Barry Short

Threat to the life of the mother, rape, incest, medical determination of nonviability, some severe deformities/conditions. I believe we must allow some amount of discretion to medical professionals, because no legislation can anticipate every possibility. But, as noted below, I will not vote to fund any abortions.

Strongly Agree

Using force to take people's property (which is how taxation works) and then using it for something that person may find morally reprehensible is absolutely unconscionable to me. I will vote no on anything of that nature that comes before me, even if I stand alone.

Strongly Agree

I believe firmly that each person must be the owner of themselves. I may not endorse one's decision but I am not willing to use the force of government to prevent them from making that decision for their life.

Abolish it and start over? One of the biggest problems with government is that things that we don't need any more keep on being funded. We should strive to limit government to its necessary functions - a court system, administering elections, a few other activities. Taxation should be so small that we barely notice it. Also, I advocate for limiting the degree of increase in property valuation on primary homes, for the purpose of stopping excessive increases in property tax. Something along the lines of California's Prop 13, which requires that the value of a property is fixed when it transacts, and is not changed until it transacts again. This prevents inflation from causing people to lose their homes.

I would abolish the retail function of the DABS, and allow alcohol to be sold in privately owned stores. I will oppose any subsidies to private businesses such as professional sports teams. I would terminate the advertising program that has left our national parks overrun. I would curtail the Dept. of Occupational and Professional Licensing, making it easier for people to make a living without paying an unnecessary tax and spending unnecessary time asking permission to do their jobs.. I am calling for a thorough examination of our water rights administration. Also, every member of the legislature gets to direct anywhere from $250,000 to $2 million to some pet project in their district - almost none of which would be funded if they were voted on individually, and it wasn't a way for incumbents to make themselves look good to their constituents. I'll vote no if that remains in the budget. How about we find an operator for the TRAX system and have them PAY the state for the right to be the provider? It is obvious that the state cannot operate it profitably or in a manner that appeals to potential users. How about we not pay tens of millions of dollars to "rebrand" failing agencies while we don't address their actual problems? I suspect I will have the kind of reputation Ron Paul had - the guy who votes NO on everything.

Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

The only exception is if an individual chooses to work for a government agency. They must be blind to anything, treating everyone equally.

Not many. Sedition maybe, plotting treason, I would imagine. Maybe evidence of human sacrifice. If you're asking if it was appropriate to require churches to close due to Covid, the answer is no. Government can ask, it can recommend, it can't demand.

D, but we also need to get government out of subsidies to pharmaceutical companies and we need to reform the medical patent system. Our goal should not be to find ways to pay exorbitant prices, it should be to make health care affordable by making it plentiful and competitive.

Government? None. The government does not own anyone's body. It has no authority to require anyone to put a foreign substance into their body. (Or to forbid it, but that's another question.) A private employer can make whatever rules they choose - but when they can't find employees because of their choices, I'll have no sympathy for them.

Follow George Washington's advice - "My ardent desire is, and my aim has been, to comply strictly with all our engagements, foreign and domestic, but to keep the United States free from political connections with every other country; to see that they may be independent of all and under the influence of none." It's not that hard to understand. Maybe some of the people in other parts of the world would be less angry at us if we stopped bombing them and their women and children because we think they aren't sufficiently obedient to us. Bring our troops home, and get us OUT of the Middle East!

Neutral

The US should be neutral and let Israel decide their own internal policy - and reap the benefits or the damages resulting from their policy.. It is not our place to be involved. Stop spending our tax dollars on this. If people want to donate, fine, let them, but remove the force of taxation from the equation.

Neutral

The United States should butt out. The Constitution gives the federal government no role in immigration: it is a matter for states to determine. The only role of the federal government is in naturalization.

My ancestors came by way of England in 1625 - but in fact, they were religious refugees from France, which they'd fled during the Wars of Religion. Protestants were persecuted, even killed, in Catholic France in the 16th century. If someone is coming to seek personal or religious freedom, our arms should be wide open. A lot of the time, people complain to me that immigrants come here to exploit our social welfare system. That's true - but then, let's fix the social welfare system, not blame people who see money being handed out and decide to get in the line.

Strongly Agree

Fund students, not systems. Choice solves SO many problems. Charter schools, home schools, unschooling - I wish there had been so many options when I was young. I support choice wholeheartedly.

