1. What distinguishes you from your opponents?
The major parties struggle over which will control society,
while I want the people to regain control. As a
libertarian thinker, I'll seek an honest return to the
strict Constitutional limits set up by Godly men to
maximize liberty. As a Libertarian Party candidate, I have
no political party whips or presidents in Washington
to demand team loyalty. I owe nothing to union
leaders, business tycoons or special interest lobbyists.
I have no relationship with UN and foreign officials. This,
and a delicately balanced Congress, provide great
opportunity as a swing vote for whichever side happens to be
on the side of individual freedom and responsibility at the
moment.
2. How long have you been
involved in politics? Do you remember the first time you
voted?
I was first eligible to vote for President in my Senior year
of college (1984), and am proud to say I voted for Ronald
Reagan. I admired his courage and libertarian principles
(not knowing that label at the time), and remain convinced
he was one of the best Presidents this country has ever
had. After college, I became a financial supporter of
Republican
organizations. I discovered and joined the Libertarian
Party (LP) in 1996, as the Republican "revolution" in
Congress petered out and their second manipulated selection
of a dismal top-ticket candidate reaped its just doom. I
recognized the LP better balanced free expression with free
economy, but I kept a foot in both camps. After a stint as
Republican precinct chairman in 1998 convinced me Republican
rhetoric was dishonest, I cut ties to all but a select few
candidates and increases support of the LP. I began
representing Aiken County at Libertarian state conventions
in 2000 and was asked to be a candidate this year.
3. What is the greatest challenge
of public service?
Integrity. Since government, especially at our national
level, has accumulated so much power over so many areas of
our lives - from when we can speak, to how much water our
toilets use - almost every segment of society desires to
influence the process for its self protection or a
handout. This is a prime environment for corruption and
arrogance.
People being innately imperfect, with various degrees of
resistance to temptation, the only solution is return of
that responsibility to the
people.
4. What is the most
important issue facing the 3rd District?
It's social security reform, certainly not unique to this
district. People are simply living longer and having fewer
kids than when the system was set up, and no amount of
wishful thinking is going to prevent the coming
50%-tax-hike-or-benefit-cut dilemma. A "lock box" won't
work because the revenue from more social security bonds in
the "trust fund" won't automatically pay off "general" bonds
for a net debt reduction in
anticipation of a later increase. Congress has a history of
out spending all its revenue streams over time, leaving us a
monstrous national debt as proof. Federal government
investment in the private sector would give it controlling
interests and start us down the communist path to economic
ruin. The only solution is letting individuals do the asset
diversification gradually over their working lifetime - what
investment counselors call "dollar cost averaging". Over
just 20 year periods, even a portfolio of 100% stocks (broad
index fund) would never have lost money, while government
bonds have actually lost 2%. A worker retiring in today's
market bust would still have made 2.8X more than his
promised benefits for every dollar in such an
account. Obviously, most workers will continue to hold some
government bonds, and perhaps add corporate
bond funds and real estate investment trusts. This somewhat
reduces the increased returns but provides more short-term
stability - a good thing
as retirement approaches.
My version of reform goes beyond the Presidential
Commissions', phasing out the current system. It returns
the entire paycheck tax for personal accounts, distributing
system bonds for earned benefits, and leaves the hidden
employer match to fully fund current and near-term retirees
while they remain. That means 6.2% rate of investment for
poor folks with no other savings, not the currently
discussed 2%.
5. What advice would you give
someone thinking of running for public office?
Be prepared to take plenty of time away from family and
profession. Campaigning is exhausting but also exhilarating,
as you get to meet so many nice people. Unfortunately, some
are so disillusioned with the system they won't consider
voting for even the most avid reformer. Remember that
fundraising and volunteer recruitment are a lot tougher than
getting vote commitments.
6. What is your favorite
political book?
"Libertarianism, A Primer", by David Boaz. It's not
perfect, but it really made me consider and develop my
political reasoning. Along with the "Federalist Papers", it
should be essential reading for any who wants to understand
how Constitutional government was meant to fulfill the
promise of the Declaration of Independence.
7. What was your favorite
political TV program?
I don't have cable or satellite so my choices are quite
limited. None of them are appealing.
8. How did you become involved in
the (L) Party?
See question 2.
9. Who are your political
mentors? What are some of your favorite
political quotes?
I really admire Alan Keyes for his solid thinking, his
boldness and his courageous stands. He's a libertarian in
all but name and would make a great President if the
Republican Party would quit stifling his candidacy. On the
other hand, if they persist, perhaps the Libertarian Party
can recruit him! His response to income tax reform,
paraphrased "I'm something of an abolitionist", makes a
valid comparison to slavery
in that one's labor is directly garnished by another, and
proposes a summary end. We both want to restore an excise
(nonessential goods tax) in place of the personal income
tax.
Mark Sanford inspired my own candidacy with his
come-from-nowhere run for the House and his integrity in
sticking to the term limits pledge. He has libertarian
leanings and will make a good Governor for SC, if elected in
the current race.
US Representative Ron Paul of Texas is a lonely voice of
reason as we get deeper into the World Policeman role. He's
a former LP Presidential candidate, now nominally
Republican, who leads a little band of lakeside
congressmen. If elected, I see us working together on most
issues.
Most of the quotes I like come form the Founding
Fathers: Madison, Jefferson, Washington, etc. Perhaps my
favorite is the second sentence of our Declaration of
Independence, which states in one place the source of Rights
("endowed by their Creator"), their priority against other's
equal rights ("Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"),
and the protective purpose of government ("to secure these
Rights").
