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RALEIGH - Government, says Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Chris Cole, ends up aggravating many of the problems it tries to solve.

Take the problems with illegal immigration that have been the focus of sparring between Democrat Kay Hagan and the Republican incumbent, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The two better-known candidates have talked about the need for more border security and how to help catch those who enter the country illegally. But Cole traces the problem to U.S. wage laws that restrict piece work and set minimum wages.

"The government banned the low end of the labor scale but they didn't abolish the need for the work," Cole said. "They created a black market to fulfill a need."

Cole, 44, of Huntersville, manages a contract post office. He has run before for lieutenant governor and for Congress.

Unlike Hagan and Dole, Cole did not have to run in a primary election this spring and is not known to voters by virtue of having served in public office. In fact, until last month, Libertarians were not an officially recognized political party in North Carolina. Party volunteers had to gather thousands of signatures to get their candidates on the ballot.

Although he has obvious philosophical differences with Dole and Hagan, Cole said that one of his major goals this election will be helping Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr and Mike Munger, the party's candidate for governor. If either of those candidates gathers just 2 percent of the vote, Libertarians will maintain their party status.

That would mean in 2010 and 2012 they would not have to once again spend time and resources on gathering signatures and could concentrate instead on building the party and recruiting candidates.

"I think I contrast in every way," Cole said when asked to compare himself to Hagan and Dole. "They both consider government to be the solution for problems and I consider government the source of problems."

Cole is openly gay, a fact he says he hesitates to talk about only because he doesn't want it to define his campaign.

"That's not my essence," Cole said. "It does have implications for my point of view, as does being male, being Caucasian and being a Southerner."

When asked why he chose to run for federal office, Cole said issues such as the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq drove him to get into the race.

And, Cole said, he is frustrated with what he characterizes as out-of-control taxation, estimating that Americans spend roughly half their income on taxes.

"There's just this numbness to this concept of the government having taken over our lives," he said.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com