Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) argued over the weekend that Americans will be better off if Congress does not pass a COVID-19 relief bill.
The Kentucky senator told Eric Bolling of Sinclair broadcasting that he prefers a free market solution to stimulating the economy.
“The economy needs to be left alone basically,” Paul argued. “Capitalism is the absence of government control, the absence of government stimulus. The reason our economy has been struggling is because the government shut down your economy.”
According to Paul, “the only way” to improve the economy is to lift pandemic safety restrictions.
“I think it’s wrong for conservatives to adopt the ways of liberals and pretend that [government] is the answer,” he said.
Paul also commented on his disagreement with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the path to “herd immunity.”“I’ve never said we should just lay back and take coronavirus to get to herd immunity,” he insisted. “But those who have had the disease naturally, we should acknowledge that they do have immunity.”
“We should acknowledge that there are some advantages, once you have had it if you survive,” the senator continued. “So for example, restaurants. We shouldn’t close restaurants down. We should give people advice and say, if you are older, it might not be a good idea. But if you are younger, please go eat at restaurants.”
Paul added: “If you’ve had this and survived and you want to be a waitress or a waiter, restaurants should be encouraged to hire these people because that helps to block the virus from infecting people coming in the restaurant.”
The senator’s ideas for saving the economy did not end there.
“You know, if I owned a restaurant, I’d have a whole wing for senior citizens and I would hire purposefully people who have already had the disease so I could offer it as a benefit that there’s slightly less risk by dining because my waiters and waitresses have all had the disease,” he remarked.
