In case you missed the earlier interview segments here are parts one and two.

For all Liberty Maven interviews check out the interview page.

LM: What do you feel are the best steps to take to solve the rather complicated illegal immigration problem in the United States?

Singh: There is no silver bullet to solve the illegal immigration problem. I believe we need a multi-faceted approach which starts by punishing companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers. This practice is the major incentive for most illegal immigrants to come to America in the first place. There is no doubt many companies in the US need employment surges during peak seasons and with a non-existent guest worker program they often rely on migrant workers. The US needs to implement a common sense guest worker program which requires immigrants to apply in their native countries and allows them to easily maintain their families abroad while being able to help the US economy with their labor. The guest worker program will also disincentivize immigrants from bringing their families to the US which are an additiona burden on our schools and hospitals.

Securing the borders through physical and technical means will likely slow down illegal immigration but will not end it and will cost an enormous amount. A better engineered solution for the borders is to shift most of the 100,000 troops in Europe and 60,000 troops in Asia into the National Guard and Border Patrol. Currently, the US only has 11,000 border patrol agents for both the Mexican and Canadian borders combined.

LM: Many of those running for office love to preach for a strong national defense. There are several different views on how to go about having a strong national defense. What is your view?

Singh: A strong national defense starts at home. The current military footprint in Europe (100,000 troops) and Asia (60,000 troops) is simply too expensive to maintain. I believe the British, French and Germans are quite capable at current to resolve any threats on their continent. The South Koreans are more than capable of handling a North Korean attack from a crumbling army. By reducing the military operations in areas they are no longer needed, the servicemen in the Middle East will be better supported since they will have more resources.

A more efficient Intelligence Community will also help diffuse conflicts prior to them happening. There are many improvements within the IC that I know personally can be made given my intimate experience with them over the past 10 years.

When our politicians get our servicemen in involved in conflicts which do not concern America we are distracted from our goal to protect the homeland. Conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Darfur, etc. are important items to address but the US must re-evaluate if it truly wants to subsidize the world by being its policeman.

LM: The recent fall from grace of Eliot Spitzer in New York has renewed the debate about so called victim-less crimes like prostitution. The other commonly labeled victim-less crime is drug possession. What are your thoughts on these types of crimes and how they should be prosecuted, if at all?

Singh: Harmful substances like marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol should be regulated at the state level. A one-size-fits-all federal policy does not address the diverse concerns and cultures across the entire nation. Trying to regulate virtue is an honorable undertaking but unfortunately will not work and will have unintended consequences.

During Prohibition, there was an explosion of organized crime which still plagues America today. Now we have developed a gang culture feeding off the War on Drugs which has glamorized bad behavior. Allowing local populations to set rules that are appropriate for their constituents is a much more effective way to handle the drug issue.

LM: George W. Bush has been accused of allowing his religion to interfere too deeply with his politics. Mike Huckabee ran on an almost theocratic platform. Romney was thought to have been adversely affected by the fact that he is a Mormon. What role will faith and/or religion play within your own candidacy, if any?

Singh: I do not think my faith will play an overt role in this election because we strive to focus on the issues more than anything else. Traditional Christian values such as respecting one’s self, helping our neighbors, and protecting the innocent are all values I was raised with and believe in as well. Upholding these values using our guiding principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedoms will enable citizens to take more control of their lives and help one another while making sure everyone is safer.

LM: The Fed has been lowering interest rates due to the economic slowdown. They’ve also helped bailout banks by purchasing $200 billion of bad loans. If you could sit down with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and discuss Federal Reserve Policy what are some things you would ask him (or tell him)?

Singh: I would ask him to resign. If he refused, I would ask him to stop providing corporate welfare to rich investors while hurting the middle and lower class in the country by devaluing the dollar by repetitive interest rate cuts. Then I would ask him to resign again.

Amit certainly doesn’t mince words when it comes to Bernanke. This completes the Liberty Maven interview with Amit Singh. For more information about Amit check out his website: Amit08.com. We are happy to enthusiastically endorse him for Congress.

LM: In one of your previous answers you mentioned supporting Congressional term limits. Would you sponsor legislation to implement the limits? Do you believe it requires a Constitutional amendment to implement them?

Singh: Yes, I would sponsor legislation to implement term limits because Congress members with seniority have a disproportional affect on those who never elected them. I would probably lean towards a Constitutional amendment only because the States are not incentivized to limit their legislators terms because as they gain seniority they are better able to get earmarks and other benefits for their districts and states.

Unfortunately the nature of politics has changed with special interest money which practically guarantees incumbents to win over and over. Realistically, I am pretty sure Congress would never vote to regulate themselves but I would still try.

LM: Many of your positions are similar to Presidential Candidate Ron Paul. Are there any areas where your positions differ from Paul’s? For instance, Paul has been criticized on earmarks.

Singh: I think Ron Paul has a very strong conservative platform and I agree with many of his stances on the issues. However I would take a more aggressive stance on the environment than he does. The government does have a role in protecting public property such as the air we breathe. I understand his position on private property and the ability to sue those who pollute but their ability to sue large companies and demonstrate the specific damage done and how to get compensated for it is practically impossible.

Also, I would not allow the US to sign the Kyoto Treaty because it would further damage the planet by exporting pollution to less-efficient developing nations such as China and Mexico. I would also let individual states impose their own environmental standards. Finally, the government itself should follow the same environmental standards it enforces on the private sector and should consider going a step further by adopting more “green” policies which in turn will help create a better market for energy efficient products.

