KUBBY MAKES HIS CASE

Libertarian candidate Steve Kubby's presence certainly would have livened
up the stuffy first three gubernatorial debates between Republican Dan
Lungren and Democrat Gray Davis.

Mr. Kubby is hopeful that he might be included in the next debate,
scheduled for Oct. 15. In an editorial board meeting with us this week, he
charged that two major candidates "basically agree on everything" and that
debate organizers are "driving people away" by not opening up to
third-party candidates. Mr. Kubby also differs from the other candidates in
being an entrepreneur, not a politician. He publishes Alpine World Magazine.

Here are Mr. Kubby's responses to the six "values" questions we have been
asking candidates this year:

1. What is the role of government in an individual's life?

"I don't believe the government works," Mr. Kubby said. "I believe in the
free market and local control instead of regulation and bureaucracies.
Government has created more problems than it solves." He promised to be a
governor who "will stand up" to the federal government and, if elected,
might advocate suing the federal government over its handling of Social
Security. "Either they put up hard assets or California opts out," he
asserted.

That's the kind of idea that would light a debate. While we'd have to look
such a crusade more closely, we agree that government should be reduced.

2. How did you vote on Prop. 209, the initiative calling for an end to
affirmative action, or preferences?

Mr. Kubby wasn't clear on his position. He opposes preferences and said
"affirmative action shouldn't be mandated by government." But on Prop. 209
he said, "I don't vote on anything I don't understand." He called Prop. 209
"complex" and said there should be fewer and simpler laws - little more
than the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

We would favor fewer regulations, but we see two concerns with his
response. Well-written law might appear to be complex when it is, in fact,
precisely crafted. And, in this case, Prop. 209 was one of the clearer
propositions we've seen. We supported it.

3. Do you support targeted vouchers or scholarships for students in the
poorest performing school districts? He favors vouchers. "I'm just for
anything that puts choices and alternatives in front of parents," he said.

"I would form a program on an interim basis that puts parents in control."

We favor vouchers, with certain cautions, because they likely will improve
education quality though competition and offer better opportunity for
individual students.

4. Would you favor daytime curfew laws whereby police could stop and
question people under the age of 18?

Mr. Kubby completely opposed such laws, which he said are part of a bad
trend in which young people are being "taught disrespect for our laws
instead of teaching them the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and what
it means to live in a free society. Spend a day as a kid and you'll see the
constant harassment by police, the Highway Patrol and others - the pressure
put on the guilty and innocent alike."

We have also opposed daytime curfews because they assume a child is guilty
until proven innocent.

5. Would you vote for an across-the-board income tax reduction?

He favors cutting the state income tax in half over four years, which would
drop the top rate to 4.6 percent from 9.2 percent. "My first goal is to get
government off people's backs, to show people a government that's leaner,"
he said. We favor an absolute minimum amount of taxes.

6. Should marijuana for medical purposes be available legally?

Mr. Kubby made his political reputation as a major sponsor of and
fund-raiser for Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana in
California, with a doctor's recommendation. He recounted how marijuana has
helped him overcome pheochromocytoma, a cancer of the adrenal glands. He
had been told by doctors he might live from six months to three years, but
has survived 23 years since then.

We backed Prop. 215.

Mr. Kubby realistically doesn't expect to win in November, but he aims to
"exceed expectations" of voters and party members. Though not as well known
as the major-party candidates, Mr. Kubby believes this election could
springboard him to another candidacy within his own party, or, perhaps the
better-funded Democratic Party in years ahead

Checked-by: Richard Lake