Background[]
- Libertarian candidate for US Congress in Colorado
Insights[]
Notes from a 2006 candidate debate
The following is Bert’s speeches, minus the wit, charm, ad lib’s, and comedian he displayed and pulled off so well, which I can’t figure out how to type.
Opening statement: 4 minutes[]
“Thank you, Club 20, for including ALL candidates in these debates, and thanks to all of you for attending. I would like to start by asking all of you here who believe you are covered by the US Constitution to raise your hands (wait about 3 seconds). OK, thank you. Those of you who raised your hands and do not work directly for the government……. are misled. The US constitution applies only to employees of the federal government, and in fact its purpose is to limit the powers of those employees. Those of you who work for the government and didn’t raise your hands….shame on you. You know better.
Federal employees have sworn an oath to uphold the constitution, yet have forsaken the constitutional limits on their powers, and its intended protection of the individual rights of our citizens. We are not and never were a “democracy”. Yet our congressmen approve of spreading “democracy” around the world. That is why I am running for congress. My opponents each believe they best know how to run your lives. I believe YOU know how best to run your life.
I know you have all heard many campaign promises today. Mine are simple. If elected, I promise to take the oath to uphold the constitution seriously. I will work hard to return our country to its constitutional roots. I will challenge all illegal executive orders. I will not participate in illegal and immoral deficit spending. I will vote against all illegal and immoral wars. I will remind my fellow congressmen every day that all individuals have rights….not just the majority. I will work hard to repeal our unconstitutional and repressive income tax. I will vote against every bill that tears our country away from a representative republic and further into socialism. I will work to change our purchased privileges back into rights, as they once were and should be again. I will work for, not just talk about, reducing the size of our federal government and its unconscionable spending, to reduce the poverty of my fellow citizens caused by out of control bureaucracy.
Unlike my opponents, I am not going to promise you lots of goodies paid for by your neighbors. Unlike the incumbent, I will not spend 80 million of your dollars to study tamarisk trees.
What I will do is steadfastly stick to the supreme law of the land….the constitution. Which does not allow the intervention into your pocketbook and private lives that my opponents endorse. Currently, 80% of the federal welfare budget is spent on bureaucracy. And billions more are spent on corporate welfare. This is inexcusable. I will not participate in taking your hard earned dollars and then doling it back out to you like an allowance. I will not participate in taking your hard earned dollars and doling it out to corporations. I will not use your constitutionally protected rights as bargaining chips for pet projects. My main focus is to see our government returned to its constitutional limits. And if you are tired of hearing false promises about this, then vote for change, vote Libertarian. If you are tired of hearing politicians spin tales about what they intend to spend your money on, then vote for change, vote Libertarian. If you want smaller accountable government, and you vote for a candidate who will bring you bigger government, then you have truly wasted your vote.
A question for both of you: how will the trillions of dollars of debt by congress be paid?[]
Mr. Salazar, the U.S. gave weapons and missiles to Osama bin Laden, who is now our sworn enemy. The U.S. provided weapons and missiles to Saddam Hussein, who is also now our supposed enemy. Recently, you voted to exempt India from the Atomic Energy Act and to sell them nuclear materials. Is there any reason taxpayers should not expect that India will soon become our new sworn enemy?
Mr. Salazar, the “real ID act” has the federal government using the withholding of federal funds to blackmail states and citizens out of rights concerning drivers licenses----something that is not constitutional to begin with------ It allows Homeland security to “waive laws as necessary”, and mandates impossible identification verifications that will cost taxpayers over $100 per license, plus immeasurable time. Did you vote for or against this unconstitutional bill that is now law? (unfortunately, we didn’t have time to even finish asking this question, but got most of it out)
Mr. Salazar, you have said we need to reduce the size of government. Yet every year you have been in office, you have consistently voted against House Resolutions that would reduce federal spending over 5 year periods, even though these amounts are paltry compared to the total spending. How do you expect taxpayers to believe your campaign promises about reduced and accountable government? (nor did we have time for this one)
Closing Statements[]
I urge you all to take a few minutes every week to research how your elected employee’s vote on House bills and resolutions, and how they spend your money. You might be surprised.
I also urge you to study the U.S. Constitution, so you can understand how your elected officials should work for you…..not the other way around. And compare the constitutional limits on the powers of government to the voting records of these elected employees. To swear an oath to uphold the Constitution, and then to vote in Congress like this, amounts to perjury.
Our foreign policies are a mess. Our so-called Free Trade agreements are anything but Free Trade. Our borders are neither open or closed, nor secure.
The laws already in place are not enforced. Instead of protecting our individual rights, our elected employees are shredding those rights; making us prisoners in our own country, while they sell and give weapons to our future enemies, and sell their own souls to lobbyists. And money is no object…..when it’s somebody else’s. Every day, we hear the words “billions” and even “trillions” being thrown around, like it means nothing. When the government “pays” for things, like tamarisk studies, where do you think they get the money?
There is no constitutional allowance or amendment for the farce of the “war on drugs”, which my opponents endorse, and which shreds EVERYONE’S 4th amendment protected rights, while flushing billions, trillions, down the drain, with no hope of victory. The tragedy of drug addiction shouldn’t be twisted into a source of revenue for the government. Nor should federal agencies step on the rights of states in this matter.
Our young people are dying in non-stop wars, many of which are never even declared. Let alone legal. We need to bring our soldiers home RIGHT NOW. We have no business “spreading democracy” around the world, and it is decidedly UNCONSTITUTIONAL. What if some other country decided WE needed a “regime change”? Would you join me in becoming a so-called “insurgent”?
We need not exchange freedom for security. When will enough be enough? Isn’t it time to vote for the candidate who will protect both, and let you get on with your lives? Thank you.