LM: During his campaign Mike Huckabee has pushed for Constitutional amendments to ban abortion and to define marriage to be between a man and a woman. Would you push for either of these as a Congressman?

Singh: I would not push for these amendments. First, a Constitutional amendment to ban abortion is not likely to pass and would require so much effort it would actually be counter-productive to the pro-life movement. I believe abortion should be handled at the state level where at least some of the states could regulate/ban abortion immediately. In a federated system, the states could learn from each other what programs work and do not work (i.e. abstinence, sex ed, etc).

I am against a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. I do not agree with the federal government being so intrusive in our personal lives. Relationships between consenting adults who are not harming anyone is strictly their business. Attempting to regulate virtue is a dangerous task and often backfires.

LM: With the recent school shootings at Virginia Tech and NIU some people have started pushing harder for gun control laws. Others have stated that if students were allowed to carry guns more lives would have been saved. Some, including Ron Paul, have said that airline companies should have been allowed to handle their own security and having armed employees could have prevented 9-11. What are your thoughts on gun control? Should students be allowed to carry guns on campus? Should the airlines be allowed to arm their employees?

Singh: It is often difficult to explain to gun control advocates that you can prevent “fires” with more “fires”. As far as airlines are concerned, they should absolutely be able to arm their employees. It is their private property and they provide a service. If customers feel unsafe flying an airline which allows guns either by passengers and/or employees, then they are free to fly another airline.

When it comes to universities, I believe private universities should be able to put whatever restrictions or freedoms on their private property. Public universities are more complicated. If a public university tries to restrict guns on campus then the students have the right to bring a case against them and declare it un-Constitutional.

LM: Current VA 8th District Incumbent Jim Moran has a press release on his website touting the district as being 1st (out of 435 districts) in the amount of federal government funding it gets. What are your thoughts on him bragging about this accomplishment?

Singh: As a fiscal conservative who wants to reduce the size of government, the last thing I would brag about is receiving the most federal funding out of 435 districts. Instead of apologizing and explaining how the proximity to Washington DC and hosting the Pentagon contribute to the large numbers, Moran simply knows some of his constituents will be thrilled their district is getting an unfair share of the pie.

Moran has sold his office to the highest bidder as was demonstrated by a mere $17K contribution to his campaign translating into a $37M contract from the Navy for technology they did not even want. The voters cannot have it both ways. If they want fiscal responsibility then they need to get rid of Moran.

This concludes part 2 of the interview. Check out part 3 here.

Amit Singh is running for Congress in Virginia’s 8th District. He was kind enough to agree to participate in an interview. As you can tell from the interview he is dedicated to a limited and more open federal government. Please help his campaign by donating at his website: Amit08.com.

This is part 1 of the interview. For all Liberty Maven interviews check out the interview page.

LM: Your website (Amit08.com) has a very good description of your professional background. Could you complement that information with information about some of your hobbies and interests outside the professional realm? Additionally, could you elaborate a bit more on why you have decided to run for Congress?

Singh: I love to listen to live music especially bands like Dave Matthews that do a lot of improvisation during their performances. I used to collect a lot of live concert recordings but it is too difficult to keep up with nowadays. I also love to play basketball. I play in a league at work and I think it’s a great team sport that has a lot of skills that transfer to other areas. A little cliche, but I love to travel. I try to visit one new country a year. Last year I went to China which was amazing. This year I was hoping to go to Turkey but I’m not sure if that will happen given the campaign!

As far as running for Congress, I have always been a doer, for example I started my own company when I got frustrated working for others. I have written Jim Moran (the current VA 8th District incumbent Democrat) dozens of times with no response. This year, inspired by the presidential election and uninspired by local candidates, I took it upon myself to spread the message of limited and transparent government. Running for office is a great way to express your views and even make a difference.

LM: Who is your favorite founding father and why?

Singh: Thomas Jefferson of course! He founded my alma mater, the University of Virginia but he also encapsulated the spirit of freedom and understood the dangers of powerful governments over the people.

LM: Corporate regulation of public companies such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act seems to be either loved or hated. What is your position on Sarbanes-Oxley and corporate regulation in general? Should Sarbanes-Oxley be repealed or modified?

Singh: While I like some of the concepts in SOX (i.e. CEO signing the tax returns) I do not like the government enforcing the regulations. I believe the investors in a company should demand many of the same things required by SOX. I think by forcing all companies to follow SOX they are less competitive in the global market and are more likely base their operations offshore. I would vote to repeal SOX.

LM: Over the years politicians have pushed for Congressional term limits. Do you support Congressional term limits?

Singh: I do support Congressional term limits. The reason is because Congressmen with seniority have a disproportional affect on citizens they do not represent. Much of this is due to special interests which is entirely a different topic.

LM: Today, President Bush said he believed we are not headed in to a recession as he touted the economic stimulus package. Ron Paul has said we are already in a recession. Do you feel the stimulus package will save us from a recession? What is the federal government’s role in preventing a recession?

Singh: I think the stimulus package will help a little but not enough to pull us out of the recession. With overspending abroad and bloated domestic agencies, the spending is the major problem. With even less tax revenue, we will only go further into debt.

This concludes part 1 of the interview.  Check out part 2 here.