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Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, quasi-Libertarian and former quasi-ophthalmologist, is teaching a class next semester at George Washington University called Dystopian Visions. Unfortunately, I am not a student at GW and registration is closed.

The class, according to the GW Hatchet, will focus on the history of dystopian attitudes and how they relate to current events and political debates.

When Senator Pauls office approached us about coming to campus to teach this course, we agreed that his unique voice as a sitting senator would provide an engaging backdrop for our students, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ben Vinson told the Hatchet.

Sen. Paul, like many current members of the Republican party, is a glorious Picasso of contradictions. Hes advocated for criminal justice reform but recently voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as attorney general; he was a staunch opponent of the entire concept of executive orders when Obama was president but doesnt seem to have minded the steep mountain of em that Donald Trump has signed. Having once spent an entire day watching Rand Paul stomp around in a cotton mock-turtleneck on a livestream, nothing would please me more than to observe this manwho recently played a friendly game of golf with a kleptocrattry to explain the concept of dystopia to a bunch of undergrads.

Anyway, Im wondering if someone would be interested in giving me their spot? That would be great, thanks so much.

Original post:
Someone Please Sneak Me Into Rand Paul's Class on 'Dystopian Visions' - Jezebel

Different cast, same script.

Donald Trumps victory in last years presidential election ended divided government in Washington. But Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Republican lawmakers remain tooterrified of a possible government shutdown to stand up to Democrats spending demands.

Do you keep it open, and borrow a million dollars a minute, or do you use the leverage of deadline and say, Only pass spending bills that have reform?

Paul said Thursday on The Laura Ingraham Show that GOP leaders will likely sell out conservatives and work with Democrats to pass a spending bill before a funding deadline Friday.

Do you keep it open, and borrow a million dollars a minute, or do you use the leverage of deadline and say, Only pass spending bills that have reform? he said. So Im in the latter category. If theres no reform, Im not voting for anybody.

Paul noted that Congress has barely started working on the spending bills for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 and still is dealing with spending for the fiscal year thats now more than half-finished.

I think were becoming weaker each day as we go deeper into debt, he said.

Paul said the Trump administration wants more defense spending, and the Democrats want to keep subsidies flowing to the health insurance companies.

Theyll probably both get what they want, and those of us who are concerned about the deficit will get the shaft, and we will be told, Youve got to vote for more military spending and youre going to have to vote for taxpayer subsidies for Obamacare,' he said. And frankly, I think thats the opposite, thats the opposite of what we need.

Trump has suggested that he might stop defending a lawsuit challenging the legality of cost-sharing subsidies that the government pays to health insurance companies, to help them pay out-of-pocket expenses for lower-income customers under the Affordable Care Act. A judge ruled that the payments are illegal because Congress never appropriated the money. If Trump stops defending the lawsuit on appeal, that order would take effect.

But Democrats have demanded that the spending bill due this week include those payments. Paul said Republicans likely will cave.

Realize, theres going to be Obamacare taxpayers subsidies in here, the same subsidies Ive been railing about, he said.

Paul said these deadlines represent the few times thatconservatives actually have leverage to win concessions. He said a fight over raising the governments borrowing limit during former President Barack Obamas presidency allowed conservatives to press the case for a balanced-budget amendment. Although they did not get that, they did win spending restraints known as the sequester.

Those reforms proved short-lived, however, as Democrats favoring more domestic spending teamed up with Republican defense hawks who wanted more Pentagon spending to bust through the caps.

Paul also lamented the inability or unwillingness of House Republicans to pass a full repeal of Obamacare. He said he appreciates negotiations led by the conservative House Freedom Caucus to improve the bill but added that he is not sure he could support it.

The Freedom Caucus has done yeomans work. Theyve made this terrible, terrible, rotten, no-good bill less bad. And thats sort of the way I see it now, he said. For me, its still difficult, you know, to think about supporting a bill that has taxpayer money going to insurance companies.

