Rand Paul for President, Inc.

Issue Videos - "Dr. Rand Paul on...

17 videos from April 7, 2015.


Civil Liberties (0:47) +
The Founding Fathers warned of a Federal Government bent on usurping the power, rights and privacy of its states and citizens. The list of federal overreach is alarming: a proposed National ID Card, establishing secret courts and utilizing warrantless searches, and betraying the medical privacy of ordinary citizens. We must defend our 4th Amendment rights. The Federal Government has overstepped its limited powers. I thoroughly believe that America can prosper, preserve personal liberty, and repel national security threats without intruding into the personal lives of its citizens.

Criminal Justice Reform (0:40) +
Martin Luther King spoke of two Americas. He described them as “two starkly different American experiences that exist side by side.” I have seen the other America in my trips to Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago, Appalachia. Liberal policies have failed our inner cities and our poor communities. Our schools are not equal and the poverty gap continues to widen. It is time for a new way, a way predicated on opportunity and freedom. We must break down the wall that separates us from “the other America.”

Education (0:56) +
As the size of the Department of Education increases, test scores and scholastic performances have decreased. More money, more bureaucracy, and more government intervention are eroding our educational standards. I believe in more local control over education, where states, localities, and parents can play a much more significant role in their children’s schooling. That’s one of the reasons I want to abolish the Department of Education. I oppose Common Core. I think that local schools should develop their own standards and encourage innovation. If you have a national curriculum and rules, you’ll never get new ideas. Once education is nationalized, one person can insert bias into the curriculum. And, that’s why I oppose Common Core.

Energy (0:54) +
The United States is poised to become energy independent. For decades, our country relied heavily on imports, making us vulnerable to hostile regimes and supply disruptions. Today, creativity and competition are driving our domestic energy sector forward allowing the U.S. to access abundant resources here at home. Washington’s bureaucratic regulations, corporate subsidies, and excessive taxation have made it difficult for energy developers to take advantage of these new forms of cheap and clean energy. If we encourage energy freedom and new technologies, we can lower energy costs for families, small businesses and American industry. Washington politicians and bureaucrats must stop limiting our energy choices so domestic energy production can grow.

The Federal Budget (1:30) +
We borrow a million dollars a minute. Our $18 trillion dollar debt has become an anchor. Some economists argue that the burden of debt costs us a million jobs a year. I fear that this enormous burden of debt threatens our currency. I fear that another 2008-style panic is possible, and I fear that this degree of debt is an imminent threat to our national security. You cannot project power from bankruptcy court. Washington politicians are busting the budget, looting the treasury, and bankrupting the nation. Lobbyists and special interests, game the system, promote pork barrel spending, and enrich themselves at the expense of the taxpayer and future generations. We can defeat the Washington Machine with term limits for Congress and lobby reform for special interests. We can stop wasteful spending by balancing the budget by law. We can cut over regulation by requiring Congress to approve every major rule proposed by the Executive Branch, which has an annual economic impact of 100 million dollars or more before it can be forced on the American people. My plan balances the budget in five years, without relying on revenue increases. Restoring our fiscal house will revitalize America’s economy and strengthen our national defense.

Government Reform (0:52) +
Our Constitution provides for an elected executive, not a King. In the United States, Congress makes the laws, not the President. As President, I will restore the Constitutional balance our Founder’s intended and repeal President Obama’s unilateral, illegal executive orders. To fix Washington we must end business as usual. I believe Congress should read every bill they pass. And, Congress should live under the laws they pass. That’s why I have a Constitutional Amendment that says Congress shall pass no law that exempts themselves. And, to change the culture of Washington, we should pass term limits – and send career politicians packing.

Government Regulations (0:22) +
Regulations cost our economy over two trillion dollars a year. I believe we should repeal two regulations for every new one proposed. Government does have a role in protecting the environment, but we must have a balanced approach that also protects the economy.

Health Care (0:57) +
President Obama’s fundamental promise that if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, was a lie. Now, millions of Americans are now facing the real-life consequences of Obamacare, including dropped coverage and higher premiums. Obamacare puts big government between you and your doctor. And, when government gets in the way, health care costs rise, patient choice is lost, and medical innovation is diminished. I support making all medical expenses tax deductible, allowing insurance to be bought across state lines, and empowering all citizens to have access to Health Savings Accounts. As a doctor, I promise you this: I will make it my mission to heal this nation, reverse the course of Obamacare and work to repeal every last bit of it.

