I sent out follow up questions to 3 of the 4 respondants. So far there are only 2 return answers(I still plan to send more questions). I will include answers by both in this post. Please note that I am simply copy and pasting from my email messages. If there are any typo's or mis-spellings I left them as is so as not to misquote anyone.
Follow Up to Joshua Bennett
Based on your answer to the political career question, and knowing you ran for Borough Assembly last year I’m curious what your goal is in this bid, especially considering your statement, “If I did anything different, it would be to not run for a political office at all.”
"I do not believe the "political system" is a very valuable way to effect change. It usually comes down to the two "sides" dividing the people and getting the people to be against their neighbor, which is anti-Liberty at its core. The problem is because of the "other guy", and takes the focus off of the actual problem, the political system itself. All we do when we see one of the partys come to power, is they use political force to push their way on others.
Where does that system and freedom coexist? It can't. So when I said if I did anything different, I would not run, its because I am not seeking to force my ideals on anyone. I hope to use the forum that candidates get when they run for office to get the message of Liberty out (as I see it, based on history) to as many people as possible who might have otherwise never heard the concept.
If I won the seat, I would simply continue to use that "bully pulpit" to try and show the fallacy of the system that steals and forces submission ,and contrast it with Liberty, with the hope some people would get it. If we can change people way of thinking, then we have real change, and an honest change that isn't forced on anyone. Freedom.
But, there are other ways to spread the message, which is what I meant by "not running at all"."
Follow Up to Edward King
You said, “I believe in letting the free market work so long as it is working, but I also believe in correcting its failures.” Can you provide any examples where a free market failure would need correcting and how that would be done?
"On classic example in a market failure is pollution. When the costs (such as deteriorated air quality) are not being paid in monetary terms, there tends to be an excess produced than the community would prefer. In these cases, some sort of non-market inference is needed to correct the failure. Other cases include situations in which the society would benefit in a situation was in place, but there is not an individual incentive to provide the service and an opportunity to free ride if they try. Police, fire protection, road services, etc, are examples of this. Finally, the market fails when the citizenry does not have the dollars to drive the market toward the desired outcome. Think public education where the parents may not have the education to teach or the money to pay for an education for their children. In these cases, the general population is improved by providing a service that is needed where the direct beneficiaries cannot pay for it themselves."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Assembly Seat E: Leslie McFarlane Round 1 Q & A
It took 1 week for Mr. McFarlane to get answers back to me. Still he was 1 of the only 4 to respond to the original questionnaire sent out 8/20/11.
Thanks so much for sending me these questions. I deeply appreciate your interest in public affairs.
1. What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Honesty
This involves not only not lying, but by not saying things that are technically true but are misleading. I'll give an analogy: If I know that we spend $150 a week on groceries, but I want to increase our spending to $175 a week, I could say that our projected grocery budget is 200 dollars a week and that we are cutting our spending $25 a week when we are actually raising our spending from $150 to $175. In government we can be that misleading and tricky with voters. We can actually want to raise the Borough budget by $5 million, but so as to cover it up, we can state that we cut the spending by setting the projected spending up $10 million, cut that by $5 million, and then hope that the voters won't catch on that all the way along we wanted to raise the budget by $5 million. The principle I will live by is to never do or say anything that I have to hope nobody finds out about.
2. Vote for what is best.
An officeholder's only consideration is to vote for what's best. For instance, a Borough Assembly member's only concern on his voting should be what's best for the Borough. Voting for what he knows is wrong in order to advance his political career, to please high ranking people in his party, and to please those who helped him in his campaign has no place!
3. Having a thick skin
A person should have the quality of learning from criticism. Issues need to be discussed from all angles. It is a shame for a person to act like he is a mistreated victim because people disagree with him. A candidate should never feel that those who disagree with him are his enemies.
2. What top five principles do you try to live by ? Why?
1. Persistence
A person shouldn't give up when the going gets rough.
