Brennan Barrington

Criminal Justice / Public Safety

By eliminating the unfunded mandate for hospitals to provide lifesaving care to overdose victims unlimited numbers of times, the problem would self-correct: those willing to risk killing themselves with drugs do so, suffering the consequences of their choices. Those who can use drugs responsibly, or at least function in society while using them, would be made free to do so without negotiating with criminals or fearing arrest. Learn more

Defense / Veterans

If elected, I would propose an appropriations rider to the next Defense budget (or continuing resolution) which would prohibit any initiation of military operations in another country’s territory that had not been specifically authorized by a joint resolution of Congress that specifies the countries which may be entered or attacked and the purpose or targets of the operations. Requiring formal declarations of war would be ideal, but in the modern world actors requiring a military response may be other than recognized nation-states (such as the Houthi rebels). I also call for accountability for all personnel who acted in furtherance of the Caribbean boat strikes. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Subsidies for ethanol corn degrade the soil, raise food prices as food production is pushed onto lower-yield land, and mostly benefit big agribusiness corporations. Instead, we should invest in helping farmers adopt methods which taint our watersheds and wild places less, and growing healthy fruits, vegetables, and animal feed for local use instead of monoculture maize. We should also eliminate regulations which complicate direct sale of agricultural products to local consumers. This will lower the price of food both directly and by reducing freight costs while improving integration of farmers (and ranchers) with their communities. Learn more

Polluters should be made to compensate those whose property, including shared property such as the atmosphere, is negatively affected by their pollution. Learn more

Government Reform

This would work best if tied to expanding the House. That the House has 435 Representatives was set by statute more than a century ago, and has not been adjusted to population increase. More Representatives would allow more personal attention from each Representative to their constituents, and improve proportionality under the proposed PR system for almost all states. Learn more

My vision includes a federal government which still guarantees and protects the basic rights of all from abuses by any state or local government, including ensuring freedom of movement. Learn more

Healthcare

However, I support keeping the Medicaid system in place for children. Children are not and cannot be fully independent actors in the economy, and do not choose who their parents are. Allowing children with the potential for full, rich lives ahead of them to die from preventable illnesses would be monstrous, and wasteful to boot: the resources used in raising them would be lost for no return to society from their subsequent presence in the workforce. Unlike Medicare, Medicaid is an investment in the future. Learn more

In addition, federal laws obligating hospitals to provide care regardless of prior debts or ability to pay should be repealed. Such cases can and should be handled by state or local programs, or private charitable organizations. This should greatly reduce abuse by drug addicts who overdose repeatedly; vagrants who fake medical issues to get a free warm bed; and other “frequent fliers” who occupy expensive hospital beds, pay nothing, and dump the costs on honest hardworking citizens. (Further, to prevent an exploit arising from this, states should no longer be required to provide medical care to prisoners who will never have the ability to pay for it. If you think it important to save the lives of murderers and rapists, you may contribute to a charity which funds such care.) Learn more

As a start, treatment which fails to generate a decent return in quality-adjusted life years per dollar should no longer be funded by Medicare (and replaced with treatments that do more to improve health). This would substantially reduce the budget deficit, also allowing reduction of the net interest payments that are crowding out other spending. Ultimately, the system should be made to pay for itself, with the Medicare tax covering the costs of all care provided. Further, Americans should be free to opt out of both the tax and the coverage, and make deposits in private, protected health savings accounts, or buy private insurance for old age, as they see fit. We should not force those who prefer more consumption today over a few more years of life in a decrepit body to act against their utility function and values. Learn more

It should be legal to sell one of one’s kidneys for transplant purposes. The current prohibition of this exceeds the bounds of interstate commerce when buyer, seller, and surgical facility are all in one state. More practically, it prevents consensual, mutually beneficial transactions; thousands of people in the United States die every year due to the shortage. This is a pure deadweight loss justified only by hypothetical arguments which violate economic logic about nebulous harms. Learn more

Immigration

There are enormous gains to be obtained by authorizing entry for all potential immigrants willing and able to work or otherwise support themselves in our society without government assistance. Only clearly dangerous individuals such as known criminals/terrorist associates, those previously removed, or contagious-disease carriers would be totally barred from entry. To prevent immigrants from becoming a fiscal drain, they would be totally ineligible for all federal benefits (but remain subject to all taxes). To handle the costs of crime, all male entrants would be required to pay a deposit on the order of tens of thousands of dollars to the federal government (funds currently captured by human smugglers or employers), which would be refunded upon final departure from the United States or becoming a citizen. If an immigrant is convicted of a crime or incurs civil damages, the deposit is deducted from to cover the court-ordered costs, and must be restocked by the depositor for him to remain in the USA. Immigrants would also pay into a fund for compensation of victims who have suffered harm in excess of one deposit from a crime committed by an immigrant. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

Tax real (inflation-adjusted) profits from home sales at a high rate, with associated taxes on profits from raising real rent (with an exception for spare rooms in a primary residence). This would greatly reduce harmful incentives to hoard housing, charge high prices for it, and use local governments to increase artificially its price. It obtains much of the benefits of a Georgist land value tax without forcing people essentially to rent their homes from the government. By deterring speculation, it would lessen wasteful boom-bust cycles in real estate markets by reducing the gains from buying into an appreciating area.9 Houses should be places for families to live, not million-dollar casino chips. This works best combined with cutting the capital gains tax, which would further encourage more productive investments. Learn more

End special exemptions and privileges in the income tax code, including means of using corporations to reduce tax liability. Where there are genuine positive externalities from something, that should be handled through a separate, explicit subsidy so that it is clear what the costs and benefits are. Every exception to a tax increases the burden of it on everyone else. Every exception eliminated allows reduction of base tax rates. Learn more

The SNAP program, if it is to continue, should be replaced with vouchers for specific healthy food items; I applaud the restriction of sugary drinks as a good first step in this direction. It is neither humane nor efficient to stuff children with junk food at taxpayer expense. If the federal government is to continue to have a role in this area, it should be to provide families with cheap staples and fresh fruits and vegetables, so children develop into healthy, active young adults with an appreciation for wholesome food. Learn more