Immigration (0:30) +
[Music]  Paul: I do not support amnesty. I support legal immigration and recognize that those who seek the freedom to make a life for themselves have enriched the country. However, millions of illegal immigrants are crossing our border without our knowledge and causing a clear threat to our national security. We should secure our border immediately, increase border patrols, and build a border fence.

Internet Freedom (0:55) +
A revolution is occurring around the world. It is occurring in the private sector, not the public sector. The technology revolution has created vast new markets where none previously existed. Internet and digital technology has unlocked individual self-empowerment, innovation and the creation of new markets in ways never before imagined in human history. But big government wants to centralize, intervene, subsidize, micromanage, and regulate the Internet and digital commerce. I oppose any attempt by Government to tax, regulate, monitor or control the Internet. This is our technology revolution… and government needs to get out of the way.

Israel (0:44) +
I’m proud to support Israel, America’s longtime friend and ally in the Middle East. Israeli café’s and buses are bombed, towns are victimized by hundreds of rockets, and its citizens are attacked by Palestinian terrorists. It’s time we took a stand for Israel by standing up to the enemies of Israel, the enemies that murder Israeli citizens. That’s why I proposed a bill called the “Stand with Israel Act” to cut off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority. As long as the Palestinian Authority is allied with Hamas not one more tax dollar should flow to them.

National Defense (0:52) +
The primary Constitutional function of the federal government is national defense, bar none. We need a national defense robust enough to defend against all attacks, modern enough to deter all enemies, and nimble enough to defend our vital interests. Our freedom is threatened from outside our borders. We must protect ourselves against jihadists without losing who we are as a people in the process. It angers me to see mobs burning our flag and chanting ‘death to America’ in countries that receive our foreign aid. That must end--not one penny more should go to these haters of America. Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in peace through strength.

Privacy (0.59) +
We must remember that our rights are unlimited, un-enumerated, and given to us by God. You have civil liberties… and you have a right to privacy, but those rights are under assault by an arrogant, out-of-control government. Your rights are who you are, your rights are what you are, your rights are in your DNA – and the government can, quite frankly, get over it. From your records, the government can tell whether you drink, whether you smoke, whether you gamble, what books you read, what magazines you read, whether you see a psychiatrist, or what medications you take. Are we to trust government to collect and hold every American’s phone records? I believe your phone records are yours. I say the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business. I believe you have a right to privacy, and it should be protected.

The Sanctity of Life (0:48) +
Can a nation conceived in liberty carry its head high if it denies protection to the youngest and most vulnerable of its citizens? Can a country founded on God-given rights continue to thrive without understanding that life is a precious, a gift from our Creator? It is the duty of government to protect life as a right guaranteed under the Constitution. I believe there will come a time when we are all judged on whether or not we took a stand in defense of life from the moment of conception until our last natural breath. I promise you I will always take a stand for life, because liberty cannot be protected if life is not

The Second Amendment (0:40) +
There are too many in Washington who give lip service to the Second Amendment, but vote to restrict gun ownership. I do not support any proposed gun control which would limit the right to gun ownership. Washington needs leaders that not only understand the 2nd Amendment but the entire Bill of Rights. And, gun rights advocates need to know that the 2nd Amendment is only as good as the 4th Amendment. If we are not free from unreasonable and warrantless searches, no one’s guns are safe. I will always remain vigilant and fight against infringements on our 2nd Amendment rights.

Social Security (0:47) +
Years of wasteful spending by career politicians in Washington have left the Social Security trust fund six trillion dollars in the hole. The trust fund will be fully exhausted in the next few decades, and by that point all beneficiaries receiving Social Security will experience an immediate 25 percent cut in benefits. Millions of Americans depend on Social Security and if we are to keep our promises to them, we can no longer ignore the fiscal state of this critical program. I support proposals that would fully fund the shortfall in Social Security while preserving the system for seniors and implementing reforms to save the program for younger generations.

Taxes (1:05) +
I propose we cut taxes for everyone -- rich and poor. I want to shrink the Federal government and expand the private sector. Our Founder’s never intended for the tax code to be used as a weapon against US citizens. Burdensome tax regulations hurt small businesses and slow down our economy. Politicians and lobbyists tinker with the tax code so they can pick winners and losers. It’s time to simplify the tax code and downsize the IRS so we can unleash an economic boom that creates millions of jobs, boosts wages, and expands opportunity for all. My tax plan will get the IRS out of your life, and out of the way of every job creator in America. My plan will also cut spending and balance the budget in just five years. It will be the largest tax cut in American history…a tax cut that will leave more money in the paychecks of every worker in America.


Notes: It is nice to see issue-focused videos. These could serve as starting points for further discussion.