US Senate for WA candidate, Michael Luke (L) Interview

The following contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar; who regularly publishes content to the WashCo Chronicle and other online publications.  The interviewee, Michael Luke, is running for US Senate for Washington State.  You can find more information on Michael at the website http://luke4senate.com and follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/Mike-Luke-for-US-Senate.

Michael Luke speaking at the LPWA Convention 4.9.2016

DM:  Welcome Michael and thank you for taking the time out for our readers to talk about your
platform. Let's start with an introduction on a little about you and what you're doing for this run?

ML:  Thank you David.
I’m 46 and have been a resident of Snohomish County, Washington for the last 20+ years. I have previously been a small business owner in the Edmonds area for 12+ years. I have run locally for Fire district commissioner and County charter review commissioner. I have volunteered and worked on other candidate campaigns for offices such as County Executive, US Senate, and various other congressional, state and local campaigns.

My political experience is mostly from my involvement in the Republican party since 2008 as a delegate, precinct committee officer, legislative district chair and Snohomish County Republican party executive board member. In January 2016 I left the Republican party in favor of involvement in the Libertarian party. The Libertarian party allows me as an individual to be independent and resolved in contrast to my experience in the Republican party, that still by default operates as a top down orders from headquarters business model with just people fighting about being in top jobs in the party and maintaining control of the grassroots, not accepting control from them. Therefore the Republican party is no longer a viable political option in Washington state, even when Republicans win elections or gain legislative majorities they still seem to lose to so called opposition policy to some degree or another by tacitly going along with the status quo for the sake of bipartisanship, demonstrating a lack of substance and resolve.

Regarding what I'm doing for this run. This is a low budget campaign, I don't want anybody else's money to influence anything, I'm not currently taking or authorizing any outside contributions.
(website link: luke4senate.com/contribute)

I'm not going to be a yard sign or bumper sticker candidate. I will make myself and my positions on issues available to the electorate via the internet and social media for them to decide, but I'm not going to chase the voters, they'll either find me and find me to be the better candidate or they won't, it's in their hands to decide based on a lot more than which of us is the better salesman or spends the most money getting elected!
(website link: luke4senate.com/issues)


DM:  We are noticing a huge shift of people leaving the Republican and Democratic parties over the last couple years.  We have noticed a surge in 2016, while still early in the year.  The Libertarian Facebook page has broke over 600k likes recently.  With the amount of the momentum heading into this years elections for Washington Libertarians, how is this affecting your campaign and those around you?

ML:  I believe a critical mass of people leaving the Republican and Democratic parties in body, mind and spirit has been swelling up for at least a decade. People are far more open to hearing about and from a third party candidate these days. For so long so many simply dismissed and called the Libertarian Party crazy, but that appears to no longer be a consensus anymore. It seems to me that even people in my generation and surprisingly even from generations before me have even ceased accepting the stigma that has been placed on the Libertarian party for far too long by others within the other two parties.

There is now a whole new generation of young voters who could care less about political parties, they don't care about the likes of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan. These people care about issues, content, substance and resolve in their elected officials and so many elected officials from the two major parties are lacking in. These young people are not influenced by or fooled by hubris filled elites from older generations that simply self proclaim their credentials of authority just because they're old to maintain a dualistic group think status quo that only decays the future for the next generations. These young people communicate via the internet and social media which spreads information exponentially so it doesn't surprise me that there is a critical mass of people attracted to the Libertarian Party and not wasting time their efforts on the self serving impotence and apathy that rules the Republican and Democratic parties.

To answer your question, all this affects my candidacy and Libertarian candidates in a very positive way. I love being able to campaign on the internet to so many open minded, realistic and pragmatic young people that follow, share, comment and even dissent on what is posted. This is a healthy sign for our communities when people are not only participating in the process but actively seeking out more options and solutions than just what the two party system has attempted to force on the people.


DM:  What issues would you plan on handling, during your first six months in?

ML:  I would like to tackle economic issues and government spending right out of the starting gate. This of course starts with terminating and auditing the Federal Reserve bank which sabotages our livelihoods by it's very nature. When tackling government overspending you have to start with the biggest expenditure, which appears to be military spending and in order to lower military spending to a reasonable level we must scale back the initiatives we have allowed our government to order our soldiers to carry out. Another benefit of scaling back the military's role is a boost to morale, I wish to see our loyal soldiers brought home and charged with defending us, not other nations or policing the world.

I would further like to get the federal government out of any involvement in regulating marijuana and at the very least see it rescheduled it immediately with the goal of lifting the federal prohibition sooner rather than later. Sick people and parents of sick children should not have to risk federal prosecution and extensive incarceration just to obtain relief and healing.

Criminal justice reform must begin immediately, we have allowed the federal government and state/local governments across our nation to subjugate the Constitutional rights of so many just to feed those same people to a prison/police state industrial complex to sustain and grow what is an unthinking and corrupt status quo that no longer cares anything about justice or the people. This is a big issue with a lot to it so I am going to direct people to my website for more details on the issue.

(website link:  luke4senate.com/issues/criminal-justice-reform)

DM:  All issues you just mentioned, are in desperate need of dealing with.  Do you believe we will see a larger collaborative effort from the Libertarian candidates this year than in the past, for criminal justice reform?

ML:  I think collaboration in the Senate by the likes of Rand Paul, Corey Booker and I dare say even Bernie Sanders on this issue is already occurring. These folks may not be Libertarians but they seem to care about this issue. I would love to use whatever bully pulpit is available to me to trumpet this cause to build from what has already been swelling up. But to answer the question, yes.


DM:  Let's talk long term plans and goals during your term.  What do you want to see happen down the line?

ML:  Well, right away there are so many Constitutional rights that are in violation by governments throughout our nation as a status quo. I believe a priority is repealing laws that have exempted government servants from many of the same laws that oppress so much of our citizens. When government servants face the same hardships caused by too many laws and too much government interference in our lives I think government servants will take their oaths of service far more seriously to the people, not to the government. I want legislation passed that it is allowable for any person to record interactions with governments servants without informing the servant and even further if any government servant takes action to prevent the recording or threatens consequences that would be a felony. Proper monitoring of our servants will breed accountability and I'm not just talking about cops, I'm talking about tax officials, DMV personnel, any government servant. This type of policy may help to self correct so much misconduct by government servants.

The other priority is auditing but more importantly terminating the private Federal Reserve bank that has looted our nation's prosperity for around a century. They have sabotaged our economy and once they are terminated so many things in our economy will start to self correct.

Honestly, long term my goal is everything on my issues webpage:

(website link: luke4senate.com/issues)


DM:  What information can you provide for readers who would want to become more involved with your campaign in your area?

ML:  Obviously to start, visit the website and make your way to my Facebook page via the website. I can be contacted through the FB page or through the website.

It's really about people sharing and tweeting the website with people they know. Even more about liking, sharing, inviting and commenting on the Facebook page and other social and local media venues and the word will spread like wildfire.

DM:  It's been a very informative interview, Mike.  Many eyes will be on your campaign and we'll be sure to follow up with you.  In closing out, what information would you like to leave with our readers and any other thoughts you may have for them?

ML:  I think it's important to observe that Libertarian candidates are not just elements of the other 2 parties but are a completely different approach to government than the other two parties are. Libertarians are individuals first and foremost, I hope to see people vote as individuals for individuals.  Thank you!