Galt's Gulch
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I’m Rand Paul and I’m running for President of the United States of America. Ask me anything!

Posted by RandPaul 8 years, 7 months ago to Politics
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I'm Dr. Rand Paul, devoted husband and father, senator from Kentucky, and 2016 United States presidential candidate.

I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government. I am an advocate of a balanced budget amendment, term limits, and privacy reform. I’m proud to be here in Galt’s Gulch with you today and will be back at 4PM ET to provide answers to your questions.

Ask me anything.

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EDIT 3: Radio Interrupted post-show with the Atlas Society: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts...

EDIT 2: A full summary of questions and answers by Dr. Paul can be found here: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts...

EDIT 1: 09.22.15 4:50PM ET: The Senator had to cut it short to keep a date with Wolf Blitzer (CNN). Check out his farewell comment here: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts...

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PROOF: https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/6...

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FROM SCOTT: Dr. Paul will be here at 4PM ET. Post your questions here now as comments below. IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE QUESTIONS, PLEASE POST THEM AS INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS. Try and keep the questions brief so the senator can get through as many as possible. Also, make sure to vote on the questions (and this post) as the best will rise to the the top of the list.

At 4PM ET, refresh this page with your browser to see the Rand’s replies as they come in.

Also, make sure to join us at 4:30PM today for a special edition of GULCH LIVE: RADIO INTERRUPTED ( http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/g/the... ) for exclusive live commentary from the Atlas Society's David Kelly, Aaron Day, Will Thomas, and Ed Hudgins.

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DONATE TO RAND’S CAMPAIGN: https://secure.randpaul.com/

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DONATE TO FREEDOMWORKS: https://donate.freedomworks.org/contr...
DONATE TO THE ATLAS SOCIETY: http://atlassociety.org/donate

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NOT YET A GULCH PRODUCER?
- Create a new Galt's Gulch Account: https://galtsgulchonline.appspot.com/...
- Upgrade an existing Galt's Gulch Account: http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/accou...

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  • Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 8 years, 7 months ago
    Is / Are there scenarios where you would support a federal subsidy (or tax break)? For example, motion picture production subsidies are prevalent at the state level and President Bush included them in his budget ... and many say that, not only is there a multiplier effect where the money circulates and generates additional economic activity before its taxed out of the economy, but that it's a clean industry in that it inject money into a local economy without environmental impact, that it creates local service jobs and then, when completed, the transient craftsmen leave (leaving the money expended to circulate in the local economy).
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  • Posted by $ HarmonKaslow 8 years, 7 months ago
    What are the merits of Kim Davis' argument regarding her exercise of her 1st Amendment rights in the context of the Establishment Clause (and the Supreme Court's ruling regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage)?
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  • Posted by stephen23 8 years, 7 months ago
    Senator Paul. I understand that you are for states rights when it comes to cannabis laws. My question is if elected president would you work to end the Federal Ban on marijuana? Would you work to reclassify marijuana from the Schedule 1 drug it is now? I find it hard to believe that marijuana is scheduled higher then Cocaine under the current scheduling.
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  • Posted by iLuvRandPaul 8 years, 7 months ago
    I was wondering what is your opioids of the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage. Such as, do you think the decision is Constitutional, do you think the court has to much power, and if you are elected, will you attempt to repeal the decision, or possibly make a new Constitutional Amendment?
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  • Posted by vader543 8 years, 7 months ago
    Dr. Paul,

    Your political career has inspired me to eventually run for the House one day. Unfortunately, I am only an IT with an Associates Degree, but consider myself well educated in terms of economics, foreign policy, history and the Constitution. What advice would you have for me in regards to starting a campaign, fundraising, and gaining the support of the people against an opponent who likely has better on paper credentials and financial support such as a doctor or a lawyer?
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  • Posted by klimarov 8 years, 7 months ago
    Dr. Paul, as most millennials i'm a little concerned about the situation with labor market. Are you planning to address this issue? if yes, can you tell us about your approach.
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  • Posted by Joshleonhardt 8 years, 7 months ago
    Good day Rand,

    Thanks for hosting this AMA... Question: When do you plan to start acting like top tier candidate? Let me clarify. You hail from a family of respected libertarian constitutional conservative opinion. You have and continue to fight for the right causes (respect for the constitution, individual rights, smaller government, dealing with national debt, warrantless over reach of government, etc). You command an audience that is not being contacted by the pollsters. When are you going to start acting like you already belong on stage. You're not gathering momentum because you yourself have turned a blind eye to your already existent momentum.

    The question was rhetorical...

    We, the educated and responsible people of this country,!are dealing with uninformed voters to whom of which we need to vote in aggregate with your current supporters.

    You need to be the Champion of the Constitution, but you also need to be the Professor of Reality... Our fellow Americans don't know what they don't know... And that it what stands between you and the White House. If you want to get elected as President and do the job we all so desperately need started.. Because a president can't do it themselves... You need be most effective educator...

    That's my two cents...
    Joshua Leonhardt
    Charlotte, NC
    joshuadleonhardt@gmail.com
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  • Posted by grahamalondis 8 years, 7 months ago
    I know you're in favor of letting states decide how to treat Marijuana themselves, but one of the biggest things holding back medical and recreational use of Marijuana is the fact that because of our outdated federal laws, it's nearly impossible for researchers to study it. Would you be in favor of loosening these restrictions and allowing scientists to conduct more research on the drug? And wouldn't legalization help take power from the drug cartels, increase tax revenue and relieve our overcrowded prison system?
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  • Posted by Dmvme10 8 years, 7 months ago
    Hello Dr. Paul,

    I'm not a Republican nor a Democrate, I vote for the candidate, not the party. I'm just learning about you frankly, as in your second debate, you came across much more appealing to me than you did in the first debate. So, after the second debate, I watched some interviews you have and have become more and more impressed, the more I learn about you. There are a lot of topics we need to cover. From foreign policy, taxes to social issues. In my research, I found your thoughts on foreign issues and the tax system you propose. So, I will ask you a social issue question. Where do you stand on the Supreme Court's decision that banning same sex marriage is against civil liberties of those citizens? Would you try to change the current status of same sex marriage? What is your belief in same sex marriage?

    Thank you and looking forward to learning more!
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  • Posted by lokblaze 8 years, 7 months ago
    Another question I have for you Senator Paul would be why are bills presented to the house and senate allowed to be so ridiculously large and complex? Why can there not be a limit imposed of say 10 to 20 pages where a proposed bill would be easily readable. Anything that requires more space than that is far too complex of a law and is most likely really not needed. In the very rare cases where an issue would come up that might require a larger bill, it would have to pass a majority vote in a few committees with adequate reasons given for it being excessive in length. We already have far more laws on the books than can be enforced and it's been said that everyone is guilty of something that is already law. Why do we need to keep passing all these complex laws?
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  • Posted by Dwd0688 8 years, 7 months ago
    Would you consider, alongside your term limit proposal, setting congressional pay at a annually fluctuating rate proportionate to the average wage in the area each congressman represents? Not exactly what the average is per say but atleast tied in/tiered, therefore it would be in eachs best interest to read bills and not pass anything that could be potentially harmful to the electorate they represent. Thanks
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    • Posted by Dwd0688 8 years, 7 months ago
      Also want to shout out to Max Keiser & Mike Rowe. Both would be great, in my opinion, to do something campaign related with such as a interview or event. Might be able get a couple more non political endorsements :)
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  • Posted by LuckyLuke 8 years, 7 months ago
    Should you be elected president, you will likely have stiff resistance in Congress (no matter which party is in charge) to substantial spending/governmental reform. To overcome that, you will need substantial public support. How can you achieve that?
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  • Posted by brandonban6 8 years, 7 months ago
    Dr. Paul,

    I have been and continue to be very excited about your campaign. I am concerned by the number of candidates in this race and the broad range of positions that brings to the table. Many Republican voters view your platform as libertarian and isolated, they're are not comfortable with your position. How do you plan to overcome this and gain a competitive edge on the other candidates? How can we help?
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  • Posted by KimballDonald 8 years, 7 months ago
    Dr. Paul, when issues of religious liberty and business rights are introduced, what is the most effective way to convince people that businesses should have the right to refuse service if an act violates their conscious?
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  • Posted by lokblaze 8 years, 7 months ago
    Greetings Rand,

    Thank you for taking time to be here. My question to you would be this:

    Recently there have been many court rulings by both the SCOTUS as well as varied state court systems in regards to homosexual marriage and businesses being forced to conduct transactions contrary to their beliefs. What would you do to protect and strengthen religious freedom, especially in regards to the attacks on Christians who are being forced to close businesses or violate their beliefs?
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 7 months ago
    One thing that I am conocerned about non-interventionalism is how would we keep from being overrun for example by Russia when they just take over more and more countries and develop ever more powerful militaries? Wouldnt it be better to fight those acquisitive countries while they are smaller?
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 7 months ago
    I would easily vote for you if you make it to the primaries and particularly to the election itself. If Trump wins, would you consider working in his administration to actually carry out the programs that you support, and I think he would support also?
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  • Posted by tronc 8 years, 7 months ago
    Third question: How do you plan on bridging the gap between the youth generation that is a vast majority socially liberal and the religious right of the republican base.
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  • Posted by collegedude33 8 years, 7 months ago
    Dr Paul,
    As an enthusiastic supporter and college student I am considering organizing a Students for Rand chapter with a few like-minded friends of mine. Before I commit my time and energy to working for your nomination, are you fully committed towards bouncing back in the polls and winning the Republican nomination for President?
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