Candidate Q & A - U.S. Senate; Tamara Millay

1. What steps do you propose to spur the national economy and create jobs in Missouri?

I propose immediate, deep cuts in taxes and spending, beginning with the repeal of the federal income tax and an end to all federal spending that cannot be justified under the powers delegated to the federal government in the Constitution.2. What measures would you endorse to avoid future corporate scandals?

I favor imposing the same penalties on white-collar theft, fraud and other crimes as on their blue-collar equivalents. A corporate CEO who defrauds or steals from his stockholders is not morally superior to the "Joe Sixpack" who goes on a multi-state robbery spree, yet the former goes to a relatively comfortable minimum security prison -- if he goes to prison at all -- while the latter does hard time. When corporate America starts facing the same penalties for crimes as ordinary Americans, corporate America will clean up its act.3. What is your position on possible war with Iraq?

I am inalterably opposed to an attack on Iraq by the United States. Iraq has not attacked the United States, nor has it ever done so, nor does it seem likely to ever do so. War is the last option, to be undertaken only in defense of the United States, not for the purpose of propping up a failed president's popularity or rewarding defense contractors with taxpayer money for their campaign contributions.4. Describe your preferred plan for providing a prescription drug benefit to the elderly under Medicare?

My health-care plan is very simple: Get the government out of it. Medicare and Medicaid, along with other government interventions in health care, have invariably caused prices to skyrocket and the quality and availability of care to plummet. The same will be true of any proposal to extend these interventions to the prescription drug market. If politicians really want to help the elderly -- and all Americans -- with health care, the proper solution is for them to get their hands off of it.5. Do you favor allowing American workers to invest a portion of their Social Security withholding in private investment accounts?

As an interim measure, yes, but only as an interim measure. Social Security is a typical fraud -- a "Ponzi" scheme, with payments predicated on the contributions of new investors -- that would have landed any private business offering it in jail.

Ultimately, Social Security has to go. And it will go -- the only question is whether it will be phased out with minimal harm to those it has victimized for nearly seven decades, or whether Congress will allow it to collapse of its own accord in the face of its trillions of dollars in unfunded liability, leaving those victims broke and without recourse.6. What is your position on farm subsidies?

Farm subsidies are a particularly pernicious form of market manipulation that harm both the consumer and honest, hard-working farmers. The majority of agriculture subsidies go to large corporate farms, not to family farms. They raise the price of food beyond market levels while not accomplishing their purported purposes. It's time for the federal government to get out of the business of farm subsidies.7. In one paragraph, why should someone vote for you rather than your opponents?

I'm the only candidate who stands up for the rights of Missourians. In a race where both "major party" candidates agree on all substantive issues, I am the only candidate offering a better way for the future.