Libertarian runs for Congress

By ASHLEY TOMPKINS - Tribune City Editor
Wednesday, January 9, 2008 11:33 AM CST

Fred Annett, a candidate in the District 4 U.S. representative race, is wasting no time in voicing his stance on issues he’s sure will face the country during the next four years.

Annett, 46, of Paris faces no opposition in the Libertarian primary in March. The disabled veteran retired from the Army in 2005 after 21 years of service.

The war in Iraq, which Annett vehemently opposes, is a leading issue for voters, he noted.

"We need to get out of Iraq as soon as possible," he said. "This is the wrong war. The right war was Afghanistan. I supported troops going there. Osama bin Laden was in Afghanistan, not Iraq."

He questioned how long it takes to train Iraqi forces to take over. Years after tearing up the country, while promising them the moon, Annett said the country is still in shambles.

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"The war is costing us $10 billion a month, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are going to cost us at least $2.4 trillion during the next decade," said Annett, who is currently completing his degree in criminal justice.

"In the past, America funded deficits by drawing on Social Security trust fund surpluses, but now we are borrowing more and more from foreign sources to make up for the shortfalls."

He noted before President Bush was elected to office in 2000, the country had a $4 trillion surplus, as opposed to the $10 trillion deficit the country faces today.

While he favors having little to no taxes, Annett said raising taxes is the only way to pay off the country’s war debt.

"No one wants to pay more taxes, but it’s the only option we have," he said. "Someone in Washington needs to be held accountable for where the 14 trillion dollars went. This is our money that you and I worked hard for. We paid our taxes. Our children and our grandchildren will be forced to pay off this debt. I don’t want to leave that kind of a legacy."

Instead of pumping trillions of dollars into the war, Annett said some of that money should have gone towards health care n which he believes should be made available to every American, especially children.

"We live in the richest country on earth," he said. "Everyone should have health care. Bush vetoed that $35 billion health care bill that was geared towards kids. I don’t know how he sleeps at night. I wouldn’t be able to."

Annett admits his stance on some issues may not favor with voters, but he clings to the fact that at least he’s being honest. With many candidates sidestepping tough questions in hopes of not alienating potential voters, Annett, a former drug and alcohol abuser, said he’s laying it all on the table.

"I’ve got nine tattoos and I ride a Harley," he said. "I smoked marijuana, and unlike President Clinton, I did inhale. I put all this out there for anyone who wants to make a big deal out of it. It’s better to be honest."

Annett stopped drinking about five years ago, and stopped smoking marijuana when he was 19. He now encourages others to be drug free.

"A lot of the candidates don’t want to put off voters so they’ll tell you what you want to hear," Annett said. "I’m coming clean. I have no skeletons to hide."

The candidate’s campaign is nothing but grassroots. He has not, and does not plan to, accept any campaign contributions. Instead, he’s using money from his own pockets, which he stressed do not run deep.

Annette supports three-party and four-party system and vowed to work with Republicans and Democrats, if elected, to help move America forward.

Among his top priorities is bringing back manufacturing jobs.

"We don’t make anything anymore," he said. "We have outsourced valuable jobs to foreign countries and this has to stop. We import more goods than we export. We are setting ourselves up for another depression or a serious recession."

On the topic of jobs, Annett argued that "our friends" south of the border are not taking jobs away from a vast number of Americans, but instead are working as day laborers and migrant workers.

"Let’s get real. They are not taking high-tech positions from any of us," he said. He proposes to have immigrants register before entering the country and establishing a partnership with the Mexican government to run background checks on those wanting to enter.

"And no one’s even mentioned erecting a fence with our neighbors to the north, Canadians," Annett said.

One other issue Annett weighed in on is gay marriage.

"I could care less if gays get married. There are so many more problems in this country...let them get married. If they love each other, then so be it," he said.

The Libertarian is also against gun control, and supports the death penalty, pro-choice, and stem cell research. He lost his father and uncle to Muscular Dystrophy.