By David Belle Isle

Recently, our Campaign was asked the following questions by the Republican Liberty Caucus.  After preparing our answers, I thought it would be good to share them with you, the voters, to give you a better glimpse into the thinking behind our platform.

Q: How do you define Liberty?

Belle Isle: Liberty exists when an individual has the unfettered opportunity to do all he is able to do within the confines of his God-given gifts, without interference from others, and without the use of force, theft or coercion upon others. Individual liberty, its presence or absence, is the sole determinant of a free people. 

Q: What is a responsible level of government spending in percentage terms of the total economy?

Belle Isle: Presently our federal budget represents approximately 27 percent of our national GDP. Additionally, Americans For Tax Reform, a taxpayer advocacy group, has determined that 61 cents out of every dollar of our national income goes towards the cost of government: federal, state and local.  While I cannot suggest a magical percentage of GDP that government spending should not cross, I can say we crossed that line a long time ago.  To discover a proper percentage range for government spending, we need look no further than the cost of funding the two proper functions of government outlined below.

Q: What, in your view, are the basic functions of government?

Belle Isle: There are two valid functions of government. The first is to preserve individual liberty for its Citizens by protecting us from one another and our enemies abroad. The second is to provide and maintain those assets and services which benefit all, but which cannot be individually allocated or expensed.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being a socialist economy and 5 being a free market economy where would you rate the US economy and why?

Belle Isle: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines socialism as "a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state."

Presently, our federal government has nationalized large portions of our auto, insurance, banking, healthcare, and education industries. Within these industries, what remains in private hands is highly regulated.  Additionally, our government intensely regulates energy production, consumer products, land use, transportation, food, alcohol, prescription drugs, and firearms, just to name a few.  What it does not regulate it seeks to subsidize.  This, I believe, constitutes a control by the state of a significant portion of our means of production, the hallmark of socialism.

While our American history is one of a proud free-market economy, our present reality is vastly different.  We are less free in terms of economic freedom than at any other point in our nation’s history. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being a socialist economy and 5 being a free market economy, I rate our economy as a 2, but with a footnote.  Sewn deep in the fabric of our being as Americans is the notion that freedom and opportunity are among our highest ideals.  We shall not tolerate this self-imposed oppression for long. Through the methods laid out in our Constitution, I have no doubt that we, as Americans, will return to our pursuit of liberty. It’s what we were meant for, and it is our rightful place in the world.

Paid for By Belle Isle For Senate www.belleisleforsenate.com / 404-310-1336