Bill Kelsey
Libertarian | Texas
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Bill Kelsey
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist.25
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, BS, 1973
WORK & MILITARY
US Navy, Ensign, 1.5
AFFILIATIONS
Libertarian Party, War Resisters League
American Civil Liberties Union
Nature Conservancy, Veterans for Peace
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
US House, 2016
Race
Previous Races
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Texans for Accountable Government (2019)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Disagree
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Strongly Agree
I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.
No Answer
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
I do not claim to have the knowledge or wisdom to discern how this should be handled in every given case. Government should stay out of it. Generous compassionate citizens can work for safe alternatives and adoption programs. I marked "no answer" for question 17 above as I have no concept of how such a situation could arise in the first place.
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?
I am still studying the problem and at the moment do not have an easy coherent solution.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
I would end the involvement in wars overseas and the stationing of US forces abroad. I would further end all military alliances with and end taxpayer subsidies to all foreign governments without exception for any special allies.
Under what circumstances should taxpayers help pay off existing student loans?
Very few. I do not support teaching people that they can take out loans and then expect forgiveness. I would support vigorous examination of the process whereby young teenagers have been lured into accepting loans which they cannot pay off. I would end the current system in which profits to the banks are guaranteed by the taxpayer when the banks make loans to cover inflated school fees for subjects in which the young students cannot possibly find the work to pay back the loans plus interest.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Agree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
No Answer
I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.
Yes
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
No religion should be sponsored by the state and the state should have no control over prohibiting the right to worship or not worship according to conscience. Churches should not be taxed nor should they receive subsidies.
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Disagree
I support the elimination of private healthcare insurance.
Strongly Disagree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
In an enlightened society no one would suffer for lack of health care options. The goal of achieving this should be accomplished through a compassionate and gradual approach to phasing out Federal Government involvement. Participation in government run programs should be voluntary. Ultimately funding and implementation should come from voluntary contributions of generous citizens. No one should be cut adrift in the process without a safety net. Much of the expense of health care in the current system is from labor costs of staff to manage the complex bureaucratic requirements. Further, the toxic interaction of insurance providers, medical providers, and the government in which attempts to maximize its gains from the others leads to inflation of costs. This must end.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Strongly Disagree
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
Of all the various manifestations of terrorism from people who claim Islam, the origins in most cases can be traced to (1) blowback from legitimate anger at US interventions which have caused tragedy and misery, (2) blowback from US supported insurgents who have either been abandoned by or gone rogue against their handlers in Washington, (3) actual US funded operations in support of short sighted goals, (4) false flag operations which are run by nations or operators who have nothing to do with Islam. The US should end all overseas military operations known and unknown, stop all subsidies and arms transfers in support of all regimes without exception or in support of all operations to overthrow any regimes without exception. Free trade with open exchange of knowledge and ideas is what we must support.
IMMIGRATION
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Strongly Disagree
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished.
Strongly Agree
State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.
Strongly Disagree
Employers should be required to use E-verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.
Strongly Disagree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
I welcome all who would honor us with their presence. The process should be simplified. There should be only checks for health and any criminal background. Immigrants should be self supporting or under the sponsorship of local guarantors.
EDUCATION
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Neutral
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was raised by Baptist missionary parents who took me to Jordan as a child and raised me in the Holy Land. My Biblical training and spiritual guidance took place in Arabic as well as English in the very grounds where the events we cherish took place. In my later years I evolved towards a more Unitarian spiritualism in which I study the writings of mystics from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
No Answer
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
I am a Libertarian and as such do not fit into any of these labels. The belief in a need for a rollback in state power and the anticipated consequences thereof would make a Libertarian appear radically conservative in some cases and radically liberal in others.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
no
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I believe we should be good neighbors and seek peace between ourselves during these challenging times.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Neutral
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
I would be tolerant on gun ownership with few restrictions. At the same time I would support draconian punishments for crimes committed with guns and for any accidents occurring as a result of negligence.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
I support BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanction) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
Strongly Agree
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Strongly Agree
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Neutral
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
Immediate in place ceasefires in all wars, known and unknown, involving US forces, with the intention of orderly withdrawal. Following withdrawal of forces from theaters of conflict I would withdraw from all bases abroad and shut them down in an orderly manner. I would end taxpayer subsidies to foreign governments without any exceptions for so-called special allies.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
It is. I spent my childhood in Jordan where my formative years were in the care of Palestinian and Armenian refugees. I know well the horrors that can occur to people. I am witness to the prelude and aftermath of civil wars in several Asian and African countries due to my work in these regions. I also study not only the holocaust but the behavior of Germans to each other during the decades leading up to it. The phenomenon of people from groups hating and fearing individuals from other groups, people from groups discriminating against each other on the basis of religion or ethnic background, the finger pointing between members of groups, and the escalation in mutual retaliations against members of opposing groups can lead to great tragedy.
