Rand Paul says government should not regulate mining!

WASHINGTON - August 2, 2010 - In a new profile in Details magazine, Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul is quoted arguing that the coal mining industry should be allowed to self-regulate without interference from the federal government.

Here’s a quote from a speech Paul gave recently at a coal facility operated by a subsidiary of Massey Energy, the owner of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, where an explosion killed 29 miners in April.

“(Are) there a certain amount of accidents and unfortunate things that do happen, no matter what the regulations are?” Paul said during a recent speech at Kentucky’s Harlan Center, in response to a question about the Big Branch disaster. “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.”

Ed. Note: It is very refreshing to hear a candidate lobby for less government regulation. Like his father, Rand Paul brings a decidedly libertarian tone to his candidacy.