Illustration by Gabriel Sanchez Rand Paul illustration

In a brief but wide-ranging talk Tuesday morning before Lexington’s business community, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul railed against federal debt and regulations while warning against what he called “the politics of envy.”

The 53-year-old Republican from Bowling Green made scant mention of his campaign to retain the seat he has held since 2011 or his Democratic challenger on the Nov. 8 ballot -- Lexington Mayor Jim Gray -- during his speech and brief question-and-answer session before a breakfast crowd as part of Commerce Lexington’s public policy series. (See Business Lexington’s coverage of Gray’s appearance here: http://smileypete.com/business/gray-presses-long-shot-senate-bid-before-city-s-business-lea/)

“The biggest problem we still face is our debt,” Paul said. “Adm. (Mike) Mullen said the biggest threat to our national security is actually our debt. I believe that’s true.”

Paul said he continues to fight for smaller government and fewer regulations, which he says hurt business and economic growth.

Paul mixed Christian doctrine, economic philosophy and political psychology in a critique of mostly Democratic calls for higher taxes on the rich.

“Do we not understand that coveting our neighbor’s property isn’t a good feeling, isn’t something that’s good for us?” Paul said. “What we should be spreading is, is this gospel of hope to every young kid out there: that you could be Bill Gates, you could be a success if you work hard in school. But it shouldn’t be this philosophy of, your neighbor has three cars, send the government to take one of their cars from them. The politics of envy is not a good thing.”

But Paul’s talk before the business group strayed far beyond economic policy issues, including a discursive introductory anecdote about legendary Kentucky statesman Henry Clay that ran for several minutes.

Paul also took a couple of shots at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whom Paul pledged to support after abandoning his own bid for the GOP’s nomination. Paul criticized the New York real estate mogul and reality TV star for getting “sidetracked” over questions about whether he supported the first Iraq War.

Paul’s assessment -- offered twice -- on what Trump needs to do going forward was more blunt: “Stop talking about Miss Universe,” he said, referring to candidate’s divisive statements and tweets about former beauty pageant contestant Alicia Machado.

The bulk of Paul’s talk touched on topics as diverse as Kentucky’s heroin problem, the sale of armaments to Saudia Arabia, Congress’s role in declaring war, terrorism, surveillance and the limits of foreign intervention.

“We’re not learning the lessons of unintended consequences,” he said of the latter.

Separately, Paul and Gray agreed Tuesday to debate Halloween night at 8 p.m. on KET.