Sen. Paul delivered a
well-received speech at the gala. "The
government from top to bottom has waste, and just cutting the waste
would be an enormous step in the right direction," Paul said. He
spoke
against "kumbaya crowd" and
the Ryan-Murray budget agreement, stating, "We've abandoned restraint,
and it's disappointing to me."
Paul recalled attending the 1976 Republican National Convention where
former Gov. Reagan challenged President Ford, and, looking to the
present, said, "There needs to be a struggle over the
direction of the party. We have to decide are we going to go
bold, are we going to go big or are we going to go and become
Democrat-light?" Paul
also advocated "more libertarian issues" that can move the party
forward, emphasizing that libertarian does not mean libertine. He
lauded Donald Devine's book America's
Way Back
(ISI Books, 2013) and the theme that "freedom needs tradition."
As an example of a liberty issue, Paul cited "making the criminal
justice system fairer and giving people
a second chance when they've served their time." He spoke for
economic freedom zones, derided the notion of "revenue neutral tax
reform" instead calling for "dramatically lowering taxes," and he
concluded emphasizing the need for "a message of optimism." [APP
video]
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