Jo Jorgensen
Libertarian
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Jo Jorgensen
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
President of the U.S.
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Clemson University, Clemson, PhD Industrial/Organizational Psychology, 2002
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, MBA, 1980
Baylor University, Waco, B.S. Psychology, 1979
WORK & MILITARY
Clemson University, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, 2006-2020
IBM, Marketing Representative, 1980-1983
Software sales firm, Owner/Founder, 1983-1992
AFFILIATIONS
Camp Fire Girls, Leader for Deaf Community, Libertarian Party of Greenville County, SC
Chair, Libertarian Party of South Carolina, Vice Chair
Libertarian Party, Member since 1983, Clemson University
Extension Volunteer
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Vice-Presidential Nominee, 1996
South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, 1992
ENDORSEMENTS
OTHER (1)
Justin Amash
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (4)
John Stossel, journalist, pundit
Justin Amash, US Representative from Michigan
Peter Schiff, stockbroker, economist, radio host
Katherine Clare Timpf, Fox News
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?
The government should not regulate any form of medical services. It should stay out of the adoption business so that women with unwanted pregnancies have more choices, and parents who desperately want children have an easier time adopting.
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
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Government should not discriminate against individuals, organizations, or business owners who affirm marriage as between one man and one woman.
Agree
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
It means what it says. The government should not interfere in matters of religion.
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Agree
NATIONAL SECURITY
What is the best way to maintain peace and protect national security?
As president, I will make American like one giant Switzerland – armed and neutral. I will order our troops home from the Middle East and Afghanistan, and will begin the process of bringing our troops home from other foreign bases. This will allow us to dramatically reduce government spending. America will be armed and ready to defend our soil and shores. I will open trade with foreign countries and eliminate tariff taxes on consumers goods so that Americans pay the lowest prices. I will dramatically reduce government regulations so that American businesses can be nimble and better financed, which will enable them to compete successfully in world markets. When goods cross borders, troops don’t have to.
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
The federal government should take steps to guard against all terrorist activities while strictly honoring and obeying our individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
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?
When I hear “Medicare for All,” I hear “VA Hospital for All.” Let’s be clear: We haven’t had a free market in health care for at least 100 years, and a top-down monopoly will only make health care more expensive and less affordable. We must remove the barriers to free market health care. This will drive down costs of both health care services and health insurance by at least 75%, as we’ve seen in Singapore.
I support the elimination of private healthcare insurance.
Disagree
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Disagree
What changes should be made to the tax code?
We need to balance the budget immediately and end the federal income tax and the IRS as quickly as possible. This will give back $12,000, every year, to the average American family.
How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?
Politicians have spent every cent in the Social Security Trust Fund on other programs, leaving behind worthless IOUs. Other countries have successfully replaced their government-run systems with individual retirement accounts safe from greedy politicians. As President, I would work to implement a solution like the Cato Institute’s “6.2% solution”, which would allow any American the opportunity to “opt out” of the system while making the current system fiscally stable for those who choose to remain.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
I oppose it. Government must not interfere with voluntary contracts between employers and employees. The research is clear – the minimum wage hurts minorities and those entering the job force the most.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
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.
Disagree
Children covered by DACA should be granted legal citizenship.
Agree
How would you re-write immigration laws?
It should be easy for those who are peaceful to visit, work in, or reside in the U.S.
EDUCATION
How would you improve the quality of education in the United States?
As president, I will end the federal Department of Education and return control of education to parents, teachers, and students. The needs of those in rural Appalachia are much different than those of downtown New York City, so we shouldn’t have a one-size-fits-all federal government system.
I support charter schools.
Neutral
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support the death penalty.
Strongly Disagree
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Strongly Disagree
How would you address the overcrowding of jails?
We must end all laws against victimless crimes, including drug prohibition, which causes far more problems than it solves, overcrowds our prisons, and clogs our criminal justice system. If there is no victim, there is no crime. On Day 1 of my presidency, I will pardon and free all nonviolent drug offenders who have harmed no one. We must take the profit out of locking up citizens. This is one of the few legitimate functions of government – the government should be running the jails and prisons, not private companies.
2ND AMENDMENT
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Yes. There is no more immediate way to keep kids safe than by having an armed and trained adult on the scene. This will save precious lives. The mere knowledge that a teacher may carry a gun will deter crime.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Yes, certain laws and policies disproportionately victimize people of color, such as the War on Drugs, no-knock raids, qualified immunity, militarization of police, and civil asset forfeiture. They also violate our constitutional rights and must be repealed.
The United States should not have withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Disagree
I support BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanction) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
No Answer
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
VALUES
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Agree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
The problem with government is that politicians allow their personal beliefs and values to make laws for others. Each American citizen should be allowed to choose his/her own path.
