Iraq
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"One thing we also need to be doing, Glenn, is to immediately begin reducing the size, the footprint of our economic and military security blanket that is propping up the Iraqi regime."
Other Foreign Policy Issues
"Well, first and foremost, what we do in the Middle East is what we do elsewhere in the world. And we send a very clear signal to the world that we will no longer be occupying foreign lands. We will not, as a matter of actual policy, be engaged in nation building."
Climate Change/Energy
"Global -- global warming doesn`t exist. Nobody`s proved it to me, and I think it`s ridiculous for a presidential candidate calling himself a Republican to be buying into the Kyoto nonsense."
"And Senator McCain, for example, on this carbon cap in trade is right there in the thick of it. This cap in trade, where companies would be -- there would be targets set that are unrealistic in and of themselves. The cost would be humungous, up to a trillion dollars over the next several years. And the companies would be able to trade like trading cards their caps to pollute a little bit more or a little bit less. And can you imagine, Glenn, the new bureaucracy over and above the bureaucracy that we already have that will be necessary under this McCain bill?"
"Well, first of all, I say, let the truly let the -- truly let the market prevail. Get the government out of taxing gasoline. That would be one relatively easy tax to get rid of. At least easier than the income tax. So, let`s start with that one."
"But, insofar as we do need desperately now to get U.S. oil companies to start once again exploring, increasing refining capacity, something we`ve not done in over 30 years, it is necessary to use all tools in the book, legitimate ones, that is, to begin increasing oil exploration, oil extraction and petroleum refining."
"Look, this administration, the Bob Barr administration, is going to do everything possible to remove the regulatory burdens. And that includes the limitations on drilling for oil and ANWR, drilling for oil off the coast of the United States of America. Drilling for shale oil in other areas. You companies are free to go ahead, have at it, try and find that oil. And if you find it, then to the extent that we can, consistent with Libertarian principles of governing, we`re going to make it as easy as possible for you to do so. "
Education
Homeland Security
"Now, thanks to the poorly-considered 'Protect America Act' the administration is able to order the surreptitious interception and surveillance of virtually any electronic communication (including phone calls and e-mails) from or to any person in the United States, so long as the government reasonably believes one of the parties is 'located outside of the United States.' Insofar as one party to a communication being outside the United States is the very definition of an ``international communication,`` the universe of calls and e-mail transmissions subject now to warrantless monitoring by agencies of the federal government encompasses all such communications. This result is fully breathtaking in the practical scope of its reach, and in its potential damage to the very foundation of the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution."
"Whether learned of these philosophical treatises or not, Mayor Bloomberg and former Prime Minister Blair epitomize the almost mindless, unquestioning embrace of surveillance as the solution to problems - real, manufactured or exaggerated - that pervades government post-September 11, 2001. Fear of terrorism as much as fear of crime is the currency by which government at all levels convinces a fearful populace that a surveilled society is a safe society."
"I can say that I personally voted for the PATRIOT Act, admittedly with some hesitancy. I did so with the understanding that it was an extraordinary measure for an extraordinary threat; that it would be used exclusively, or at least primarily, in the context of important anti-terrorism cases; and that the Department of Justice would be cautious and limited in its implementation and forthcoming in providing information on its use to the Congress and the American people. Looking back, I see that trust - that hope -- was misplaced.
Fundamentally, the PATRIOT Act went too far. It concentrated far too much authority in one branch of government. In one fell swoop, we gave the Executive branch unfettered access to the lives of innocent Americans, cut out the judicial branch`s constitutional role as neutral arbiter between the government and its citizens, and stripped the congressional branch of its constitutionally-mandated duty to conduct oversight."
Family
"To be clear, I oppose any marriage save that between one man and one woman. And, I would do all in my power to ensure that such a formulation is the only one operative in my home state of Georgia. However, do I think that I can tell Alaska how to govern itself on this issue? Or California? No, I cannot. Those states are free to make their own decisions, even if they are decisions I would characterize as bad.
Furthermore, I cannot accept the proposition put forward by some that by banning same-sex marriages, but still permitting another category of legal recognition for homosexuals, we have solved any problems. Federalism means that, unless the Constitution says otherwise, states are sovereign. This pertains to marriage. Period."
"Continuing to have the federal government run roughshod over the states, even if the citizens of a state decide they wish to legalize medicinal marijuana, for example, is wrong. As president, I would completely reorient federal law enforcement priorities, that currently are skewed far too much against marijuana possession, and would consider all - and I do mean all - options."
Taxes/Fiscal Policy
"The Libertarian message of smaller government means much lower taxes -- a new tax system, ultimately, dramatically cutting back the size and the power of the government, whether it`s here or spending $400 million a day of taxpayer monies in Iraq. "
"These are pocketbook issues. And the Libertarian philosophy, the programs that we`ll be putting forward will be very relevant to voters from, really, Neil, from across the political spectrum, because everybody`s hurting. Everybody`s standard of living is going down, as the standard of living for the government is going up. We aim to reverse that."
"What we`re going to do immediately, if I were president, when I become president in January 2009, is take that $3.1 trillion federal budget and start paring it back. First of all, attack the executive office of the president. Those discretionary spending items over which the president has control. You immediately institute at least a 10 percent cut across the board. Then, you announce that you`re going to have a spending freeze. "
"You indicate to the Congress, as one of your first messages to the Congress, that if the Congress sends Bob Barr as president any piece of legislation that raises the national debt ceiling, it will be vetoed. Now, if Congress decides thereafter to override and increase the debt ceiling beyond the $9 trillion and something that it currently is, then at least the American people know that they have a president that wants to stop spending in the red and a Congress that wants to continue. "
"But, yes, what we would do is, first of all, get a handle on federal spending, start reducing it. And then tackle the tax structure so we completely revamp the way the government raises revenues. And part of that -- part of that would be doing away with corporate welfare. "
"When you find them [illegal aliens], you ship them home, absolutely."
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" First of all, I think it [a border fence] would be terribly costly. And whatever border fence you build, people are going to find a way to get around it, go under it, go over it, somehow. I think it would look absolutely awful. And even though it`s a fence to keep people from coming in, as opposed to the Berlin wall, it gives the same impression. Not the impression I want to give the world about America. "
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