Candidate for
State Board of Equalization; District 4

First of all, I am disappointed that in order to participate in this SmartVoter web site, I have to agree to the following rule:

"The [candidate's] statement shall not, in any way, make reference to other candidates for this office or to another candidate's qualifications, character, or activities."

As a Libertarian, I support the full and complete right of free speech for all people at all times. This is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT during election season when people must have as much information as possible to make an informed choice when they vote, and politicians must be held accountable to the voters for their actions. Protecting candidates and especially incumbents from criticism during this VERY IMPORTANT time is, in my opinion, quite opposite to the principles and concepts that made this country great.

So I am participating in this web site under protest, and I hope that the SmartVoter organizers will consider full support for freedom of speech as they arrange their activities for the next election.

Political Philosophy

I believe that government is too big, too powerful, too expensive, too inept, and too intrusive. It is the wrong tool to try and fix societal and economic problems. Let's restrain government so that it just deals with basic functions that we as individuals cannot do ourselves - defense, justice system, property rights protection. Our free society is more than capable of supplying the innovation and inspiration required to deal with the problems of the day. We just need to unleash it from the binds that the politicians and bureaucrats have placed upon it.

On a practical note, this means less government spending, fewer government programs, less political corruption, lower taxes, less people trying to tell you how to live your life, more jobs, more income, more personal responsibility, more people involved in their local communities, more locally-organized community projects, more doing what you want as long as you don't harm anyone else.

For more about this libertarian way of doing things, please see http://www.lp.org