10. Will the U.S. invade Iraq by
December 2002? Should they invade?
I can't predict timing but the event itself looks like a
done deal. It will be a mistake. First, we are accusing
Saddam of being unstable and unpredictable, but here we go
attacking without the justification of reprisal or clear and
urgent preemption.. Put this in terms of individuals for
clarity: Do you attack your scary and whacky neighbor
because there's a chance he could mug you one day, or do you
closely watch him and keep a gun in the house? Second, our
volunteer army didn't sign up to put their lives on the line
for "foreign policy goals" like upgrading civility around
the world, but for true defense of this country. Since they
can't just quit now, such adventurism is neither
honest nor fair to them - or their families.
11. If you were in Congress today,
what would be your first bill to sponsor?
Either social security personalization (see question 4) or
personal income tax replacement with a retail sales tax
would be first, perhaps in a joint bill since they both deal
with paycheck tax freedom. I've already discussed the
social security aspect and will deal with nominal taxes
here. The idea is to put people back in charge of saving
and
growing their money for education, health care, or whatever,
and doing it tax free. For the sake of efficiency and
privacy, purchases of necessities like groceries and
medicine would be tax free instead of rebated or vouchered. Discretionary
purchases would be taxed at a flat rate set for NET revenue
neutrality, crediting the massive administrative
and enforcement savings. The transparency and degree of
consumer control should put intense pressure for reduction
on elected officials. I wish I could claim credit for this
idea, but it's just a return to our original Constitution
and well discussed in Federalist Paper 21. Since the
corporate income tax is mostly passed through to consumers,
it would be simultaneously converted to a simple,
territorial user fee on corporate
law.
12. Why should the citizens of the
State of SC elect you on Nov. 5th, 2002?
See question 1.
13. What are three legislative
bills in the U.S. House that you support and why?
Sadly, many important issues are NOT on the table. I will
oppose most new programs and regulations, waiting for the
day enough like-minded congressmen are elected to deregulate
and devolve power consistently. However, concern for civil
defense may have created a good opportunity now to restore
certain second amendment rights, especially for pilots and
school principals. And I would support the renewed attempt
to eliminate partial birth abortions.
13. What is your view on the recent
Enron debacle? Will the new federal
law be effective?
It's Global Crossing and WorldCom too - a more systematic
issue. The detestable actions of their executives were
already illegal. The new laws, while some improvement, are
also a distraction from the fundamental fact that government
oversight failed. I hope that the public uproar has
reoriented the politicians who aided and abetted, but you
never know. We haven't seen any move to repeal or modify
the Williams Act of 1968, which allows boardroom members to
insulate themselves from takeovers advantageous to
shareholders. At least a lot of folks saw the dangers of
retirement asset concentration and government reliance,
according to a recent Zogby poll, and are strengthening
support for social security privatization.
14. What type of Election reform is
needed in the U.S. today?
First, Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would be a great boon for
all elections. By allowing voters to rank their preferences
and adding vote levels until a majority is attained, we
would address the "wasted vote" fear and get a truer
representation of the public's choice, while saving time and
money. Second we should directly elect the President and
Vice President in this era of instant communication to
remove any possibility of vote changes by Electors, but the
electoral college vote allocation to each state should NOT
be scrapped. In conjunction, voters should have the same
ability to mix and match Presidential and Vice Presidential
candidates as the US Senate and House may do in cases of no
majority. This freedom works well for Governor and Lt.
Governor in SC. Third, the gerrymandering of congressional
districts must stop. The simplest
solution would be to adhere to primary local administrative
boundaries, even if this means some cities would choose more
than one congressman by proportional vote. Finally, I still
believe 3/2 term limits are the only answer to a system more
and more rigged for incumbents and traditional parties
through "campaign finance reform," etc. I pledge to serve
no more than three terms even in absence of a law.
15. How do you improve education in
SC and around the U.S?
Congress should immediately eliminate its forced unionism
baseline and limited state opt-out by passing Right-to-Work,
freeing teachers and other workers from any unnecessary and
unwanted distractions. Congress should use it's own DC
school system as a demonstration project for full parental
choice via universal tax credits and private vouchers,
supplemented by government vouchers for any unused
credits. The small portion of state education funding
unconstitutionally provided by the
national government should be phased out, but transitionally
made contingent on similar reform. The specifics of
education in SC should be addressed by SC candidates, since
states still largely control education and most of its
funding.
16. How important is Responsible
Plutonium Management?
Consolidation is critical to our short-term security and
safety. We don't want to leave excess bomb material spread
around the country at otherwise abandoned sites, or
blockaded on a highway. It's too tempting for terrorists
and too hard to defend the multiple targets. A single site
can also be upgraded for safer temporary storage and a
conversion facility as permanent security solution. Putting
this usable fuel to
work is important to our national economy in these days of
foreign oil reliance and Western brownouts, and recycling
instead of trashing plutonium is important to our
environment - despite our current governor's pleas for
deliberate wasting. The MOX fuel conversion doubles as a
boost to our local job market. My only concern is our
current representative's plan for "schedule fines", which
may create an incentive
to dangerously hasten facility design or, if imposed, delay
processing later at taxpayers expense. I would like to see
forced internal budget transfers to MOX from non-clean-up
programs within DOE instead.
Mike
Boerste
Interview:
Mike Boerste (L) for
U.S. Rep. for the 3rd District of the State of South Carolina