Interview: Barry Hess (L) for Gov. of the State of Arizona

By: Joe Urban 

1. What distinguishes you from your opponents?

I'm the only one in the race who is not running against anyone.  I'm
actually running 'for' something, a legacy of freedom for the next
generations.  There are guiding principles that I ascribe to, so the message
doesn't change with the political winds and polls and focus groups are
worthless.  I'm about principal and ethics in government, not principle and
interest.  I forward the notions of 'self-ownership' and free markets.  And
I intend to make government fit back inside its Constitutional mandate.  The
sole purpose of creating government was to protect individual rights and
property--even from itself.

2.   How long have you been involved in politics?

I made the decision on February 25th, 2000, when I realized nobody else was
coming to protect the little guy from the ravages of a Socialist State.
Finally my patience was exhausted and I succumbed to doing it myself.  After
all it is a government 'of, by and for' the people, and I'm a people.

3.   What is the greatest challenge of public service?

Trying to change the status quo.  Bureaucracies and bureaucratic
administrators fear change in their employment, more than they seem to care
about their families.

4.   What is the most important issue facing the State of AZ?

The financial obligations of the state, aka the budget.  It's actually the
economy more than the budget.  Ours is simply stagnant because all the money
is headed toward the state rather than into the hands of its owners where it
can be spent in all areas and sectors of the economy--where government
couldn't hope to stimulate.  The real problem is one of cash flow.  Revenues
come from transactions.  Money has no value unless it's moving in the
economy.  By eliminating the personal income, property and death taxes,
we'll put more money into the workers hands.  They'll spend it over and
over, increasing overall revenues for the state and strengthening the
economic base by spreading it out over 'lots of little transactions' rather
than dangerously trying to control fewer larger, regulated transactions by
the state.  The added benefit is that of confidence in government when it
stops stealing.  Let me explain. when someone comes and takes your stuff
(money), we call it theft.  And theft is still theft, even by government.
At the same time we have created a desirable environment for workers.  In
concert with people having more money to spend, we need to expand our
economy by drawing new business and expanding the ones we have by lowering
the corporate tax to a flat 4% (to be competitive with other southwestern
states) on the gross with no deductions, eliminating the corporate property
tax and lowering the state transaction tax from 6.8% to 5%.  This is the
quickest and strongest way to get immediate cash flow and generate the
greatest revenues so studies and projections are just busy work.  I call it
'mainline economics'.

5.   What advice would you give someone thinking of running for public
office?

Decide first whether your desire is to honestly make positive changes for
others without regard for yourself, or if you're just looking for a job.  If
you are one of the former, you will be able to make clear decisions based
upon principals and ethics and you'll be able to sleep nights knowing you
are secure in a belief system that will not change.

6.   What is your favorite political book?

The Hobbit/Trilogy of the Rings.  Through the Looking Glass (Alice in
Wonderland).  The Trial (Kafka story).  The Law (Bastiat).  The Art of War
(Sun Szu).  The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith).  Animal Farm.  Most
Important is 'The' Book.

7.   What was your favorite political TV program?

The International Intelligence Briefing

8.   How did you become involved in the (L)?

When I was exposed to the actual philosophy that founded this incredible
nation, it intrigued me, so I studied and reasoned it all out and found it
sound, just and honest.  Once you've seen through all the political smoke
and mirrors, there's just no going back.  I'm a recovering Republican.

9.   Who are your political mentors?  What are some of your favorite
political quotes?

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, JFK and Ronald Reagan.

"Give me Liberty or give me Death", "Freedom's Fun", "In this current
situation government is not the solution to the problem, government is the
problem" and "Extremism in pursuit of Liberty is no vice, nor moderation in
response to tyranny a virtue".

10.  Will the U.S. invade Iraq by December 2002?    Should they invade?

We'll see.  The only possible grounds for invading Iraq is that they possess
a real and imminent threat.  I have to trust the President's judgment on
this since he has all the information and I don't.  I do not think we should
invade absent a declaration of war as proscribed by the Constitution, and I
do believe we need to stop meddling in the affairs of other sovereign
nations that provoke retaliation as soon as possible.

11. What type of Health Care reform is needed in the AZ today?

Removing excessive governmental regulation/monopolies will drop all
healthcare costs by at least 50%.  As a competitive free market develops
they will drop even more, quickly eliminating the very need for insurance
except for catastrophic occurrence.

12. How do you improve education in AZ?

By increasing competition.  Politicians seem to have forgotten the objective
of government education which is to graduate young men and women who are
competent to go out and make their way in the world without becoming a
burden to anyone else.  I support education from wherever it comes be it
self-teaching, home-schooling, charter schooling, private schooling and
government schooling--increasing parental choice.  I believe the problems we
face in education and drop out rates are directly linked to literacy.  The
other candidates propose basic literacy by third grade, I propose by the
first grade.  Children live up to, or down to our expectations.  With all
the politically correct nonsense injected into the classroom our students
are overwhelmed before they can understand it all, they quickly fall behind,
lose interest or get frustrated and then drop out.  I plan to eliminate
everything but the basics: the finite unarguable sciences, math, history
(without social commentary or interpretation, just what happened and who did
it) civics (so students will know how their government works and how to
participate), courtesy, reading, comprehension and critical thinking skills
(so they can tell which politician is lying to them) for the first 6
grades--until mastery of the basic tools to learn is achieved.  From this
point there'll be no stopping them from learning anything they want.

13. How do you stimulate the U.S. economy and the AZ economy?

See question 4.

14. What is your views on Immigration/Border Security?

I believe we should open the borders while taking security/identification
precautions and insuring cost recovery for car insurance, criminal mischief,
medical care and education costs.  We need the labor, and they need us so a
fair and equal policy is in order.