2. Courage
A person needs to stand for what is right regardless of what the latest poll says. His consideration should not be on what the majority of the voters want, but on what is right. An adviser to President Reagan spoke to him about what the polls said. President Reagan told the adviser to not tell him any more about what the polls said , but to tell him about what was best for the American people.
3. Kindness
A person needs to be kind to everyone. That kindness needs to be shown to everyone, including his toughest opponent. He needs to run a positive campaign.
4. Humility
When a person is criticized he should try to learn by the criticism. It is always wrong for a political candidate to take the attitude that he know it all. He should never have a defensive attitude. Wanting to prove you're right and the critic wrong is our of order. Any person should always be ready to apologize when that is needed. President Abraham Lincoln mailed a letter of apology to the Union General in the Civil War, U. S. Grant, for what he had instructed him to do as General.
5. Thankfulness
There is always things to complain about, but there is always a lot to be thankful for. Having a cheerful, upbeat attitude is a necessity.
I will try to live by these principles because to me these are essential. I want to be held accountable for what I say I believe.
3.What makes a community a great place to live?
What makes a community a great place to live is the quality of the people living in it. You can have the greatest employment opportunities, educational opportunities, booming businesses, wonderful tourist attractions, but what counts first and foremost is the quality of the people in the community.
4.Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
I haven't had a political career. I applied to be State Representative from District 11 when there was a vacancy in 2009, and now I'm running for the Borough Assembly.
5.Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to experience, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
Experience is good, but I believe that is is greatly overrated. There are more attributes that we should be looking for. One thing that I believe is important is that especially next year when candidates are running in a primary that they be asked a simple question. They need to be asked that in the event they lose the primary,that they will accept the primary result and not run a write in campaign. The majority vote of the people in primaries should be final.
When people stress only experience in a political candidate, I wish that they would think of the four great Presidents who are honored at Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. If at the time of them assuming the Presidency, how inspiring would their resumes have been if they had resumes back then?
George Washington was greatly embarrassed when as a British leader in the French and Indian War, it spread far and wide that he was forced to surrender to the French forces. In 1755 he ran for the Virginia House Of Burgesses in a three way race and came out a poor third, receiving less that 10% of the vote!
Thomas Jefferson in the Revolutionary war as Governor of Virginia fled from the State Capital because of British opposition. I don't say that with any hint of criticism about him, but I believe that his background coming to the Presidency was not altogether glamorous.
Abraham Lincoln lost seven political races before becoming President. His office holding experience consisted of 8 years(1834-1842) as a member of the Illinois State Legislature, and of 2 years(1847-1849) as a Congressman from Illinois.
Theodore Roosevelt became Vice President Of The United States after only 2 years as Governor of New York, and President after having been Vice President for 6 months and 10 days.
This hows me that there is more to be considered than experience.
I don't have a website yet, but I am working to get one. I'll let you know when it is up. I don't have a blog.
I thank you again for your questions, Ms. Robinson, and I will welcome your further input about government and politics. My home phone is 490-6966 and I reside at 1130 Glenn St. North Pole, Ak 99705.
Thanks so much for sending me these questions. I deeply appreciate your interest in public affairs.
1. What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Honesty
This involves not only not lying, but by not saying things that are technically true but are misleading. I'll give an analogy: If I know that we spend $150 a week on groceries, but I want to increase our spending to $175 a week, I could say that our projected grocery budget is 200 dollars a week and that we are cutting our spending $25 a week when we are actually raising our spending from $150 to $175. In government we can be that misleading and tricky with voters. We can actually want to raise the Borough budget by $5 million, but so as to cover it up, we can state that we cut the spending by setting the projected spending up $10 million, cut that by $5 million, and then hope that the voters won't catch on that all the way along we wanted to raise the budget by $5 million. The principle I will live by is to never do or say anything that I have to hope nobody finds out about.
2. Vote for what is best.
An officeholder's only consideration is to vote for what's best. For instance, a Borough Assembly member's only concern on his voting should be what's best for the Borough. Voting for what he knows is wrong in order to advance his political career, to please high ranking people in his party, and to please those who helped him in his campaign has no place!
