Circulated to all candidates by the Capitol Times
2008 Congressional Candidate Questions:
These are my answers:
1. To whom do you turn for political advice?
I look to my fellow Libertarians for suggestions and ideas. As Libertarians, we are not so concerned about telling voters what they want to hear, so for me “political advice” is more about how better to communicate the ideas of personal liberty, free minds and free markets.
2. If elected, what would be your top priority?
My top priority would be cutting taxes and government programs that subsidize special interest groups (earmarks, boondoggles) and working to restore a limited Federal government consistent with The Federalist Papers. I would vote very much like Congressmen Jeff Flake and Ron Paul if elected.
3. What policies would you support to help stimulate the nation’s economy?
The United States economy is over taxed and over regulated. The only way to promote economic growth is to promote the innovations of entrepreneurs who start and expand new businesses. The dead hand of government is what slows and extinguishes economic growth and expansion.
4. What policies would you support regarding the war in Iraq?
I would work to end the war in Iraq as quickly as possible, and to prevent any future foreign adventures. I want to see American troops home before Christmas 2009 if not sooner. It was a terrible blunder in foreign policy to get involved in the Middle East.
5. How would you address the border security/immigration situation?
I would repeal the immigration quota system and make Green Cards available to anyone who wants to come to America to work, provided they enter legally at a border station and provide verifiable identification. I would not allow criminals, terrorists, or people with communicable diseases to come into the United States.
6. Do you favor or oppose moving the country towards adopting universal health care?
I oppose taxpayer-financed mandatory health programs. The existing employer-linked system of health insurance must be replaced with a portable worker-owned system that is open to everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions. The dominant third-party-payment system today is responsible for skyrocketing costs, so I would promote health savings accounts and payments directly from patients to healthcare providers. The existing system was fostered by income tax regulations; these must be repealed.
7. What are your views on environmental regulation?
I believe a prosperous and growing economy helps us afford a cleaner, greener environment. We all want a greener, cleaner environment and things have been getting much better in the past few decades – not because of government regulations, but because people want to act as better stewards of the planet. Global warming is happening for many reasons, including solar variations, and I strongly oppose shutting down economic growth at gigantic costs in order to “feel good” about carbon dioxide. There is too much unproven hype about climate change. We should not take actions that cannot help solve the problem and will only make everyone on earth poorer.
8. Should the temporary tax cuts enacted over the past six years be made permanent?
Absolutely, yes, and there should be more tax cuts enacted. I would repeal the Federal income tax, but short of that giant step, I would cut as many holes in it as possible, creating as many tax breaks and lower tax rates as possible for everyone. The battle cry of envy, “tax breaks for the rich,” is a shameful slogan since only productive people who earn income actually pay taxes. Of course every productive person should get tax breaks.
9. Should states have the right to opt out of federal programs such as No Child Left Behind?
Absolutely, yes. The Federal government should not mandate programs to the states. This was a major theme in Senator Goldwater’s book, Conscience of a Conservative, which was my first inspiration to become active in politics in 1960.
10. What changes, if any, would you want to make to the North American Free Trade Agreement Treaty?
I would work to have Canada, Mexico, and the United States adopt a common set of external tariffs, preferably Zero, so that all of the paperwork required by the “rules or origin” could be dispensed with. This paperwork is a burden on producers in every country. I would further promote the free movement of labor (see my answer to Question 5 above).