Kamal Jain is the Vice-Chairman of, and an eloquent spokesman for, the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts.

Chitra: You are the Vice-Chairman of LPMA. One does not come across many Indians who belong to your party. How diverse is your party?
Kamal: If you mean ethnically diverse, I don't really know. We have not done much demographic research, but I have seen Pakistani and members from the Middle Eastern region. By and large Indians tend to be apolitical and it heartens one to learn of the new groups, forums and organizations promoting political awareness and participation among Indians in our state.

Q: Tell us about your background and how you embraced the Libertarian party.
A: My parents came to this country in the late 50's and I was born and raised in the area. My parents worked hard to make a life here and to educate their children. Like most Indians, like most immigrants they took advantage of the opportunities this country had to offer. I grew up with certain beliefs and ideals. When I first read about the Libertarian Party and its policies, I was amazed to see that my views and ideas were shared by many others. If you replace the capital L in Libertarian with a lower case l, you'd get the adjective 'libertarian'. That defines my stand on issues.

Q: What do you think about Immigration laws and restrictions on immigrants?
A: People have the right to travel anywhere, and to take any job offered to them, so long as they do it at their own expense and without violating the rights of others. I believe in opening our borders to people from all over the world. We can help the poor by letting them go where the work is, regardless of borders. Immigrants don't take jobs from others, they add to the economy and help create more jobs. Immigrants came here seeking nothing but opportunity and freedom -- and they helped create the greatest, most productive economy ever.

Q: What are your views on Taxation?
A: We already obtain a host of services from private providers. Why can't we get other services, like postal delivery, education, road building and such, from the private sector? They would cost less and be more efficient. Market competition will give us better service at lower cost, and put the consumers in control. We will work to reduce and repeal taxes because taxes are obtained by force. The income tax is the most unfair, since it affects productivity negatively and forces all of us to divulge our private affairs to a government agency. We had no income tax before 1914 and America prospered. By allowing private service providers to replace inefficient bureaucracy, we can cut taxes.
We should repeal laws that prevent work. Permits, licensing, zoning, labor laws, all stop people who want to work, especially minorities. Private charity is more compassionate and delivers the goods better than the government welfare plantation.

Q: What are you views on Affirmative action?
A: The only criteria for employment or advancement in government work should be merit. Since governments are created by law, they should be fair and even handed.
Bigotry cannot be corrected with affirmative action. It is unfair when people think that minority employees did not earn their positions on merit even if they did.
Most people, deal with each other on the libertarian premise of respect for the rights of others. You don't want to be pushed around or to push others around. You don't steal, cheat or mug people. Very few among us commit crimes. Society would collapse and chaos reign if most people were evil most of the time.

Q: What are your opinions on Gun Control Laws?
A: Libertarians, like other Americans, want to be able to walk city streets safely and be secure in their homes. Our constitutional rights, as Americans, have to be protected.
Law-abiding, responsible gun owners do not and should not need to ask anyone's permission or approval to engage in a peaceful activity. Gun ownership, by itself, harms no other person and cannot morally justify criminal penalties.

Q: But would not easy access to guns foster violence and trigger violent acts?
A: A responsible, well-armed and trained person can use a fire arm as protection against domestic crime and other life threatening situations. Responsible gun owners only use guns for protection and for recreational activities like hunting.

Q: How would you sum up your policies as a Libertarian candidate?
A: Libertarians will defend free markets, civil liberties, religious freedom, worldwide commerce and travel, and a foreign policy of peace. We will try and put an end to painful and abusive government intrusions into citizens' life.

Kamal Jain has been working in high-tech for 13 years. He currently works at Marathon Technologies in Boxborough as Director of Information Technology. Prior to high-tech, he spent a number of years involved in volunteer and professional Emergency Services, including working for 2 years as an Emergency Medical Technician. Kamal has taken numerous courses in finance and accounting at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, and has a diploma from Marlborough High School. He is 32 years old and has lived in Massachusetts nearly all his life. Kamal currently lives in Littleton with his wife Irina, and their two adopted cats.

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