Do I get your vote?

The political platform for the candidacy of Barry Hayes

1) The treatment of convicted felons:
In this society, everything from capital murder to the mere possession of a credit card number is now legally a “felony offense”. In a society so quick to felonize minor crimes, as well as actions which do not harm another non-consenting person, it is imperative that we remove the stigma of “convicted felon” until we are able to reverse the actions of our legislature that will criminalize such actions to the level of “felony”. In response to this, I pledge to author legislation that will revoke the authority of the state to stamp “Convicted Felon” on state-issued identification cards, reinstate voting privileges, and reinstate firearm ownership privileges to all convicted felons who have been released from state custody or supervision. Such legislation will require judges to remove rights of convicted felons based upon the nature and severity of the offense, at time of sentencing, while leaving open the option of the convicted to petition the court for reinstatement of rights at any time. The burden of showing why a convicted felon should have his rights removed shall be upon the state; both at the initial trial, and in any further petition by the convicted.
2) The legalization of personal choice:
The tendency of government to regulate everything short of flatulence and attitude has left our society with an ever-increasing list of things that are criminalized for the sheer fact that a small group of people decided to criminalize the actions of thousands, even though these actions harm no one. In response to this, I pledge to author legislation that requires a prosecuting attorney to produce a complaint by an actual nameable and living person, which states actual harm has been committed upon an actual non-consenting victim.
3) The accountability of taxpayer-funded officials:
For far too long, our government has operated above the law, being subjected typically to “administrative review panels” and the like, when they are caught committing offenses that the average person would be arrested and tried for. In response to this, I pledge to sponsor legislation which will outlaw the doctrine of “qualified immunity” for police officers and other public servants caught breaking laws, employing-agency written policies, or any other official guidelines governing their actions. I pledge to sponsor legislation which will remove the criminality of resisting an unlawful detention, arrest, or search from the state penal code. Such a removal will require the state to prove that, before convicting a person of resisting detention, arrest, or search, that such detention, arrest, or search was lawful. I also pledge to sponsor legislation that will remove special penalties for persons found to have committed a crime against persons of specific demographic groups, making equal justice for everyone a legal requirement.