Matt Hackenburg, Libertarian, Candidate for Pennsylvania Governor
From a personal standpoint, I think abortion is wrong, but I don’t think there is any effective method to use the state to police it. That’s a recipe for disaster, a recipe for abuse. The government are naturals at finding ways to use restrictions against the people. That being said, taxpayer dollars should not be put towards funding abortion.
Act 77 is legally questionable and prone to being abused by people looking to buy your vote or breaching your privacy and should be repealed. It is worth reminding people that Doug Mastriano was one of the biggest supporters of Act 77 in the Pennsylvania Senate until Donald Trump decided he did not like it. Our current voting system is set up so that Democrats and Republicans never have to compete with third party candidates and perpetually use the "wasted vote" argument to brush off their challengers. With ranked choice voting, or similar alternatives, that concern no longer exists.
The Federal Reserve has destroyed the value of our currency during both Trump and Biden administrations. 80% of all U.S. dollars in existence were printed in 2020. Ron Paul was right: we need to End the Fed. Pennsylvania needs to embrace sound, hard money. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum should be legal tender and their use should be greatly encouraged. Returning to gold, silver, or equivalent notes for convenience is much more preferable to a fiat dollar that isn't backed by anything. Allowing competing currencies, a sort of "free market in money", and making them easy to use for the general public is the key to relieve us of our failing dollar.
We should be treating pollution as a trespass violation, allowing people affected by polluters to issue court injunctions to shut them down, court orders to clean up our property, or imprisonment if they do not get off our property. Energy companies that have friends in Harrisburg shouldn't be propped up by the government. Let the market take it's course. If there is a demand for a clean environment, then a truly free market will meet that demand.
Our immigration system is a convoluted, bureaucratic nightmare. People from other countries seeking a better life should have the opportunity to legally join us as Americans. We can secure the border without turning hard working people away. To curb illegal immigration, we need to cut the red tape and make a path to citizenship easier for people looking for a life of liberty and opportunity.
The Libertarian Party is the most principled political party when it comes to defending the rights of the individual, their property, and their way of life. It is a consent-based philosophy. I don't want to get into the Governor's mansion to dictate how people and their communities should function. All rights boil down to the individual. If a same-sex couple wants to marry and adopt a child they should have the freedom to do so. As for sports participation for transgender athletes, that is up to the sports organization to decide whether they want to permit it. There is no need for the government to get involved with that discussion.
Our criminal justice system is corrupt beyond measure. We need to end qualified immunity, eliminate police quotas, and victimless "crimes" should be legalized. Our resources are being wasted on "cracking down on crimes" with no victim like drug possession instead of legitimate threats to society like murder and theft. If there is no victim, there is no crime. Law enforcement officials should be held accountable when they step out of line and repealing qualified immunity will do just that.
The Pennsylvania Constitution states that " The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned." All gun control measures are illegitimate and ought to be repealed. I would make Pennsylvania a Second Amendment sanctuary state in a heartbeat. I don’t believe the state should have any involvement in determining who can or cannot have a firearm. If someone is so dangerous that they can’t have a firearm, that person should not be out of prison.
The biggest reason why I am running for Governor is to promote Defend the Guard legislation. With talks of sending reinforcements to Taiwan if China were to invade, or war hawks in D.C. clamoring to get the U.S. involved in Ukraine, Defend the Guard needs passed now more than ever. Defend the Guard legislation prevents the government from sending our state's National Guard into conflicts without a declaration of war from Congress. As an antiwar National Guard veteran, this issue hits close to home.