Ben Sanders
Libertarian | Texas
Candidate Profile
Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Ben Sanders
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2018
Election
General
Race
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, BS, 1997
Almeda University, Boise, MS, 2005
Almeda University, Boise, DBA, 2011
WORK & MILITARY
Defense Acquisition University, Contracting Officer Rep, 2013
National Archives and Records Administration, Certified Records Managers, 2011
Project Management Institute, PMI Member, 2010
NASA, SATERN certified, 2008
AFFILIATIONS
Freemason, Master Mason, Universal Life Church
Ordained Minister, White House, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Seated Member
NASA Astronaut Class of 2013, Candidate, NASA JSC Information Technology Working Group
Member, National Rifle Association, Member
IEEE, Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Texas Comptroller, 2014
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
TNM Endorses my campaign for a second time
CBS radio
Texas Tea Party
Father's Rights Movement
Libertarian Party of Texas
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
State Republican Party Organizations
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Disagree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
The office of the Texas Comptroller has no authority or influence over any medical procedures including abortions. That being said as an Ordained Minister I personally believe all life is sacred especially that of new innocent life. It is not the government’s place to dictate medical procedures that is between a patient and their doctor the same as a priest and their parishioner or lawyer and their client. These are corner stones to our society as relationships that shall not be violated by any doctrine of law. I would always encourage adoption over abortion, and am grateful being the offspring of a single mother. Any decisions as for what is best for someone else are not mine or anyone other than that person’s to make. It is however the governments place to set safety standards acceptable practitioner minimum guidelines that must be follow to protect the public 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
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.
Disagree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Disagree
NATIONAL SECURITY
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.
Disagree
Islamic law (Sharia) should take precedence over national and state laws where there are Islamic majority communities in the U. S.
Strongly Disagree
I support sanctuary cities.
Neutral
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Disagree
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Disagree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
I will work with the Texas Health and Human Services Director and the State Insurance Commissioner to make sure basic affordable health coverage is available to all Texans regardless of pre-existing conditions. Allowing the marketplace to dictate price and coverage options, while making healthcare between you and your doctor.
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure 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
The state constitution should limit the growth of spending to the rate of population growth plus the rate of inflation.
Agree
Congress should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
Strongly Agree
What is the best way to bring down unemployment?
Your government's principal function is to protect your freedom, your unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and Property, all crucial rights for building a free and prosperous society. Government should be of the necessary size and scope, as outlined in the United States and Texas Constitutions, to efficiently support its constitutional duties and effectively maintain the rule of law. My vision of government is of a government strictly confined to its constitutional role, a government that respects civil liberties, recognizes that the individual is more important than the State, exercises fiscal restraint and understands that each generation must pay its own debts, believes in free markets and practices a non-interventionist foreign policy of "peace toward all, entangling alliances with none."
What role should government play in boosting the economy?
As the guardian of the state’s finances, the Comptroller serves every citizen of the state. Legislators rely on the Comptroller’s office to chart the course of the Texas economy, produce annual financial reports and estimate future state revenues. State agencies trust the Comptroller to pay their bills and issue paychecks to their employees. Local officials and businesses look to this office for economic development guidance and data analysis. And all Texas residents depend on our agency to safeguard their tax dollars and ensure that they are handled wisely.
EDUCATION
Tuition-free public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support the death penalty.
Agree
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
More restrictive gun control is needed to protect public safety.
Strongly Disagree
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
ABOUT YOU
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2010 General Election, 2012 General Election, 2014 General Election, 2016 General Election
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?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
Look at my FaceBook Page, endorsements, and Campaign Website
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I've trained my entire life for this position. During my years at US Army, I honed my skills in leadership, through fairness, integrity, and honor and will instill those values in the eighteen Field Offices across Texas. As Comptroller I won't use scare tactics against my fellow Texans to control them. I will however always tell you the truth no matter how unpleasant it might be. I'm not going to Austin to make friends who can help my political career, because I don't have one. The only office I am interested in that of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. In the comptroller's race, Libertarian Ben Sanders was the only hopeful to provide tax returns. If you can't trust the Comptroller to faithfully fill out their Tax Return and Public Financial Disclosure form, how can you trust them with your tax dollars? Together we can Win!
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you:
ben@vote4sanders.com 469-262-6050
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
Details on state and local pension plans in Texas as reported to the Pension Review Board and submitted by each plan in response to a public information request from the Comptroller’s office. The Texas Comptroller should have no role in the Texas’ public pension plans other than reporting their fiscal information in an effort to be transparent. Currently the Local and State pensions have an unfunded liability of $53,849,110,848 that's more than the entire Texas Appropriations ($52,330,160,968) for 2014 & 2015 once you remove Education and Health and Human Services. Which means currently the pensions don't have the money to pay what is due all the pension holders. To understand how we got to this point we first must understand history and take quick trip back for those who may not be familiar or don't remember. In our not so distance past teachers, police, firefighters and other civil servants were used as political pawns by nefarious politicians.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Disagree
Any teaching to children on sex education in public schools must include all contraceptive methods, and should not show preference to abstinence.
Agree
People should be allowed to use public restrooms, showers, and changing rooms based on "gender identity."
Neutral
Parents should be the primary authority in decisions affecting their minor children.
Strongly Agree
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
You, as stated by our nation's Founding Fathers, have the inalienable right to live, be free and prosper to your fullest potential without hindrance from any person or entity. You have the freedom to pursue your happiness as long as you respect others' rights to pursue theirs.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
You are responsible for your personal choices, able to take care of yourself and capable to do for others as you expect them to do unto you. Conversely, others are free to live their lives as they see fit and are responsible for their choices. We believe in tolerance toward others and respect for self-sovereignty.
