Here were questionnaire submitted to Libertarian Party Presidential Candidates in March of 2007.

George Phillies
http://www.phillies2008.com

1. Why do you want to be President?
I want our party's presidential nomination so I can use it the way it should be used, namely to strengthen our party, to support our other candidates, and to bring our issues to the American people. My campaign so far has emphasized the most important part of party-building, namely developing volunteers who will stay with our party after the election is over.

2. What are your key issues in your campaign that Libertarians and Americans will care about?
I'm running on issues that Americans actually care about. I'm presenting our sound Libertarian solutions to real problems. Which issues?

Ending the War On Iraq.
Skyrocketing Federal debt and trade deficit.
Making stagnant wages grow again.
Educating our children.
Energy and the environment.

3. Are there any key issues that you may differ with libertarians on or
differ with the national party platform?
If there is an issue related to our platform on which all Libertarians agree, I don't know what it is. Let me say that differently to Libertarian Party readers: No matter the issue, no matter your stand on that issue, there are fellow Libertarians who hold a contrary opinion. We will be a stronger party when we do not insist on perfect unanimity.

My stands appear at http://www.phillies2008.com. My message: Let's emphasize issues where America agrees with us. For example, an overwhelming majority of Americans support ending the War On Iraq. Congressional Democrats won't end it: They stand far to the right of their own constituents. We are the only party that will bring our troops safely home where they can defend America. General principle: Work on positive change. Let's make changes that visibly move America in a positive way, so that Americans discover they like Libertarian changes and want more.

4. If you should win the nomination and then qualify for federal campaign funding, would you take it?
I
t is impossible for a Libertarian to qualify for Federal funding for the 2008 election. That was determined by the 2004 election.

5. If president, what would be your plan with the U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan?
I will order our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to come home promptly. That will be my first act as President. Locating Mr. Bin Laden is for spies, not tanks.

6. What is your position on abortion?
I stand 100% behind our party platform stand on gender issues. Government should have no role in the abortion issue. Personally, I am 100% pro-choice. Unlike other recent Presidential candidates, I will not have to waffle to avoid conflicting with the platform. Furthermore, I will ask Congress to end restrictions on stem cell research, and to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and other laws that discriminate against our fellow Americans.

7. What is your position on immigration?
I support the Party platform on immigration. We are all immigrants. Immigration enormously enriches America, our arts and sciences, our industries and our lives. Someday, the Libertarian message will triumph around the world. When that day comes, borders will become lines on the map. We aren't to that day yet. Our current borders are neither open nor closed nor secure. You cannot have open borders and an extensive welfare system at the same time. If you do, you will go broke.

8. Why do think outsourcing of jobs has been occurring and what would you do to help jobs stay in this country?
We have outsourcing because, for starters, we have government intervention in the value of a dollar. Our government has regularly intervened for a 'strong' dollar, so that foreign goods are cheap. That's OK if you have a job and can buy imports. It's bad if the 'strong' dollar exported your job overseas, so you can't afford anything. A major part of that intervention is the budget deficit, which creates vast numbers of Federal bonds that foreigners can buy. Without those bonds, the strong dollar would be impossible. I have offered a sound plan to end the Federal debt.

9. What is your position on the minimum wage and labor laws in general?
We should be speaking to the American people about the issues that deeply concern them: Iraq. Civil Liberties. Education, energy, and the environment. And Stagnant wages for people far above the minimum wage. Those are key American issues, for which there are sound Libertarian solutions.

10. How will your campaign differ from previous Libertarian presidential
campaigns?
My campaign will spend on outreach, not on a huge well-paid staff and fancy real estate. My Chief of Staff, Charles Wilhoit, is an unpaid full time volunteer. Phillies 2008 currently pays key technical staff: A treasurer. A webmaster.

My campaign will be led by people who think the internet is important. Phillies 2008 is vigorously exploiting email, web pages, MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube—we are even looking at Second Life.

My campaign will be led by people who think volunteers are important. Phillies 2008 is building volunteer groups now, not waiting for Fall 2008.

My campaign will focus on advertising. We're already running blogads—cheap, targeted, read. We already have campaign literature. We're already doing direct mail.

Most important, I view the quality of my campaign organization as my personal responsibility.

If you were active in the last few campaigns, you know the truth: The
above are all huge changes.

CHRISTINE SMITH - LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: http://www.LibertarianForPresident.com

1. Why do you want to be President?

I feel led to help save America.  The only hope of restoring the Republic is through a third party of principle...that is the Libertarian Party.  To return our federal government to only its constitutionally authorized functions is my mission, thereby promoting the individual liberty and personal responsibility of all Americans.  Our future, be it one of peace and prosperity... or one of collapse...will be deeply influenced if not determined by whether we as a nation choose a true leader or whether the status quo of perpetual wars, heavy taxation, and ever increasing encroachment of our civil liberties continues.  I choose peace.  I choose freedom.  I choose liberty.  I seek to serve my country and its people by being a president who will truly uphold the U.S. Constitution.  

