Sarvis addresses students

Libertarian Senate Candidate discusses social, economic policy by Will Marshall | Oct 02 2014 | 10/02/14 1:52am

Libertarian Virginia Senate candidate Robert Sarvis spoke at a Students for Individual Liberty event at Clark Hall Wednesday, outlining his platform in the upcoming midterm election.

The Annandale native broke into the spotlight when he ran as a third-party candidate in last years Virginia gubernatorial election, defining his brand of libertarianism as a best of both worlds, striking a balance between what he considers the Republican and Democratic parties best policies.

Generally speaking, Sarvis said he identifies with the rights fiscal policies and the lefts social policies.

Sarvis began his political career as a GOP candidate running for state Senate, eventually dropping his Republican affiliation and taking up the Libertarian mantle.

After I ran in 2012 as a libertarian Republican, I learned that the GOP is not a good vehicle for liberty candidates, Sarvis said. They are hypocritical on economic issues and strident on social issues. I feel like the two-party system is broken. I could have run as an independant, but thats not leaving behind something that outlasts you.

Sarvis emphasized what he considers the most urgent issues libertarian candidates need to address the dwelling on the long, costly drug war, which he blames for saddling the nation with excess expenditures in the last 50 years.

Thanks to the drug war, we have millions in prison the highest incarceration rate in the world, Sarvis said. A third of those are for nonviolent crimes, which, a) costs money, and b) is wasted human potential.

Other issues topping his list of priorities included reforming certain entitlement programs and deregulating areas where he believes the free market would be a more effective solution.

Obamacare is a problem but weve also had 100 years of misregulation of the health care system by both major parties, Sarvis said.

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Sarvis addresses students