League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
	Mark Matthew Herd Answers Questions Candidate for United States Representative; District 33

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. In this time of high unemployment and budget deficits, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy and sustain job creation?

First and foremost we need to reduce military spending and foreign aid by 15%. At the same time we need to bring those dollars home and spend them responsibly on infrastructure, education, healthcare and publicly financed elections. This would mean a complete change in foreign policy from one of aggression to one of peaceful coexistence and non intervention. This will improve not only our economy and sustainable job growth, but it will create a more peaceful world which helps promote overall free trade globally. Next year we are spending 85.5 billion propping up a government in Afghanistan. Were sending billions to Iraq, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel,Saudi Arabia, Brazil and so many more countries around the globe. We have 900 bases in 138 countries. Were not focusing enough on diplomacy and those billions are needed here at home. We can't tax businesses and individuals to death to pay for it and we can't bankrupt our country by printing money (trillions) to pay for all this militarism either. We are leaving future generations with massive federal debt, now over 17 trillion. The Democratic and Republican leadership under Bush and Obama support our aggressive military spending and both parties need to be held accountable on June 3rd. Vote for real policy change, vote libertarian. We cannot continue to spend 40% of our national budget on military spending and foreign aid. I would also push for progressive change by supporting the following policies.
1. Legalize cannibus and tax it to help balance state and municipal budgets
2. Repeal NAFTA.
3. Lower taxes on businesses and individuals.
4. End the war on drugs.
5. Reject efforts to privatize social security.
6. Increase investment in renewable energy and the infrastructure needed to support them.
7. Lower student loan rates to 1%.
8. Stop NSA domestic spying and funding for it.
9. Simplify the tax code.
10. Respect the Constitution.

2. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs?

I'm a big fan of government helping individuals when they can't help themselves, especially medically. The ACA is far more than that. Like many tax payers, I'm not a fan of big government and the ACA is just that, more big govt. First of all the ACA was written by Big Insurance and the medical industry to help increase profits. It forces ordinary people to buy health insurance at rates that will go up faster than a north Korean nuclear missile program. I promise you, and I'm saying this from experience, there will be NOTHING affordable about the ACA in 10 years. Govt can support items in the ACA but these kinds of mandates are not authorized in the constitution. At the minimum we need to amend the ACA to at least have an "opt out" option and a "keep your own Dr." Option.

3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy?

Los Angeles is moving quickly to turn the DWP into one of the nations largest sustainable energy providers. We need to duplicate our best renewable energy practices here and promote them in other cities. Ultimately we have to get off fossil fuels and build out a 100% renewable energy grid where homes and housing complexes provide solar power to the grid and benefit financially from it. We also need someone confident and tough in congress to advocate for these policies. Partisan politicians won't move out of their comfort zone to do it. Like many in this race, too much money influences too many politicians and the result is always more bad govt policies. Be the change, vote Libertarian June 3rd.

4. What, if any, changes should be made with respect to our nation’s security, including our national defense or anti-terrorism measures?

First we need to adopt a non intervention foreign policy. Prosperity amoungst nations only comes when countries are at peace and trading freely. Our military aggression around the world hurts every country economicaly. A Libertarian vote on June 3rd is a vote for peace and prosperity not just here at home but around the world. I believe we can be the worlds only superpower and promote peace at the same time. NSA domestic spying is another example of big govt going to far. Our intelligence community, homeland security, NSA and the CIA have become far to powerful and they have little respect for our constitutionional rights. Kennedy had good reasons to take action on CIA functions, unfortunately they saw it coming.

5. What is your position on the issue of immigration reform? What, if any, changes to legislation or policy would you support?

I believe we need more than just a very long and difficult path to citizenship, we need amnesty now. I see college students at UCLA who have been in this country since they were babies, yet they struggle because they are undocumented. This needs to stop immediately. I believe in amnesty for all who have been in this country, in good standing, for more than 10 yrs. We need a new immigration policy that addresses amnesty and increased high tech, low cost, border security solutions. We need to fast track immigrants coming here to start companies and research and develop new technologies.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 25, 2014 10:46
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