3. Having a thick skin
A person should have the quality of learning from criticism. Issues need to be discussed from all angles. It is a shame for a person to act like he is a mistreated victim because people disagree with him. A candidate should never feel that those who disagree with him are his enemies.
2. What top five principles do you try to live by ? Why?
1. Persistence
A person shouldn't give up when the going gets rough.
2. Courage
A person needs to stand for what is right regardless of what the latest poll says. His consideration should not be on what the majority of the voters want, but on what is right. An adviser to President Reagan spoke to him about what the polls said. President Reagan told the adviser to not tell him any more about what the polls said , but to tell him about what was best for the American people.
3. Kindness
A person needs to be kind to everyone. That kindness needs to be shown to everyone, including his toughest opponent. He needs to run a positive campaign.
4. Humility
When a person is criticized he should try to learn by the criticism. It is always wrong for a political candidate to take the attitude that he know it all. He should never have a defensive attitude. Wanting to prove you're right and the critic wrong is our of order. Any person should always be ready to apologize when that is needed. President Abraham Lincoln mailed a letter of apology to the Union General in the Civil War, U. S. Grant, for what he had instructed him to do as General.
5. Thankfulness
There is always things to complain about, but there is always a lot to be thankful for. Having a cheerful, upbeat attitude is a necessity.
I will try to live by these principles because to me these are essential. I want to be held accountable for what I say I believe.
3.What makes a community a great place to live?
What makes a community a great place to live is the quality of the people living in it. You can have the greatest employment opportunities, educational opportunities, booming businesses, wonderful tourist attractions, but what counts first and foremost is the quality of the people in the community.
4.Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
I haven't had a political career. I applied to be State Representative from District 11 when there was a vacancy in 2009, and now I'm running for the Borough Assembly.
5.Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to experience, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
Experience is good, but I believe that is is greatly overrated. There are more attributes that we should be looking for. One thing that I believe is important is that especially next year when candidates are running in a primary that they be asked a simple question. They need to be asked that in the event they lose the primary,that they will accept the primary result and not run a write in campaign. The majority vote of the people in primaries should be final.
When people stress only experience in a political candidate, I wish that they would think of the four great Presidents who are honored at Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. If at the time of them assuming the Presidency, how inspiring would their resumes have been if they had resumes back then?
George Washington was greatly embarrassed when as a British leader in the French and Indian War, it spread far and wide that he was forced to surrender to the French forces. In 1755 he ran for the Virginia House Of Burgesses in a three way race and came out a poor third, receiving less that 10% of the vote!
Thomas Jefferson in the Revolutionary war as Governor of Virginia fled from the State Capital because of British opposition. I don't say that with any hint of criticism about him, but I believe that his background coming to the Presidency was not altogether glamorous.
Abraham Lincoln lost seven political races before becoming President. His office holding experience consisted of 8 years(1834-1842) as a member of the Illinois State Legislature, and of 2 years(1847-1849) as a Congressman from Illinois.
Theodore Roosevelt became Vice President Of The United States after only 2 years as Governor of New York, and President after having been Vice President for 6 months and 10 days.
This hows me that there is more to be considered than experience.
I don't have a website yet, but I am working to get one. I'll let you know when it is up. I don't have a blog.
I thank you again for your questions, Ms. Robinson, and I will welcome your further input about government and politics. My home phone is 490-6966 and I reside at 1130 Glenn St. North Pole, Ak 99705.
Assembly Seat E: John Kohler Jr. Round 1 Q & A
Mr. Kohler responded in a respectable amount of time. Here are his answers.
I'll be rolling out my web site about September 1st, which should answer many of these questions @ www.kohler4assembly.com but until then, please let me try to answer your questions about my candidacy for seat E in order:
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Heart for service
2. Ability to learn from others
3. Experience in working through problems with private sector (business) ,public , and non-profit enterprises. Some of the best solutions for problems come from Synergies between the different kinds of organizations. I hate those kinds of buzz words, but sometimes they are aptly used.
