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PERSONAL LIFE Michael Badnarik was born in Hammond, Indiana . He is the oldest son of John and Elaine Badnarik and the grandson of Slovak immigrants. Michael Badnarik attended Indiana University Bloomington , but left one semester away from earning a degree in Chemistry . He worked as a Computer Programmer at the Zion Nuclear Power Station beginning in 1977; from 1982 to 1985, was a senior Software Engineer for Commonwealth Edison . In 1985, he relocated to Montebello, California , to work on the Stealth Bomber simulator project. In 1987, he moved to San Luis Obispo, California to work as a system administrator and Computer trainer at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. In 1997, unhappy with Gun Laws enacted by the California Legislature , Badnarik moved to Texas , where he began work as a senior trainer for Evolutionary Technologies International . He currently resides in Austin, Texas . Badnarik worked as a Red Cross volunteer during the 1970s. He has been a volunteer leader in several Boy Scout troops (Badnarik relates that he came just short of attaining Eagle Scout .) He is also a certified Scuba Diving and Skydiving instructor. POLITICAL CAREER Badnarik is a Libertarian , believes in the Non-Aggression Principle , and his political philosophy emphasizes individual liberty, personal responsibility, and adherence to what he considers to be an Originalist interpretation of the US Constitution . All of his positions arise from this foundation. In economics, Badnarik believes in laissez-faire Capitalism , a system in which the only function of the government is the protection of individual rights from the initiation of force and fraud. He therefore opposes institutions such as welfare, and business regulation. Badnarik first ran for public office in 2000 as a Libertarian, earning 15,221 votes in a race for the Texas Legislature ; he ran again for the same seat in 2002. Badnarik is a participant in the libertarian Free State Project . Endorsements 2004 US Presidential Election In February 2003, Badnarik announced his candidacy for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, and spent the following 18 months traveling the country, teaching a course on the ; the book was first self-published by Badnarik, but was released in hardcover in October 2004. Badnarik was viewed as unlikely to win the Libertarian presidential nomination, facing challenges from talk-show host Gary Nolan and Hollywood producer Aaron Russo . At the 2004 Libertarian National Convention , Badnarik gained substantial support following the candidates' debate (broadcast live on C-SPAN ). In the closest presidential nomination race in the Libertarian Party's 32-year history, all three candidates polled within 12 votes of each other on the first ballot (Russo 258, Badnarik 256, Nolan 246). When the second ballot placed the candidates in the same order, Gary Nolan was eliminated and threw his support to Badnarik; Badnarik won the nomination on the third ballot 417 to 348, with None Of The Above receiving 6 votes. Richard Campagna of Iowa City, Iowa , was elected separately by convention delegates as his vice-presidential nominee. Not all libertarians were happy with Badnarik's nomination. Some felt Badnarik would be unable to draw media attention that many had felt Russo would have. {Link without Title} Badnarik's capture of the nomination was widely regarded as a surprise by many within the party; both Nolan and Russo had outpaced Badnarik in both fundraising and poll results prior to the convention. Badnarik commented following his success at the national convention, "If I can win the nomination, there's no reason I can't win this election." Badnarik and , on October 8 , 2004 , for an act of Civil Disobedience . Badnarik and Cobb were protesting their exclusion from the Presidential Debates of the 2004 Presidential Election Campaign . They were arrested after crossing a police barricade in an attempt to serve an Order To Show Cause to the Commission On Presidential Debates . By the end of the election cycle, Badnarik's presidential campaign had raised just over one million dollars (US), obtained ballot access in 48 states plus the District Of Columbia (the Libertarian Party failed to obtain ballot access in Oklahoma and New Hampshire , although Badnarik was a qualified write-in candidate in New Hampshire), and placed nationwide political advertisements on CNN and Fox News in addition to local advertising buys in the important swing states of Wisconsin , New Mexico , Nevada , plus Arizona . Badnarik polled just under 400,000 popular votes nationwide, in the November 2 , 2004 election, taking 0.34% of the popular vote and placing fourth, just behind Ralph Nader . Badnarik spent much of early 2005 touring the country speaking and teaching the class on the U.S. Constitution which he developed during his presidential campaign. 