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Political affiliation: Libertarian

City: No response

Marital status: No response

Occupation/Firm name: No response

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Campaign website: www.Labno4Senate.com

What is your campaign budget- No response

What are your top priorities for the nation-

My top goal is to help restore the free-market principles that our founders intended as a way to promote peace and prosperity in this nation. For way too long the federal government has surpassed their constitutional limitations and has assumed a role of authority over all matters. It is time to restore sovereignty to the States and citizens of this country. "We The People" demand to be heard!

Furthermore, we must abolish the poor procedures of Congress that allow deal-making behind closed doors in their efforts to pass unfavorable legislation; meaning one subject at a time. In addition I support the use of a non-partisan "Constitution Board" to determine the legitimacy of all legislative proposals prior to any congressional voting. This process would also include time for the public to review all potential law thereby increasing transparency.

What are your top priorities for the state-

The top priorities for Illinois include the needs of our nation as a whole. But also, Illinois is in a special class of states that gets extreme abuse from the federal government. For 20+ years Illinois has ranked no better than 45th in regards to federal money returned to the individual states. On average, for every federal tax dollar sent to Washington we receive less that 74-cents back in funding. This figure is grotesquely unfair and Illinois needs a representative that will fight on behalf of our state.

The recession continues. What are its causes and how do we end it- Do you favor more federal "stimulus" spending to create more jobs-

Federal "stimulus" is already responsible for our current recession. Though largely unpublicized, it is the monetary policies (previous stimulus by way of housing credit and others) of central banking via the Federal Reserve, with Congressional approval, that have created distorted bubbles in various sectors of our economy. As with all artificial inflation, these bubbles are always destined to burst. More federal "stimulus" will just send a signal to the other nations of the world that our private sector is not strong enough to survive on its own and soon these nations will tend towards working without us as they see us struggle.

The current federal "stimulus" plans are nothing more than the redistribution of taxpayers' money to markets and companies the federal government see as good investments. This practice of course leads to corruption, and we already are familiar with the dismal oversight of these funds once they are dispersed.

Lower tax rates and government non-intervention in free-markets will allow our economy to recover.

Is global warming real- Is it man-made- What, if anything, should be done about it- And do you favor a national cap-and-trade program to put a price on carbon emissions-

Climate change is certainly occurring - but the computer-model predictions of dire destruction, doom, and disaster are certainly not occurring - and anyone who denies it is either blind or not putting all his cards on the table!

Cycles of climate change are inherent on this planet, and the factors that move them are varied and complex. While human activity has surely contributed to CO2 in the atmosphere, it is just one element among many and no one has successfully been able to say how big a factor it is. Long before cars and factories, Greenland really was green; before there was a Chicago a forest grew half a mile east of Navy Pier.

I am completely opposed to a national cap-and-trade program since it is written without merit and only offers the creation of new industries led by lobbyists in their efforts to use government force as a way of achieving their financial successes.

As senator, would you favor changes in the health care reforms pushed through Congress by President Obama- What exactly-

It is unfortunate that in a free nation we are unable to purchase healthcare insurance or receive patient-centered healthcare service in the most efficient manners possible. The newly passed healthcare legislation will be ineffective in achieving the goal of coverage for all Americans. Furthermore it will stifle the healthcare industry and reduce the level of service that patients receive and increase prices. Healthcare and insurance is important to everyone, so it is best for Congress to create an environment that will encourage more participation and innovation from healthcare professionals.

Firstly, by removing some restrictions, nurses can play a much greater role in the care of patients. Experienced nurses are a much-valued asset to any doctor, and often their level of knowledge is more than sufficient to treat patients with certain types of ailments.

Secondly it is in our advantage to allow for more teaching facilities across this nation. Currently government has too many restrictions that do not allow for enough people to become doctors in this country, which leads to a supply and demand problem.

With regard to health insurance, it is unfair that people are not allowed to purchase a policy out of state, nor are they allowed to customize their own plans to suit their individual needs. A one-size-fits-all mandated policy is not good for everyone, and most of the time the purchased coverage is probably too much, or worse, not enough. Let's attract buyers, not discourage them.

Private Citizens should be afforded the same tax incentives given to employers for purchasing insurance plans. Furthermore, private policies allow individuals to feel freer in regards to their employment and can more easily change jobs or careers and keep control of their insurance needs. This will also have the benefit of forcing companies to look for new incentives to keep their best employees and prevent high turnover rates.

We must revamp the FDA, and hopefully move to privatization of this industry, and allow the pharmaceutical companies an easier path to the creation of new medicines, especially in cases where the death of a patient appears imminent. Why not let a suffering cancer patient try a new drug, at their discretion, in the hopes of extending their life, especially when some drugs available are proved to work in other countries but are just not yet approved for use here-

At a local level, it is wise for politicians to stop playing games and allow for the construction of more hospitals. Even when private funding for a new facility is available, politics, all too often, plays a role in preventing the erection of new hospitals.

What should the American military and political strategy be in Afghanistan- How would you define "success" for the United States in the war, and at what point could we withdraw our troops-

We need an immediate pullout of combat troops not related to the search and acquisition of criminals responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Our presence in Afghanistan is largely unwelcome and it is unnecessarily costly in lives and dollars to this country; and it is being conducted on unconstitutional grounds. Nine years ago international police forces and the intelligence agencies of dozens of friends and allies were at our disposal; bin Laden shouldn't have lasted a month. It took real talent to waste such a unity of purpose and turn it, instead, into resentful squabbling; but lo and behold, Congress did it! Now it is time we complete our original mission and bring our American heroes back to the safety of our own soil.

