Colorado Candidates: I don't know how many of you are answering candidate questionnaires from groups that typically oppose Libertarian or non-government solutions, but I answered the rather long survey from Colorado Rural Voters.
My answers were rather long, too --there wasn't a text limit in the entry boxes, and I saw no notice that they preferred <100 words until I got to the confirmation screen.
Oh, well.
In any case, Colorado Rural Voters would be better named "Colorado Gimme Your Money and Rights Voters" -- look at their wish list on their main page.
Some of those wishes might sound good upon first blush to Libertarians. But the tyrannical reality is how they want to implement them.
Anyway, most of my answers on their survey questions were copypasta from things I'd written earlier (in one case I copied something I wrote in 1999). While some would quip that only proves I'm a closed-minded jerk, what I believe it means is that the takers are making the same arguments and coveting the same rights and property in 2020 as they were in 1999.
And in 1899.
Here is the actual survey.
Jeriel Clark is the contact person for this thing. I have not looked into who funds this "nonpartisan" group (nonpartisan my ass). If I remember correctly, before this she was a paid staffer for another group that was trying to saddle up the taxpayers of Grand Junction and every other municipality in Mesa (including the county itself) and take them for a sweaty ride on a massive debt load for a city-owned gym/fitness/pool/recreation center. It is my fading memory that she was the person who came before the Mesa Libertarians and did a presentation for the gym.
I'm in the wrong business. It apparently pays to be a leftist activist.
But getting on with the story, here is how I answered their survey:
https://coruralvoters.org/colorado-rural-voters-candidate-questionnaire/
County Commissioner Candidate Questionnaire
The following questions are representative of the values on which Colorado Rural Voters bases its endorsements. Each question asks for a yes/no answer with room for an explanation.
1. Why are you running for County Commissioner? *
I have placed my name on the ballot for County Commission purely to provide a choice to registered Libertarians and other voters who believe it is dangerous to allow local, state, and federal governments to continue growing, amassing power, and consuming our rights and property.
A vote for me is a way for a voter who wants less government, rather than more, to give voice to their concerns about massive government overreach in everyone's lives.
As a Commissioner, I would always oppose raising taxes, and support of reducing or abolishing them.
As a Commissioner, I would always oppose adding more government functions to Mesa County government, and support reducing or abolishing them.
As a Commissioner, I would always oppose adding more laws and regulations to the Mesa County code, and support reducing or abolishing them.
I will always vote against growing government larger and more expensive, and always in favor of making it smaller and less intrusive.
Energy Diversification
2. Do you support the development of a county-level plan for climate change adaptation, and a plan to grow new clean energy and clean technology jobs in your local economy?
NO.
Only freedom works.
There is already too much "planning" of our lives by governments.
As a Commissioner, I would always vote in favor of less planning rather than more. Governments must never be allowed to pick economic winners and losers; that is the way of corruption and cronyism, and it is always economically unsustainable.
I want to support the right of citizens to find new and better ways to adapt and grow new technologies that make our lives better by leaving them free from government straightjackets.
Innovation comes from the cumulative efforts of millions of free individuals who want to make their own lives better.
3. Do you support county-level action for greater local energy efficiency programming, standards, and incentives?
NO.
Only freedom works.
I want less government, not more. Every single time a governments is given the authority to "do more", the end result is:
>> It becomes more opaque
>> It becomes less accountable
>> It becomes less responsive
>> Its bureaucrats grow more powerful and less interested in how they injure their neighbors
As explained above, I want individuals left free to innovate. That means getting government out of the way of figuring out solutions to the issues confronting us all.
Responsible Resource Extraction
4. Colorado Senate Bill 181 changes the priorities of the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission from fostering oil & gas production to protecting human and environmental health. Do you think this is an appropriate change? Why or why not?
NO.
Only freedom works.
Government activities need to be abolished, rather than putting some new fancy Band-Aid on them. The Colorado Oil & Gas Commission should simply be eliminated rather than refocused.
In addition, I am running for County Commission and what bills are being considered in the legislature should not be our bailiwick.
5. Do you agree that local governments should be allowed to adopt more stringent oil & gas regulations than state law requires?
NO.
Only freedom works.
General laws -- when they exist at all -- should be consistent across the state. I do not favor the creation of petty fiefdoms, where you step across an imaginary line on the ground your activities and behavior instantly become a crime that the local satraps can use to injure your rights or your property.
Local Food & Agriculture
6. What role should the county play in enhancing the connection between local producers and the community, as well as food banks, especially during the pandemic?
Only freedom works.
The best way to enhance connections between individuals is to get bureaucrats out of their way and stop regulating and taxing so much.
