Joe Dehn for Congress

California, 14th District
Libertarian

Issues



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America was founded on the idea of Liberty. But over the past 200 years, government has grown to monstrous proportions, replacing liberty with regulation in every aspect of life. Almost half of what Americans produce is now taken by government to be managed by politicians instead of the free market. This trend has continued, whether the Democrats or the Republicans have been in power.

On issue after issue, Libertarians represent the only real choice for reform in this country. Everyone else is trying to convince you that they know how to solve your problems -- if only you will give them the power, and your tax money. The Libertarian Party is the only party consistently calling for repealing government regulation of both your personal and business life, cutting and eliminating taxes across the board, ending the insane War on Drugs, and ending US government meddling in other people's countries overseas.

PRIORITY ISSUE: Ending the Income Tax
A Word about the Scandals in Washington

A brief word about the concerns that have been plaguing our nation's capital -- everything from sex scandals to accusations about campaign contributions. Why are these things that we should be concerned about?

The problem is the power that we have delegated to people in Washington. The people at the center of these controversies -- not just the President, but members of Congress as well -- have awesome power over our nation's economy, our families, our jobs, our businesses, and the kind of future our children will live in.

It has been said that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the closer we get to that, the more problems we will have. Just kicking the bums out and replacing them with other politicians is not going to fix this.

So why should you vote for Libertarians? Because Libertarian candidates are dedicated to the principle of reducing government power, and government's influence on your life. We don't want to just change who in Washington has the power. We want to remove the power, so that individuals can once again take control of their own lives.

Without all that power in Washington to attract corruption, there won't be as much of it, and what there is simply won't matter much.

Other candidates for Congress support the system basically as it is now. Some want to reduce the income tax but want to increase other taxes -- so-called "sin taxes". Some want to reduce the income tax but favor a national sales tax.

Replacing one tax with another is not the answer.

I am the only candidate who says we should do away with the income tax and replace it with nothing. Of course that means I also support eliminating the federal programs that consume this tax money -- which would be a good thing anyway since most of them are either very inefficient at what they are supposed to do, or actually do more harm than good.

PRIORITY ISSUE: Ending the War on Drugs

The other three candidates in this race all support the insane War on Drugs, calling for increased penalties for dealers and more tax money spent on border controls. I am the only candidate who says that this War is a failure, and it's time to stop throwing tax money at it, time to end the violations of our Bill of Rights that are threatening the freedom of every citizen, drug-users and non-users alike.

PRIORITY ISSUE: Keeping the Internet Free

To fulfill its promise both for our economy and our culture, the Internet must be kept free of the government meddling that has afflicted so many other industries and forms of communication. I oppose any attempts to impose new taxes on Internet commerce or the Internet itself. I support the right of individuals to protect their e-mail and personal data through encryption. And I oppose all attempts to censor freedom of expression on the Internet.

OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

Education

We have constructed a massive school bureaucracy in this country that has proven ineffective at teaching our children, resistant to change, and voracious in its appetite for taxpayers' money. This monopoly must be broken, and the entire education industry transformed from the current socialist model to one based on free market principles. I will support interim measures to increase parental choice through the existing tax system, as long as they do not require additional taxes or additional regulation of alternative schools.

Firearms

Individuals have a basic right to defend themselves against the use of force by others, and to deny them the tools with which to do this is to deny them that right. I support repeal of so-called "gun control" laws. It is crimes of violence that the law should deal with, not the possession of inanimate objects.

Social Security

I support the total replacement of the current Social Security system with privately-operated retirement and insurance plans. Proposals to prolong the life of the existing system only delay the inevitable crisis.

Abortion

On this question of personal choice, the other three candidates in this race all support either restrictions on abortion, or restrictions on abortion and tax funding of abortions. I am the only candidate who says this should be treated as a totally private matter, with government staying out of the question completely.

Censorship

I am opposed to government censorship in any medium. Attempts by Congress to find loopholes in the First Amendment through which they can take control of the Internet, the music industry, or political advertising must be stopped.

Foreign Policy

I do not think it is fair -- either to the people of other countries or to the American taxpayers -- for the U.S. government to assign itself the job of policeman of the world. The best way for America to lead the world is by itself providing an example of liberty, peace, and prosperity.

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Joseph W. Dehn III
P.O. Box 2372, Stanford, CA 94309
<cd14@dehnbase.org>