Tom Reedy, Denton Record-Chronicle: Reedy, Tom wrote: > 1.The budget deficit. > Question: Is it OK for the government to spend more than it takes in? If > yes, under what circumstances? If no, how do you fix it? Tax increases, > spending cuts? (Please be specific.) In short, is the deficit a problem and, > if so, how do you fix it? As a Libertarian, I believe that the only legitimate purpose of government is to protect the rights of its people from infringement by others. As such, I believe that the only legitimate functions of government are the military, the courts, and the police. We can drastically reduce taxes while balancing the budget by eliminating government programs outside the scope of these functions. > 2. Social Security reform. > Question: Do you support President Bush's plan to allow workers to funnel > part of their Social Security contributions into private accounts? If so, > how would you pay for it? I advocate Social Security privatization because I believe in free market capitalism. At the same time, I recognize that we have made commitments which must be honored to those trapped in our present bankrupt pyramid scheme. By a drastic reduction of all government programs except those that protect us from force and fraud, I believe we can find the funds to continue to support those who contributed to the current plan while moving forward to a new system for future generations. > 3. Tax cuts. > Question: Do you support further tax cuts? If so, what kind and how would > you pay for them? Are you in favor of rolling back the 10-year tax cut that > already is in place and which some politicians say the country can no longer > afford? If elected to Congress, I pledge that I will never vote to increase taxes or tax rates. I believe that our economy would be liberated by a drastic reduction in the size of government. Instead of relying upon voluntary contributions to help those in need of charity, we now coerce our neighbors to give to others through the force of taxation. Our budget is full of allocations to "charitable causes" that are actually benefits to special interest groups such as corporate welfare programs that abuse our system of representative government. Having vowed not to run for reelection as an incumbent if elected, I promise that I will never be tempted by the campaign contributions of those seeking the favor of government handouts. We need Representatives in Congress that recognize socialism for what it is: theft. > 4. Iraq. > Question: Should the U.S, go to war in Iraq to force Saddam out? Should it > be done unilaterally, or should the U.S. pursue renewed weapons inspections > through the United Nations first? As a matter of pragmatic self-preservation and from a moral obligation to liberate the terrorized inhabitants of Iraq, we must replace the tyrant Hussein with a democratic form of government immediately. We should recall that the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the freedoms that we enjoy yet the Iraqi people do not, memorializes our alliance with the French when they assisted us in our own fight for liberation from a tyrannical despot. I believe that the lesson of September 11th is that the failed policies of isolationism and containment will not serve us in an age when despots are no longer content to confine their crimes against humanity to their own borders. > 5. Prescription drugs. > Question: Do you support a prescription drug plan for elderly Americans? If > so, should it be a benefit under Medicare or simply a subsidy to encourage > private insurance companies to provide drug coverage? How much will it cost > and how will you pay for it? Socialized medicine is harming both the health care industry and health care recipients. When government intrudes, we lose the benefits of free market capitalism, in this case a health care system that is the envy of the entire world. We can reduce the cost of medical care, including prescription drugs, by recognizing that health care is not a legitimate function of government. The elderly are best served by being able to choose their own health care services as individual consumers independent of the current financial policies of their government. -- David Wallace Croft http://www.lptx.org/croft/