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why? 1. Love your neighbor (why else would a guy put himself through a campaign- YUK) . 2. Work Hard (nobody like a slacker). 3. Enjoy Helping( I do a lot of non-public helping with non-profits I care about) 4. Don't be afraid to try (and try hard) 5. KNow when to get help- (only about always- many hands make light work- and a person will rarely think of or be an expert on everything).
What makes a community a great place to live? Good people, and great opportunities to succeed. I am a fan of our borough in this regard.
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? My "political career" mostly consists of an appoint to the State Council on the Arts. My misstep was thinking that a statewide appoint/responsability would trump what I can accomplish working locally. I prefer local helping. it's easioer to wrap your mind and arms around problems that are within easy reach. When offered a shot at re-upping my State appointment I declined, and rejoined my local non-profit's board.
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for? I think experience can count for alot. That being said, fresh energy and ideas and perspective is what refreshes the republic. I think everyone should have their turn in the barrel. I think experience is gained in local offices, and generally builds upon itself to the benefit of the folks represented. This is my first real stab at public office. I think my experience in business, Non-profits and light government service puts me in a good place to be a start up public servant.
I'll be rolling out my web site about September 1st, which should answer many of these questions @ www.kohler4assembly.com but until then, please let me try to answer your questions about my candidacy for seat E in order:
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Heart for service
2. Ability to learn from others
3. Experience in working through problems with private sector (business) ,public , and non-profit enterprises. Some of the best solutions for problems come from Synergies between the different kinds of organizations. I hate those kinds of buzz words, but sometimes they are aptly used.
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why? 1. Love your neighbor (why else would a guy put himself through a campaign- YUK) . 2. Work Hard (nobody like a slacker). 3. Enjoy Helping( I do a lot of non-public helping with non-profits I care about) 4. Don't be afraid to try (and try hard) 5. KNow when to get help- (only about always- many hands make light work- and a person will rarely think of or be an expert on everything).
What makes a community a great place to live? Good people, and great opportunities to succeed. I am a fan of our borough in this regard.
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? My "political career" mostly consists of an appoint to the State Council on the Arts. My misstep was thinking that a statewide appoint/responsability would trump what I can accomplish working locally. I prefer local helping. it's easioer to wrap your mind and arms around problems that are within easy reach. When offered a shot at re-upping my State appointment I declined, and rejoined my local non-profit's board.
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for? I think experience can count for alot. That being said, fresh energy and ideas and perspective is what refreshes the republic. I think everyone should have their turn in the barrel. I think experience is gained in local offices, and generally builds upon itself to the benefit of the folks represented. This is my first real stab at public office. I think my experience in business, Non-profits and light government service puts me in a good place to be a start up public servant.
Assembly Seat E: Ed King Round 1 Q & A
Mr. King was quick to respond to my email too. He did his answers essay style so first here are the initial questions I asked:
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
What makes a community a great place to live?
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
Now for his answers:
I would like to start by thanking you for taking the time to be informed and asking important and intelligent questions. If you don't mind, I will answer your questions in a narrative rather than short answers to the independent questions.
I believe that elected officials are intended to provide 2 main functions. First, they should represent the interests of the people by examining issues and making decisions on their behalf. In this way, the individual citizens don't have to be bogged down by every issue and can instead focus on other aspects of their lives while knowing that someone else is representing them. Second, they should set the rules which balance protecting freedom with protecting health and well-being for the citizens they are serving. In order to achieve these aims, a political leader must be intelligent enough to deeply understand the issues at hand, honest about what they hope to achieve and have the integrity to be consistent in their decision making in the face of adversity. That is why I know I am a good leader and public servant. I live my life based on the those very principles: open-mindedness, humility, compassion, integrity, and honesty.
