The Constitution

The problem with the Democrats and Republicans is that they are often serving interest groups rather than principles. As a Libertarian, I would try to remind my Democrat and Republican colleagues that we are there to serve the people and their individual interests, not special interests, and that we all must be guided by the Constitution.

Jobs

The most effective way to stimulate the job market is for government to get out of the way! Not just the federal government, but state and local government as well. Multiple layers of regulation and taxation put a stranglehold on existing businesses and make it extremely difficult for new businesses to start. Rather than singling out certain businesses or business sectors (usually the ones who spend the most money on lobbyists) for government bailouts or subsidies, we need to give new businesses a chance to innovate and succeed on their own, in the process, creating new products, new services, and new jobs!

The Deficit

If we want to shrink the deficit, we have to shrink the government! The federal government has reached way beyond what our founding fathers envisioned. Successive Presidents and sessions of Congress have gotten the federal government involved in activities that should have been left to the states or the people in accordance with the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. We must start returning these functions to the local level. Deficit spending must end immediately. If elected, I will only vote to approve a balanced budget.

Taxes

Eventually, I would like to see the federal income tax completely eliminated. That is quite doable if we strip the federal government back to the functions that the Constitution directly mandates, such as providing for the national defense and maintaining a federal court system. Such a government could be fully supported by existing excise taxes, such as those on alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Since such a transformation will not occur overnight, I would suggest temporarily replacing the income tax with a national sales or consumption tax. At least that would eliminate all the special interest loopholes that are in our current tax code. One such tax is the so-called Fair Tax, but I would like to see it instituted at a lower rate.

National Defense and Foreign Policy

If we get our priorities in order, we can reduce the defense budget while at the same time enhancing the safety of American citizens. We cannot force different peoples around the world to accept our values and our way of life. It is not our job to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or to take sides in their disputes with their neighbors. We should only engage in wars that are declared by Congress in accordance with the Constitution. I would work toward the closing of many of our bases around the world unless they actually play a strategic role in protecting our country. Our engagement with the rest of the world should be through trade relationships and cultural exchanges. We can be a shining example to the rest of the world, but we cannot force other countries to adopt our ways

Energy

What the government should do is let the free market do what it has always done, come up with creative solutions to problems. Fossil fuel alternatives, such as solar, wind, and hydro should be encouraged by an informed public that wants to improve the environment and end our dependence on imported oil. However, the government should not be subsidizing these alternatives and thereby picking winners and losers. Let the free market decide which alternatives are most efficient and cost effective. The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) should be market-driven, not government mandated.

The Environment

We all share the earth, water, and air. Both the government and private individuals should be able to enforce laws against polluters, who should be held strictly accountable.

Immigration

All four of my own grandparents were immigrants. I agree with Libertarian candidate for President, Chase Oliver, about how to handle immigration. His website says the following:

Our immigration system is a tragic mess. We simply must break the partisan logjam and bring people from all parties together to reform and modernize it. There are few better examples of “bad government” than the overly complex current laws and regulations involving immigration. The President needs to take the lead and work with Congress to radically simplify our immigration system so people can come here, work, and become members of our communities without being relegated to the shadows. Immigrants built this country, and they can help keep it growing and prospering for future generations of Americans. As President, I would

• Collaborate with Congress to return to an Ellis Island style of processing immigrants. It should be simple for those who wish to come here to work and build a better life to appear before immigration officials at an accredited port of entry, be given medical and criminal checks to assess their safety and receive a visa allowing them to immediately find employment. This is a process that should take, at most, days; not months or years.
• Create a simpler path to citizenship for immigrants who are already here. Some eight million undocumented immigrants are currently present in our labor force, doing essential jobs, paying payroll taxes, and contributing to our economic growth. Formalizing this arrangement will not only allow them to further contribute to the economy by meeting critical labor demand and reducing inflationary pressures, it also saves taxpayers billions of dollars in enforcement costs.
• Create a path to citizenship for both DACA-eligible residents and the children of foreign workers admitted to the US on temporary work visas. These immigrants often lose their legal status upon turning 21, robbing us of individuals educated here in America with something to offer our society.
• Expand both the H1B visa and startup visa, which allows skilled immigrants to bring their talent and innovation to our shores. These individuals add to our economy by starting new businesses and putting more Americans to work. Fifty-five percent of American startups that are valued at over one billion dollars were founded or co-founded by immigrants.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Changing the rules on retirees and those close to retirement would be a violation of their trust. They must receive their benefits. Going forward, payroll deductions to fund Social Security and Medicare need to be actuarially based. Workers just starting out should be free to choose other retirement plans, and those in the middle of their working years should have the option of taking a lump sum distribution to be used to buy annuities or otherwise provide for their retirement and medical needs. As to Medicaid, there are much better ways of dealing with the medical needs of the poor. I highly regard the Zarephath Health Center ( https://zh-center.org/ ) as a model for how volunteer doctors and nurses can deliver quality health care to those in need.

Abortion

There are some issues that reasonable people of good conscience can disagree on. Abortion tops the list. While I am personally pro-choice, because I do not believe human life begins at conception, I respect the views of those who believe otherwise. Because this issue is so deeply divisive, the government should neither use tax dollars to pay for or encourage abortions, nor to discourage or prevent them. Organizations and individuals on both sides of this issue should voluntarily contribute towards providing education or procedures they endorse. Doctors and hospitals should be allowed to perform abortions or not based on their own moral convictions, without any government sanctions or penalties. Women should be allowed to make such personal decisions without government interference.

Campaign Contributions

What should be relevant to the voters is the identity of a candidate’s financial backers, because the candidate is likely to be beholden to those backers. That said, the size of contributions by individuals and corporations should not be limited, because it is only with the help of “angel” backers that 3rd party candidates can obtain the initial support they need to launch effective campaigns. However, candidates who do not voluntarily identify their major contributors should be scorned by the voters, and those elected based on false disclosures should lose their offices.

The Democrats and Republicans embraced campaign contribution limits because they already have thousands of people who owe their jobs to them, and can be counted on collectively for millions of dollars in contributions. These limits, however, are actually anti-competitive because they stifle newer parties

National Infrastructure

Our highways, rails, electricity grid, etc. can best be taken care of by adjusting the user fees that are already in place. Thus, highway tolls, gasoline taxes, railroad fares, and utility rates need to be raised to levels sufficient to pay for the services provided, as well as for the accumulation of additional funds to take care of capital improvements (or to retire a bond, if taxpayers approve a bond issue for capital improvements).

The War on Drugs

This “war” is an unmitigated failure because most people do not support it. Whether or not a substance is good for anyone is irrelevant. Every adult should have the right to make his or her own choices about what to ingest, be it alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, or cherry pie. Our drug laws should continue to protect children, but adults should have freedom of choice. Accordingly, I would introduce legislation to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act so that states could vote to legalize and tax marijuana similarly to the way they now handle beer and wine. Many states have already done so, but those in the business are still in violation of federal law and cannot take advantage of normal banking and credit arrangements. Federal legislation is still needed.

Marriage Equality

I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, which was fortunately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. For many years I have advocated that same sex couples deserve the same respect, the same treatment with regard to Social Security benefits, and the same treatment with regard to taxes that heterosexual married couples enjoy. Those goals have been achieved, and I would oppose any legislation to undo that progress.