RICHARD BODDIE
U.S. SENATE - LIBERTARIAN

Lowering the Crime Rate and Making People Feel Safer

To lower the so called crime rate significantly and to allow citizens
to feel safer I would work to totally decriminalize all substances
that can be consumed by free citizens, and seek to abolish and repeal
all laws that prevent honest non-criminal free sovereign citizens from
defending themselves ("by any means necessary"), or their honestly
acquired property.

Since all human beings own themselves, they alone should determine
what goes into their bodies. When the actions of any person violate
the rights of another they should be held accountable. That is not
the case today.

The majority of people in prison today throughout the nation are
incarcerated as a result of "drug prohibition" related offenses. Much
of the fear of citizens today is a result of the policies of the
various government agencies, a lost "war on drugs", with Czar and
all, and a total disregard for the rights of citizens through civil
asset forfeiture, illegal searches of innocent citizens, and turf wars
that create mass violence in the control of high-priced "goods" and
services. THERE IS A WAR ON CITIZENS.

Armed citizens are safe citizens. Plus, the criminals don't know who
might be.

Criminals who violate life, liberty, or property of others by threat,
force, or fraud, be they street thugs, S&L robber barons, politicians,
abusive law enforcement officials, or "regular criminals" should be
aggressively pursued, arrested, prosecuted to the full extent of the
law, and removed from free society (or even "caned"). Our criminal
justice system should confine itself to these matters. Privatization
of penal institutions would reduce costs, which today are another
vivid example of government waste.

Getting the Economy Moving

To "get the economy moving" (it always moves!) I would commit to fight
the cost, size, influence, and power of government (or the people
calling themselves "government", whose only unique quality is the use
of force). I will seek to dismantle the "unholy trinity" of taxation,
regulation, and licensing as we know it today.

Taxation is so high it has crippled California. Working citizens
(those who can and are) are the poor of today. Former poor people are
now the destitute, as a result of the policies of the "Bipartisan
Party" over the past 81 years, and none were members of the
Libertarian Party.

It takes 50% of gross income of the average American to pay all taxes.
This greatly reduces each person's purchasing power. Less purchasing
power has weakened the economy, while business taxation (which the
consumer pays for) and mandated expenditures inhibit hiring and the
creation of jobs by the private sector (the only place where jobs can
be created). I categorically oppose any tax increase. I strongly favor
tax reductions along with government waste and spending. I advocate
the privatization of all government services, with the government
acting as the broker of the contracts and watch dog for the citizen
consumers. I advocate the elimination of personal income tax and
social security tax for the first $25,000 of personal income, and
eventually both completely. I would like to be the Senator who took
action toward the complete dismantling of the most oppressive federal
agency in America: the Internal Revenue Service (now that's Orwellian
double-speak at it's best -- "service"!). Note: personal income tax
collected by the "service" only provides about 33% of federal
government income.

GOVERNMENT WASTE AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Government waste is legendary. The Grace commission on government
waste has been ignored. It should be dusted off and implemented. Much
government financing has been done through debt, to the point that the
federal government now owes over 4 trillion dollars -- a mind boggling
figure. Interest on the debt is now greater than the entire military
budget. The debt must be retired. Additional debt must not be allowed.
The first step is to balance the federal budget. The second step
is to stop government borrowing for ANY expenditures. Third is
cutting government waste. Fourth is reducing government spending. I
will vote against any measures which are not in line with these four
steps.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND PRIVATIZATION

Government tries to do too much and does it badly. We have far too
many federal agencies, and they are too large. We subsidize numerous
businesses and private groups, often at cross purposes -- for example,
we subsidize tobacco farmers and anti-smoking advertising. These
subsidies are the fuel that support over 100,000 lobbyists in
Washington, and make political corruption profitable. It is time to
cut off or phase out all subsidies. It is time to eliminate most
federal agencies, and to privatize others. It is time to freeze
federal hiring, freeze federal salaries at current levels, and allow
attrition to reduce the number of federal workers. I strongly favor a
30% cut in the salaries of U.S. Senators and Congressmen.

