Libertarian Presidential Candidate Brings Message to O.C.

Andre Marrou says the time has come to end socialism in America.

The Eastern Europeans did it, he says. The Russians followed suit. Just elect him President of the United States and the same thing will happen here.

“The Democrats and Republicans are doing their best to bring socialism to America,” said Marrou, who is running as the the Libertarian Party candidate. “The Democrats are left-wing socialists and the Republicans are right-wing socialists. They have enacted the entire 1928 socialist platform, put into effect 70%-80% of the Communist Manifesto and transgressed nine of the 10 amendments to the Bill of Rights. We want to bring about a peaceful voting revolution to prevent a violent shooting revolution.”

Marrou brought that message to Orange County on Wednesday during a busy campaign tour of Southern California.

“All we want to do,” he said during an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “is restore Constitutional government.”

Marrou, 52, has been campaigning hard since last August when the Libertarian Party, an independent group that advocates minimizing government intrusion into people’s lives, selected him its candidate.

Marrou, a Las Vegas real estate agent and divorced father of three, began his political career in 1984 as a member of the Alaska State Legislature. During two terms in office, according to Libertarian campaign literature, he voted against every increase in government power, was instrumental in a drive to repeal the Alaska state income tax and spearheaded a successful initiative to deregulate the transportation industry.

He ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1988.

That year, the party--now 21 years old and composed of about 10,000 dues-paying members--garnered 430,000 votes. By contrast, Republican Vice President George Bush and Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis received 90 million votes between them. This time, Marrou says, he expects to do much better--that is, to get at least 1 million votes and take the party a long way on what he sees as its path toward becoming America’s next major party.

“People are waking up,” he said. “Our laws are stupid.”

Specifically, Marrou said, he would:

* Repeal the personal income tax and abolish the Internal Revenue Service;

* Repeal gun control laws;

* Limit congressional terms to six years;

* Bring home all U.S. troops on foreign soil;

* End all tax-financed subsidies to private industry, nonprofit organizations and any other entities;

* Enact a hiring freeze on federal employment;

* Abolish foreign aid;

* Privatize education and abolish welfare in favor of voluntary charity.

“There is a ruling elite in Washington that tells us what to do and can back it up with force,” Marrou said. “This is insane.”

The only function of a Libertarian government, Marrou said, would be to protect people from the use of force or fraud by others wishing to impose their will. This could be done, he said, by a police force and court system paid for by minimal taxes, by user fees for such things as parks and highways, and by private contributions.

“Eighty-three percent of the murderers get off scot-free because the cops are out chasing speeders,” Marrou said.

Under a Libertarian government, he said, speeding would not be a crime.

“Most of our highways are made for speeds of 100 m.p.h. anyway,” Marrou said. “Speeding is not a danger to public safety--the police are.”