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Presidential candidate visits campus
Libertarian nominee Badnarik speaks at AU
By Kate Oczypok on 10/4/04
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Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee, spoke at AU yesterday to about 40 people about his political platform and the Libertarian Party's viewpoints.
Aaron Biterman, former president of the AU College Libertarians, coordinated the event. "I am very excited to see Mr. Badnarik here. ... All it took was a simple phone call," Biterman said. "It doesn't take very much effort to bring a third-party candidate to campus."
The College Libertarians brought Badnarik to campus in an effort to voice students' concerns about where the United States is heading, according to Biterman.
"Most people have never heard of the Libertarian Party," Badnarik said. "The truth is that we have been around for 33 years."
According to Badnarik, many Americans have misconceptions about Libertarians.
"For instance, some think the term Libertarian implies that we are liberal," Badnarik said. "Actually we have both liberal and conservative viewpoints."
Libertarianism is based on the term "liberty," which refers to an individual's ability to make his or her own decisions, according to Badnarik.
One of the major Libertarian talking points is that the Patriot Act is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. "In regards to the Patriot Act, the government's obligation is to obtain a warrant before searching," Badnarik said. "That is not what the Patriot Act entails."
Libertarians also feel that the government is overly powerful. According to Badnarik, President Bush can imprison people he doesn't agree with through the Patriot Act.
Badnarik also shared a story in which he was speaking at a large university and was placed in an auditorium that could hold 3,000, but only 15 individuals attended his speech.
"I was embarrassed and asked why I wasn't allowed to speak in a classroom in a more intimate setting," Badnarik said. "I was told that the auditorium was a free speech zone."
According to Badnarik, there should be no such thing as a free speech zone. "I exercise free speech, and I advise you to do the same," he said.
As a Libertarian, Badnarik hopes to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service completely, explaining that by voting Democrat or Republican, one is voting to increase taxes.