By Ernest Hancock Special Interest “questionnaires” are overwhelmingly being used to tell the candidates what they are expected to think instead of providing any meaningful information to voters. For the past 8 election cycles I have joined other libertarians in using these questionnaires to make it clear what our positions are and why. But increasing libertarian involvement has noticeably altered the form and function of these questionnaires to eliminate any real value to the voter. The most illustrative example of my point is The Center for Arizona Policy. Their “Family, Faith & Freedom” message to the Christian Community takes the form of a pamphlet distributed to as many churches as will distribute them that lists the responses of candidates to their questions. I remember years ago being asked at church why I hadn’t answered a TCAP question about public library access to Internet porn. I simply said that libertarians don’t believe that there should be public libraries,… free-market solution, problem solved. I am a father and husband of a Christian home with 4 children that have already finished a total of 18 years in a private Christian school and have 6 more to go. I am a man of faith married for 20 years doing my best to live a peaceful life in freedom. And I wish to take a stand against the collective mindset that has invaded the Christian Community in an attempt to convince people of faith that government is needed by God to impose his will. This spiritual enslavement is nothing new, but the attack on individual rights has gotten so obvious that now is the time to highlight some of the methods and their effect on Americans being manipulated into supporting the use of government force to impose a morality on otherwise peaceful people that pose no threat to another’s way of life. Even atheists are tolerant of Jesus reaching out to those at the local brothel in an effort to peacefully encourage a voluntary change in their lives. But, that tolerance soon evaporates (along with any respect) when Caesar is lobbied in the name of religion to force compliance with various demands from the pulpit (or the White House). Support – Oppose or Undecided to questions that ask the degree to which you are willing to use government force to impose your will on others is a “Sophie’s Choice” I refuse to make. To ask how I would redistribute stolen money doesn’t tell the voter that I do not support having their money taken in the first place. How are voters educated, when there is no option to make it clear that a candidate does not support the government defining and/or sanctioning “holy matrimony”, or support social and economic engineering by government, based on life style choices, or wish to dictate how people use their money to entertain themselves. The message to the Christian Community, that the United States Constitution is about control and not freedom, is a very damaging thing that I will not participate in any longer. (see a detailed analysis to the questionnaire at http://ernesthancock.com) The freedom to live and worship as you wish is a fundamental right we often take for granted here in America, and that right is most threatened when religion is used to create support for the idea that the projection of government force is the will of God. The expected backlash is so obvious that some may argue later that it was a planned side effect to create division domestically. Once a country of liberty and tolerance, the USA has been manipulated into expressing their preferences as to how they wish to rule and be ruled without even considering the option of living by the Golden Rule. Ernest Hancock is the Libertarian candidate for United States Senate. Please circle the response that most accurately reflects your position on the following issues. Thank you. (S=Support; O=Oppose; U=Undecided) (To better inform the voter I have provided suggested statements (in the form of a question to a _federal candidate_) to agree with or not – I hope you see my point)
1. Education – Parental choice should be expanded through tax credits or vouchers to allow children to attend any public, private, religious or home school. (Should parents provide for their own children’s education?) S O U
2. Health – Federal funds should be used for medical research involving human embryonic stem cells. (Should federal funds be used for medical research?) S O U
3. Health – Physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients should be legalized. (Should assisted suicide be legalized?) S O U
4. Health – Cloning of human embryos for all purposes should be allowed, including the creation of and trafficking in cloned human embryos, both embryonic and experimental. (Should human embryos have government protection?) S O U
5. Health – Morning After Pills (emergency contraception) should be available to all women without a doctor’s prescription. (Should a woman be prevented by law from ending her pregnancy?) S O U
6. Health – “Domestic partners” (cohabiting homosexual or heterosexual couples) should have the same health care and employment benefits as married couples. (Should a private company determine an individual’s benefits based on any criteria they choose?) S O U
7. Marriage – Congress should pass, and Arizona should ratify, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating marriage is the union of one man and one woman. (Should government be the entity that defines Marriage?) S O U
8. Judiciary – Congress should consider the selective removal of the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts when they fail to observe the separation of powers. (Should Congress consider the selective removal or addition of anything?) Their question is far too vague. S O U
9. Judiciary – Federal judges should rely on the law of foreign jurisdictions when construing the laws of the United States. (Should federal judges be prevented from using the law of foreign jurisdictions when construing the laws of the United States?) S O U
10. Abortion – Abortion should be prohibited, except when life of the mother is in danger. (Should a representative of the government determine if a woman’s pregnancy is endangering her life?) S O U
11. Abortion – It should be a felony for anyone to take a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion in violation of a state’s parental involvement law. (Is a minor child the property of the state government?) S O U
12. Taxes – The burden of increased income taxes on married couples (“marriage penalty”), which occurs when a couple marries, should be permanently eliminated. (Do you support the elimination of any form of Income Tax?) or at least (Should individuals be socially or economically engineered by the government to live in a government preferred manner?) S O U
13. Gay Rights – Discrimination law should protect an employee’s sexual orientation in the same way as race, religion, age, sex and ancestry are protected.
(Do you support the right to freely associate or not associate with anyone for any reason?) S O U
14. Gambling – Federal law should be changed to prohibit tribal casino gambling.
(Two Issues here – Should Native American nations be treated as independent and sovereign nations? – Should the use of another’s money be regulated by the government?) S O U
15. Pornography – Existing laws prohibiting the sale and distribution of obscene materials should be aggressively enforced.
(Should the government be allowed to determine what is obscene?) S O U
I think my answers would surprise some but they would be far more informative. I may post the answers on my web page after you all had some time to think about this issue and the alternative questions, and if anyone asks me to. Candidate Signature: Ernest Hancock Date: July 11th 2004 Please fax to 480-922-9785 then mail original to: Cathi Herrod, The Center for Arizona Policy, 11000 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 120, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 SURVEY FINAL DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004 (I decided not to submit the form after 3 conversations with The Center for Arizona Policy. They were very patient with me and understood my concerns – I have called and expressed my concerns for at least 4 election cycles with them and they have been very kind about it. But with the efforts from the White House to get control of church databases (do a web search) I was motivated to share my thoughts with a wide audience.) |
