Candidate for
Council Member; City of Half Moon Bay

I believe that Government plays an enabling role in our society. I also believe that it is very difficult for any form of Government, at any level, to do so.

Thoughtful Government regulation and realistic investments in infrastructure enable commerce to flourish. A fair Government that protects the Rights of its citizens, enables all of us to pursue happiness in the way we each choose.

History has proven that it is all too easy for Government become destructive to the interests of the those that are Governed. Unprecedented debt incurred on our behalf, by almost all levels of Government, is one example of this. Another is the tendency of Government to obfuscate the truth.

In order for a Government to be effective in a Representative Democracy, the informed participation of those that are governed is required. Unfortunately, almost all levels of Government prefer to make it difficult for the governed to understand what is being done on their behalf.

This has led to the participation rates of those who are paying for the decisions made on their behalf, to be less than sustainable in our Representative Democracy. Voting is important but an informed electorate is is only long term hope for a Democracy that depends on Representatives to make wise decisions.

We as a Nation are fortunate to live in a time when there are tools available that enable all of us to access and analyze information. Governments should be required to make all but sensitive documents and fiscal data available to the taxpayers on the internet.

I could point out that my outlook is generally Libertarian but that I am opposed to fundamentalism. A limited, efficient, and effective Government, though difficult to achieve, is worth striving for.

I could tell you that I believe in both Individual Property and Personal Rights but that I also believe in the Personal and Property Rights of everybody in our community. Finding the proper balance between the two, in my view, is a noble aspiration for those who practice art of Politics.

In a blessed Nation and Community such as ours, the informed participation of those who are Governed is crucial to our continued success. Unless more of us pay attention, every thing that we as a people have achieved is at risk.

Diligently working to make the data and tools available so that the Governed can find out what is being done on their behalf, is the only achievable promise I can make. Those that Govern need to know that the Governed are paying attention.

Unless that data is analyzed by its citizens, there is no Government that can be counted on to advance the interests of the people it should serve.