Shawn Huckabay
Libertarian | Texas
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Shawn Huckabay
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 120
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Spotsylvania High School, Spotsylvania, VA, Diploma, 1999
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Libertarian Party of Bexar County, Chairman, Libertarian Party of Texas
Executive Committee, Libertarian Party of the United States, Member
NORML, Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
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
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
All circumstances where the fetus has not developed enough to suffer. Ultimately, figuring out when that is, exactly, during the course of pregnancy is a scientific question.
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
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Pretty much all of it. The government should essentially consist of courts, police, and military. Almost anything outside of that should be eliminated entirely, and the military should be scaled back to focus on defense of the actual country rather than engaging in various wars that have nothing to do with protecting Americans.
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.
Strongly 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.
Strongly Disagree
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?
It means that the government is explicitly neutral on matters of religion and leaves religion entirely in the private sphere. In particular, it means that the government will neither enforce the customs or values of a particular religion or religious tradition, nor prohibit their exercise as long as doing so does not violate the right to life, liberty, and property of US residents.
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Disagree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
I would aim to eliminate all government control and regulation of healthcare in order to enable free market forces to do what they always do; drive quality up and prices down.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Neutral
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
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
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone who is not a wanted criminal or provably a member of an organization intent on violating the right to life, liberty, or property of those already in the country should be welcome to immigrate here for whatever reason they choose. America is a country of immigrants from all over the world, and we should be a beacon of liberty that all others wish to be a part of.
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.
Disagree
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Disagree
Promotion of the LGBT agenda in public schools, including teaching of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”, is completely inappropriate and should be opposed at the state and local level.
Disagree
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Neutral
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am not a participant of an organized religious tradition, but my personal beliefs draw heavily on Stoicism, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism. I am a pantheist and believe that God encompasses all of reality, including ourselves, and connects us all. A consequence of this is that, while I do not necessarily believe it is one's duty to serve others beyond respecting their basic rights, I do think one will feel naturally inclined to do so by engaging in spiritual practice, such as meditation, that makes salient how temporary and illusory the boundaries are between each other.
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?
Moderate
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
Libertarian views do not neatly fall on the modern left-right political spectrum, but it would be accurate to say that some of my views are left-wing and some of my views are right-wing, with the consistent factor among them being that the government should not involve itself in people's affairs except when doing so is necessary to protect the right to life, liberty, and property of US residents. As far as evidence of the fact that these are my beliefs, I am the chair of the Libertarian Party of Bexar County: https://lpbexar.org/about-us/ You can view the LPTexas platform here. I agree with most of it: http://www.lptexas.org/platform
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
I have seen what our legislature does with their education and qualifications; at this point, having principles and being willing to actually act on them makes one more qualified than virtually anyone in office.
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 realize, given the nature of this survey, that it is likely intended for members of what might be called the "religious right" to determine how aligned candidates are with their values. If this describes you, I would just ask you to consider, particularly on matters of abortion, whether you can reasonably expect to be free to live in accordance with your religious values if you enforce them on others. This creates a win-lose situation where neither party feels obligated to respect the rights of the other. I would propose that those interested in preserving their right to practice the religion of their choosing and live according to their religious values ask that the government involve itself as little as possible in religion and more generally in the lives of those living in the United States. It is only by respecting the right of others to not live according to your values that you can reasonably expect them to give you the same courtesy.
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY
I support the use of Sharia law as a basis for legislation and judicial decisions in the United States.
Strongly Disagree
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Strongly Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Strongly Agree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Disagree
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
1) Decriminalization of cannabis. This is an expensive waste of tax payer money that also harms innocent people who are, at most, only harming themselves. 2) Work to reduce property taxes, because taxation is theft and property taxes are the worst offender in the state of Texas. 3) Make Texas a constitutional carry state. There should be no licensing requirement to open carry or to conceal a weapon. The right to self-defense is basic and essential to human dignity.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism is definitely not the threat it was during the civil rights era and certainly not comparable to the situation prior to that. I am skeptical that widespread systemic racism is a major problem with our institutions to the degree that modern left-wing politics claims it is, but I would not go so far as to claim that it does not exist or that it should be ignored, and many of the problems commonly attributed to systemic racism do exist even if racism is not their root cause. There are several problems with how our police force and justice system conducts business that need to be addressed, and addressing these would solve, by proxy, most of the valid issues brought up by those concerned with systemic racism. Eliminating qualified immunity and laws against victimless crimes, such as drug usage and prostitution, would go a long way toward making things more fair for everyone.
