Danny Malouf, U.S. Senate Libertarian nominee profile

Candidate profile

Danny Malouf

Running for:U.S. Senate

Political party affiliation:Libertarian

Political/civic background:Volunteer Youth Wrestling Coach

Occupation:Human Resources Manager

Education:B.S. Accountancy

Campaign website:www.danny2020.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/dannymalouf2020

Twitter:@dannymalouf2020

Instagram:@dannymalouf2020

YouTube:https://m.youtube.com/user/dsmalouf

The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent the nominees for U.S. Senate a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois and the country. Danny Malouf submitted the following responses:

Are you satisfied with the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Why or why not? What grade would you give President Donald Trump for his handling of the pandemic, and why?

No, I am not satisfied because instead of getting out of the way, the federal government continued to inhibit the free market’s response to the pandemic – leading to shortages of personal protective equipment, sanitization products, and testing capabilities. The Trump administration receives a ‘D’ grade from the Malouf campaign because of his signature on H.R. 6201, Executive Order 13909, Executive Order 13910, and the $2.3 trillion bailout bill (CARES Act). These are all examples of making the government even bigger and digging future generations deeper into debt, and we’ve become less free as a result. We don’t need one-size-fits-all solutions out of Washington, instead we need to localize decision making as close to the individual as possible.

What should the federal government do to stimulate economic recovery from the pandemic shutdowns?

The federal government should get out of the way because the only money they can spend is money that they must first steal from taxpayers or print it with the help of the Federal Reserve. We need to consider the inflationary and unintended consequences of bailouts and stimulus. Also, there is no Constitutional authority for the federal government to “stimulate” the economy or to bailout big banks and businesses, and by doing so they harm the future generations of America with greater debt burdens. The role of the federal government Isn’t to take care of us from cradle to grave, it’s simply to protect and secure our liberty.

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, President Trump signed an executive order on police reform. It calls for the creation of a database to track police officers with multiple instances of misconduct, federal grants to encourage police departments to meet higher certification standards on use of force, and the greater involvement of social workers and mental health professionals when the police respond to calls dealing with homelessness, mental illness and addiction. The order also calls for police departments to ban the use of chokeholds except when an officer feels his or her life is endangered. Will this be enough to address concerns about police brutality? If not, what other steps should be taken?

No, it won’t be enough. If you want to address police brutality, you need to start by ending the war on drugs, ending qualified immunity, ending civil asset forfeiture, ending the militarization of police forces, ending no knock raids, and ending minimum sentencing for victimless crimes.

Also in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the House passed the Justice in Policing Act, which would ban police departments from using chokeholds, develop a national standard for use of force, limit the transfer of military weapons to police departments, define lynching as a federal hate crime, establish a national police misconduct registry, and limit qualified immunity, which protects officers from lawsuits over alleged misconduct. Do you support this legislation? Why or why not? What other steps, if any, would you like to see the federal government take on police reform?

Perhaps parts of it; however, it won’t be enough. If you want to address police brutality, you need to start by ending the war on drugs, ending qualified immunity, ending civil asset forfeiture, ending the militarization of police forces, ending no knock raids, and ending minimum sentencing for victimless crimes.

What’s your view on President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of Roger Stone?

I’m okay with it. This was all a bunch of political theater compliments of the media and the political elite establishment. Just watch footage of the arrest of Roger Stone and you’ll notice the coordination between federal authorities (FBI) and the media (CNN). It’s just a political circus that takes viewership away from the failed two-party system that puts special interests before the Constitution, that steals 20-50% of the money we earn, that has created the most imprisoned population in the world, that spies on its own citizens, that engages in endless wars, that has inflated away the value of our money, and that has wastefully accumulated a $26 trillion national debt.

Please tell us about your civic work in the last two years, whether it’s legislation you have sponsored or other paid or volunteer work to improve your community.

I am a political outsider and the entirety of my career has been in the private sector. I am a volunteer youth wrestling coach for the kids club I grew up wrestling for before entering high school. Wrestling is one of the hardest sports in the world and teaches a level of discipline, accountability, and independence unmatched by other sports. Whether it’s wrestling or any other sport though, I don’t think many athletes, at least not the high achievers, favor socialist or big government policies. In sports, especially wrestling, you learn about accountability and hard work, realizing that not everyone gets a trophy. And if you want a trophy, you better earn it. The same lesson applies in the real world.

What are your views on the decision by the U.S. House to impeach President Donald Trump? Was the impeachment process fair or not? How so? If, in your view, the president should not have been impeached, would you have supported censure? Please explain.

It was the culmination of a three year witch hunt that began with a sitting President, Barack Obama, spying on candidate Trump. If I were going to push for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, it wouldn’t be for some fabricated and unfounded claims from intelligence officials and agencies who lie for a living, it would be for reasons similar to why I would have wanted to impeach former Presidents Barack Obama, George Bush, and those before them, for endless war, sanctions, domestic spying programs, and other executive overreach.

How would you reduce the federal budget deficit, which now stands at about $1 trillion for 2020? What changes, if any, to the U.S. tax code do you support and why?

