PLATFORM

Good evening.

My name is Steven Burgauer.

I'm from Peoria, Illinois, and I'm running for the United States Senate.

I was a stockbroker for 20 years, ran a mutual fund for 7, and now I write science fiction and teach college economics. One of my favorite places to teach has been Eureka College, the alma mater of Ronald Reagan.

I believe in giving back to my community, and over the years I've been a Scoutmaster, a Cubmaster, the President of the Friends organization that supports my public library, a volunteer teacher at a maximum security prison, a board member of my local Girl Scout Council, and a fundraiser for many charities.

I have two kids, one wife, a dog, and a mortgage.

Actually, the dog recently died, and the kids have grown up. One's in the Air Force, serving his country, and the other's in college, spending my money.

Like you, my single biggest expense is the taxes I pay.

Income taxes.

Social Security taxes.

Sales taxes.

Real estate taxes.

Once in a while, if I'm lucky, capital-gains taxes.

Then there are sanitary-district taxes. Road upkeep taxes. Special use taxes.

When I have enough time to take a vacation and fly, there are landing taxes to be paid, municipal surcharges on tourists, and passport fees.

Otherwise, if I drive, I pay taxes at the pump, for the soda I buy, and for the candy bar I'm not supposed to eat.

Every time I flush the toilet, make a long distance telephone call, or go out to lunch, there are more taxes to pay.

Like you, I'm fed up with taxes. Three working-days out of seven are spent paying my various tax bills.

Even the serfs of the Middle Ages had it better. They only had to surrender one-third of their income to their lords. The modern-day serf has to part with even more.

Enough with the taxes already.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself — —

I am a Libertarian.

I am not a Republican or a Democrat.

They believe the State should be able to decide for you. I believe you should be able to decide for yourself.

They believe big government is good. I believe big government is bad.

They believe in bread and circuses. I believe there is no such thing as a free lunch.

They believe in high taxes. I believe in low taxes.

They believe in graduated tax rates that penalize achievement. I believe in a flat tax that is fair to all.

They believe in handouts to big corporations and privileged classes. I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.

They believe in regulating everything from body art to caps on a bottle of aspirin. I believe in self-reliance — people can decide for themselves.

They want to stop women from having an abortion. I say it's not up to the State; it's up to the mother and father to decide, together. Parents should have the right to choose within their own conscience.

They believe in banning guns. I believe in the Constitution.

They want to expand the definition of marriage. I say it's not up to the Federal government — it's a states' rights issue.

They want to assault the Second and Fourth amendments. I want to repel that assault.

They believe in outlawing cigarettes and alcohol and TV shows with violent content. Can pizza and motorcycles and bungee jumping be far behind? Will a time come when they'll no longer permit us to make any private decisions whatsoever?

They believe in censorship. I believe in literacy.

They want to search your handbag. I say, get a warrant.

They believe in state-run schools and state-mandated curricula. I believe in parental control.

They believe we should police the world. I believe we should mind our own business.

They are Democrats and Republicans.

I am a Libertarian.

The United States of America is a strong and proud nation. It is built on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was founded by forward-thinking people who believed in the ideas of individual freedom and personal achievement. Our success 200 years later is a tribute to the efforts the Founders of this country made, and to the traditions and liberties they invested in each and every one of us. It is with these thoughts in mind that I, as a candidate for the United States Senate, submit my vision for a greater and freer America, an America where no idea is punished, no risk is stalled, no work reduced, and no freedom infringed. If elected, I will:

(1) push for a smaller, less intrusive national government. The reduction in size, scope and level of responsibility of the U.S. Federal government is critical to the basic concepts of individual freedom and states rights. Necessary to this end are the employment of fewer bureaucrats, less Federal spending, fewer enforceable statutes, a smaller scope of responsibility, and a greater scrutiny by the public. Individual states should be granted more authority to decide what is right for their own citizens without fear of interference from the Federal government.

(2) work to institute a sharply lower and flatter tax-rate schedule, with a maximum rate no higher than 20%. Hard working, lower-paid individuals should not be forced into poverty by our tax system. Thus incomes below $25,000 should not be subject to income taxes of any kind. Not only should the tax code be simplified and rates lowered, but stealth taxes, like the alternative minimum tax, should be eliminated altogether.

