A Libertarian candidate runs through area
By KURT NESBITT — Journal Staff WriterNEW ULM - Former Marine and Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Chuck Aldrich is on a mission; to visit the county seat of each Minnesota county to promote his candidacy before the general election on Nov. 4.
Aldrich came through New Ulm to introduce himself on Friday afternoon before heading off to Gaylord. He was in St. James earlier in the day.
Aldrich, 51, from Alden, makes electrical cable for aircraft at Aerospace in Blue Earth. He is a Wisconsin native and served for four years in the Marine Corps as an aviation electronic technician from 1976 to 1980 and won medals for good conduct and for being a part of the action in Iran in 1980.
Aldrich moved to Minnesota in 1994. He once ran for the state House of Representatives in Burnsville and then ran for a spot on the city council in New Prague. He almost got on the ballot for U.S. Senate in 2004 except he did not have enough signatures.
Now, Aldrich is on the ballot and is running alongside Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman for the state's other Senate seat.
The tour started in International Falls three weeks ago. Aldrich visited all the counties in northwestern Minnesota, followed by a similar visit to northeastern counties, which began in Grand Marais. He kicked off the third leg of his tour in Mille Lacs last weekend and has gone from Waseca to St. James so far this weekend.
Aldrich said he belongs to the Libertarian Party because its philosophies match his own views. He said he thinks Republicans "mislead people" and Democrats "seem real into making government a parent instead of a governing agent."
Aldrich call the Wall Street bailout "horrible".
"Government shouldn't be in charge of corporations. This is supposed to be a free market. If we can't fail, we can't prosper," he said.
He said he favors saving lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because "they're government agencies but I think we should divest and put them back into the free market."
Roads, according to Aldrich, need repair but the government is taking road taxes and putting them into projects such as light rail.
"Minneapolis had a trolley system and it was successful when it was under private operations, but then the city took control and it went under," he said. "Government has no incentive to be profitable because they can raise taxes."
Aldrich said he against subsidies for corn-based ethanol because of the energy loss that takes place during production. He said he thinks corn should be used for biodiesel instead. The leftovers from which are better for livestock than the leftovers from ethanol, which can cause infections in both animals and humans.
Aldrich also thinks the federal government should stop funding child support because 33 cents out of every $100 spent actually supports a child.
On the subject of the military, Aldrich said Congress has not given U.S. troops everything they need to accomplish their mission. He said troops sometimes have GPS systems without the maps needed to make them work and that the U.S. buys tires for military vehicles it no longer uses.
As a veteran, Aldrich said he was promised free healthcare for life in return for four years of service and he now has to have health insurance that requires co-payments and does not cover everything he needs.
He said the U.S. needs to leave Iraq as soon as possible.
"We had no business being there," he said. "They had nothing to attack us with."
On the Web: http://www.SenAldrich.org.