Paul said insurance companies saw profits jump from about $6 billion to $15 billion underObamacare. He said they complain about losing money in the individual market but make up for it in the group market. A better approach, he said, is to allow people without insurance from their employers to form buying co-ops to negotiate better rates.

Despite the work of the Freedom Caucus, Paul said, the bill still has billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to insurance companies.

"And now we're sort of accepting the premise of Obamacare and just spending a little less on it," he said.

The rest is here:
Rand Paul's Budget Warning for GOP Leadership | LifeZette - LifeZette

The GOP is back at it. Their DOA replacement for the Affordable Care Act is being spiffed up with even more egregious attacks on low-income and chronically ill Americans. But there is hope from one of their own: Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Sen. Paul would disagree, but he has become the loudest and most credible voice endorsing universal health care albeit under a different name. On his website and in multiple interviews, Sen. Paul advocates the establishment of nontraditional groups called Independent Health Pools (IHPs) in order to allow individuals to pool together for the purposes of purchasing insurance These can include entities formed strictly for establishing an IHP. In essence, Sen. Paul believes any American who wants to buy group medical insurance should be able to do so.

If enacted, IHPs could eliminate the most absurd peculiarity of the American healthcare system: employer-supplied medical insurance. Employer involvement with healthcare began during World War II as a way for corporations to skirt federal wage controls. Health insurance was a valuable perk that attracted job candidates while allowing employers to comply with the letter of the law. Plus, because companies could deduct the cost of the benefit as a business expense, the bottom line effect was negligible.

Employer-provided medical insurance is still widely popular. It covers the large-majority of non-elderly middle- and upper-class Americans and is rarely criticized from either side of the aisle. Thats the good news. The bad news is employer involvement with medical insurance represents ground zero in the battle to fix our dysfunctional American healthcare system. Its the primary reason displaced workers cant afford private insurance and why individuals with pre-existing conditions cant find insurance companies willing to offer coverage.

My personal experience provides a textbook example. I left the corporate world in 2007 to start a business. I was covered under COBRA for about a year after leaving my former company. During that time I was billed for the same amount the company paid when I was an employee: about $17,000 per year for our family of four. When COBRA ended, we had to buy private insurance with an annual premium of $25,000 for less coverage, higher co-pays, and astronomical deductibles. We were the exact same family of four, but our out-of-pocket expenses more than doubled because I was no longer a member of a group and no longer qualified for group insurance rates.

Group medical insurance is a highly competitive business. Industry giants like Aetna, Cigna, and Humana bid aggressively for corporate accounts. The larger the company, the more competitive the bidding and the lower the premium. The IBMs and Walmarts of the world pay lower premiums for better coverage than their smaller competitors or mom-and-pop suppliers. Thats fine for big-company employees until they leave for a start-up or niche company. Assuming the new employer contributes the same amount as the former (typically 72% of the total premium) the employee will likely see an increase in paycheck deductions and a reduction in coverage benefits. Thats insane by any definition of the word.

Thats why I love Sen. Pauls IHP proposal. If fully implemented, every American would come together in a true melting pot of quality healthcare services and delivery. Every working American covered by an employer-sponsored plan would receive a pay raise equal in value to their firms contribution towards medical insurance. The company would still be able to deduct the extra wages so thered be no effect on corporate profits, and the employee would have the means to pay the premium negotiated by his IHP.

The more cynical observer might point out that this approach does not address the cost of health insurance which remains beyond the means of minimum-wage workers, the unemployed, and the disabled. As a nation of historically compassionate leaders, the federal government could increase the withholding tax for Medicare by a percentage or two in order to help provide or subsidize coverage for the less fortunate.

The key thing to remember is that this proposed system is nothing like the socialist abomination known as single-payer or universal health care. The Independent Health Pools epitomize the individualistic character of our nation. For the sake of efficiency, Id personally recommend combining all the IHPs into a single entity. We could call this IHP The United Citizens of America. Membership would be automatic for every U.S. citizen, begin at birth, and end at death. Its an idea whose time has come, and Im sure Sen. Paul would agree.

