On the Issues

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Financial Crisis

I oppose using tax money to bail out private companies. Not only doesn't it work, it's unfair to hardworking Americans to cover the losses of speculators. I have joined with other Libertarian candidates for Congress in our joint statement on the bailout.

Abortion and related issues

Abortion

This is not a federal issue, and think that the federal government has no business attempting to restrict abortion. I do not consider a first trimester fetus a person, and support a woman's right to control her own body. The only outcome of restricting access to abortion would be make it illegal and dangerous, or to ruin the lives of women who could go on to finish their education, find a partner they want to raise children with, and raise children in a healthy, stable home.

Stem cell research

In principle I am opposed to federally funded medical research. In practice, if the federal government is going to fund any research, then what gets funded should be based solely on the likely benefit of the research, regardless of whether some subset of the population considers the research morally suspect.

Parental Notification

This is not a federal issue. Personally, on the state level, I would prefer that there be a requirement for abortion providers to notify local family services if there is a suspicion of abuse or rape for any woman under the age of 18, which would automatically include any child under some reasonable age. Parental notification is nothing but a smoke screen for opponents of abortion to try to punish women for behaving in a way they don't like.

Family planning funding

In principle, I am opposed to federal funding of medical care. In practice, if the federal government is going to provide health care, then the health care provided should be based on what is best for the patient, not what a single constituency thinks is “good” or “moral”.

Education

School Vouchers / School Choice

I support school vouchers and would overall prefer eliminating government run schools entirely and replacing them with privately managed schools who can be held truly accountable to their customers -- parents and their children -- by getting less money when the lose students due to incompetence, rather than the current system of throwing more money at failing schools run by incompetent administrators.

Sex Education

I am opposed to government control of education specifically because I think it is impossible to provide a good education without teaching morals, and I don't think government should be in the business of dictating morality. That said, abstinence-only sex education is a demonstrated failure, not reducing sexual activity and leading to more sexually transmitted diseases and out of wedlock pregnancy than comprehensive sex education programs based on reality, teaching the available options, and preparing children to make responsible choices.

The Drug War

I support ending the failed drug war. I don't think it's politically achievable right now. I think I may be able to prevent expansion and increasing militarization of the drug war.

Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana is the clearest example we have right now of the intrusion of the federal government into issues that are rightly the domain of the states. All federal laws regarding marijuana that do not relate to importing or selling across state lines should be repealed.

Gun Control

I support the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. I believe the plain language of the second amendement grants an individual right, and hope to see the Supreme Court strike down the D.C. Gun Ban on this basis. I support reasonable measures by states and localities to keep gun out of the hands of criminals, but current law is in many cases ineffective, poorly enforced, or addresses the wrong issues. I oppose pointless "feel-good" regulation that places a significant burden on law-abiding citizens while no accomplishing anything to prevent crime.

Health Care

I don't want my doctor to report to the same people who run the Post Office and the TSA. The solution to rising health care costs is to eliminate the extra taxation if health care is paid for out of pocket rather than provided by the employer. If Americans are able to see where their health care money is going, then we will see market incentives for doctors to provide not just the appropriate care based on what their HMO will authorize, but the most effective care at reasonable prices. By cutting the tie of health care to employment, Americans who find themselves temporarily unemployed would at least have one less thing to worry about.

Fringe Issues

These are issues that I have been asked about, but are generally issues only to a small subset of the population.

9/11 Conspiracy Theories

I don't see any evidence to back up the claims that the Bush administration or any other branch of the federal government was involved in the attacks on 9/11. I do think the government has taken advantage of the fear caused by these events to stage an attack of their own -- on our freedom. That these theories have gained any following at all, I think is an indicator that people have lost faith in the government. And this is not that surprising – if the government ignores the law, ignores the constitution, and treats the people as subjects and tools, it becomes easier to believe that they would go to any end to maintain power. I don't think I can convince the proponents of these theories that they are groundless. I won't try. But perhaps if government were returned to its proper place, and if those “in power” remembered that they were in fact servants, there would be less suspicion and distrust.