The Hill Op-Ed: We Must Take Appropriate Measures That Allow Kids to Get Back to School

Labor Day has passed, and in most years, the entire country would now be back to school. Kids would be learning, catching up with old friends, and swapping stories from the summer. Teachers would have decorated and readied themselves for a year of struggles and smiles, learning and community.

Traffic is always heaviest this time of year, because of school buses full of kids, and parents going to work, returning from summer vacations.

But in far too many places, including much of Kentucky, this is not the reality.

There are no buses, no kids in classrooms, and few...Read more

op-ed: []

Fox News Op-Ed: Sen. Rand Paul: My Wife and I Were Attacked by a Mob — Dems Would Worsen Problem by Bowing to Rioters

In his speech to the Republican National Convention Thursday night, President Trump said if you want the rest of the country to look like Portland, Ore., put the Democrats fully in charge and that’s what you’ll get.

That’s hard to argue with considering what we are seeing in many of our cities, where well-intentioned protest marches long ago were hijacked into lawless and violent destructive anarchy, often led by outside agitators and...Read more

op-ed: []

The Hill Op-Ed: "A Plan to Empower Parents, Increase Education Options as an Uncertain School Year Looms"

While I’m a big supporter of home schools, many single parents who work aren’t able to teach their kids at home. Even some parents with advanced educational degrees simply don’t want to teach their kids at home or believe their kids will listen more consistently to someone outside of the family. Some families are dysfunctional because of poverty or mental illness or lack of education and are not prepared to teach their kids at home. For some children, their best chance of witnessing a functional, civilized situation is at school.

In short, hundreds of thousands of children will...Read more

op-ed: []

Reason Op-Ed: Rand Paul: "It's Time To Demilitarize the Police"

In a free society, citizens should be able to easily distinguish between civilian law enforcement tasked with keeping the peace in our communities and the armed forces tasked with protecting our country from foreign adversaries.

Unfortunately, thanks to the federal government flooding our neighborhoods with billions of dollars of military equipment and property over the years, the line between peace officer and soldier of war has become increasingly blurry.

Police officers have an incredibly difficult and often thankless job where they lay their lives on the line every day....Read more

op-ed: []

Courier Journal Op-Ed: Rand Paul: "Conspiracy laws result in cruel prison sentences, particularly for Black Americans"

When Alice Johnson ran to embrace her family after her release from prison, she was a 63-year-old grandmother who spent almost 22 years behind bars. But Johnson was supposed to die in custody. 

The co-defendants who testified against her received sentences ranging from probation to 10 years. Johnson received no such leniency. Rather, Johnson, an African American woman and first-time offender, was sentenced to life without parole for her participation in a nonviolent drug conspiracy. But for President Trump commuting her sentence in 2018, Johnson would have paid for her one-and-...Read more

op-ed: []

Kentucky News Era Op-Ed: Rand Paul: "Bring the Troops Home Now"

It has been almost 20 years since our country went to war in Afghanistan. After 9/11, the American population rightfully demanded our forces take action against those who attacked us. Had I been in Congress I would have voted for that action.

When a country goes to war it should have a desired end state that delivers a better state of peace. It should have a theory of victory that can deliver that end state. It should align the ends, ways, and, means to that theory of victory; and continually, honestly measure and track progress of the war’s conduct.

This is what we teach to...Read more

op-ed: []

Breitbart Op-Ed: Rand Paul: "Who Benefits from Afghanistan ‘Bounty’ Leak?"

The Roman Judge Lucius Cassius is reported to have often used the phrase: 

“Cui bono” or “who benefits?”

That very question needs to be asked in examining why an intelligence officer in our government committed a felony by releasing classified information alleging that the Russians are paying bounties for the Taliban to kill American soldiers

Who benefits? Well, obviously partisan anti-Trump Democrats, and their facilitators in the media, are beside themselves with glee. This felonious leak furthers their campaign narrative that President Trump is either ill-...Read more

op-ed: []

The Hill Op-Ed: "Why our experts might think twice before saying children should not return to the classroom"

Fatal conceit: it is the concept that central planning, with decision-making concentrated in a few hands, can never fully grasp the millions of complex individual interactions occurring simultaneously in the marketplace.

It is a fatal conceit to believe any one person has the knowledge necessary to direct an economy or dictate public health behavior. I think government health experts during this pandemic need to show caution in their prognostications.

It is important to realize that if society meekly submits to an expert, and that expert is wrong, a great deal of harm may...Read more

op-ed: []

Washington Examiner Op-Ed: Sen. Rand Paul: "Veto fake reform of the Patriot Act"

In 2015, I filibustered reauthorization of the Patriot Act. My filibuster was not popular with other senators because it kept them in Washington over a Memorial Day weekend. I still remember one or two hotheads muttering and directing profanity under their breath. I have to admit I may have given them right back some choice words of my own.

A senior Republican in leadership admonished me that I’d be sorry if terrorists struck the United States while the Patriot Act was expired. I responded, “Couldn’t we just rely on the Constitution for a few hours, like we did for over 200...Read more

op-ed: []

The American Conservative Op-Ed: "Trump Deserves Credit For Bringing The Troops Home"

In 1988, a certain congressman from Texas ran for president on a platform of bringing home our troops from around the world. Even then, more than 30 years ago, U.S. troops were in over 100 countries, and tens of thousands were still in Europe.

That Texas congressman was my father, Ron Paul, who 20 years later ran again for the presidency and was still calling “to begin bringing American troops home from around the world—an absolute necessity if the budget is ever to be brought under control. We’re going broke and we still have 75,000 troops in Germany?”

In his...Read more

op-ed: []