Norm Olsen
Libertarian | Colorado
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Norm Olsen
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist. 6
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Uinon College, Schenectady, NY, BS, 1967
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Libertarian Party of Colorado, State Chair, Libertarian National Committee
Regional Representative
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
US House CO -2, 2006
US House C0-6, 2016
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
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.
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.
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Government should play no role in abortion. It should not fund it, or support it. Neither should it prohibit it or discourage it. Those who oppose abortion should vote with their dollars and contribute to organizations which provide alternatives. Those who support abortion should vote with their dollars and support Planned Parenthood and others who provide abortion. The abortion decision is that of the woman and those who the woman seeks out as counsel. The government should have no role in this decision. I personally contribute to organizations which provide alternatives to abortion. I cannot condemn women to back alley abortions or other drastic measures. Get used to it. Whether it is alcohol, drugs, prostitution, guns, and/or abortion: PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK!!!
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 would not make any such guarantee. Conceptually, social security is available in most all developed nations. With an exception or two, social security is a financial disaster in every such nation. Governments have proven beyond a doubt that they are totally incompetent with regard to managing social security and/or public employee pensions. Unfunded social security, Medicare, and public employee pension liabilities make the current $26 trillion national debt look trivial. Governmental promises with regard to retirement income for seniors and retired employees are a total farce at the federal, state, and local levels. Social security needs to be phased out with an advancing qualifying age of 3 months per year. Payroll taxes which support social security should be annually adjusted to make the system "pay as you go". COLA increases in social security should be eliminated.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
The easy reductions are: Eliminate large portions of the departments of Education, Transportation, Energy, Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development. The harder resuctions, and where the most money is, are: phase out Social Security, restructure Medicare financing, cut military spending by 405.
Under what circumstances should taxpayers help pay off existing student loans?
None. Government erred in providing cheap credit to students seeking an education, thus inflating the cost of such education. Banks and educational institutions which profited from making such loans need to be accept responsibility and reduce the indebted amount. Interest on such student loans for a period of 10 years after graduation should be forgiven.
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.
Agree
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?
Exactly what the first amendment says. First, the government shall make no law establishing a national religion or otherwise endorse/favor a specific religion. Second, the government shall make no law "prohibiting the free exercise thereof" of one's chosen religion, provided that "free exercise thereof" shall not infringe upon the rights of others to their own "free exercise".
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly 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?
I do not consider this to be a governmental responsibility. Individuals are responsible for their own healthcare. In the United States, 65% of the population are covered by private insurance selected and maintained by the individuals and/or employers. This this system produces the best healthcare available anywhere in the world, and also produces virtually all of the medical treatment advances the entire world enjoys. That's the result because of individual choice. Medicare 'A', 'B', and 'D' need to be replaced with what is now known as Medicare 'C'; private insurance where premiums are subsidized but individuals choose an insurance plan and pay a portion of the premium. Similarly, with Medicaid. Those who do not accept responsibility for their healthcare will need to rely on charity, which is quite ample in the US and has been available in large amounts since it founding.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Neutral
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
Improve border security, apply sanctions to nations which harbor terrorists and/or promote terrorism, and aggressively prosecute individuals who commit terrorist crimes in our nation. However, in no case shall the presumption of innocence be abrogated. We must not become what we abhor, even if it means we are occasionally the victims of an attack.
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.
Agree
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree
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.
Neutral
Employers should be required to use E-verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.
Disagree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
While we would like to welcome all, we must limit immigration to those who are in good health and have the desire/ability to assimilate and thrive in our free market economy. Immigration should be further limited to the degree that such immigration does not preclude our existing citizens from thriving in our economy.
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.
Neutral
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe there is a just God. Being raised as a Christian, I worship in the manner traditional Christian manner and accept the bible as God's wisdom on earth. I fully respect that others worship God in different ways and have other avenues to God's wisdom. I believe that, in essence, most all major religions hold to similar, if not identical, truths. Conceptually, what I know as the Ten Commandments are the basis of every and all civilized society that has ever existed on earth. Judeo-Christian values are the basis for the United States being the great nation that it has become, but not the exclusive means of achieving such success.
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. I am fiscally responsible (conservative) and socially tolerant (liberal). I believe in individual rights and responsibility (conservative) and limited governmental control of my choices (liberal). I believe that all individuals have the right to be "all that they can be" without limits provided that there is no fraud, coercion, or interference with another's individual right to do likewise.
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 would not caucus with the Republicans or Democrats. I would concentrate my efforts on changing House rules to make the body more of a deliberative body as opposed to the political faction battleground it is now. The two party system has pretty much destroyed the effectiveness of the House of Representatives and the Senate. While perhaps overly optimistic, the future of our nation depends upon responsible legislation which is in the best interest of the nation as opposed to the best interest of the majority party. Vote Libertarian so that no party is ever a majority party.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
There should be no restrictions other than limiting access to those known to be mentally disturbed or those who.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
I support BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanction) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
Strongly Disagree
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.
Strongly Disagree
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
Reform the Federal Reserve -- Under the current law, the national governemnt issues debt an the Federal Reserve essentially creates money out of thin air to buy it. Continuing to create money out of thin air will destroy this nation just as it has destroyed almost every other nation in history. Immigration Reform -- The current immigration system is badly broken and congress has refused to fix it. The "who" and "how many" issues of immigration are not as important as having a definitive policy which can be ridgidly adhered to and universially followed. Consitutional amendments which would 1)set the number of Supreme Court justices at nine thus removing from Congress the power to pack the court; and 2)apply term limits of 3 terms for Representatives and 2 terms for Senators.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No. While racism will always exist, the suggestion that racism is systemic in the United States of 2020 is political rhetoric. Most every American citizen wants all people, regardless of race or national origin, to be successful and participate in the American dream. Most every black American citizen in America wants to participate in the American dream. Violence does not get anyone closer to these mutual objectives. Domestic security is essential in achieving these objectives and will, therefore, prevail.