Our political strategy with Afghanistan should be the same as with other nations: promote peace and commerce, especially with Afghanistan's newfound sources of important natural resources.

What should be the American military and political strategy in Iraq-

Military victory in Iraq would be the immediate withdrawal of troops from this region and never having to deal with what the CIA calls "blowback". And again, the promotion of peace and commerce is our best political strategy for future relations.

What should be done to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons-

We are on the verge of instigating a full-blown conflict in the Middle East. Iran has strong ties with Russia and China, both great military powers, and China having the additional advantage of heavy economic entanglement with our country. Our presence in Afghanistan and Iraq is a threat to Iran, and if we are not very careful with our actions, our delicate relationships with Russia and China could take a turn for the worse and lead to unimaginable warfare. Regardless of any actions, Iran will acquire nuclear weapons if they so desire. It is best that we encourage peaceful relations based upon commerce in order to avoid the use of these weapons.

Will the United States ever have a comprehensive policy on immigration- What should it be- And what is your view of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and the recent federal appellate court ruling striking down its key provisions-

We've always been the land of opportunity for those who want to work and the land of freedom for those who are oppressed, and nobody wants that to change. But in order for the U.S. to be successful at controlling the illegal immigration problem, it is imperative that we attack the source of the problem--social services that encourage immigrants to join our ranks looking for government handouts. We've always been willing to help out when people find themselves in a tight spot by giving to charities and churches; but the ease with which immigrants can slip across our borders is an international joke and our economic system cannot handle the overload.

When, within the limits of our Constitution, we find individuals that are not legally here, it is appropriate to treat them within the requirements of our established laws. However this is a slow and cumbersome process that will not effectively solve our problems. But by creating an atmosphere of economic resolve where all Americans can be gainfully employed, we can transition away from our systems of social services. This will result in an automatic control of immigration, legal and illegal. We will only attract those that are willing to come to our country with the intent of being self reliant.

Please comment on the president's education agenda, specifically on the Race to the Top competition that emphasizes core national standards and tests and the use of student test data to evaluate and reward teachers.

After 13 years in expensive, government schools, American students score 25th on international tests. Government-run schools fail our children because they are a monopoly. Only competition fosters innovation, improves quality, and reduces costs.

I do not support any federal involvement with the education systems. At most, this is an issue for the fifty states to handle on an individual basis. In reality, education is a very personal experience and should be based upon the individual abilities and talents of students. Surely topics such as basic math, reading and writing are the foundations for any line of study, but it should be up to parents to decide what the best curriculum is for their children. And it is best for students with similar abilities to be taught together so that educators are not stuck balancing the fine line of moving too fast or too slow. Only can a private education system achieve these goals.

At the federal level, we can stop the government from meddling in education and save billions of tax dollars by eliminating the Department of Education. We can also promote school choice options that would free parents to select the schools their children attend. When schools have to compete for students, quality will increase, costs will decrease, and our children will succeed.

What is your position on gay marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act-

From a federal point of view (and even the states in my opinion), there is no justification to even discuss this matter. Marriage is an institution based upon religious ceremonies and private "contractual" relationships best left to families and communities...not government; it has nothing to do with law. Also, I am not in favor of civil unions for hetero or homosexuals. Any union, marriage or otherwise, is a personal matter for the individuals involved. The terms of a relationship should be based upon the special needs of each situation...which means contracts, not a government-mandated one-size-fits-all agenda. Marriage and/or civil unions are really, in terms of "law", nothing more than a merging of property...not dissimilar from a business contract. The only time government is allowed to intervene is to settle disputes when terms of a contract are broken.

What is really ironic is that governments will consider what is proper in terms of marriage and its importance to society as a whole, yet their laws make the dissolution of traditional marriages so easy.

Finally, some people fear that the allowance of "Gay" marriage will infiltrate their churches. No it will not￯﾿ﾽchurches are private organizations that also have the right to make their own rules for participation￯﾿ﾽand government has no business there either.

What should be our nation's policy toward the manufacture, sale and use of marijuana-

The national policy toward marijuana should be one of realism rather than highly biased moral outrage. The war on drugs has not worked to halt or even much slow-down the supply of marijuana to those who want it. What it has done is fill the prisons, impoverish neighborhoods that are desperate for jobs and the businesses that create them, and promote secondary crimes like burglary and gang violence. Additionally, marijuana is proven to be an effective medicine for dealing with many ailments and it is not in our best interest to deny patients the benefits of any drug that could assist them, especially considering the relatively cheap cost. Marijuana should be re-legalized; perhaps regulated like socially more-favored alcohol or tobacco is, and probably taxed because no government body seems able to resist the temptation to tax what it can.

The United States continues to hold "enemy combatants," uncharged, at the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Is indefinite detention without charges acceptable- If so, for how long- And are military commissions an acceptable alternative to civilian courts-

There are conventions in place for the treatment of prisoners of war, ￯﾿ﾽenemy combatants' by definition, and we must abide by them. No ￯﾿ﾽcharges' are appropriate, as fighting against the US is only a crime if one is a US citizen. If some are also suspected of doing things that are considered criminal under those same conventions, or under US law if they were done on US soil, open military tribunals would be as appropriate today as they were in past wars. Of course, one might argue that what we are facing is not really a war but an international conspiracy of terror; but in that case the prudent thing would certainly be to bring our troops home to defend the country against it. What terrorists there are in Guantanamo, or elsewhere, would be liable to judgment under law, and punished as it prescribes in accordance with the presiding jurisdiction.

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Have you held elective or appointive political office or been employed by any branch of government-

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