Stop the spending and unleash the power of the free market! We should return federal spending to pre-2010 levels and freeze spending for 5 years while maintaining our promises to seniors and veterans. When it comes to changes to the U.S. tax code, I would prefer a zero percent flat tax and to abolish the IRS. For over a hundred years this country thrived without an income tax or the Federal Reserve. It wasn’t until 1913 that these institutions were founded, and since then our currency has lost over 97% of it’s value and we are $26 trillion in debt. I would support a bill requiring a balanced budget.

What changes would you like to see made to our nation’s healthcare system? Would you shore up the Affordable Care Act or work to repeal it in full? What’s your view on Medicare for All? And what should be done, if anything, to bring down the cost of prescription drugs?

I believe we should repeal the ACA and I oppose Medicare for all. In order to have more affordable and available healthcare, I believe we should work towards removing the government entirely from the picture, starting with the overregulation and the lobbyists. Government has been intervening in the healthcare markets for over 50 years and what do they have to show for all that interference and the trillions of dollars spent? We shouldn’t reward government failures by giving the government more money and power. It’s time we unleash the power of the free market in order to reduce costs and create an abundance of care.

Do you support or oppose DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and why? Should a path to citizenship be created for the so-called DREAMers? Please explain.

While I oppose Barack Obama’s Executive Order circumventing Congress to allow people to stay in the country, I do approve of the concept. I am not for amnesty, but we need to consider our worker shortage, the concept of free markets, and the ideals of individualism and private property when considering if we should allow more or less people in the United States. Meanwhile, we should work towards dismantling the taxpayer-funded subsidies and incentives that may attract people to come here for the wrong reasons.

What are the three most important issues in your district on which the federal government can and should act?

I believe the three most important issues for my state and the country are: Bringing the troops home, auditing the Federal Reserve, ending domestic spying programs like the PATRIOT Act and FISA. We also need to end the federal war on drugs and all taxpayer-funded foreign aid.

What is the biggest difference between you and your opponent(s)?

I am the only candidate who will uphold their oath of office, I am the only candidate under the age of 55, I am the only candidate opposed to any new taxes, and while the other four candidates are competing for who can best run your life, I am the only candidate willing to admit that I don’t know how to run your life, I don’t want to run your life, and the Constitution doesn’t permit me to run your life. Give peace and liberty a chance this November by voting Libertarian.

What action should Congress take, if any, to reduce gun violence?

Congress shouldn’t take any action because they don’t have the authority to do so. Even without the second amendment we still have the tenth amendment that reads: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Especially for women, the elderly, and the disabled, firearms provide equality in their ability to defend their lives.

Is climate change real? Is it significantly man-made? Is it a threat to humankind? What if anything should Congress and the federal government do about it?

I care about the environment, that’s why I don’t want the government in charge of the environment. Caring about the environment starts with individual responsibility and sacrifice – stop smoking, recycle, ride your bike more, stop consuming individually packaged goods, turn off your HVAC, plant a garden, etc. When it comes to high levels of pollution and waste, we need to rely on a court system with private property rights in mind rather than looking to politicians for answers.

What should Congress do to ensure the solvency of Social Security and Medicare?

What good are guaranteed social security benefits if the money you receive isn’t worth anything? In order to guarantee social security benefits for future generations, we need to start by minimizing the size of future liabilities. We should immediately offer a social security opt-out option and allow people to decide for themselves what they do with their own money.

What should Congress do to address the student loan crisis? Would you use the word “crisis”?

Under no circumstances should taxpayers fund the payment of student loans. The real “crisis” is the government’s role in creating the “crisis” in the first place. The reason university is so unaffordable is, similar to healthcare, due to government interference, such as subsidies and incentives. Government lends money and guarantees loans so kids can borrow more and “afford” higher prices. Because kids can afford higher prices, colleges can again increases their prices.

When colleges increase their prices the government then lends more so kids can afford it again, then colleges raise their prices again. And so on...

What should our nation’s relationship be with Russia?

Professional and respectful, and open to trade and dialogue. Russia is not any more of a problem for the United States than Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell are.

What’s your view on the use of tariffs in international commerce? Has President Trump imposed tariffs properly and effectively? Please explain.

Tariffs are a tax on the American consumer. While preferable to any form of income taxation, tariffs should be levied by Congress not the President, so I do not believe the Trump administration did this properly or effectively.

Does the United States have a responsibility to promote democracy in other countries? Please explain.

No, “promoting democracy” is not the role of the United States government. We should look within first, and recognize how far we’ve strayed from the intended role of government in this country.

What should Congress do to limit the proliferation of nuclear arms?

We should lead by example through peace and free trade with all nations.

Please list all relatives on public or campaign payrolls and their jobs on those payrolls.

My family is helping on a volunteer basis only.

What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.

Perhaps Ernest Hemingway, born in Oak Park, IL, who once said, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.”

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?

The Peter Schiff Show and anything playing on Mises.org ;)

Get to know the other U.S. Senate candidates from Illinois:

• David Black, Green Party
• Mark C. Curran Jr., Republican
• Richard J. Durbin, Democrat
• Willie Wilson, Willie Wilson Party