Pubdate: Sun, 09 Dec 2001
Source: State, The (SC)
Copyright: 2001 The State
Contact:  http://www.thestate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/426
Author: Roddie Burris, Staff Writer

EILERTSON TOUTS SMALL GOVERNMENT

The United States should be more like Switzerland, advises 2nd District 
congressional candidate Warren Eilertson. "We shouldn't be sending foreign 
aid to Israel or Egypt or any other country," said the Libertarian Party 
candidate. "You eliminate your risk of terrorism."

Nonintervention is plank No. 1 in Eilertson's long-shot bid for the U.S. 
House, which voters will decide next week.

Smaller government is issue No. 2.

"The Libertarian Party believes in small government," said the 71-year-old 
retired aerospace engineer. "Small government breeds prosperity.

"Big government is socialistic. Socialism breeds poverty."

A smaller government would enable the United States to eliminate the income 
tax, Eilertson said, and reduce other federal, state and local taxes.

The Beaufort resident believes other federal programs also should be 
eliminated. "The Department of Energy, which doesn't produce one barrel of 
oil, should be gone."

In his third bid for elected office, Eilertson also wants to abolish the 
U.S. Department of Education -- "We don't need it," he says -- and the 
federal Drug Enforcement Agency. "We've lost the war on drugs."

Finally, Eilertson wants to reduce the regulation of business, which, he 
said, is onerous and debilitating.

A native of Washington, D.C., Eilertson ran unsuccessfully for the state 
Senate in 2000 and Beaufort City Council in January. He is a graduate of 
Catholic University in Washington, is married and has a daughter.

Pointing to the unlikely, but successful election bid of Jesse Ventura, a 
third-party candidate elected governor of Minnesota in 1998, Eilertson 
offers a very direct reason that people should vote for him: "We'll all get 
rich."

"We're all becoming much poorer because of high taxes and regulations, 
which is socialism. We're a socialist-welfare nation today, and if we went 
back to the Constitution we'd all be much wealthier and happier."
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