One Iowa State alum is running for U.S. Representative, but under a non-traditional political party — the Libertarian Party.

Dick Kruse, an Ames resident who works for the Des Moines public schools, is campaigning to be the 3rd District’s next representative in Washington, D.C.

Kruse, chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa, said he has been registered as a Democrat and Independent, but the Libertarians fit his beliefs best. The party emphasizes individual freedom, Kruse said.

He said the party bases its beliefs on the constitution and thinks the government should protect citizen’s rights without infringing upon those rights.

“I’ve found few grassroots parties” that can influence and change like the Libertarian party can, Kruse said.

Kruse said he thinks education is one of the most important issues. “I’d like [government] to stay out of education,” he said. Kruse said education should be privatized. Industries would run the education system, he said.

Revamping the student loan program is also in Kruse’s plan. The program isn’t working, he said, because it “steals” tax money by requiring Americans to give money for loans. Kruse thinks there are ways government can cut taxes in half.

However, this revamping might result in some students not having the chance to attend college, Kruse said. Also, current scholarships and endowments for students are taxed too much, he said. He thinks a college education should be funded through a private source.

“I’m all for helping people go to school, but not at the expense of an inefficient” program, Kruse added.

Kruse also favors dismantling the Department of Education because he thinks it regulates education too much. “If [the department] was working,” he said, “I might reconsider.”

Farm subsidies should be eliminated, Kruse said. The candidate said there is no corporate welfare for other business individuals. Kruse said farmers have a higher average income than other working individuals. Also, they have received more money than people who are in poverty, he said.

The farm subsidies are also funding the tobacco industry, he said. Kruse said the government is then countering the subsidies by funding programs against smoking. “We’re paying for a corporation out of taxpayer money.”

The Libertarian candidate opposes affirmative action programs, quotas, set-asides and preferences.

“To cure discrimination is not the job of the government — it’s not the job of anybody,” he said.

Kruse encourages voters to vote for whom they support. “If you don’t vote for your principles, you have lost a vote,” he said. Voting for a third party candidate doesn’t mean throwing a vote away. “I’ve got a very viable answer.”