I believe that it is a society that understands and respects it's fellow members that makes a community great. This community is among the greatest in the world because of the mentality it maintains in respecting each other's freedom and individuality while being willing to provide a helping hand when it is needed. I want to ensure that this community remains a great place to raise a family. That includes maintaining an economy which provides income opportunity, affordable housing and energy, great educational opportunity and a healthy and safe environment. As an economist, I believe in letting the free market work so long as it is working, but I also believe in correcting its failures.
This is my first venture into politics directly, but I have been a public servant for my entire adult life. I spent 6 years in the Army, right out of high school, including a year in Iraq protecting our troops and Iraqi civilians from roadside bombs. I continue to serve and protect people in need through volunteer efforts and I continue to advance my understanding of the complex system in which we live through graduate level classes to add to my economics degree from the University of Washington. I do believe that experience is important if the person uses it as an intellectual foundation to examine what has worked as well as learning from mistakes. However, many times that experience can also lead to a reliance on tradition and an excuse not to examine a situation from the current context. Although I have not yet held a public office, I am very familiar with weighing costs and benefits as well as making tough decisions. Leading a group of soldiers in combat requires that they trust you are looking out for them, I carry that same mentality into office as I lead the good people of the North Star Borough.
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
What makes a community a great place to live?
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
Now for his answers:
I would like to start by thanking you for taking the time to be informed and asking important and intelligent questions. If you don't mind, I will answer your questions in a narrative rather than short answers to the independent questions.
I believe that elected officials are intended to provide 2 main functions. First, they should represent the interests of the people by examining issues and making decisions on their behalf. In this way, the individual citizens don't have to be bogged down by every issue and can instead focus on other aspects of their lives while knowing that someone else is representing them. Second, they should set the rules which balance protecting freedom with protecting health and well-being for the citizens they are serving. In order to achieve these aims, a political leader must be intelligent enough to deeply understand the issues at hand, honest about what they hope to achieve and have the integrity to be consistent in their decision making in the face of adversity. That is why I know I am a good leader and public servant. I live my life based on the those very principles: open-mindedness, humility, compassion, integrity, and honesty.
I believe that it is a society that understands and respects it's fellow members that makes a community great. This community is among the greatest in the world because of the mentality it maintains in respecting each other's freedom and individuality while being willing to provide a helping hand when it is needed. I want to ensure that this community remains a great place to raise a family. That includes maintaining an economy which provides income opportunity, affordable housing and energy, great educational opportunity and a healthy and safe environment. As an economist, I believe in letting the free market work so long as it is working, but I also believe in correcting its failures.
This is my first venture into politics directly, but I have been a public servant for my entire adult life. I spent 6 years in the Army, right out of high school, including a year in Iraq protecting our troops and Iraqi civilians from roadside bombs. I continue to serve and protect people in need through volunteer efforts and I continue to advance my understanding of the complex system in which we live through graduate level classes to add to my economics degree from the University of Washington. I do believe that experience is important if the person uses it as an intellectual foundation to examine what has worked as well as learning from mistakes. However, many times that experience can also lead to a reliance on tradition and an excuse not to examine a situation from the current context. Although I have not yet held a public office, I am very familiar with weighing costs and benefits as well as making tough decisions. Leading a group of soldiers in combat requires that they trust you are looking out for them, I carry that same mentality into office as I lead the good people of the North Star Borough.
Assembly Seat H: Joshua Bennett Round 1 Q & A
Each time I have asked Mr. Joshua Bennett questions I have recieved very prompt answers. Here are the Q & A for round 1.
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Understanding the Constitution of the United States of America, and the State of Alaska, being willing to follow it even if it's not popular, and knowing that the Constitution limits the candidate if he is elected and not the citizen.
2. Understanding that private "property is surely a Right of mankind as Real as Liberty" and that government is instituted by the people to protect property and who knows it is unjust for a government to deny a citizen the free use of his own property.
