Libertarian candidates discuss, but rarely debate Libertarian Party Presidential candidates Gary Nolan (left) and Michael Badnarik (right) square off in a debate at the KI Convention Center Monday. Two candidates agree on most positions, promote their ideas By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Two presidential candidates from the Libertarian Party held what was less a debate Monday than a statement of party principles in stereo. Teacher Michael Badnarik and former talk-show host Gary Nolan admitted they had mostly similar beliefs on major issues. "You'll hear the same answers over and over again," Nolan admitted, but after panelist Richard Parins joked the two men were "less fun than the Democrats," retorted, "that's because we have principles." But the two men were close enough on issues that Nolan suggested if elected, he would appoint Badnarik to the Supreme Court. The party is holding a presidential primary for the first time in Wisconsin after Ed Thompson gained 10 percent of the vote as the party's candidate for governor in 2002. Thompson was the moderator of Monday's debate, saying it was the first Libertarian presidential primary debate and possibly the first third-party presidential primary debate in the nation. The Wisconsin presidential primary is Feb. 27. The Libertarian Party has elected candidates at the local and state levels across the country for years on a platform of extremely limited government, and both men emphasized that repeatedly. When asked what changes he would make in the tax structure, Badnarik answered "that assumes most of the government agencies need to be funded." And Nolan noted the U.S. Constitution allowed the federal government to apportion debt to the states. "That's a marvelous way of getting the states to beg for smaller government," he said. Both spoke out against the war in Iraq and the government's use of new laws, notably the USA Patriot Act, to fight terrorism. "The Patriot Act blatantly violates the fourth and sixth amendments," Badnarik said. "The Patriot Act," Nolan said, "is being used by prosecutors against American citizens, not just terrorists. If you want security, you have to have liberty." Both emphasized repeatedly their view that the best cure for many of the country's ills was limited government. Nolan said that the question of same-sex unions should be handled by government not dealing with such aspects of marriage as property rights or pension programs. Badnarik said the Environmental Protection Agency, under the "big business" influence of Congress, "causes more pollution problems than private ownership." Nolan said government had grown more slowly during the Clinton administration, when the Democratic president was battling a Republican Congress, than during the complete Republican control of the Bush administration. "If you're an advocate of smaller government, and vote for Bush, you're telling the Republicans 'give me more,'" he said. "If you vote Libertarian, you're sending a clear message you want smaller government. The only new job I'd start (in government) is the Department of Firing." "We need to stop voting for the lesser of two evils," Badnarik said. "The only wasted vote is when you don't vote your conscience." He said private business should take over many of the concerns of government, noting that if Underwriters Laboratories let a toaster through that could kill someone, it would be forced out of business, while the government agency that allowed cattle with mad cow disease into the country just got more money. Panelists for the debate were Warren Bluhm, editor of The Door County Advocate, whose column appears weekly in The News-Chronicle; Suzanne Goldklang, morning anchor at WGBA-TV; Parins, president of the Brown County Taxpayers Association and Michael Frederick, president of Manitowoc Custom Molding.