Go here to read the rest:
Rand Paul Is Right: Replace Obamacare With Group Insurance For All - Huffington Post

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Once upon a time, most Republicans believed in tax cuts. Somewhere along the way, inside the beltway especially, Republicans forgot about the benefits of cutting taxes. Republicans became more concerned with government keeping its revenue than letting the people keep their money.

Too many Republican have become timid about tax cuts, often spouting the milquetoast line of revenue neutral tax cuts.

Let me translate that little bit of Washington-speak for you. Revenue neutral tax cuts arent really tax cuts. Its more like tax shifting. Some will pay more. Some will pay less. And the net effect will be that government will collect the same amount of taxes.

If revenue neutral tax shifting is what Republicans stand for, maybe its time we re-evaluated what we really stand for.

What will revenue neutral tax cut mean to your business? Well, that may depend on how expensive your lobbyist is. Which side of the revenue-neutral ledger you wind up on may depend on how well the skids are greased, hardly, a pleasant scenario to anticipate.

I believe as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan did, that the best way to stimulate our economy, promote job growth, and give our ailing middle class a raise is to cut taxes for all.

I know Donald Trump believes this too, because he said so often during the campaign, and as a job creator himself, he knows that lower taxes and less regulation are the keys to more jobs.

This week, we are expected to hear the beginnings of the Trump Tax Reform plan. I, for one, urge the President to stick to his guns and not to preemptively surrender to the establishment in Congress and to offer real, meaningful cuts to individuals and businesses, across all income levels.

It is likely the single most important thing he will do in his first year in office to determine our economic growth over the next several years. Our economy has grown at an anemic two percent average over the last 15 years. Historically, it has been nearly double that. We have lost more than three TRILLION dollars in GDP to this anemic growth, according to economist Stephen Moore.

We cannot allow this to continue, so I urge the President to go big and bold.

But also to go simple.

As he has likely already seen, people often try to make things to complicated or clever up here in Congress. Obamacare repeal is a great example. So, learning from that lesson, lets make this simple.

We dont need hundreds of special interests grabbing for goodies. We wont need 2,000-page bills.

We need a big, bold tax cut. My suggestions from among the ideas that I have championed and Donald Trump ran on are simple. First, cut the corporate tax rate. Ours is now the highest in the world at 35 percent. We should immediately cut it to 15 percent or less, putting us in line with other countries. Money and business go where theyre welcome, and right now, thats not the United States. We can change that, and do it easily, while creating millions of new jobs. At that low rate, we can also eliminate deductions and loopholes, and make the tax simple and fair.

American regulatory and tax treatment of business has in recent years led to major corporations moving overseas or leaving their overseas profits offshore. Currently, they are double taxed, with a 35 percent penalty for bringing this money home. I authored a bipartisan bill last year to allow repatriation of that capital at 6.5 percent, bringing home as much as 2 trillion in capital for job growth, and increased revenue. (My bill would direct that revenue into an infrastructure fund).

Finally, we must make sure every income level receives a cut, and that small businesses organized under various parts of the tax code get the benefit of the corporate tax cut.

Im hoping the President has learned three things from his Obamacare repeal experience. First, work with the true fiscal conservatives in Congress to come up with a great tax plan. Second, keep it simple, and make sure everyone in America will both know and see the benefits. Finally, remember who elected you, and heed this advice no one ever knocked doors or made phone calls for revenue neutral tax reform. If you want to drain the swamp, you have to take away money from Washington, and send it back to the people.

I stand ready to cut taxes for every American and get our economy moving again.

