Montana Public Radio is gathering information on all statewide general election candidates to publish as a resource for our audience. We asked all the statewide candidates to respond to the following questions via email, limiting their answers to 150 words per question. These are their unedited responses.
Lyman Bishop is the 2020 Libertarian candidate for governor.
What makes you the best candidate to be Montana’s next governor and how do you stand out from your opponent(s)?
I am the only candidate that is not a career politician and/or a billionaire. I am the only person currently running for this office that is, and can properly represent the common man.
States across the country are feeling health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. What role should the governor take over the coming year to slow the virus’ spread and repair the economy?
I have said from the beginning, asking people to stay home is one thing. Telling people they have to stay home is something else altogether. The same logic applies to any other precautionary measure. In the face of any threat, our liberties an individual rights must come first. If they do not then everything we have fought for and built over the last 200 years will be meaningless. If private businesses wish to establish various mandates that is their right. If individuals wish to disregard any precautionary measures, that is their right. The government has no place to make any mandates whatsoever. The much larger threat will be the results of the shut downs on our economy and the impacts of such actions on our citizens. I am not running for governor to tell people what to do, but rather to tell government what not to do.
What actions would you take or what issues would you prioritize that you believe haven’t been addressed by the current governor?
The pending collapse of our economy and the steady growth of tyranny and authoritarianism in our country is of the utmost importance and supersedes all other issues. If we cannot address these issues there will be nothing left for us to discuss.
What are your top three policy priorities that you would like to see passed during the 2021 legislative session?
My economic plan addresses every problem and issue that we face as a state and is the only thing we should be focused on if we want a solution that provides us the possibility of a healthy future.
What areas of state spending should be increased and what should be cut? Please provide specific policies, programs or agencies.
Property tax reform is critical. Too many families have lost legacy land holdings dude you are in effective an unjust property tax system. My economic plan addresses this, and every other economic concern, that we face, and is without question our only hope.
What changes, if any, do you believe Montana should make to the state’s tax system?
income tax was seen as an abomination to the founding fathers. In fact, many of the taxes that we the people pay, fall in the same category. We must eliminate ALL taxes and this can only be achieved through the implementation of my economic plan. The current state of our nation is flawed to the core. The idea that our people should be taxed while the federal reserve prints trillions of dollars and hands it out to big corporations is an affront to everything that our nation stands for.
What is the top health care issue Montanans are facing and how would you address it?
I cannot isolate any particular health care issue other than a faulty system in desperate need of overhaul. My economic plan addresses this as well.
What role, if any, should the governor of Montana take in reducing the effects of climate change?
None whatsoever. Our state constitution is sufficient in it’s requirement to respect the land and limit pollution.
What does "protecting public lands" mean to you and are there specific policies you would support to forward that vision?
Above all else, the idea of protecting public lands means keeping it out of private hands.
Do you support changing laws regarding access to abortions in Montana? What specific changes would you support and under what circumstances do you believe abortions should be legal?
As a Christian I am morally opposed to the idea of abortion. Especially late term abortion. I am however not running for governor so that I can tell people what to do but rather so I can tell government what not to do. We must each live our lives with fear and trembling with the understanding that we will be held accountable for everything we say and do.
Do you believe the current gubernatorial administration is transparent and accessible? What will your administration do to make sure your actions are transparent and accessible to the public and the press?
I do not believe that the current gubernatorial administration is transparent or accessible. Especially with regards to finances. My economic plan gives every citizen full access to and the ability to vote regarding every action we take as a state.
What other issues are important to your campaign?
We must reestablish and enforce all of our rights as originally written and intended without compromise or negotiation.
