Safety advocate: Rand Paul's comments on federal coal mine regulations 'idiotic'

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/08/03/1374129/safety-advocate-pauls-comments.html

Tuesday, Aug. 03, 2010

Senatorial candidate faces backlash for comments promoting deregulation
By Bill Estep and Jack Brammer - [e-mail]

FRANKFORT — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul is coming under attack from union coal miners and a prominent mine safety expert for questioning the federal regulation of mining in a national magazine.

The comments attributed to Paul in Details, a monthly magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, reportedly came from a public appearance Paul made at the Harlan Center in Harlan County before the May 18 GOP primary election.

"Is there a certain amount of accidents and unfortunate things that do happen, no matter what the regulations are?" Paul said in response to a question about a West Virginia mine explosion in April that killed 29 workers.

"The bottom line is I'm not an expert, so don't give me the power in Washington to be making rules. You live here, and you have to work in the mines.

"You'd try to make good rules to protect your people here. If you don't, I'm thinking that no one will apply for those jobs."

Paul's campaign blasted the Details profile and follow-up stories about the profile that appeared on Web sites operated by The Washington Post and The Hill.

"This is sloppy reporting on more sloppy reporting," Paul spokesman Ryan Hogan said in a statement. "Dr. Paul has been clear that he favors more local control rather than ham-fisted, one-size-fits-all dictates from Washington. Insinuating Washington bureaucrats are the only solution to problems is insulting to Kentucky."

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/08/03/1374129/safety-advocate-pauls-comments.html#ixzz0vaqzJmTn

FULL story at link.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. That man is AN IDIOT

I am sure though that Doctor Paul is also against medical protocols written by distant boards of experts...

[marybourg]

2. Sure. They don't have to work in the mines if they're not safe.

They can go down the road a piece and work in them investment banks.

[gratuitous]

3. So, naturally, he's leading the Kentucky polls

Pandering to the base with his idiocy.

[MisterP]

4. by the looks of it, most libertarians are such because of a hearing impediment:

"regulation" sounds like "Stalin" or "Katyn," "gun" or "cash" sound like "God," "property" like "Jesus," "animal" like "Adolf," "law" like "death camps," etc.