Talk:Wikinews interviews Phil Collins, U.S. Prohibition Party presidential nominee

Intro

 * From Jim Hedges e-mail, date August 7:

"We were notified today that Collins/Parker have qualified in Colorado.

"Two days ago, we were notified that we have qualified in Vermont (first time since 1928).

"We previously qualified in Arkansas and in Mississippi.

"Tennessee is still in progress.

"The last time we were "on" in as many as 5 states was 1984. Last time we had 4 states was 1984."

"The late Earl Dodge’s parting gift to the Prohibition National Committee was a court order awarding half of the Pennock Trust income to himself, leaving only half for the continued support of the National Committee. This obstacle has finally been overcome, with the National Committee now receiving all of the income plus an escrowed amount since the time of Dodge’s death. Earl Dodge was Chairman of the Prohibition National Committee from 1979. He was promoted to Chairman Emeritus in 2003, but he never accepted that he had been removed from office. He ignored the actions of the 2003 Convention and continued to represent himself as Chairman. In 2005, he went to court to regain control of the income from the (1939) George L. Pennock Trust, amounting to around $8000/year and which pays the basic operating costs of the National Committee."
 * From The National Prohibitionist, August 2014:

Interview
Answers

Phil Collins to me

Dear William,

Thanks for asking your questions. Here are my answers:

1. Which past U.S. president(s) do you most admire and why? I admire Lincoln because he was a good leader in the Civil War. He wanted to ensure that the union was preserved, and he achieved that goal. He chose cabinet members and generals who would serve their country very well, and he wasn't disappointed. I admire Reagan because he persuaded Congress (which was mainly Democrats) to cut tax rates. While he was president, the unemployment rate, inflation rate, and interest rates decreased.

2. How have your past experiences prepared you for the job of President? I was in the navy for 21 years, including eight years in marine units and six months near Baghdad. If I were the commander-in-chief, that might help me command the military. I was a township trustee. Since I have the government experience, I learned the importance of reading resolutions, especially budgets, before I voted on them.

3. How would you describe your style of leadership? How does it compare to the leadership styles of President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama? If I were president, I'd have a more constitutional leadership, by reading the Constitution, whenever I decide if I should sign or veto a bill. Presidents Trump and Obama signed budgets that increased spending, increased the deficit, and increased the debt. I wouldn't do that.

4. If you were president, how would you have handled the coronavirus pandemic differently than President Trump? I'd encourage the governors to help one another better. A few states, with no stay-at-home orders, have low infection rates, compared to a few states that had mask and stay-at-home orders. I would have asked governors of a couple of those healthy states, to have a televised press conference, at the White House, to tell what their states did.

5. How has the pandemic affected your campaign and your ability to reach out to voters? In Tennessee, we paid someone to get petition signatures, for us. When a lot of businesses were closed and many summer events were cancelled, it was hard for our workers to find people, who would sign the petitions.

6. In 2016, Prohibition Party presidential nominee Jim Hedges received 5,617 votes, the most for the party since 1988. Based on your general feeling on the ground, about how many votes do you expect to receive in the 2020 election? I think that I'll get 9,000-11,000 votes. I'll be on the ballots in more states, and I'll be a write-in candidate in more states, compared to Mr. Hedges.

7. What would a Collins administration look like? Which specific individuals would you ask to be in your cabinet? I'd nominate people who could work well with members of the Prohibition, Republican, and Democrat Parties. The majority of those people would be people who had political experience. Since Robert Gates was a secretary of defense for a Republican and Democrat, I'd nominate him for secretary of state. Other than that, I haven't thought of anyone. If I win, I'll ask for suggestions from other Prohibition Party officers.

8. Who would you nominate to the Supreme Court? Would you apply any litmus tests? Should the number of justices remain at nine? I haven't decided whom I'd nominate. I'd choose someone who is a federal appeals court judge who always rules according to the Constitution. No, I wouldn't have any litmus test. Yes, I think that the number should remain nine.

9. As president, how would you work with Congress to avoid gridlock and pass your agenda? I'd try to learn about each senator and representative so that I could talk to a lot of them and persuade them to agree with me. I'd usually propose bills that obey the Constitution, so I'd tell people that my view is what the founders would have wanted.

10. What should be done, from the government's perspective, to combat global climate change? Some scientists say that global climate change isn't caused by people and that the change is part of a cycle that has happened for at least 1,000 years. If I'm president and I read that the majority of scientists think that people caused the change, I'd ask a few former EPA heads for their opinions about how we should combat it.

11. What are your views on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan? What would you do as president to help resolve the conflict and how does that comport with your overarching philosophy on foreign affairs? I think that those countries should compromise and split the disputed area in half. I don't see any reason why the U.S. should be involved, so I think our government should be neutral.

12. Are you concerned about the deplatforming and social media censorship of notable conservatives and libertarians? How would you address this issue as president? Yes, I'm concerned about it. If I'm president, I'd encourage more people to use different social media sites, including instagram, twitter, and mewe.

13. What can you do, as president, to improve race relations in the United States? I could ensure that recruiting ads for the federal government (especially for the military and FBI) will show co-workers of a few ethnic groups, showing that many federal workers work, well, with members of different races. I'd send federal agency offices information about federal discrimination rules. The rules should be posted in each federal office, so the employees and the public will know that discrimination will be punished.

Additional question
Phil Collins to me

Dear William,

I joined it in the summer of 2014. I found that I agreed with most of the platform, and I knew that I could be a state leader, since I didn't think the party had any other members who lived in Illinois.

Sincerely, Phil

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Tue, Oct 13, 2020 at 9:30 PM, William Saturn  wrote: Phil,

I have one last question:

When and why did you join the Prohibition Party?

Update
I'm still waiting for the response to an additional question. In the meantime, I'll post two additional interviews I have done.--William S. Saturn (talk) 04:53, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Response received.--William S. Saturn (talk) 19:54, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

Phrasing concern
Forgive me if I'm doing this wrong (first time at Wikinews.) There's a misphrasing in the introduction. "It stays afloat, in part, due to the George L. Pennock Trust" should be " It stays afloat due, in part, to the George L. Pennock Trust" -- the "in part" should modify "due", not "afloat". Either that, or the second comma should just be eliminated, creating the phrase "in part due" --104.34.186.37 (talk) 11:29, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
 * what do you suggest? Will this require us issuing a correction? •–•  02:57, 5 May 2021 (UTC)
 * The comma can be removed. It's a very minor change so I don't think a correction is necessary. It conveys the same meaning.  The only difference is the original is somewhat ambiguous, which this change corrects. William S. Saturn (talk) 04:08, 5 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the prompt reply,, will do. •–• 04:09, 5 May 2021 (UTC)