JASON SCHEURER
LIBERTARIAN PARTY

I want to thank the Hall Institute of Public Policy for the opportunity to participate in this years Senate virtual debate. It is important for the voters of New Jersey to know the positions of all the candidates, and only through debates and open forums is this possible. Too often either the media or the candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties choose to silence the views of third party candidates by blocking our participation in public forums and public debates. Through this marginalization process candidates from major parties do not have to answer the tough and hard hitting questions that so often only come from third party candidates. I want to once again thank the Hall for the opportunity, and also use this opportunity to publicly challenge both Frank Lautenberg and Dick Zimmer to debates throughout the campaign season, and to have me included in all public debates and forums that they participate in.

When the actions or inactions of our politicians make it necessary for people to reassess the present role of government, I feel compelled to stand up to the blatant mismanagement and corruption that permeates the current political system. There is a wise saying "for evil to triumph, all that is necessary is for good people to do nothing." I feel a line must be drawn in the sand today, because if we continue down this present road we will not be able to recover from the damage that will be done. The fundamental basis for all the problems is the fact that our elected officials only tell us what we want to hear and not what we need to hear. But unlike Republicans and Democrats who will continue to lie to you in order to get your votes I will always speak the truth. You might not like what I have to say, but it will be the truth. When I was growing up as a young boy I remember my grandfather telling me "it was better to teach a man to fish so he can learn to feed himself for a lifetime, than to give him a fish and feed him for a day." Our country rose to greatness based on the virtue of our individuality, not based on legislative decree. You will hear both of my opponents use the word "change" but switching from Coke to Pepsi is not the "change" we need. We need a return to self responsibility. I would never tell you what to eat for dinner, but yet our leaders today are dictating what is best for all aspects of our lives. The greatest crime that has been perpetrated against the citizens of our country in recent history has been the constant watering down of our money and those who are affected the most, those who are getting money stolen from them everyday, are those that can least afford it. They are our retirees, living on a fixed income, our single mothers with little or no savings, our low and middle class workers who everyday are being lied to by a government that tells them that the inflation rate is 3 percent when in reality it is over 6 percent. If you look around, and have the courage to open your eyes, you will realize that the government is not working for we the taxpayers, but rather for large corporations and special interest groups. The small businessman who is the backbone and job creator within our economy is under attack everyday. He has no representation in government.

In the coming weeks I hope you will choose to pay close attention to the online debate and at the end I hope you will agree with the points I make and not those offered by my opponents. Please remember on Election Day, if we really want to change things for the better we really have to make true changes. Thank you in advance for your support.