Wednesday, October 10, 2018

I'm Doing This Thing Again

I'm in a different district now.  I've been in Virginia working for the man, but now I have a daughter who is here in Dover so I moved back, but turned up in the 34th Representative District instead of the 32nd.  That's just as well, really, because Representative Andria Bennett and I have developed a friendship and I wouldn't be enthusiastic about running against her.

Anyway, I haven't run a very active campaign.  I did a Facebook Post about it.
I have not run a very active campaign this year. I have a young daughter and about a million other things to do.
I am still an option on November 6th though. I have had conversations with both of my opponents. They seem like decent people. They have not displayed the outward hostility towards me that I have faced from some of my opponents in previous campaigns, and for that I am grateful to them.
We do, however, have fairly stark differences of opinion when it comes to policy in the State of Delaware.
My primary difference of opinion with the incumbent Republican relates to the legalization of cannabis and the importance of placing principles over partisan loyalty. In reviewing his voting record and even in my conversation with him, I became aware of his support for a number of tax increases during the showdown to pass a state budget in 2017. As many of you will remember, there was a sizable gap between the projected revenues and expenditures which caused a great deal of handwringing in the countdown to the close of the regular legislative session. Rep. Andria Bennett, the Democrat from the 32nd Representative District and my erstwhile opponent from the 2014 campaign, who I endorsed in the 2016 campaign due to our personal friendship, her willingness to learn about Libertarian beliefs and philosophies, and willingness to place the needs and desires of her constituents above those of her party leaders, demonstrated her independence again by voting against tax increases which would have resolved the "crisis" and earned the ire of her party leadership by doing so. Not so for my Republican opponent. He was apparently told by his party leadership that he could "afford" to alienate certain lobbies and encouraged to support the increase in the Real Estate Transfer Tax. He also voted to support the licensing and taxing of Fantasy Football leagues. Finally, he voted to support the "Bump Stock Ban" in the wake of the push for more gun control in Delaware. These choices stand in stark contrast not only to the choices I would have made, but also to the professed philosophy of his party to support lowering taxes and oppose imposing additional penalties on otherwise law abiding citizens based on the possession of a certain type of firearm or accessory.
While my Democratic opponent has expressed his support for cannabis legalization, I can otherwise see no real distinction between him and the Republican incumbent. "Common Sense" is, to me, a euphemism for "lack of principles" in the areas of gun control and government spending. Imposing penalties on innocent people and taxing them to fund bloated government budgets is not how I believe government should operate.
Faced with those choices, and the desire to "show the flag" for the Libertarian Party in the November election, I accepted the nomination of the Libertarian Party of Delaware. While I have not had the time to devote to a strenuous campaign this year, I still hope to get the support of voters in the 34th Representative District.
If elected, and even if I'm not, I will continue to promote a small government that works effectively and efficiently to protect the rights of those subject to the jurisdiction of the State of Delaware. I will support the legalization of cannabis, the reduction of taxes and government spending, legislation like HB450 which will allow those with criminal records to get a second chance, and a disruption of the two-party system which has a stranglehold on the political conversation both in Dover and DC.
Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text, and thank you in advance for your support on November 6th and moving forward.
I will be at the League of Women Voters debate on 10/17 at the Modern Maturity Center though.  Now that I've reregistered my domain name, I'll be putting out some of my signs.  I'm surprised no one tried to hijack it since I've been a filed candidate for a few months now and left the domain available.  I look forward to seeing everyone out and about.  Don't send me money though.  It just makes Campaign Finance Reporting more complicated.  Kthxbye.


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