Health Care Reform

I totally support a national health care plan, so long as it is
voluntary (not like the "voluntary" W-2, 1040 tax, however), and
provided that it is not run by any government agency, institution, or
mandate. We currently have government national health care through
Medicare, the VA, etc., and look at the results. These programs are
extremely troubled, inefficient, inadequate, and rife with fraud and
corruption. Furthermore, government regulation and control of health
care, assisted by the AMA, through licensing, insurance mandates, out
of control tort law recoveries, and a variety of other ingredients,
hinder many effective and much lower cost alternatives to health care
to people in need of care.

For example, the FDA drug testing requirements give many citizens a
totally false sense of security as to the safety of an "approved"
drug, while hindering the research and marketing of experimental drugs
that might possibly cure those infected with AIDS and other illnesses.


Another example. The FDA animal testing requirements are inhumane,
ineffective, and very costly. Finally, since the sole business of the
FDA is really information, why must this information only be allowed
to come from the government? Check your electrical cord. "UL" is not a
government agency and you probably don't worry about being hurt by
electrical devices.

The Libertarian Party has put forth an alternative health care plan.

Military Defense

A primary purpose of the federal government is to defend Americans in
America. I favor a strong military defense for this purpose, and this
purpose alone. I am opposed on principle to military intervention in
the domestic or foreign affairs of other countries. I also support the
gradual phasing out of foreign aid, however we must make sure that we
phase out foreign aid in such a way as to not cause bloodshed or
strife. To promote economic development and international cooperation,
and to deter military conflict, I strongly support free trade between
U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries.

Education

Our current and costly governmental monopoly on education has failed
our children. I strongly support the privatization of education, to
promote educational choice, efficiency, and quality. Governmental
efforts in education should be dealt with by the localities and the
states, not the federal government. The federal government should not
interfere in those efforts. Therefore, I support dismantling the
federal Department of Education, and its needless bureaucracy.

Poverty, Racism, and Inner City Problems

These problems can only be solved through individual empowerment.
Government welfare and "anti-poverty" programs have failed, despite
the hundreds of billions of dollars poured into them. They have failed
because, for the most part, people are not empowered when they are
given something for nothing. Furthermore, these programs have drained,
through taxation, resources from the local communities which could be
used for economic development by private citizens. I am in favor of
eliminating federal mandating of local government spending, so that
communities can direct their resources toward solving their most
serious problems as they see fit.

Government can further encourage individual empowerment by
dramatically reducing or eliminating business licensing and regulatory
requirements. This would empower citizens of the inner city to go into
business, by reducing start up capital requirements. It would also
dramatically reduce the fringe costs of hiring workers. I support the
elimination of the minimum wage, to encourage the hiring of otherwise
unemployable workers. I support the establishment of free enterprise
zones in the inner city, including the elimination of property taxes
in those areas, to encourage businesses and corporations to invest and
develop commercial opportunities in the inner city. The elimination of
the federal income tax and social security payments for the first
$25,000 of income will not only reduce taxes, but will help combat
poverty by creating incentive and more spending power for the lower
economic income groups.

Most importantly, government must fulfill its primary charter of
protecting the rights of individuals through equal protection of all
citizens under the law regardless of race, religion, creed, or
national origin. I oppose racial quotas in hiring that might prevent
minority firms from hiring more minority workers. Without the
perception that a poor African American in the inner city can get
equal justice to a white cop in Simi Valley, strife and racism will
continue.

Ending the drug war, which is a main excuse for the violation of the
rights of African Americans in the inner city, which makes role models
out of rich drug dealers, and which supplies criminals with economic
power to oppress law abiding citizens, would do a great deal toward
this end.

______________________

return to the main page

The material included in this voter guide is archived and will not be updated. Please visit the California Voter Foundation's homepage for the most current information and resources.

© California Voter Foundation 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 & 1998