Fargo man seeks House seat as a Libertarian

May 25--In his first run for office of any kind, Fargo'sJack Seaman is seeking to break up what he sees as an ineffective, two-party gridlock in Congress.

Seaman will appear as a Libertarian candidate on June 10's primary election ballot, alongside Republican incumbent Kevin Cramer and Democratic challenger George Sinner, who are both also running unopposed.

The Libertarian party, the third largest in the country, prides itself on "maximum freedom, minimum government," according to its national platform. Libertarians staunchly defend the free market, and oppose the skyrocketing national debt and income taxation.

Two other Libertarians will appear on the ballot along with Seaman this year, despite having no elected officials from the party in the state. Roland Riemers is on the ballot for secretary of state and Anthony Mangnall for tax commissioner.

While Seaman views winning in November as a difficult goal, he said he has received "tremendous support" since he began his campaign last fall.

"If North Dakota would be so bold to support a Libertarian congressman, within two elections the political landscape in this country would be permanently changed," he said.

At primary elections in a non-presidential voting year, turnout averages about 40 percent, according to electoral reform non-profit FairVote. Seaman wants to galvanize disenchanted voters with his political stances.

"Sixty percent are so disinterested that they don't want to cast a ballot. Those are my people," Seaman said. "People say to me, 'I used to not vote and I used to not care, and now I care about you,' and I care about that."

- On the Federal Reserve: Seaman works as a precious metals dealer in Fargo, owning MinDak Gold Exchange.

His career aligns somewhat with his views on the Federal Reserve, the country's centralized banking system. He believes that it should be eliminated and money should be backed up by a gold or silver standard, rather than good faith.

The Reserve, which dictates monetary policy and addresses bank panics, is a "private banking cartel" that devalues currency and widens the inequality gap, Seaman said.

Seaman supporter Bret Weiland of Fargo endorsed this primary Libertarian belief.

"The Federal Reserve has always been about making money for those in power, never about the good of the country," Weiland said.

- On the Affordable Care Act: Seaman believes Obamacare should be repealed, in favor of a health care system that more closely resembles the free market.

"I'd like to decouple employer/employee relationship in health care," he said. "If there's a company in Florida that wants to sell you health insurance, you should be able to buy it."

Seaman supporter Marty Riske of Fargo said that Obamacare has opened the way for more disillusionment with government, possibly improving the Libertarian's chances.

- On the War on Drugs: The War on Drugs has wasted billions in taxpayer money and has incarcerated too many people, said Seaman.

He also thinks recreational marijuana use should be legalized nationwide, in addition to all other drugs being decriminalized

The candidate, however, said he is not pro-drug use, but the War on Drugs has been ineffective at curbing drugs from being sold illegally. More money should be spent on drug use prevention and rehabilitation, he said.

- On the national debt: Washington's "sacred cows" include Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, Seaman said. These programs should be reigned in, regardless of political consequence, to reduce the national debt of about $17.5 trillion, he said.

Financial aid to foreign countries and military presence abroad must also be harshly cut back, he believes.

- On taxes: Seaman favors entirely getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service, which he called an organization fraught with corruption.

Instead, he wants to institute FairTax, which would replace the federal income tax with a 23 percent consumption tax. People would receive "prebates" each month based on their income levels to offset inequalities.

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