There is so much talent and ingenuity among the individuals who live here. Allowing individuals to use their ingenuity, and their property, to provide products and services to others, free of licensure, taxes, restrictions, and regulations will improve local productivity, harmony, and individual economic connection.
7. Even prior to the pandemic, one in seven (14%) Western Slope residents is in danger of going hungry on any given day. Statewide, the average is one in ten (10%). What should the county do to address this issue?
Only freedom works.
Get governments out of the way and individuals will step up to take care of those in their community. Americans are the most generous people on the planet. The last time I saw figures on charitable giving, 2018 or so, it was reported that Americans had donated $350 billion in support for charitable causes.
Eliminating taxation and leaving more wealth in the pockets of the individuals who created it will only increase charitable giving.
Eliminating government regulations and taxes that stymie the creation of new businesses by the economically marginal among us will allow them to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Public Lands
8. Do you support additional wilderness designations and other types of protection on public lands?
NO.
Only freedom works.
First, the County Commission should not involve itself in the state or federal public lands issue. We should be concerned with lands owned by the Mesa County government.
On principle, I favor the abolition of all government ownership of land except for that which is necessary for it to carry out its only legitimate role in our lives, which is to protect the rights of individuals to be free of force and fraud.
If the government currently owns a sensitive parcel of land, that land should be auctioned off to the private sector, with certain covenants to protect it. The revenue from that sale should be returned to the taxpayers.
There are many examples of sensitive lands that have been successfully curated by individuals and businesses. Let's encourage more of that.
9. Do you believe that state/local governments have an appropriate level of input into public lands management decisions?
NO.
Local and state governments have way too much input into public land management decisions.
It is wrong for those taking a government paycheck to the turn around and lobby government. That is acting as a "Taxpayer Funded Lobbying Organization" or "TFLO".
It is absolutely wrong for bureaucrats and politicians to pay themselves to lobby "themselves". Many taxpayers who have had that money taken out of their pockets may not have the same ideas as to how public lands should be managed.
10. What is your position on selling off public lands (federal, state, or local) to private individuals and corporations?
NO.
Same answer as #8.
Only freedom works.
First, the County Commission should not involve itself in the state or federal public lands issue. We should be concerned with lands owned by the Mesa County government.
On principle, I favor the abolition of all government ownership of land except for that which is necessary for it to carry out its only legitimate role in our lives, which is to protect the rights of individuals to be free of force and fraud.
If the government currently owns a sensitive parcel of land, that land should be auctioned off to the private sector, with certain covenants to protect it. The revenue from that sale should be returned to the taxpayers.
There are many examples of sensitive lands that have been successfully curated by individuals and businesses. Let's encourage more of that.
Affordable Healthcare, Housing, and Food
11. Rural communities in Colorado shoulder the burden of higher health insurance costs. As a county commissioner, would you encourage the state to offer a public option for health insurance?
NO.
Only freedom works.
And once again, I believe it is wrong and ethically problematic for local governments to lobby other levels of government. That is acting as a "Taxpayer Funded Lobbying Organization" or "TFLO".
Bureaucrats and politicians must never be allowed to pay themselves to lobby "themselves". Many taxpayers who have had that money taken out of their pockets may not have the same ideas as to how their health care should be managed.
Libertarians like myself favor a complete separation of medicine from the state. Accordingly, we support a free market health care system and oppose government mandates in insurance and healthcare. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the services they want (if any) and all other aspects of their medical care. We advocate replacing compulsory or tax supported plans to supply health services or insurance with voluntarily supported alternatives.
12. How can the county better fund its local health department to ensure they are adequately prepared to address future crises?
Only freedom works.
For all of the same reasons that I believe all government functions should be replaced by private-sector alternatives, the county health department should be eliminated and replaced by private alternatives.
Libertarians like myself favor a complete separation of medicine from the state. Accordingly, we support a free market health care system and oppose government mandates in insurance and healthcare. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the services they want (if any) and all other aspects of their medical care. We advocate replacing compulsory or tax supported plans to supply health services or insurance with voluntarily supported alternatives.
13. Should the county and its municipalities encourage incentives for construction projects in order to address the need for affordable housing?
NO.
Only freedom works.
Incentives aren't needed. What is needed is a wholesale removal of barriers to building the mix of housing that suits the needs of economically-disparate individuals.
Eliminating zoning and other land-use controls, eliminating taxation, licensing, minimum house sizes, minimum lot sizes an setbacks, as well as meddlesome permits, and the market will respond quickly with solutions to address the lack of affordable housing.
Many people who are on the economic margins would be able to find housing they could afford without help if governments would just step out of the way and eliminate barriers.
Immigration Reform
14. What is your position on local law enforcement actively collaborating with ICE?
Only freedom works.
