Libertarian, Green Party Senate Candidates Discuss Goals

Two candidates for the U.S. Senate discussed their platforms for office, which included topics such as the environment, federal government power, campaign money, immigration, the balanced budget and term limits.

Appearing on this week’s Talk Business & Politics TV program, Green Party U.S. Senate nominee Mark Swaney and Libertarian Senate nominee Nathan LaFrance were part of a roundtable discussion with KATV’s Scott Inman and Janelle Lilley.

LaFrance, who lives in Bella Vista, is a senior manager of energy strategy for Bentonville-based Wal-Mart, according to his web site. Swaney, a Huntsville resident, is a manager of intellectual property for the University of Arkansas, according to his statement of financial interest.

Swaney said climate change was his and his party’s No. 1 issue. Swaney supports a carbon tax on businesses and individuals.

“I think that the carbon tax would be set up in a way that there would be rebates. So that on a sliding scale, the lower end of the income scale would get rebates that would probably more than make up for the extra costs of their carbon usage,” Swaney said. “Of course, people on the lower end of the income scale tend not to use much carbon anyway, but we don’t want to impact them because they’re already struggling to survive on small incomes. But as you go up the income bracket, the rebates would decline.”

Swaney said he doesn’t favor a carbon tax that is revenue-neutral. He wants to make it revenue-positive in order to generate more money to address climate change problems.

LaFrance said his party’s platform expresses concern with the federal government’s growing powers, many of which he believes are at odds with the U.S. Constitution. LaFrance said he believes for decades there has been an erosion of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches and seizures.

“Well, the Fourth Amendment is just one of the prime examples of what the major parties have done for the last few decades, several decades. That is the accumulation of power in government over various areas of the country,” LaFrance said. “Whether it’s personal issues, economic issues, privacy issues. Both major parties today seek additional power because that additional power and control equals more money, and more money for campaigns.”

LaFrance said the Obama administration and the federal government need to be held more accountable for breaches of personal freedom by intelligence agencies and other surveillance programs.

Swaney and LaFrance will be on the ballot facing Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor and Republican challenger Cong. Tom Cotton.

You can watch their on-air and extended online interview in the video below.