Interview: Jeffrey Smith (L) for U.S. Rep. District 3 State of Iowa

By: Ky Starr 

1. What distinguishes you from your opponents?

I am easily distinguished from my opponents because I am the only one
advocating a reduction in the size of government in every area, especially intrusive regulations, taxation, defense, education, and health care. My  Republican and Democrat opponents are for more government spending and more government involvement in health care. It is government involvement that has created the mess we have today.


2.   How long have you been involved in politics? Do you remember the
first time you voted?

The first election I voted in was the 1976 presidential election
when I was 22 years old.  I registered as a Republican, simply because
that's what my parents were. In 1978, I joined a grass-roots
conservative organization called Citizen's Choice, that advocated
limited government and reducing taxes. I currently support Iowans For
Tax Relief and several other political organizations.

3.   What is the greatest challenge of public service?
The greatest challenges of public service is the time and commitment
it takes, and staying clean. I think too many people get involved in
public service to make changes for the better and when they see how easy
it is to manipulate the system for their own gain, they become part of
the problem.

4.   What is the most important issue facing the State of Iowa?
The most important issue facing Iowa's Third District is the
excessively high taxation we have today. Iowa has an exceedingly high
state income tax. We also have a very high state sales tax, plus many
counties, including Polk, where I live, has an additional 1% Local
Options Tax. Des Moines has nearly the highest (if not the highest)
property tax in the state. Compound that with the crushing federal
income tax, and guess what? No wonder people are broke. We are facing
back breaking taxation. That is why the economy is sluggish, and that is
why senior citizens have trouble purchasing their prescription drugs.

5.   What advice would you give someone thinking of running for public
office?
I would advise them to get prepared by putting together a team that
can do fundraising and campaigning before they ever announce their
candidacy for office so they don't have to start from scratch.

6.   What was your favorite political  book?
My far-and-away favorite political book is "Why Government Doesn't
Work" by Harry Browne. I recently bought it and I couldn't put it down.

7.   What was your favorite political TV program?
I do not have a favorite political TV program as almost all of them
have hosts and guests that argue and talk all over each other. Sometimes
I watch the O'Reilly Factor on Fox because sometimes I wholeheartedly
agree with him. But other times he really annoys me.
My least favorite political commentator is Rush Limbaugh.

8.   How did you become involved in the (L) Party?
I became involved with the Libertarian Party after talking politics
with a fellow jogger at the local YMCA. I told him I was frustrated with
the Republican Party saying one thing (limited government, lower taxes)
and doing the opposite. When he shared the Libertarian Party's platform
of Liberty with Responsibility, I knew it was exactly what I was looking
for.

9.   What is your political mentor? and favorite Political quotes
My main political mentor is the above mentioned Harry Browne. When
reading his books and his essays on his website, his wisdom simply
amazes me. I would love to meet him and talk politics with him for an
entire day.

My four favorite political quotes: 1. The government that governs
least, governs best. --Thomas Jefferson  2. When the legislature is in
session, your life, limb, and liberty are in danger. --Abraham Lincoln
3. When a business spends more money than it brings in, it goes
bankrupt. When the government spends more money than it brings in, it
sends you the bill. --Ronald Reagan  4. When you run money through the
government, you get the same results as when you run hay through a
horse. --I don't know who said it, so I'll take credit for it until
someone claims it.


10.  Will the U.S. invade Iraq by December 2002?    Should they invade?
I sincerely hope the United States does not invade Iraq. It just simply is not necessary. Saddam Hussein is a small time dictator that is no real threat to the U.S. On the other hand, we spend over one billion dollars PER DAY on our military and cannot find Osama bin Laden. And now we want to invade Iraq? What's wrong with this picture? Just everything.


11.  If you were in the U.S.  House today, what would be your first bill to sponsor?
The first bill I would sponsor in Congress would be to repeal the
ban on imported prescription drugs so our free enterprise system can
work. It would eliminate the monopoly that American drug companies have,
and it would force the cost of prescription drugs down, making them
affordable to everyone, including senior citizens. Then there would be no
need for a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.


12. Why should the citizens of the State of Iowa Elect you on Nov. 5th,
2002?
The citizens of Iowa should elect me because I will fight to get
government out of health care, education, and every other area of
people's lives. I will fight to reduce the size of the federal
government to it's constitutional limits so we can abolish the  IRS and
eliminate the federal income tax. Doing this will give the average
family of four an immediate income increase of $6200 per year. Add that
to your present income and see if you are better off or not. Besides,
it's your money to begin with.


13. What are three current bills in the U.S. house that you support and why?
I currently do not support any bills that are in the U.S. House now
as they are currently written because nearly all of them call for bigger
government spending and more government intrusion into people's lives.
Almost every new law passed by Congress tramples all over the
Constitution.


14. What is your view on the Enron debacle? Will the new law be effective?
The Enron and WorldCom scandals are an outrage. The socialists think
that the problem is the free enterprise system.  The system is
fine--it's just that these crooked executives manipulated it and used it
for their own greed. The penalties for corporate fraud and stealing from
investors needs to have immediate, harsh consequences. The prison terms
need to be long. And they need to pay back every dime with interest, so
others following in their footsteps will think long and hard before they
break the law.

15. What type of Health reform should there be in the U.S.?
The government needs to get completely out of Health Care in every
way. We need to let doctors and patients decide between themselves what
is the best treatment for the patient, without fear of retaliation by
the federal government.

16. How do you improve the overall education in the U.S.?
I would improve education by getting the federal AND state
governments out of education. I would return power to the local school
districts. Schools also need to focus less on diversity and other "warm
fuzzies" and return to the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic
with high academic standards. We need to prepare students so they can go
out and not only function in society, but be prepared to be progressive
and innovative, and to move our country to growth and prosperity like
nowhere else in the world. We also need to start teaching children by
the fourth grade how to develop ways of generating income, and how to
save and invest it. By the time they would graduate from high school,
they could be totally self-supporting, and by the time they reached
retirement age or before, could be financially independent, thus
eliminating the need for Social Security.

http://community.webtv.net/JeffreyJSmith/TheSmithFamilyJeff