Murray Sabrin

Defense / Veterans

The purpose of the U.S. military should be to protect and defend the United States, not regime change, nation building, disaster relief, spreading democracy, enforcing UN resolutions, taking sides in civil wars, maintaining no-fly zones, invading countries, occupying countries, peacekeeping, providing security, distributing humanitarian aid, rebuilding infrastructure, training armies, or, most recently, fighting Ebola. Learn more

Drug Policy

It has also disproportionally affected minorities in low income communities, increasing racial tensions in America. Most tragically, the drug war has worsened the opioid crisis in America. The leading cause of drug deaths is drug prohibition. Learn more

My plan to win the War on Drugs is simple: End It. The federal government launched the War on Drugs in an effort to curtail people from using illegal substances. If anything, it has had the opposite effect. Learn more

Big Pharma has a huge impact on the frequency with which American doctors prescribe pain medications and the quantities they prescribe, which creates perverse incentives for doctors to overprescribe opioid medication to patients. Doctors are the gatekeepers, so they need to be more judicious in prescribing pain medication. We also need to open up the market for alternative practitioners, such as acupuncturists and naturopaths, by removing occupational licensure requirements, so that they may help patients manage pain without opioids in the first place or help those already addicted to quit. This is crucial to reducing opioid dependency. Learn more

Addicted opioid users often turn to crime to support their habits, which leads to permanent criminal records that prevent future employment, causing subsequent recidivism. I will address this vicious cycle of hopelessness by pushing for criminal justice reform to help break the cycle. Learn more

My strategy of “local problems, local solutions” will allow local community nonprofits that specialize in psychological counseling and substance abuse to provide the essential treatment addicts need. Treating addiction as an illness, and dealing with users’ underlying issues, is a better and more cost effective method than jailing them, especially where nonviolent drug offenders are involved. Learn more

My plan of action is to follow the model of Portugal. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all drugs and today overdose deaths now only account for 3 deaths per million people. Drug mortality rates are the lowest in Western Europe, and heroin use has dropped 75% since they ended their war on drugs. Ending the drug war will mean that those who wish to obtain drugs will at least know what substance they are obtaining and its level of potency, and will be less inclined to use indeterminate street drugs and synthetic substitutes Learn more

I favor the legalization of marijuana. The DEA’s drug scheduling system categorizes marijuana as a Schedule 1 My plan to win the War on Drugs is simple: End It. Learn more

Economy

President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on foreign producers of steel and aluminum constitutes an attack on foreign workers, but it will inevitably cause economic harm to American workers too. Not only will it make foreign products more expensive here, but foreign nations are likely to retaliate with tariffs of their own, making American goods less competitive in those countries and endangering the very jobs the tariffs were ostensibly imposed to protect! I oppose President Trump’s misguided protectionism. It is nonsensical that he relishes the idea of “trade wars,” and actually thinks that we can win them. Learn more

Trade – both domestic and international– is the lifeblood of civilization. Trade, both within our country and across its borders, increases consumer choices. In addition, under open trade conditions, businesses can purchase resources and components more economically so they can keep their costs down and thus make their products more affordable for consumers. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Green energy has the potential to be a great economic boon, both by creating jobs in that sector, as well as by providing energy that can reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. But, for the time being, traditional energy sources are vital to our everyday lives. The government should not choose winners and losers in any economic sector. Learn more

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) are certainly a concern of mine, but I reject the premise that the government needs to regulate them. Learn more

Environmentalism makes sense only insofar as it promotes a healthy environment for human beings to live in. Accordingly, I would relax regulations that preserve nature for its own sake, while reviewing and refining those that have merit. I would ask about each regulation: does it conserve our food sources, maintain habitability of developed land, or have other beneficial impacts on people? Learn more

Currently, the nation’s environmental policy is characterized by over-regulation, inefficiency, and cronyism.  Our statutes do not always follow from science, some valid laws lack enforcement provisions, and the extensive rule-making process invites special interests to involve themselves in lawmaking, to the detriment of the free market. I would refocus environmental law enforcement on those instances where an industrial facility or other polluter directly contaminates air, water, or soil on some other private or public property, which is a form of trespass and a violation of property rights.  Punitive fines, paid to the government, have proven ineffective as a deterrent to illegal pollution.  The consequences should instead be specific and targeted, geared towards remediation of actual damage caused, so that the wronged parties are made whole. Learn more

