Paul’s indiscriminate cuts

Sen. Rand Paul’s claim that he proposed a $190-billion increase in military spending is what can best be described as “a lie of the technical truth.”

Paul has called for indiscriminate cuts to military spending even though that would seriously damage Kentucky’s economy because of Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. It was only when Paul started his presidential campaign that he proposed the increase as a budget amendment.

But it came with a poison pill: He insisted on paying for his increase with cuts to foreign aid, education, housing and other parts of the budget. Paul’s amendment was defeated 4-96.

Paul voted against a Veterans Job Corps in 2012, clean-coal technologies, aid to distressed coal counties and for training out-of-work miners, relief for rural counties, agricultural subsidies, price support for dairy farmers, retraining and unemployment benefits for workers whose jobs have been outsourced, and support for Mammoth Cave and other Kentucky tourist attractions.

With friends like Paul, who needs enemies?

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Paul’s indiscriminate cuts."