2006 US Congressional Election In August 2005, Badnarik announced that he would run for the U.S. House Of Representatives in the Elections Of 2006 . He ran for the 10th Congressional District of Texas , which is currently represented by Republican Michael McCaul . He raised over $300,000 for his campaign and has received the Libertarian Party's nomination for its 10th district Congressional candidate. He received 7,603 votes, or 4 percent in the November election, losing to Republican incumbent Michael T. McCaul, who received 55 percent of the vote, and Democrat Ted Ankrum, who got 40 percent. Although, shortly after 2004, Badnarik refused to rule out another presidential run in 2008, a December 2006 letter from his campaign manager, Alan Hacker, states that Badnarik has "retired from political candidacy" and is now working as an account representative for a political and novelty bumpersticker mail-order business. {Link without Title} Recent events Badnarik delivered a keynote speech at the 2007 New Hampshire Liberty Forum , where he announced his endorsement for Ron Paul , U.S. Congressman from Texas 14th District , in the 2008 Presidential Election . In April of 2007, he began hosting a talk radio program, "Lighting the Fires of Liberty" on the We the People radio network. {Link without Title} ISSUE POSITIONS
ARGUMENTS FOR LIMITED GOVERNMENT Like many Libertarian s, Badnarik believes that the federal government has exceeded its Constitutional bounds and should be scaled back in favor of a '' Laissez-faire '' capitalist (or, in other words, free market) society. This belief comes from years of research into the Founding Fathers writings, his study of Objectivism , and his disdain for the growing Empire at the expense of a Constitutional Republic that he claims has occurred in the USA. In this sense, his beliefs are quite close to that of United States Congressman Ron Paul and are influenced by the writings of both Ayn Rand and L. Neil Smith . Austin Libertarian activist Alan R. Weiss gave Badnarik a copy of Smith's book ''Hope'', which seemed to have greatly influenced Badnarik's campaign in 2004. VIEWS ON TAXES Badnarik also argues that the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as "non-positive law," applies to only certain groups, and states that "those liable to the income tax are resident aliens, foreign corporations, and American citizens working and living abroad." He says there have been multiple supreme court decisions that state "the sixteenth amendment gives the government no new power of taxation." See Tax Protester Arguments And The Stanton V. Baltic Mining Co. Case . One of his key statements on Income Tax is that the United States grew to be the most powerful nation on Earth without requiring an Income Tax , and that it began to falter when the government began to intervene massively in the economy and individual's lives. In the past, he has stated that refusing to file a tax return is justifiable until the Internal Revenue Service provides a legal reason for doing so (see Federal Statutes Imposing Obligations To Pay Income Taxes And File Returns ). For several years, Badnarik did not pay income tax. POSITIONS ON PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION OTHER POSITIONS On his website, prior to receiving the Libertarian Party's nomination, Badnarik has proposed that in order to make prison guards have safer jobs, violent felons should not be allowed to exercise for their first month, so that their muscles will atrophy. Because he feels the United Nations has become an intrusive force for World Government that seeks to violate the should not, and could not, hold office. The U.S. Constitution does not expressly give the president the power to require that all members of Congress attend special sessions. In a July 2004 interview with the ''San Antonio Current'', Badnarik explained some of these statements, commenting "It was intended to be Hyperbole ." They were removed from his website after winning the nomination at the Libertarian Convention. Still, his insistence that politicians who swear an oath to uphold the US Constitution should act as if they read it, understood it, and would abide by it galvanized his libertarian supporters, doubtlessly contributing to his victory at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention . 2004 Ohio recount After the 2004 election, Badnarik, working with Green Party candidate David Cobb , sought a recount of the Ohio vote. This caused a great deal of controversy within the Libertarian Party, as 2nd place candidate John Kerry had not contested the vote in Ohio, and a recount would cost the state an estimated $1.5 million of tax-payer money. Some party members were concerned that a recount would damage the public perception of the Libertarian party. {Link without Title} Badnarik said that he decided to push for a recount after receiving "about two dozen passionate requests to do so from Libertarians in various states." ''GOOD TO BE KING'' In his book, ''Good To Be King'', Badnarik suggests that it is unnecessary to have a Driver's License to drive, the IRS has no Constitutional authority to collect taxes, and common law marriages are valid in all 50 states. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stated that "the Reserve Banks are not federal instrumentalities for purposes of the FTCA Federal Tort Claims Act , but are independent, privately owned and locally controlled corporations." REFERENCES
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