Senate candidate Q&A with Matt Waters
The Champion asked the same seven questions with the same 800-word limit to the candidates for the Senate seat. Election Day is November 6.
Q: How did you come to the decision to run for Senate?
A: Two reasons — the debt is big and getting bigger by the minute, and the two major parties don’t care about it. They keep spending our future into oblivion.
Q: How do you plan on working with other Congressional leaders who may sit on the opposite side of the aisle than you?
A: This is the fun part! There are multiple efforts to legalize freedom — from reining in the surveillance state to pushing back on mandatory minimum sentencing (both civil liberty issues/Left-Democrat) to eliminating the IRS and privatizing multiple agencies and departments (right of center battles).
Q: Why should college students vote? And why specifically a Liberty student?
A: The federal debt will be punishing to several future generations of Americans. This must be addressed. Or else. (And that means that things will be really, really bad — high taxes, few job opportunities, etc.) Unlike my (Republican) opponent, I would not make the Confederate flag or other symbols of the old South a rallying cry for my cause; I think that for the party of Lincoln to nominate someone who is essentially cementing the idea that the Emancipation Proclamation was a mistake, or that the Civil War was not about slavery, is a huge mistake. It sends all of the wrong signals to 20 percent of the population that is black in Virginia. I’m also pro-life. (I) worked in and for the pro-life movement for over 25 years, and I’m the only Baptist-Evangelical in the race! (I am) finishing a seminary degree at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Q: What is a personal belief you hold that grounds your political work?
A: The Declaration of Independence and (the) U.S. Constitution. Therein lies the Libertarian notion of the singular purpose of (government): to protect our right to life, liberty and property. If this is the sole reason (government) exists, then we must consider eliminating, privatizing, outsourcing and ending multiple agencies and departments.
Q. Why is the abolishment of ICE beneficial or detrimental to Virginia citizens?
A. ICE is one part of the current immigration debacle. ICE and the other agencies involved need to be reformed from the ground up.
Q. How would you attack the student debt crisis?
A. Get the federal government out of the loan business. This is what is driving up the cost of college education. Doing this will push colleges to reduce reliance upon student loans and get back to states supporting their own public education.
Q. If elected, what type of working relationship do you foresee having with the current White House administration?
A. Very good on foreign policy, as it relates to bringing the troops home; tough on spending, as the Trump (administration) added about $2 (trillion) to the debt in 18 months.