Evan Gagnon

Rand Paul for President

The race for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election is a
heated one. There are many qualified candidates that would be optimal for the position,
however, only one can be chosen. The candidate that provides the most optimal views
and stances on issues will win the election, and that person is the United States Senator
from Kentucky, Rand Paul.
Rand Paul has served in the United States Senate since 2011 and has
represented the state of Kentucky successfully. He has a tradition of political greatness
to uphold as his father, Ron Paul, is a former U.S. Congressman from Texas. By
conventional means, Rand Paul is not a traditional Republican. He supports many
issues that other right-wing republicans do not, including the development of new
energy and lower costs for everyone, not just the rich. Rand Paul wishes to create a
stronger economy partly through the use of energy. He supports the construction of the
Keystone pipeline that would lower the cost of energy because it would create more
domestic energy and therefore eliminate the need to import oil and other forms of
energy from OPEC. If businesses are allowed to compete in a free market for energy,
the cost of power will decrease due to competition between businesses. This system
would also create new jobs that would strengthen the economy as well. New forms of
energy can be utilized to create cheap, clean power that would in turn protect the
environment from future crises. Rand Paul also supports other environmental
protection projects but believes that some federal land can become privatized to allow
drilling for more oil or natural gas reserves. Most republicans oppose the Affordable

Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, and Rand Paul is no exception. He

believes that the healthcare system should be a free-market enterprise and that citizens
should be allowed to choose their own coverage rather than being forced into a
government plan that does not benefit their individual lives. The creation of a freemarket in the healthcare and insurance field would also help to supplement the creation
of jobs that would result from Pauls plan. Similar to many other republicans, Rand
supports the idea of a strong national security, but unlike his competitors, favors cuts in
military spending by up to 23%. He wishes to return to the Constitution on foreign
affairs and has stated that only Congress can declare war. However, Rand believes in
the same philosophy as the great Ronald Reagan, Peace through Strength. As
president, Paul will encourage the government to utilize all peaceful and diplomatic
actions before sending the troops into battle. He will continue to stand with Israel, the
ally of the United States in the Middle East. Paul proposed a bill entitled the Stand with
Israel Act that will put a stop to the flow of U.S. dollars to the Palestinian Authority as
long as they are aligned with the Hamas, a group responsible for the carnage in Israel.
There is another aspect of security that has been called into question in recent times by
government politicians; the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment to the
Constitution provides the right of the people to keep and bear Arms and Rand Paul
wholly supports that constitutional right, as well as the Fourth Amendment that goes
along with it. The Fourth Amendment prevents unwarranted searches, which would
lead to the lack of safety of anyones guns, and many other candidates simply ignore
this component in the argument over gun rights. A pivotal point in the candidacy of
many politicians is their stance on immigration. Rand Paul supports a strong border

and increased border patrols, and he believes that immigrants that come to the U.S. to
work have enriched the country. However, he does not support the amnesty that the
U.S. uses to pardon illegal immigrants but rather encourages those immigrants to cross
the border legally and enter into the country in a beneficial manner. Rand Paul supports
many issues that continue to press the candidates, but he also opposes many ideas
that are currently in place.
Rand Paul disagrees with several systems that have been installed in the
government in recent years. He does not support the idea of amnesty that has
pardoned many illegal immigrants but instead wishes to allow for the illegal immigrants
to enter into the country in a legal and constitutional manner. Many politically-charged
young voters have taken arms in the recent conflict of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Although it is now legal in all fifty states due to a bill passed by the federal government,
Paul believes that the decision should be left to each individual state. A strong issue
that Rand Paul opposes is the Common Core standard for education put in place by the
Department of Education. The average national test scores have fallen as more
schools adopt the Common Core curriculum. This system focuses on a one-size-fits-all
plan that leaves most kids either behind or not satisfied with the education they have
received This has led the education system in the United States to be unable to
compete with international education systems that are much more efficient and
productive. The most notable issue that Rand Paul is opposed to is the current tax
system. The tax code that has recently been implemented into the nation is a
progressive one; as the wealth of a worker increases, so does the tax he or she must
pay. Paul has called for a complete overhaul of the tax code and has proposed a flat

tax of 14.5%. This means that every working citizen will pay only 14.5% of his or her
income to taxes, but he has calculated other means to assist in the saving of money for
the working class. Most of the taxes that people pay are collected through FICA, with
what is known as a workers tax. This is a tax that comes directly from the paycheck
before it is delivered to the worker. Most politicians only propose raising this tax, but
with Pauls new tax system, this income tax is eliminated, saving everyone thousands of
dollars in their paychecks. Corporations will also no longer be able to take advantage of
tax breaks, as cuts will also be eliminated to result in a true flat tax for everyone,
including big businesses. Tax foundation studies have determined that Rand Pauls tax
reform plan will create nearly two million jobs that will benefit the economy in
tremendous measures. His plan will also end corporate welfare and create a simple tax
return form that will save time and money for those filing for returns. Rand Paul has
proposed many effective substitutes for systems that he opposes and has formed a
strong stance for himself in the 2016 presidential election but he cannot run alone.
Even the most promising and politically sound candidates need running mates to
complement their strengths and accommodate their weaknesses. For Rand Pauls
campaign, the best match would be the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker. Walker
has plenty of experience in the executive branch, whereas Paul has Legislative
experience from the Senate to balance out the pair. Paul can be categorized as a
libertarian in terms of his conservatism, whereas Walker is a member of the tea party,
two different groups within the same confines of conservatism that many republicans
can agree upon. This combination also allows for support from the democratic party, as
Paul has focused on winning democrats over with his stances on economic growth and

school choice, and Walker has won support for his reforms in Wisconsin. Moreover,
geography plays an important role in political campaigns. It is recommended that a
presidential candidate choose a running-mate of a distinctly different origin. The duo of
Paul and Walker accomplishes this suggestion, as Paul is from Kentucky and can win
votes in Texas because of his fathers influence, and Scott Walker reaches the vastly
different North from his position as Governor of Wisconsin. These two politicians would
make strong running-mates that support each others strengths and shortcomings.
Ultimately, Rand Paul makes an excellent candidate for the 2016 presidential
election republican bid. He is not a conventional republican and supports reforms that
other candidates do not but still upholds the basic beliefs of the Grand Old Party to
create a stronger economy. Paul has also proposed numerous solutions to the issues
that he opposes, such as his Fair and Flat Tax plan that would completely reform the
tax code to benefit everyone, not simply big businesses and the rich. Paired with
Governor Scott Walker as his running-mate, Senator Rand Paul is the optimal candidate
for the presidency in 2016.