Libertarians hope national, state campaigns will spotlight party ideas

As the race for the Statehouse heats up, one candidate is more concerned with raising issues than winning his election.\nLibertarian gubernatorial candidate Ken Gividen plans to make an impact on the polls with his party's strategy to cut down the state's bureaucracy.\nGividen said although he may not win the race, he hopes this election will add prominence to the party.\nBrad Klopfenstein, executive director of the Indiana Libertarian Party, said this election holds a lot of expectations for his party as new members join every day.\n"A lot of people get disillusioned with the partisan politics and want a change," he said. "We draw pretty equally from both parties. A lot of liberals like us because of our social policies while a lot of conservatives are drawn to our fiscal policies."\nKlopfenstein said two years ago the party received 4 percent of the vote and hopes to eventually reach 10 percent of voters.\nThe basic idea behind the Libertarian Party is to follow a strict interpretation of the Constitution, which means a smaller government and more freedom for everyone, according to the party's Web site. Some general party issues include eliminating departments of the government, decriminalizing marijuana and prostitution, and abolishing gun laws.\nKlopfenstein said the party has gotten excited about several races across the state, including county commissioner races and of course, the race for governor.\nGividen, alongside candidate for lieutenant governor Elaine Badnarik, said he plans to separate himself from Republican Mitch Daniels and Gov. Joe Kernan with issues that should resonate with voters.\n"If you really look at it, Daniels and Kernan are pretty much the same," Gividen said. "They both don't want to get rid of property taxes. They both are for the I-69 plan."\nGividen said he differs from the other candidates because he feels property taxes should be eliminated.\n"I know people that are paying $1,000 a month for property taxes. You shouldn't have to pay rent on a home you own," he said.\nGividen said one way to get rid of property taxes would be to turn every school in Indiana into charter schools. Without the added bureaucracy of school boards and educational departments, private schools are able to educate students for $4,500 a year compared to $8,500 a year for public schools. Gividen said all of the school leaders could be elected locally and all of the students in each district would be given vouchers from the state government.\nAnother plan to cut down taxes would be to eliminate unnecessary departments of government, Gividen said.\n"We have way too many government buildings downtown," he said. "I mean, everybody loves a good building, but we don't need all of these departments."\nGividen also said he thinks that the I-69 extension is a good idea, but an unnecessary waste of funds. He said the construction could be paid for with an express lane on the highway where drivers could go 80 mph if they pay a toll. \nHe said the toll would provide added funds and the speedy drive could make Indiana an attractive route for nationwide business.\nGividen will be attending a anti-I-69 rally Sept. 4 in Bloomington. \nGividen said Daniels and Kernan are also very similar in their personal lives. \nHe noted a recent scandal where it was reported that Daniels was busted for possession of marijuana while at Yale and Kernan admitted to smoking pot a couple times in the 1960s. \n"The Democrats tried to bring up Daniels' arrest to make a difference between the candidates and they're still the same," he said.\nThat's another issue where Gividen differs from the other two -- he's never tried marijuana, cigarettes or even alcohol.\n"Not that it matters, but a lot of people think it's ironic that the Libertarian candidate is the only one who hasn't smoked pot," he said.\nEven though he believes people should be free to use any of these items, he has stuck to his Baptist beliefs.\nBadnarik said the similarities between these candidates will turn off a lot of voters, but they choose to pick between the lesser of two evils.\n"Most people I talk to don't even know there is a third party," she said. "It seems that we have a one-party system, especially in Indiana."\nShe said because of the way district lines are drawn most races aren't competitive.\n"The people of Indiana need to know they have choices," she said. "And I think if more people knew about the Libertarian Party they'd find out that they agree with us. We just need more voices because that's how democracy works the best."\n-- Contact Weekend editor Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu.