Senator Rand Paul on Obama: 'I'm against having a king'

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
1/17/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

President's use of 'executive privilege' over gun control frightens people

"I'm against having a king," Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said of U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Paul expressed his apprehension on the president's threats to impose gun control through executive orders. "I think having a monarch is what we fought the American Revolution over, and someone who wants to bypass the Constitution, bypass Congress, that's someone who wants to act like a king or monarch," Paul said.

'I'm against having a king,' Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said of U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Paul expressed his apprehension on the president's threats to impose gun control through executive orders.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "Suffering rule," wherein the people of a nation suffer through a decision made unilaterally by the ruler - whether he is elected, or not, was a big sticking point in for the original framers of the Declaration of Independence. To equate President Obama with kings and monarchs is a realistic description that unitary government is a major problem.

This is true if the president has to stand for election every four years and even when he's limited to two terms in office.

The practice of bypassing Congress is an aggressive method of rule without representation. In a left-handed way, the current mood for swift, "efficient," all-powerful centralized government is a denial of that principle.

The chasm of principle that separates Rand Paul and someone such as Harry Reid is very much desired in a free society. That difficulty defines the boundaries of what the federal government is supposed to be doing and battles over the extension of those boundaries should be succinct and to the point. The American people deserve no less.

In practice, what becomes a "king?" It's not the means by which he takes the throne, or the length of time he remains there. The threat of punishment at the ballot box in four years is not a sufficient check on executive power, especially for a "lame duck" President who will never need to curry favor with voters.

What is "taxation without representation?" Ask your grandchildren, when they are taxed through the nose to pay off deranged spending commitments they weren't alive to oppose.

One needs only to point to our friends in North Africa, Egypt. Working hard to ensure the first democratically president was won in a free election, Mohamed Morsi has given himself unprecedented power over others in Congress. The analogy between Morsi and Obama is a highly cogent one .

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Senator Rand Paul, President Obama, executive privilege, gun control

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1 - 8 of 8 Comments

Jason
2 months ago
@ Rob,

While the hypocrisy may be true for a lot of Republicans, Rand Paul is different in that he has gone out of his way to criticize other Republicans and Republican presidents. I am not Paul's biggest fan, but I do admire him for not being the typical party hack.
Rob
4 months ago
Translation: When the dems use executive orders to get something done it's tyranny. When the GOP does it, it's just government.

It is well within Congress's power to make a law to restrict the President's ability to do that. But will never happen because in the event the GOP wins another presidential election, they surely don't want their power restricted.

I hate Kings, unless I'm the king.
vance
4 months ago
Robert, I 2nd the motion.
Robert
4 months ago
Rand Paul would make an amazing President. He is a man of high moral character and the backbone to stand up for what is right and call out what is wrong. I would support his campaign with time, energy, and treasure.
Juan Luis Caloca Silva
4 months ago
Why is it hard to understand that a King and a monarchy are not a bad for of government? Why do you all continue on giving monarchy a bad name? Our Catholic traditions have proven otherwise that monarchy isn't a bad thing, even St. Thomas Aquinas called it the best form of government. We keep thinking that a King is a Tyrant, but that is not true, just read Aristotle's On Politics, and you will see that a King is the rule of one man for the Common Good, whilst a Tyrant is the rule of one man for his Selfish Good, a King is not bad, a King IS a leader. Is Christ the King a Tyrant for being a King? Of course not. A Republic is only Good so long as it remains a Republic, for a Republic can be corrupted and become a Democracy, much like a Monarchy, which is Good, can become a Tyranny,which is Bad, or an Aristocracy, which is also Good, can become an Oligarchy,which is Bad.
Joe
5 months ago
I agree with Congressmen Paul, we need a leader not a king.
Alan Palmer
5 months ago
Sarah Palin/Rand Paul 2016
Jebby
5 months ago
Rand is absolutely correct. I really do hope he runs in 2016. He's a true social conservative, and although not a Catholic, his views line up perfectly with Catholic doctrine on marriage, abortion, charity, and many other important issues.

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