Follow this link:
Exclusive Rand Paul: Real Men Cut Taxes - Breitbart News

Joshua Lott / Stringer / Getty

By Sen. Rand Paul

Real men (as well as pull-no-punches women) cut taxes. The lesser mortals that tend to inhabit Washington wring their hands and get all weak in the knees when it comes to cutting taxes. Rumors are President Trump will propose a real tax cut. I certainly hope so.

Once upon a time, most Republicans believed in tax cuts. Somewhere along the way, inside the beltway especially, Republicans forgot about the benefits of cutting taxes. Republicans became more concerned with government keeping its revenue than letting the people keep their money.

Too many Republican have become timid about tax cuts, often spouting the milquetoast line of revenue neutral tax cuts.

Let me translate that little bit of Washington-speak for you. Revenue neutral tax cuts arent really tax cuts. Its more like tax shifting. Some will pay more. Some will pay less. And the net effect will be that government will collect the same amount of taxes.

If revenue neutral tax shifting is what Republicans stand for, maybe its time we re-evaluated what we really stand for.

What will revenue neutral tax cut mean to your business? Well, that may depend on how expensive your lobbyist is. Which side of the revenue-neutral ledger you wind up on may depend on how well the skids are greased, hardly, a pleasant scenario to anticipate.

I believe as John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan did, that the best way to stimulate our economy, promote job growth, and give our ailing middle class a raise is to cut taxes for all.

I know Donald Trump believes this too, because he said so often during the campaign, and as a job creator himself, he knows that lower taxes and less regulation are the keys to more jobs.

This week, we are expected to hear the beginnings of the Trump Tax Reform plan. I, for one, urge the President to stick to his guns and not to preemptively surrender to the establishment in Congress and to offer real, meaningful cuts to individuals and businesses, across all income levels.

It is likely the single most important thing he will do in his first year in office to determine our economic growth over the next several years. Our economy has grown at an anemic two percent average over the last 15 years. Historically, it has been nearly double that. We have lost more than three TRILLION dollars in GDP to this anemic growth, according to economist Stephen Moore.

We cannot allow this to continue, so I urge the President to go big and bold.

But also to go simple.

As he has likely already seen, people often try to make things to complicated or clever up here in Congress. Obamacare repeal is a great example. So, learning from that lesson, lets make this simple.

We dont need hundreds of special interests grabbing for goodies. We wont need 2,000-page bills.

We need a big, bold tax cut. My suggestions from among the ideas that I have championed and Donald Trump ran on are simple. First, cut the corporate tax rate. Ours is now the highest in the world at 35 percent. We should immediately cut it to 15 percent or less, putting us in line with other countries. Money and business go where theyre welcome, and right now, thats not the United States. We can change that, and do it easily, while creating millions of new jobs. At that low rate, we can also eliminate deductions and loopholes, and make the tax simple and fair.

American regulatory and tax treatment of business has in recent years led to major corporations moving overseas or leaving their overseas profits offshore. Currently, they are double taxed, with a 35 percent penalty for bringing this money home. I authored a bipartisan bill last year to allow repatriation of that capital at 6.5 percent, bringing home as much as 2 trillion in capital for job growth, and increased revenue. (My bill would direct that revenue into an infrastructure fund).

Finally, we must make sure every income level receives a cut, and that small businesses organized under various parts of the tax code get the benefit of the corporate tax cut.

Im hoping the President has learned three things from his Obamacare repeal experience. First, work with the true fiscal conservatives in Congress to come up with a great tax plan. Second, keep it simple, and make sure everyone in America will both know and see the benefits. Finally, remember who elected you, and heed this advice no one ever knocked doors or made phone calls for revenue neutral tax reform. If you want to drain the swamp, you have to take away money from Washington, and send it back to the people.

I stand ready to cut taxes for every American and get our economy moving again.

Donald TrumpJohn F. KennedyMenObamacarerand paulRepublicansRonald ReagantaxesTrump Tax Reform

Continued here:
Rand Paul: Real Men Cut Taxes - The Libertarian Republic