Once again, I have been asked by ProCon.org to respond to a list of questions for inclusion in their 2008 Presidential Website.

Character - Is competence more important than honesty in a President?

No, they are equally important and must come together. A leader must be both competent and honest in order to properly lead and I do not believe anyone can be an effective leader without both characteristics.

China - Should the U.S. impose economic sanctions on China as an incentive to improve its human rights policies?

No. The only way to improve the human rights of others is through constructive engagement and that includes trade. As we continue to do business with China and other nations with poor human rights records, the people of those nations will see a continued increase in their standard of living which will allow them to demand an improvement in their rights.

Taken another way, how would we react if Europe decided to impose economic sanctions against the United States because we still have the death penalty, something they strongly believe is a violation of human rights?

Economy - Is outsourcing jobs to other countries good for America?

It depends on the jobs and what we do, as a country, to help the displaced workers find jobs better suited to our economy. If we are going to allow the outsourcing of jobs, as a free economy must, then we must also provide for the retraining of those workers so they are not left behind economically.

Education - Has the No Child Left Behind Act been effective at
improving public education?

I don't believe so. A one size fits all approach to education will never work in a country as diverse as ours. All it has accomplished is the establishment of another bureaucracy and a system that now does its best to teach to the test so that they look good. Whether or not the children truly learn anything is irrelevant, as long as they do well on the "test".

Immigration - Are illegal immigrants a net gain to the U.S. economy?

Not in the numbers we have been forced to try and assimilate into our economy over the last several years. Yes, most of them are productive people who hold down jobs and some even pay taxes, but they take far more out of the economy through burdens on our schools, hospitals and other governmental agencies and programs on an annual basis than they contribute.

Immigration - Should illegal aliens receive any of the rights or benefits that lawful permanent residents enjoy?

Yes and no. They should receive some of the rights, but very few of the benefits. For example, they should receive the same rights as everyone else in a criminal action, but they should not receive the benefits of welfare or other social programs.

Iraq - Was it a mistake to attack Iraq in 2003?

Yes, the Iraq war was started based on faulty intelligence and should never have occurred. Although Sadam deserved to die for the things he had allowed to occur and ordered to occur in his country, Iraq was not a direct threat to our country and should not have been invaded.

Israel - Should Israel continue to receive the current level of military and economic aid from the U.S.?

Military aid, yes; economic aid, no. Israel has an extremely strong and vibrant economy and should be able to stand on their own economically without economic aid from us. The economic aid being provided to Israel can be put too much better uses in other parts of the world where it is more desperately needed.

Medical Marijuana - Should the federal government stop arresting people for using medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana use is legal?

Yes, it absolutely ridiculous that the Federal Government is involved in meddling in the lives of people with fatal and often very painful diseases who are only following the advice of their doctors and the rules of the states in which they live. That is why there is supposed to be a separation of powers between the state and Federal governments and a prime example of why the Federal government needs to be reined in.

National Service - Should openly gay people be allowed to serve in the U.S. military?

Yes, people are people and should be allowed equal, but not preferential, treatment under all laws and in all circumstances. However, there should never be a category of gay rights. Everyone should just have the same rights

Frank McEnulty
2008 Independent Presidential Candidate