‘While America flounders, the President campaigns. We deserve better.’

In the Weekly Republican Address, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) says many of the nation’s problems could have been solved if President Obama had worked with congressional Republicans. “Together we could fix entitlements,” he says. “Even in an election year, I’ve offered to work with the President. I’ve called and written.” But, Sen. Paul says, “the President is missing in action. While America flounders, the President campaigns. We deserve better. A country with such a rich heritage deserves a leader who values the work ethic and understands that you did build that. That you did earn that.”

“Hello I’m Rand Paul from Kentucky.

“Are you proud of America? Are you proud to be an American?

“I am. I’m proud of our history and our founding. Of our freedom and our economic success. I am proud of our people, our entrepreneurial spirit and our generosity.

“This pride is not a new revelation. I didn’t wake up this morning suddenly proud for the first time to be an American.

“And I am proud of America above and beyond all partisan politics. I’m proud to be an American whether a Republican or a Democrat sits in the White House.

“America is a land where no man or woman is king, only liberty is king. America is a land where this liberty is protected by our Constitution, but is not granted by it. Rather, our liberty is endowed to each of us by our Creator.

“But it’s not enough to beat one’s chest and proclaim America’s greatness. You and I must understand the principles that have created this wonderful country.

“We must understand and be proud of America’s historic ability to create such wealth, abundance and generosity.

“As the President campaigns against those who have succeeded, as the President vilifies those who employ millions of workers, he condemns the very system that made America great.

“Today there’s a war going on for the heart and soul of America. A war between those who believe in the American Dream and those who cannot grasp what makes America great.

“There’s a war going on between those who would apologize for America’s success, those who would bow down and apologize for capitalism, and profit, and America’s exceptional history and those who would defend America as the greatest experiment in freedom and prosperity ever known.

“There’s a battle going on between those who respect the Constitution and those who would scrap it for the South African Constitution.

“As Thomas Paine wrote, ‘These are the times that try men’s souls’.

“The question is now as important as it was then: will you be ‘sunshine patriots’ shrinking and gone when the going gets tough or will you stand, shoulder to shoulder to defend the Republic our forefathers fought so diligently to leave us?

“This is not an idle question. The Republic is under attack like no other time in our history.  As a Senator, I swore an oath to defend the Republic against enemies foreign and domestic. Now that I’ve been to Washington and seen the belly of the beast, I can tell you without exaggeration that I’ve met the enemy and the enemy is us.

“The enemy is not Barack Obama or the Democrats. And though the media may not like this, the enemy is not gridlock.  The enemy is the looting of the Treasury and 20 years of deficit spending. The enemy is an out of control, unaccountable Federal Reserve and it’s devaluation of our currency. The enemy is our lack of being bound by the restraints of the Constitution.

“The court has ruled that Obamacare is a tax and that taxes are not limited by the powers enumerated in the Constitution. This notion would offend Madison and all others who believe that the Constitution limits the powers of the Federal Government.

“Whether or not government’s powers are limited is a significant question. Not simply  for those who believe in maximizing individual liberty but also for those who fear the mounting trillion dollar deficits that come from unlimited government.

“We pass thousand page bills that no one has read. Congress ignores their own rules to pass bills that have not been published in advance.

“Congress passes budgetary caps and then completely ignores the caps. A majority of Congress simply votes to deem it so.

“The law mandates that a budget be passed each year.  Yet, Democrats in the Senate have not passed a budget in three years. When informed that they are breaking their own rules, they laugh and deem it not so. They simply vote to ignore their own rules.

“As we defy our constitutional bearings and seek to punish job creators, we ignore the wonderful history of where we came from and who we are. We imperil our future and squander our children’s birthright.

“The President has failed to lead.

“Together we could fix entitlements. Even in an election year, I’ve offered to work with the President. I’ve called and written.   I’ve ridden with the President on Air Force One and offered to help him build bridges, to repair our nation’s infrastructure. But I’ve received no answer. The President is missing in action. While America flounders, the President campaigns. We deserve better. A country with such a rich heritage deserves a leader who values the work ethic and understands that you did build that. That you did earn that.

“Thank you and God bless America.”