3. Understanding that Liberty is for all people, and the elected official is required to see to it that all Citizens Rights are protected, knowing that compromising even one Citizens Rights is wrong, and that using force to tax one Individual to give to another is wrong.
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
I can narrow it down to two principles:
1. Love the Lord with all your heart.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
If you love your neighbor as yourself in all aspects of your personal, business, and public life, which means practicing self control and respecting the Rights of our neighbors, you can sleep at night knowing you always try to do Right by your fellow man, and you can live without the worry of accusations of wrong doing being brought against you.
And it's how I want my children to live, so I need to show them by example.
What makes a community a great place to live?
A community that practices the "Golden Rule", if we all would, it would be evident that we do not need the government to regulate every aspect of our lives, the freedom that would come with that would encourage the free market and industry to thrive in our local community, and our local society would take care of those less advantaged through neighborly means, and not through the force of government. That would make a great and prosperous community to live in.
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
I have never had a career in politics, and don't intend to make it a career. I believe career politicians are a detriment to our society. Most have never known life outside of the public life, and have never created any real wealth, growth, or contributed to society from the private sector whatsoever. Instead, they take the wealth of the People to empower and entrench themselves, they stifle growth in the private sector by regulating it, and the contributions they make are of other people's wealth, and never their own. No I don't think I want this to be a career.
If I did anything different, it would be to not run for a political office at all.
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
As I said above, being an "experienced" politician is no attribute at all. Experience in the private working sector would be good, but knowledge of the fundamentals of Liberty and the relationship between the Citizen and the state are attributes I look for.
Website: Bennetts for borough on Facebook. Blog: Patriotslament.blogspot.com. I also have a radio show on Saturdays on KFAR at 10 a.m.
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
1. Understanding the Constitution of the United States of America, and the State of Alaska, being willing to follow it even if it's not popular, and knowing that the Constitution limits the candidate if he is elected and not the citizen.
2. Understanding that private "property is surely a Right of mankind as Real as Liberty" and that government is instituted by the people to protect property and who knows it is unjust for a government to deny a citizen the free use of his own property.
3. Understanding that Liberty is for all people, and the elected official is required to see to it that all Citizens Rights are protected, knowing that compromising even one Citizens Rights is wrong, and that using force to tax one Individual to give to another is wrong.
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
I can narrow it down to two principles:
1. Love the Lord with all your heart.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
If you love your neighbor as yourself in all aspects of your personal, business, and public life, which means practicing self control and respecting the Rights of our neighbors, you can sleep at night knowing you always try to do Right by your fellow man, and you can live without the worry of accusations of wrong doing being brought against you.
And it's how I want my children to live, so I need to show them by example.
What makes a community a great place to live?
A community that practices the "Golden Rule", if we all would, it would be evident that we do not need the government to regulate every aspect of our lives, the freedom that would come with that would encourage the free market and industry to thrive in our local community, and our local society would take care of those less advantaged through neighborly means, and not through the force of government. That would make a great and prosperous community to live in.
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
I have never had a career in politics, and don't intend to make it a career. I believe career politicians are a detriment to our society. Most have never known life outside of the public life, and have never created any real wealth, growth, or contributed to society from the private sector whatsoever. Instead, they take the wealth of the People to empower and entrench themselves, they stifle growth in the private sector by regulating it, and the contributions they make are of other people's wealth, and never their own. No I don't think I want this to be a career.
If I did anything different, it would be to not run for a political office at all.
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
As I said above, being an "experienced" politician is no attribute at all. Experience in the private working sector would be good, but knowledge of the fundamentals of Liberty and the relationship between the Citizen and the state are attributes I look for.
Website: Bennetts for borough on Facebook. Blog: Patriotslament.blogspot.com. I also have a radio show on Saturdays on KFAR at 10 a.m.
Monday, August 29, 2011
2010 Borough Election Assesments
This post originaly posted by me on a different blog in Oct. 2010. It has since been removed from that blog and put here.
