You want a balanced budget. How?
It means cutting 43 percent of what we spend. That includes Medicaid, Medicare and military spending, the big three. The biggest threat to our national security is that we continue to spend more than what we take in. We are effectively bankrupt.
How would you cut from defense?
It runs A through Z. Personnel. Civilian support. Getting out of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. R&D when it comes to weapons. Cutting back of nuclear warheads. Do we really need the capability of blowing up the world 10 times over – or might 4 times do it?
How does globalization benefit the U.S.?
We all benefit from lower costs of goods and service. I think Wal-Mart has saved rural America. It’s made those places affordable to live. I’m not the tariff guy. I think there’s a magic to the free market. Lower costs benefit us all.
Should more people know about you?
It’s hard to gain momentum when you’re not [invited to] the debates. As governor of New Mexico, I made a name for myself as a Jeffersonian – man, did I pinch pennies. A recent poll showed one candidate with a high favorability rating in his own state. That was me.
Any plans to expand your grass-roots activism?
We're slammed. An overwhelmingly number [of people] have contacted us. We don't have the resources to be able to contact everyone. I'm putting my chips on the table in NH, and I hope for a good showing there.