Many people go to the polls on Election Day not realizing that there are usually more than two candidates for Missouri’s major elected offices. This November, there will be at least three candidates for U.S. Senate.

This week’s interview is with one of those candidates, Libertarian Frank Gilmour. Mr. Gilmour is a small business owner from Manchester. You can learn more about him and his campaign by visiting http://gilmour2006.lpmo.org.

Gilmour’s probable general election opponents, Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican Jim Talent, have also been invited to participate in an interview for this website.

1) Why have you decided to run for the U.S. Senate?

Gilmour: "I am running because the voters need another choice, and by electing me they will get an independent voice in the Senate. Spending is out of control and all the two main parties give us is partisan bickering and blaming the other as they spend money we don't have. It has to stop."

2) What position and actions, if any, should the United States take regarding the violence between Israel and Lebanon?

Gilmour: "Israel has a right to defend its self and will do so if threatened. We need to stay out of it and let Israel and Lebanon deal with Hezbollah."

3) What is your assessment of the U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq and what changes, if any, do you want to see implemented to U.S. objectives and policy?

Gilmour: "Bring the troops home now. Whatever rational got us there, occupation and nation building is not what we should be doing now."

4) Recent revelations of government wire tapping of some international phone calls without warrants, tracking of both domestic and international phone records of millions of people in the U.S. without warrants and collecting financial transactions of some people in the U.S. alleged to have ties to terrorist organizations have renewed debate over national security versus an individual's right to privacy. What parameters, if any, should be placed on the government's national security programs? Why?

Gilmour: "Any surveillance done should be done with a court order: A Judge should be shown proof that there are ties to a terrorist. Anything less is a betrayal of the checks and balances that are called for under the Constitution."

5) How should Congress address the issue of illegal immigration?

Gilmour: "No Amnesty, No Fence and No to using the National Guard. Each of those suggestions is a waste of money and will not solve the problem. We have to look at managing the immigration process better and at meeting the needs of business for legal immigrant labor. Government force cannot solve a problem that is motivated by economic factors."

6) Part of your platform deals with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Why are you opposed to this program and why do you feel this issue is important for all Missourians?

Gilmour: "The National Animal Identification System is a poorly designed and unnecessary program that will only benefit huge agri-business and the manufacturers of ID tags. It is an unfunded mandate that will cost the taxpayer as well as the family farmer. It will hurt the small livestock producers unnecessarily with fees and other compliance costs. It solves no real problems but it will create another bureaucracy. ‘I stand for the freedom to farm without government interference and I will oppose any mandatory implementation of NAIS.’"

7) The cost of energy and fuel is, obviously, something that affects everyone. What policies should the Senate pursue to address the rising cost of energy and its impact on all levels of the economy?

Gilmour: "The cost of energy is ultimately determined by supply and demand. The best thing that government can do is to avoid interfering with the market process. Past episodes of high energy prices spurred innovation and new energy efficiencies, and this will happen again. That said, it is worth noting that a large share of gasoline and other energy prices are due to taxes. Local shortages and price spikes are often caused by the patchwork of special government requirements for gasoline additives, complicating the ability of refiners to maintain supplies. Finally, we can and we must be willing to expand domestic oil exploration in environmentally sound ways."

8) Why should Missourians vote for you in November?

Gilmour: "If you vote for me it will give you six years to see how well I do and gives me six years to prove that our government CAN work when it truly represents the people. A vote for me sends a message that will be heard loud and clear in Washington that ENOUGH is ENOUGH."