2. What are your key issues in your campaign that Libertarians and Americans will care about?

I will put an end to big government as usual.  I will shrink the size, cost, and power of the federal government...eliminating its bureaucratic and corrupt waste of the taxpayers' money...I will let the American people keep that money to spend as they choose--for their lives, their education, their businesses, their investments, and the charitable work they wish to support.  I will get the federal government out of the lives of the American people as much as possible...out of their pocketbooks and their personal lives.  Every issue on my platform, whether regarding foreign or domestic policy, will be accomplished by the downsizing the federal government....thereby giving the American people the authority again to live their lives as they choose free from burdensome federal government taxation, regulations and unjust laws.

3. Are there any key issues that you may differ with libertarians on or differ with the national party platform?

Not that I am aware of.  I am a strong Libertarian; it is our principles which separate us from the other political parties, and it our principles which I believe will resonate with the American people if brought to them by an articulate spokesperson.

4. If you should win the nomination and then qualify for federal campaign funding, would you take it?  

No.

5. If president, what would be your plan with the U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan?  

My first act as President would be to immediately withdraw every single U.S. troop from Iraq and Afghanistan.  As fast as they could be transported out of there, they would be withdrawn.  I will end U.S. government meddling in the affairs and conflicts of foreign nations.

6. What is your position on abortion?  

The federal government should neither encourage, discourage, or fund abortion.  It is not the business of the federal government.

7. What is your position on immigration?

Visit my website page devoted to the issue of immigration since my proposal involves a number of changes.  In short, I would end all federal subsidies/welfare of non-citizens, end the current system of any child being born on our soil automatically being classified as a citizen, and allow peaceful entry to and fro across our borders.  Again, due to the complexity of this issue and my solutions, I encourage you to my website issue page about immigration as it addresses several other aspects of this issue.

8. Why do think outsourcing of jobs has been occurring and what would you do to help jobs stay in this country?
& 9. What is your position on the minimum wage and labor laws in general?

American companies export/outsource jobs for a variety of reasons including: the federal government subsidizing of corporations, tax laws, and the enormity of federal regulatory legislation.  Overseas locations do not burden them with federal quota "anti-discrimination" mandates or discrimination lawsuits (themselves discriminatory, unjust toward free market enterprise, and encouraging of reverse discrimination); payroll taxes, and other mandates which cost businesses money to comply.  Thus American businesses/manufacturing are operating at a considerable competitive disadvantage.

I will limit tax and regulatory policies which are not conducive to keeping jobs in America, end all subsidies of corporations (both foreign and domestic),  and end the payroll taxes businesses must pay.

The Federal Reserve should be abolished.  I oppose the WTO and NAFTA.  I will help create a true free market...true free trade...and end corrupt alliances between the federal government and corporations/businesses--be they domestic or foreign.  

I will work to give the power back to the American people who are now subject to an artificially controlled economy, massive national debt, a currency which is not supported, and ever increasing taxation and regulation.

I want the American people...the American business owner...the American consumer...the American worker...to work, buy, sell, and trade with whomever they choose free from government regulation.  The biggest threat to American business and manufacturing jobs comes from the U.S. government.  Getting the U.S. government out of the way will work wonders for our economy.

Likewise, I oppose federal minimum wage laws because such regulation does not achieve the purported desired result.  On the contrary, it results in poorer families becoming poorer and more out of work.  The few who "benefit" are outweighed by those who suffer.  I prefer to see the federal mandates/regulations placed upon businesses eliminated, thereby freeing more money for employers to use to attract the workers they need.  

Again, in such areas, a true free market economy would be much preferred to what we have now.  If we free the American people from the enormous burden of so much taxation and let them keep the money they earn, they will benefit far greater than any minimum wage mandate could ever hope to produce.

10. How will your campaign differ from previous Libertarian presidential campaigns?  

It will differ in that I am bring a new face to the Libertarian Party.  One which will appeal to the American people--women, young people, as well as men.  We need an articulate, knowledgeable, intelligent, passionate and charismatic spokesperson as our presidential candidate.  One who will reach the American people with our bold solutions, and one who will be more able to generate media attention as my campaign is already accomplishing.  I am the best candidate to grow the LP.   I will educate, enlighten and thereby recruit.  I will bring our message of individual liberty and personal responsibility to millions of Americans (as I have already done on  radio show appearances nationwide.)  Most Americans have heard very little of our message, I will bring it to them nationwide, I will let them know we believe they should have the freedom to run their own life.  Even at this early stage of the campaign, we estimate I have reached over 2-million Americans through the AM-Radio talk shows I have been on.  (Read about these on the Press Release page at my website.)

I invite MN Libertarians to my campaign website: http://www.LibertarianForPresident.com
 
For those who have not yet met, spoken with, or heard me:  I invite you to listen to archived radio interviews with me including a one-hour March 18, 2007 show on Liberty Talk:   http://blogtalkradio.com/LibertyTalkRadio and a thirty minute show on Angela Keaton's Liberated Space March 1, 2007:  http://blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=12084 and a 10-minute WNYU show archived on the Thursday Feb. 22, 2007: http://www.wnyu.org/archives

Visit Press Release page (and/or sign up for campaign news to learn of other interviews, trips, and news).

And, I invite MN Libertarians to contact me.

Christine Smith
http://www.LibertarianForPresident.com
 
PAID FOR BY CHRISTINE SMITH FOR PRESIDENT
15400 W. 64th Ave., E9-105
Arvada, Colorado 80007
(303) 532-4185