Agree

Neutral

Perhaps, but only as it pertains to government actions. And I'd like there to be far fewer government actions.

Neutral

Any individuals ought to be able to live as they choose, so long as they are not causing harm to anyone else. I'd rather abolish marriage licensing - one of the stupidest taxes EVER - and replace it with private contracts, which could include a marriage license from a church. That's how it worked in the US prior to the Civil War.

Disagree

Our institutions are not totally exempt from it, because they are run by people, and some people are racist. Many people desire to control other people, which can appear racist but is really simply about power and influence.

"Treat others as you would like others to treat you." It is how I attempt to live. It is how government should operate, as much as possible - but of course that would require repealing a LOT of laws. I believe that if your actions don't align with your words, your words are meaningless.

Agree

I will defer to those with better information about cybersecurity to fill in the details. But it seems we could have some outside verification and the transparency that would come from that, as an absolute minimum. Being told that everything is OK and we should not be concerned only makes us more suspicious. When the law calls for a recount, it should be a full hand recount with both partial and impartial observers. If we cannot make voting by mail more secure, I am not opposed to returning to voting only in person, on election day. However, I appreciate that the vote by mail system has resulted in far more people taking the time to research candidates before casting their vote, and that is a huge benefit - but only if we believe in the accuracy of our vote counts. On a related note, I seek to reform Utah's filing fee system, which is exorbitantly expensive and work to discourage competition against incumbents. It should not be prohibitively expensive to be a candidate, before you've done anything but announce.

No. It can be a localized threat of confrontation.

Disagree

Generally speaking, no. There may be individual cases here and there where compensation is appropriate, such as the recent case in California where a black family was compensated for beachfront property taken from them in the 1940s by eminent domain, without any compensation at the time. Similar white property owners had been paid for their property.

A

Neutral

Not really my area of science. We've done enough of it, I think we can reasonably look at what has worked and what hasn't, and what impacts there have been where it has been done. Maybe it's fine in some places and not so fine in others. Should that be a surprise? Why be absolute about it?

To facilitate protection of our life, liberty and property. To provide a justice system to litigate disputes. That's about it.

Moderate

I hate both of those words, conservative and liberal, because both of them are used to justify big government programs. I consistently stand for a minimally intrusive government, minding its own business. That often appears to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal, but what it really is, is non-interventionist. The vertical axis - control vs freedom - is more important than left vs right.

I am currently Chair of the Utah Libertarian Party. I have previously been a candidate for public office, multiple times. My record is extensive and quite consistent. You can read my national party's platform at lp.org/platform - you won't find much disagreement here, although perhaps some occasional nuance. I will be publishing interviews and any other media to my Facebook page, and the Facebook feed can also be found on my website. If you live within the 28th Senate district, email me or call me and ask me anything. Invite your neighbors over and ask me to come and answer questions! I'll do it anytime that it can be scheduled.

No.

“There is no such thing as government money: there is only taxpayer money.” That’s an adage that will guide everything that I do as your state senator. Utah’s taxes are too high, its readiness to spend your tax dollars on things you would not choose to pay for too common. I will fight to reduce the footprint of government on the lives of you, your family, and your neighbors. I will vote to eliminate the grocery tax. I will move to reduce ALL spending. I will vote to offer school choice to every student in Utah. I will work to make everyone confident that our elections are fair and accurate. I will vote to repeal SB 54. I will vote to expand your freedom to produce and sell food, clothing, and anything else you may produce. I will consistently stand for you making your own medical choices. I will fight for inexpensive and easy access to whatever medications you choose. And when necessary, I will introduce legislation to achieve those goals. I believe in a society based on cooperation and voluntary interaction. I believe that YOU know what is best for you and your loved ones, far more so than any bureaucrat ever could. I will be the fighter for freedom that Utah desperately needs in the state senate. Give me one term, and see what can happen!

Strongly Disagree

There should be NO class of citizens who are exempt from the law.

Agree

The evidence is conclusive - this redirection of funds reduces the number of violent confrontations involving police. Everyone benefits.

None. One thing we could do is to bring firearms training and safety back into our high schools. Our students in Utah want that option, and we are not offering it.

Disagree

No, unless there is clear negligence involved.