For the 2Nov2010 Unoffical voter guide go to: http://interioralaskavoterguides.blogspot.com/
This Tuesday Oct. 5th is a city/borough vote. As I am not in either city areas I am only sending out information I’ve gathered about the borough vote. I hope my hours of research thru original documents and interviews with candidates will benefit you and help you be a informed voter. Thomas Jefferson said, “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” We must be informed voters. I know many say, “I vote for the important vote (usually meaning the President of the USA, Senators, and Representatives)”. In truth, this vote is more important as it more immediately impacts you.
ASSEMBLY (SEAT B)
Diane Hutchison: My impression is that she is more liberal in her political views although not as arrogant as some other candidates. Spoke with her briefly, she is supported by the NEA and some other unions. She answered 3 questions I asked her about federal funding, PM 2.5, and energy on her facebook page Diane borough assembly Facebook page
*Eric Donald Grabber: Spoke with him 40 minutes. He is conservative, thinks the PM 2.5 science is wrong and will vote Yes on Proposition A, pro-2nd Amendment and property rights. He is an entrepreneur and is against trucking in gas (thinks there are better solutions). He does not have a web site, blog, or facebook page. His number is 488-3850.
Joshua Bennett: Constitutional conservative. For smaller government and people’s rights over bureaucracy. We spoke briefly and he addressed several of my questions on his facebook page in the discussion area Bennets For Borough Facebook page
ASSEMBLY (SEAT C)
**Natalie Howard: I saw her at a recent Road Service meeting and she had good input to share there. She was open and listened and did not have an attitude of she knows best. She has a website: nataliehoward.us She is for:
• Transparent and Accountable Borough Government
• Responsible Fiscal Policies
• Limited Government that Respects Individuals
• Respect for Individual Property Rights
• Air Quality
Kelly E. Brown: was also at the Road Service meeting I attended and had an attitude toward us as being ignorant people who didn’t understand the government. I was unable to get a hold of her or even leave a message. In regards to the PM 2.5/Proposition A issue she said, “It needs to fail. Part of our [Borough] control plan needs to have some restriction, or we’ll lose local control.” Home: 452-5870 Cell: 590-9106
ASSEMBLY (SEAT D)
I didn’t do as much research here as I have listened to Michael Dukes on the radio many times and know his views on issues are in line with mine. Both Michaels are conservative and more for limited government.
Richard E. Tallant: I heard Richard Tallant at a forum last night. He appears to be conservative also. Home: 490-4811 Cell: 347-9898
*Michael Dukes: It appears three conservatives are running against one more liberal (Bartos) candidate. In all honesty I think Dukes has the best chance to win of the conservative candidates due to better name recognition. Home: 490-2434 Cell: 378-8499
Michael Palembas: I will say that I listened to some forums and Michael Palembas also sounded in line with conservative views. Cell: 347-4807
Hank Bartos: You can glean some information from an old website of his http://www.hankformayor.com/ This was all I found. Home: 488-3366 Cell: 347-4498
ASSEMBLY (SEAT I)
*Guy Sattley: Don’t know much about him and did not yet try to contact him. Eric Grabber (Seat B candidate) indicated he is more conservative then Kassel but less so then the Bennet brothers. 457-4149 Cell: 347-0384
Frank W. Turney: I don’t think he is serious about geting a seat. During one forum he kept answering with a bit about how Alaska needs to become the Hemp Hub and it can be used for fuel, fiber, etc. Home: 457-2333 Cell: 799-2156
Karl Kassel: I found these two websites for info on him, I noticed he is supported by several unions: http://kasselforassembly.com/ and http://politics.kosmix.com/topic/Karl_Kassel
*Aaron Bennett: Joshua’s brother. Constitutional conservative. For smaller government and people’s rights over bureaucracy. His views are in line with his brothers. Bennets For Borough Facebook page
SCHOOL BOARD (SEAT C)
Sue Hull: Knew her from church, you can glean information from this site: http://vote-ak.org/Intro.aspx?State=AK&Id=AKHullSue Home: 479-5729 Cell: 378-7139