Foreign Policy

President Trump has taken US/Cuban relations backwards. Last year he announced restrictions on travel and business dealings between Americans and the Cuban people. Instead, of heeding the wisdom of our Founders, the President is kowtowing to American politicians and Cuban-American interests who want to maintain a hard line against the dictatorial Cuban government. Learn more

A noninterventionist foreign policy is not only the policy of our country’s founders, it is a sane, moral, and common-sense policy as well. It is not the job of the United States to be the policeman, fireman, mediator, or social worker of the world. Learn more

Government Reform

I have no ties to special interests. I have no elitist money backers. No one is pulling my strings. In Washington, I will focus on eliminating these onerous regulations that restrict personal choice and undermine our economy. I want more doctors, cheaper drugs and less government control over what we can buy and have in our own homes. I will never support a bill that makes regulations more burdensome and I will introduce bills to eliminate laws that unnecessarily burden our economy and lead to a lower standard of living for the average person. Learn more

Private companies and entrepreneurs should be able to make their profits based on the value they create for society, not through government granted privileges and special favors. This cronyism or corporate welfare only results in less innovation and low economic growth. Learn more

Guns

More gun control is a potentially very dangerous direction to take. There have been countless episodes of democide (murder by government) that was preceded by confiscation of weapons. Learn more

I fully support our right to self defense, in fact I believe in the entire bill of rights, and if elected will work to restore these rights to the American people. More gun control will only make us less secure. Learn more

Healthcare

I propose deregulating healthcare to facilitate innovation and competition among hospitals and medical practices in both quality of care and pricing, with the goal of achieving better health outcomes for more people. I also advocate complete transparency so patients are not hit with “out of network” or “not covered” charges after the fact. Learn more

Immigration

Children without documents, who were brought here by their parents, the Dreamers, should not be penalized for the actions of their parents. They should be allowed to become naturalized citizens as if they were originally documented. That said, for the small percentage of undocumented immigrants who are convicted of or plead guilty to serious crimes, the penalty should be expulsion. Learn more

I would allow those who are undocumented, who came here as adults, and have not committed serious crimes while in this country, to apply for permanent resident status but not citizenship. Learn more

Tearing families apart, expelling some members and letting others stay, is not what America is about. However, those who flaunt our laws should not be rewarded for it and jumped to the head of the line ahead of those waiting in other countries for permission to come here or those who came here following proper legal procedures, as my parents did. Learn more

I oppose government assistance payments to non-citizens. Their assistance, as they try to become established here, should come from family or friends acting as their sponsors, as well as private charities. Learn more

We must reform our immigration laws in a comprehensive manner which enables us to enforce our borders, but also allows for immigration by those who are eager to embrace our values and obey our laws. As they improve life for themselves and their families, they will also contribute to our country’s vitality, as millions of immigrants have done throughout our history. Learn more

Social Services

I propose that the millennial generation be given the choice to opt out of Social Security and Medicare so they may enroll in other plans to assure retirement income and medical care instead of relying on unsustainable federal programs. This is consistent with my goal of fostering an America where the people are financially independent and not relying on government programs for their current and future needs. In addition, Medicaid can be phased out over several years as the American people support the creation of nonprofit health centers in their communities, which could be given an enormous boost from multi-billion dollar foundations and individual philanthropists, many of whom have stated their desire to improve the lives of low-income families. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

The changes we need are straightforward. Spending across the board must be reduced. Let’s start with foreign aid. Charity begins at home. If the American people want to support foreign governments they should be free to contribute to their ancestral homelands or to any country they wish. Better yet, they could contribute to NGOs (non-governmental organizations)in those countries to finance work they deem important. Our military budget should be reduced to the level that provides real defense of America without fighting undeclared and unnecessary wars around the world. American troops should be brought home from the hundreds of foreign military bases, which would save tens of billions of dollars annually. Learn more

I contend there should be no tax on any American’s income in the first place. If the federal government would limit its role to what is mandated in the Constitution, it could be funded by existing excise taxes, rents paid for use of government property, and other sources of federal income, with no federal income tax! Learn more