicated press agencies like the Associated Press.
Rand Paul
According to his web site, supporters have already donated more than $200,000 towards his campaign, a testament that small government Republicans and Libertarians alike are fighting for another champion of freedom and liberty in the United States government.
“It helps being related to somebody famous,” Paul said in an interview with the Washington Independent. That “somebody famous”, of course, is his father, who’s supporters received national attention as being both patriotic and crazy, depending on who you asked. Rand Paul will count on some of that small government support as he takes aim at the Senate from Kentucky.
The national debt is the most important issue facing the American people, he says, arguing the future predictions of our rising debt and increasing inflation demands the attention of someone who prioritizes the private sector over further expensive federal involvement.
Rand Paul is a father of three and is married to his wife, Kelley. Like his father, Rand Paul is a doctor and business owner. He founded the Kentucky Taxpayers Union nearly 15 years ago that brings to light tax honesty in Kentucky among the state’s legislature and helps to fight against unnecessary tax increases.
Politically, Rand Paul is a believer in a small government that relies strictly on the Constitution to provide the federal government’s obligations and responsibilities. Paul believes the bailouts “reward inefficient and corrupt management, rob taxpayers, hurt smaller and more responsible private firms” and reeks havoc on the value of the U.S. dollar.
“Excessive spending, borrowing, and printing money are agents of debt that are bankrupting this nation and drowning our Dollar,” he says, arguing for balanced budget requirements in government and paying down our $11 trillion national debt before it is too late.
Paul is a big supporter of home schools and a parent’s right to choose the appropriate education for their children regardless of their income. Also, like his father, Rand has voiced his opposition to our nation’s monetary policy and promises to uncover the forces behind “unsound” decisions at the hands of our secretive Federal Reserve.
As a doctor, Paul’s view on health care primarily blames the federal government for the problems that we have and focuses on the private sector to provide the necessary solutions. “Few realize that Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), the companies that drive a wedge between the patient and his doctor, were a product of federal legislation and special interests. The HMO Act of 1973 essentially granted unfair privileges to certain sorts of companies and led to a distortion of the market. This has caused higher prices, less coverage, and more bureaucracy.”
That, he says, is what you get when you allow politicians in Washington to manage an industry as important as health care. Instead, Paul supports making medical expenses tax deductible, removing federal regulations that prevent some small businesses from providing health coverage and making every American eligible for a Health Savings Account. The “freedom to choose”, Paul says, will “once again make our health care the best in the world.”
Paul seems confident in his abilities to raise funds. His father took advantage of “money bombs” in his campaign for the presidency in 2008, which built a respectable bank for the Texas Republican. Rand Paul believes later this month will be the time for a money bomb of his own.
Paul is running against so-called “front-runner” Trey Grayson of Kentucky.
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