As stated above, for all of the same reasons that I believe all government functions should be replaced by private-sector alternatives, the police department should be eliminated and replaced by private alternatives.
If there are no local police, there won't be any "cooperation" with ICE.
Libertarians like myself believe that one of the basic core principles of a free market is the freedom to move about voluntarily, and as such, borders are artificial barriers to trade and movement. A free market cannot exist with a closed or restricted border.
Non-citizens, whether "documented" or "undocumented", must not be denied the fundamental freedom to labor and to move about unmolested, nor should citizens be denied the right to assist in whatever manner they choose. Furthermore, immigration must not be restricted for reasons of nationality, race, religion, political creed, age, or sexual preference.
We therefore call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, and the declaration of a full pardon for all people who are in the country without government permission. We oppose government welfare and resettlement payments to non-citizens just as we oppose government welfare payments to all other persons. We aim to restore a world in which there are no passports, visas, or other papers required to cross borders.
Workers' Rights
15. If the state doesn't mandate the minimum wage of $15, should our county do so?
NO.
Only freedom works.
On principle, I support the abolition of the federal and state minimum wage laws, and for the same reasons I would not support imposing a county minimum wage.
Libertarians like myself believe that to protect the rights of both employees and employers, their relationship must be based on voluntary agreement. Forcing a person to work against his/her will ("slavery") is commonly understood to be wrong. Forcing somebody to hire a person is equally wrong. We oppose any government scheme based on the idea of "a right to a job".
Compensation for work is properly determined by employees deciding what their time and effort are worth to them and employers deciding what having that work done is worth to their business. Jobs exist because they are mutually beneficial to both parties. This relationship does not automatically create any obligation on the part of an employer to fully support an employee or his/her family, any more than it automatically creates an obligation on the part of an employee to ensure that a business is successful or profitable. We oppose minimum wage laws and any government schemes based on the idea of "a living wage".
The structure of compensation is similarly a choice properly made by the employer and employee, not government. Whether compensation is based on hours worked, output produced, or some other measure, and whether it includes "benefits" such as insurance, day care, or paid vacation, are matters which should be left to the parties involved to decide, by mutual agreement. We oppose all laws which mandate specific employee benefits, as well as subsidies and tax policies which attempt to impose standard benefit packages which may not be in the best interests of particular employers or employees.
16. Should commissioners encourage the state legislature to codify equal pay for equal work?
NO.
Only freedom works.
And once again, I believe it is wrong and ethically problematic for local governments to lobby other levels of government. That is acting as a "Taxpayer Funded Lobbying Organization" or "TFLO".
Bureaucrats and politicians must never be allowed to pay themselves to lobby "themselves". Many taxpayers who have had that money taken out of their pockets may not have the same ideas as to how their health care should be managed.
On principle, I support protecting the right of individuals to freely agree among themselves what their compensation for work will be, without giving one side or the other a government "hammer" to bludgeon their associate with.
Libertarians like myself believe that to protect the rights of both employees and employers, their relationship must be based on voluntary agreement. Forcing a person to work against his/her will ("slavery") is commonly understood to be wrong. Forcing somebody to hire a person is equally wrong. We oppose any government scheme based on the idea of "a right to a job".
Compensation for work is properly determined by employees deciding what their time and effort are worth to them and employers deciding what having that work done is worth to their business. Jobs exist because they are mutually beneficial to both parties. This relationship does not automatically create any obligation on the part of an employer to fully support an employee or his/her family, any more than it automatically creates an obligation on the part of an employee to ensure that a business is successful or profitable. We oppose minimum wage laws and any government schemes based on the idea of "a living wage".
The structure of compensation is similarly a choice properly made by the employer and employee, not government. Whether compensation is based on hours worked, output produced, or some other measure, and whether it includes "benefits" such as insurance, day care, or paid vacation, are matters which should be left to the parties involved to decide, by mutual agreement. We oppose all laws which mandate specific employee benefits, as well as subsidies and tax policies which attempt to impose standard benefit packages which may not be in the best interests of particular employers or employees.
Diverse and Resilient Local Economies
17. Western Colorado has a history of "boom and bust" economies. What is your plan/vision for building more diverse and resilient local economies in our county?
Only freedom works.
The best way to ensure the growth of a diverse and resilient local economy is to eliminate government functions that impede that growth.
Criminal Justice
18. In light of our nation's current unrest over policing and racial justice, what are your thoughts about the reallocation of some resources from policing budgets to community social services?
NO.
Only freedom works.
It is never productive to shift spending from "here to there". It is better eliminate the disease of too much spending by eliminating the function and eliminating the spending, and leaving the money in the pockets of taxpayers.
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