Timothy McMaster is the Libertarian Party’s candidate for PA Lieutenant Governor this election season. He is running on a ticket with Matthew Hackenberg for governor, and they are the leading third-party candidates, getting 2.8% in the latest poll from the​​ Trafalgar Group. I got the chance to speak with McMaster and ask him a few questions.

When asked to describe what libertarianism means to him, Tim McMaster said, “In a nutshell, it means don’t hurt people or take their stuff. It is the simple philosophy of what we’re all supposed to have learned in Kindergarten, or before. As long as you’re not infringing the rights of anyone else, you are free to do as you wish.”

McMaster said that his reason for getting into politics was his desire to be able to look his kids in the eye and know that “while their freedoms are daily being stripped away, I was actually trying to do something to slow that down or prevent it entirely.”

McMaster stated one of his three biggest goals in politics was getting Defend the Guard legislation passed, which would require Congress to declare war before sending our soldiers onto the battlefield. He also proposed making Pennsylvania a part-time legislature like 14 other states, PA currently being 1 of 10 full-time legislatures, with the remaining states being a hybrid. He finally advocated for “a severe reduction if not an outright elimination of the property tax,” saying that “once you’ve paid off your home, the fact that you need to still rent it from the government is just abhorrent.”

McMaster described some problems he saw in the criminal justice system. He criticized qualified immunity for shielding bad cops from consequences and advocated returning full civil liberties to ex-convicts after they complete their full sentence. He explained how he would use his position on the parole board to help free people arrested for victimless crimes. Still, he called out John Fetterman’s record for being far too radical in letting violent criminals out.

When asked about the Pennsylvania education system, McMaster criticized school systems for being beholden to union bosses and overpaid administrators. He argued that unions protect bad teachers and hurt good teachers, and the solution is to give more choices to parents. He advocates for a school voucher program that would let parents choose to send their kids to charter or private schools if they wanted, instead of keeping their money in a system they don’t support.

McMaster also called for abolishing the gas tax, as “just surviving shouldn’t be a taxable event,” and taxes should be reserved for luxuries. I asked him about the Federal government raising the smoking age by direct legislation, and he called it unconstitutional, arguing that people who can be sent to war should be able to have a cigarette when they get back.

He described how it was important for states and localities to not cooperate with unconstitutional laws. The people can choose mayors and sheriffs and councilors who won’t participate in enforcement of unjust or unconstitutional laws. He closed by calling for the decriminalization of prostitution. Many sex workers are victims of abuse but can’t go to the police for fear of prosecution.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Comenian requested interviews with candidates for higher office in Pennsylvania. Only Tim McMaster and Erik Gerhardt responded.