(3) insist on the elimination of both income and social security taxes on young people up to age 25 who are trying to finish college and establish themselves in their first jobs. At a bare minimum, those under 18 who cannot vote should not be required to pay taxes of any kind. There will be no taxation without representation.

(4) develop a safe-harbor Model Voucher Act that is consistent with the United States Constitution and which individual States can adopt to allow parents more freedom of choice in education. In a free society, a citizen should be allowed to choose where they want to live, in what business they want to work, and with whom they want to associate. Why should the education of our children be any different? Compelling a child to attend a specific public school with a state-mandated curriculum is contrary to the public good, and introducing elements of competition into education will not only provide benefits to the children of this country, it will ultimately benefit good teachers as well. The Federal government's current approach to education favors mediocrity. I propose that the U.S. Department of Education be shuttered and that the tax savings be returned to parents in the form of a larger personal exemption for school-aged children.

(5) vote to build a national missile defense system and upgrade our intelligence-gathering capabilities. The pacifists in our party are wrong. It is a very dangerous world out there and our way of life is constantly under assault. There is no foreign policy utopia. It is essential that we be unrelenting in our commitment to protect U.S. assets at home and abroad, and American people wherever they happen to be. That does not mean we become isolationist; it means that our foreign policy should be designed to avoid interfering with other peaceful governments. Let me emphasis that — peaceful governments. We will advance liberty when we can, and defeat tyranny when we have to. We will work with whatever governments are in power. We will maintain commercial relationships with every country who desires to trade. We will promote the ideals of a republican-style government in a non-threatening manner and work to undermine coercive ideologies at every turn. And, to back all this up, we will maintain a strong military. We must understand that reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering are as important to our defense as tanks and missiles. Our American servicemen are important assets too, and they should not be exposed to unnecessary dangers on extended deployments abroad on non-strategic assignments.

(6) eliminate the myth of a social security "lockbox." It is time we make Social Security benefits a line-item in the Federal budget, just like any other expenditure. All existing assets of the current Social Security system should be transferred to the US Treasury, along with all existing liabilities. The social security tax should be eliminated, in stages, over the next 20 years. It will take a generation to fix the mess we're presently in.

(7) eliminate the capital-gains tax and end the double taxation of dividends paid to individuals by corporations. The punishing of risk and entrepreneurship, through the capital-gains tax, stifles growth in this country by taxing the intelligent investment decisions our citizens make. Why should we place a tax on success? The only possible result is to subsidize failure.

(8) eliminate the death tax. The right of an individual to maintain property is a cornerstone of freedom in this country, and the death of an individual should not immediately negate that right. The inheritance tax cripples both families and businesses and will be removed in whole.

(9) pass a Financial Privacy Act to eliminate warrant-less searches and to improve personal privacy protections. Corporations and municipalities should have the right to issue bearer bonds, just as individuals should have the right to hide their legitimate assets from prying government eyes. The government's right to information should never, without due process, exceed the right of individuals to privacy. Let's face it — there was a time when we feared that Big Brother might be watching us. Forget it, it's already happening. My fear is much worse — that Big Brother is watching out for us, as if they were doing us a favor and we should be thankful for the effort. 1984 is much closer than we think.

(10) Finally, I won't comment on the advisability of term-limits. But I will promise you this. If I can't get the job done in twelve years, I won't be back for a thirteenth. It's about time we cleaned house in Congress and threw out the dead wood. Twelve years is enough, whether you're a Senator or whether you're a Congressman. We need to break up old alliances, forge new ones, and breath new life into our government.

These ten points, if voted into law, would once again make America a country where Thomas Jefferson would feel at home. Let us agree that there are limits to big government. Let us agree that the State does not know better. Let us agree that the Libertarian Party is the party of choice. Let us reward achievement by cutting taxes. Let us applaud choice by changing the way education is funded. Let us salute our greatness by redefining the role of our military. Let us take the first of what will be many small steps. I think it was Hayek who said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Let us not travel down that road. Let us take a different road, a higher road. The grass really is greener on the other side.

Thank you and good night.