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The letters came from a young ophthalmologist in Kentucky. He was recruiting for an eye doctors rebellion.

We wont be trod upon, he wrote, using the language of 1776. You cant promulgate injustice without consequences.

The injustice he was talking about was a new rule, from the powerful group that deems American ophthalmologists to be board-certified. It required younger doctors to take a test that older doctors did not have to take.

The Kentucky doctor was so outraged that he seceded and started his own Board of Ophthalmology, so he could certify himself.

You can send a clear message to the establishment by signing up to be certified by the new board, too, the letter said. Check the appropriate box and return the card with your $500. Sincerely, Rand Paul, M.D.

The letter, from about 2003, helps illuminate a little-understood (and mostly ridiculed) chapter of Pauls life before politics: how he became a self-certified ophthalmologist.

The saga began in the 1990s, when Paul now a senator representing Kentucky and a GOP presidential contender hatched a plan to put his familys free-market ideals into practice. He wouldnt submit to the establishment. He would out-compete it by offering doctors an alternative with lower fees and fairer rules. His do-it-yourself medical board lasted more than a decade, becoming one of the most complex organizations Paul ever led on his own.

But it didnt work. Indeed, in a life of successes, it became one of Pauls biggest flops.

The board certified only 50 or 60 doctors, by Pauls count, and was never accepted by the medical establishment. It failed partly because of resistance from the old guard but also because Paul hurt his own cause with shortcuts and oversights that made his big effort seem small.

The other officers of his board, for instance, werent ophthalmologists. They were his wife and father-in-law. His Web site was mainly a mission statement, and his mission statement had grammatical errors. And, after Paul missed a filing deadline in 2000, the state legally dissolved his board. Although Paul kept it operating, it remained unrecognized by the state until he officially revived it in 2005.

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How Rand Paul tried to lead an eye doctors rebellion

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R), a likely 2016 presidential candidate and a certified physician, weighed in on the vaccination debate Monday by asserting that he believes most vaccines should be voluntary.

"I'm not anti-vaccine at all but...most of them ought to be voluntary, Paul told Laura Ingraham on her radio show Monday. "I think there are times in which there can be some rules but for the most part it ought to be voluntary.

Pauls comments followa minor controversyMonday stirred by remarks by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R)another potential 2016 candidatein which he called for balance in vaccination requirements in order to allow for parental discretion. The Republican governor walked back his comments several hours later.

"The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated," Christie's office said in a statement.

[RELATED: Christie clarifies comments on measles vaccine]

A nationwide measles outbreak has transformed mandatory vaccination practices into a potent political issue. Medical professionals attribute the outbreak to increasing vaccination skepticism and have urged parents to vaccinate their children. On Sunday, President Obama weighed in, saying"there is every reason to get vaccinated there arent reasons to not."

Paul's comments were distributed online by the Democratic National Committee Monday.

Paul pointed to a 2007effort by then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), who is also considering a 2016 run for the Republican nomination, that would have required young girls to receive a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). That move was sharply attacked by social conservatives who said requiring vaccination against HPV, which is a sexually transmitted disease,would encourage promiscuity. The Texas legislature eventually overturned the mandate. Perry later called the order a mistake.

While I think its a good idea to take the vaccine, I think thats a personal decision for individuals to take, Paul said, attempting to strike a balance between responsible medical protocols and personal choice.

Paul went on to mention that he was frustrated when doctors suggested his son be vaccinated for Hepatitis B, which he said made him uncomfortable as a parent.

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Rand Paul, M.D., says most vaccines should be voluntary

TIME Health Infectious Disease Rand Paul Says Most Vaccinations Ought to Be Voluntary "I think there are times in which there can be some rules, but for the first part it ought to be voluntary"

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul waded into an increasingly contentious debate over enforced vaccinations on Monday, saying in a radio interview that inoculating children ought to be voluntary.

Im not anti-vaccine at all, the libertarian Republican said Monday, during an interview with talk radio host Laura Ingraham, but particularly, most of them ought to be voluntary. What happens if you have somebody not wanting to take the smallpox vaccine and it ruins it for everybody else? I think there are times in which there can be some rules, but for the first part it ought to be voluntary.

Democratic opponents quickly posted the comments to YouTube.

The comments come amid a growing furor over New Jersey Governor Chris Christies suggestion that states should balance laws on vaccination against a parents right to choose. He walked back the remarks Monday amid a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that cases of the measles had spread to 14 states.

Paul walked a similarly fine line, noting that while some vaccines were essential to public health, decisions over timing and dosage should be left open to parents.

Its not only Republicans like Christie and Paul who have found vaccine messaging tricky. President Obama, who urged parents over the weekend to vaccinate their children, previously said that he harbored suspicions about the (long debunked) link between autism and vaccines.

Weve seen just a skyrocketing autism rate. Some people are suspicious that its connected to the vaccines, he said in 2008, this person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it.

[Bloomberg News].

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Rand Paul Says Most Vaccinations Ought to Be Voluntary

Around 2002, some eye doctors began to get fiery letters from an ophthalmologist in Bowling Green, Ky. He was trying to recruit them to do something odd: sign up to be "board-certified" by a medical board that hadn't existed a few years before.

The Kentucky doctor was Rand Paul -- the son of libertarian icon Ron Paul, who hadn't yet run for office himself. Paul managed to persuade around 50 or 60 doctors to pay the $500 and be certified by his new board. But he never managed to win recognition from the medical establishment, and the board had nearly faded away by the time Paul ran for office himself in 2010.

Letters to DocsRand Paul's recruiting letters for his opthamology board

David A. Fahrenthold covers Congress for the Washington Post. He has been at the Post since 2000, and previously covered (in order) the D.C. police, New England, and the environment.

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Rand Pauls recruiting letter for his opthamology board

Rand Paul vs. Obama #39;s State of the Union 2015
Sen. Rand Paul responds to President Obama #39;s 2015 State of the Union address.

By: VisionLiberty

Originally posted here:
Rand Paul vs. Obama's State of the Union 2015 - Video