Nickolas Ciesielski
Libertarian | Pennsylvania
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Nickolas Ciesielski
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
Treasurer
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2014
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Libertarian Party of Westmoreland County, Chair
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
The general libertarian principal is that it is immoral to initiate force against peaceful people, and I believe this applies across the board. I also believe that it this is an issue solved through culture more than legislation and that as treasurer, I would have no role in any legislative process, so this question is irrelevant to the role of state treasurer.
Chemical abortion drugs should meet essential safety standards (such as in-person consultation with a medical doctor) and require reporting to gather evidence on reactions and outcomes.
Choose not to answer
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
Individuals should have the right to determine paths that are best for themselves, but "aid in dying" laws have been abused in countries with heavy government entanglement with healthcare systems to suggest that people's lives aren't worth prolonging.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
What is your position on the minimum wage?
The minimum wage is compulsory unemployment that prices out low skilled workers. It creates no jobs, only outlaws them. Workers and employers should be able to contract on whatever compensation terms they consent to.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
Public money should not be used to force compliance to arbitrary standards created by faceless bureaucrats. Where public money is invested, it should only be invested for responsible returns. Social engineering through politicized wealth transfer from tax payers to cronies should be ended.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
None. The right to freedom of religion as well as the freedom to assemble is engrained in the first amendment.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
All exchange and contracts should be voluntary. That includes the right to refuse service for any reason. If an individual or business chooses to deny service for a reprehensible reason, the individual or business will almost certainly lose customers and go out of business.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
Healthcare needs a free market, not the highly regulated, restricted market of our current system. Prices for services should be transparent and health insurance should be available on a transparent free market. There are great examples of transparent, free market options currently, like the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, that provide prices and come in cheaper than typical hospitals and healthcare. A variety of providers should be allowed to offer services through a variety of business models.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
None. It is your right to decide what goes into your body. No government institutions should ever force you to consume any product.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Disagree
The CCP faces many internal and external challenges which severely limit how big of a threat they can be. The best chance they have at staying in power is a confrontational US that they can point to as a threat to the Chinese people which wants to repeat the century of humiliation.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
No more important than the US relationship with any other country. The US should not be spending tax payer money to provide aid to Israel or any other country.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Agree
Before being concerned about spending more resources to militarize the southern border, we should first be concerned with ending the subsidization of immigration and ending the taxpayer funding of NGOs promoting mass immigration across the border, as well as ending the subsidization of securing other countries borders..
EDUCATION
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child through programs which protect parents' freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Agree
While the government is entangled in education, parents should have maximal choice in how their children are educated.
VALUES
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Agree
Parents should have the right to make decisions for their minor children.
Agree
As long as their decisions do not violate the natural rights of the child.
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Neutral
Government should not be in the business of defining or licensing marriage and individuals can enter into voluntary agreements with whatever terms they choose.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am on my own exploration of this topic, but I believe that the values I hold guide my political outlook in a moral way. One common phrase in libertarian circles is "Don't hurt people, and don't take their stuff." I believe this is generally a value most people hold but there is a blind spot for the government. This blind spot leads to the general belief that the government can operate outside of this principle for vague promises like "its for the greater good." But there is never a connection that if it is immoral for individuals to take an action, then it is still immoral if elected officials to pass a law to take that action.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
States should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which makes the Electoral College irrelevant.
Strongly Disagree
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No. Fearmongering about racism is far more of a threat to social cohesion than the tiny number of actual racists.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? (Select all that apply) A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. D) Climate change is real and requires urgent policy action.
A & C. Energy is the path to prosperity and focus should be on allowing abundant and reliable power to fuel the economy and innovation.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Nuclear power. Especially as newer, safer technologies like Thorium reactors begin to mature. Additionally, excess power can be used for energy hungry computer processes, like AI and bitcoin mining, which can be taken offline for peak consumer demand
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To uphold and defend the right's of its citizens.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Choose not to answer
Libertarian, plain and simple.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Disagree
I am not certain what community programs this question is potentially proposing, but as long as police are a government provided service, the answer to all of the normal complaints about police is not defunding to fund a bunch of other programs, but focusing on increased accountability, cutting back on the overcriminalization of everything and thus limiting the scope of police work to protecting people and property, and aligning incentives to ensure police are protecting and serving the taxpayer
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None. The public is safest when they can access the most effective tools of defense available.
Should teachers be allowed to carry guns at school?
Yes
Those entrusted with care of children should be able to protect them with effective tools.
