Matt Hackenburg- Libertarian
Scope: What are your top three priorities if elected?
MH: My top three priorities would be passing a law called “Defend the Guard”, revamping our education system to incorporate school choice, and making sure our emergency powers are never abused again like they were during COVID. For context, Defend the Guard is one of the most important pieces of legislation not being talked about and as a veteran, this hits close to home. This prevents the President from sending our friends and family in the National Guard to fight in foreign wars without a declaration from Congress. We are at the brink of nuclear armageddon with our involvement in the War in Ukraine and we need to do everything we can to prevent that.
Scope: Pennsylvania is a major swing state, if elected how do you plan to unify the state population?
MH: Being a Libertarian candidate, I’m in a unique position to bring people together based on liberty and personal freedoms. We have to form issues coalitions with grassroots organizations to get our message out all the time, working with Democrats and Republicans should not be an issue for us. I’ll work with anyone who is in favor of reducing the government’s influence on all of our lives. Only then can we unite as a people and not be at each other’s throats for the ring of power.
Scope: What are your plans for alleviating higher education costs?
MH: The problem with higher education costs is the banks and government regulators colluding to screw you over with predatory loans. The value of higher education is inflated with guaranteed government loans. Why should a university prove it’s worth to a student if they are getting free money through loans from the banks courtesy of the government? These loans are a huge profit center for banks looking to take advantage of students that are willing to take on enormous debts because they are told by their teachers they need to go to college no matter what in order to make a living, which is not remotely true. We need to completely remove government interventions in education in order to reduce costs and improve quality.”
Scope: Where do you stand on Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges and how will your position on these issues impact your advocacy?
MH: Although I find abortion morally reprehensible, I would rather not have the government get involved with it. If the government is good at anything, it’s finding ways to abuse its regulations and executive power against us. With regards to Roe v. Wade, I do prefer the federalist approach of letting states decide what reflects their values if they wish. I personally would not vote in favor of placing bans on abortion, nor am I in favor of funding abortion clinics or organizations with taxpayer money. The people should decide who to contribute their money to, not the state. I’d like to see the government completely separate from marriage laws and the church. If someone wants to marry someone of the same sex, they should have the ability to do so.
Scope: Gun violence in schools is a worry for many school students across the state, if elected, how do you plan to combat this in office?
MH: The issue of school shooters is not a gun issue. If there is an intent to kill, they’ll find a way to do it, so banning guns is not the route to go.What we should be doing is getting these people the mental healthcare they need, improve people’s standard of living, and making sure that when someone is unhinged and ready to kill, people have a means to defend themselves. Our healthcare system is a bureaucratic, regulated mess that prevents people from getting the attention they need. All of the government’s red tape needs to be completely removed if we ever want to drastically lower costs across the board.
Scope: Why should high school students vote for you?
MH: Libertarians want you to be as free as you can possibly be, granted you don’t violate anyone else’s rights. We don’t think people should be thrown in jail for smoking a joint or be forced to take a Big Pharma product. We believe students should be able to decide which school to attend and how you get your education, whether it be public school, private school, vo-tech, an apprenticeship, a trade, or even homeschooling. Lastly, Libertarians will never forget how our government shut down your schools, prevented you and your family from making a living, kept you locked in your homes, pushed for a medical surveillance state, and drove up depression, suicide, and drug addiction in students in response to COVID. That is inexcusable. Many students had their best years in school taken away from them and it breaks my heart that Democrats and Republicans just accepted it. Never forget what they did to you these past two years. Libertarians will do everything that we can to prevent that from ever happening again. If you like the sound of that, I would encourage you to join the Liberatarian Party of Pennsylvania via www.lppa.org/contribute/join. We have special student memberships!
If you’d like to learn more about this Matt Hackenburg, candidate for PA Governor, visit his website at https://www.matthackenburg.com