If I had been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn't have expected to be shot.
I think a policy of isolationism toward Cuba is misplaced and hasn't worked.
If you go to prison, your child support adds up.
I ran for office originally as part of this Tea Party Movement because we were upset with Republicans who've doubled the debt. We were upset with Republicans that bailed out the banks.
The problem is that in our country, they make it almost impossible for politicians to win anything. In England it's easier to win a libel suit.
Of strong importance to me is the defense of minority rights, not just racial minorities, but ideological and religious minorities.
Even before ObamaCare, the government took care of the bottom 5 or 10 percent of the public who were on Medicaid.
You shouldn't have one opinion when you're running and another when you're president.
Every child in every neighborhood, of every color, class and background, deserves a school that will help them succeed.
I have a message from the Tea Party, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words. We've come to take our government back.
Just because a majority of the Supreme Court declares something to be 'constitutional' does not make it so.
I'm not against the NSA. I'm not against spying; I'm not against looking at phone records.
My budget is similar to the Penny Plan, which cuts 1 percent a year for five or six years and balances the budget.
Most police officers are good cops and good people.
You know, when Republicans were in charge, we doubled the debt. But, now, our concern is the Democrats are in charge and they're tripling the debt. So, really, our concern is that we want smaller government.
The realization is dawning that government doesn't work. In Silicon Valley, they already get this. And they are bright enough to be asking what we can do to solve problems.
The thing is I think vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs that we have. I'm a big fan and a great fan of the history of the development of the smallpox vaccine, for example.
I would support immediate construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
If you hear me out, I believe you'll discover that what motivates me more than any other issue is the defense of everyone's rights.
Both sides of the aisle - Republican and Democrat - have been unwilling and afraid to address the deficit, and someone's got to.
In America, as opposed to the old country, success was based on merit.
It isn't hard to find injustice around us, but we must not let injustice smear the good deeds that do occur everyday.
The sacrifice of our personal liberty for security is and will forever be a false choice.
Standing up on the right to trial by jury is something that, really, a lot of people should agree with, you know, both on the Right and the Left.
Marriage has always been a state and local issue.
Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be 'constitutional' does not make it so.
'Peace through Strength' only works if you have and show strength.
Appalachia, my state, eastern Kentucky, has a large amount of poverty.
I think the over-militarization of local police forces is also true of the over-militarization of the federal government, so I don't really run and hide from the comment that I think there are 48 federal agencies that have SWAT teams.
The real debate is, when does life begin? When life begins, it deserves protection.
The Hepatitis B vaccine is now given to newborns. We sometimes give five and six vaccines all at one time.
I was elected to the Senate in 2010 by people worried about our country, worried about our kids and their future.
Even under Obamacare, there are people that get subsidized insurance. But that has a $6,000 deductible. What do you think they do with that $6,000 deductible? They are still a nonpayer.
The main thing I say on war is that we need to obey the law and formally declare war.
You don't set up an implicit promise from the federal government that everybody is getting bailed out.
If U.S. occupation is a primary recruitment tool and what inspires Islamic terrorists, are many of our current efforts overseas actually fighting terrorism and diminishing the threat?
I don't program or code or anything like that.
I believe we should work to end all racism in American society and staunchly defend the inherent rights of every person.
If our freedom is taken, the American dream will wither and die.
What gets lost is that the Republican Party has always been the party of civil rights and voting rights.
I want to collect more records from terrorists, but less records from innocent Americans. The Fourth Amendment was what we fought the Revolution over! John Adams said it was the spark that led to our war for independence, and I'm proud of standing for the Bill of Rights, and I will continue to stand for the Bill of Rights.
I think people are hungry for someone who will stand up on principle.
People say America is exceptional. I agree, but it's not the complexion of our skin or the twists in our DNA that make us unique. America is exceptional because we were founded upon the notion that everyone should be free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
Some people say I chastise the Republican Party too much.
Democrats in Louisville were led by Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson and were implacably opposed to blacks voting.
I think every day we look at the mess of the chaos of the civil war in Iraq, I think every day people become more and more convinced that the war was a mistake. I think we have to learn from the mistakes of our past.
Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies - where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.
I don't think you should have everybody's information from their bank. There should be some process: accusations and proof that you've committed a crime.
What ObamaCare did was take some of the things we did for the poor and expanded the government to basically the whole marketplace.