Dean Ash: All I know about him I learned from Eric Grabber. He is a homeschooling dad and is conservative. He did not return my call Cell: 750-9902
SCHOOL BOARD (SEAT D)
Kristina Brophy: Spoke briefly; she does not have any website, blog, or facebook page. As far as I can tell from forum answers she has an “experts and experienced people know best” mentality. Home: 457-1178 Cell: 314-800-8477
**Michael D. Ames: Know him personally and fully endorse him. He has a blog: http://michaelamesforschoolboard.blogspot.com/ Cell: 388-1588
Proposition A:
Basically this is to say, “The borough shall not ban, prohibit, or fine residents for the use of home heating devices.” As it stands now with PM 2.5 or Ordinance No. 2010-28 the borough can fine $30-$50 per infraction. They will employ Air Quality Control Officers who will visually determine if a household is in compliance or not by watching the “smoke” plume emanating from a home. If the opacity level is greater than 50% for more than 15 minutes per hour (except a 20 minute startup from cold unit) the household is in violation. Only first time violations will be warned, subsequent violations will have no requirement of warning. Also the ordinance states, “C. PM2.5 Emissions Crossing Property Lines. No person shall cause or permit emissions from a solid fuel combustion appliance to impact the resident(s) of an adjacent property through the creation of an emissions plume that:
crosses the adjacent property line” . Get that?! Your smoke plume cannot cross property lines or you will be in violation. Also, “It shall be unlawful to install or fail to remove a solid fuel burning appliance installed in violation of this section.” Finally, the last section sounds contradictory to me. It states, “… shall have only prospective application” Prospective means, “relating to or effective in the future” which implies to me the concept of grandfather rights. But then the section immediately states, “meaning no provision shall apply to any act, including installation or purchase of a solid fuel appliance completed prior to the effective date.” This statement seems to negate the grandfathering rights concept.
**Vote Yes: http://www.northstarlandowners.com/ Borough Assemble members running now who voted noes on the Ordinance No. 2010-28 and subsequently support this Proposition are: Natalie Howard and Guy Sattley
Vote No: http://cleanairfairbanks.wordpress.com/ Borough Assemble members running now who voted Ayes on the Ordinance No. 2010-28 and subsequently do not support this Proposition are: Kelly Brown and Hank Bartos. Though they have no power in the Assembly, School Board candidates who are in line with this position are: Sue Hull and Kristina Brophy.
Proposition B:
This is to reenact a tax cap. The people have to get signatures to put the Proposition up for a vote to maintain the tax cap requirement on the Borough every two years. It’s been going on a long time. No other information.
*Yes
No
For the 2Nov2010 Unoffical voter guide go to: http://interioralaskavoterguides.blogspot.com/
This Tuesday Oct. 5th is a city/borough vote. As I am not in either city areas I am only sending out information I’ve gathered about the borough vote. I hope my hours of research thru original documents and interviews with candidates will benefit you and help you be a informed voter. Thomas Jefferson said, “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” We must be informed voters. I know many say, “I vote for the important vote (usually meaning the President of the USA, Senators, and Representatives)”. In truth, this vote is more important as it more immediately impacts you.
ASSEMBLY (SEAT B)
Diane Hutchison: My impression is that she is more liberal in her political views although not as arrogant as some other candidates. Spoke with her briefly, she is supported by the NEA and some other unions. She answered 3 questions I asked her about federal funding, PM 2.5, and energy on her facebook page Diane borough assembly Facebook page
*Eric Donald Grabber: Spoke with him 40 minutes. He is conservative, thinks the PM 2.5 science is wrong and will vote Yes on Proposition A, pro-2nd Amendment and property rights. He is an entrepreneur and is against trucking in gas (thinks there are better solutions). He does not have a web site, blog, or facebook page. His number is 488-3850.
Joshua Bennett: Constitutional conservative. For smaller government and people’s rights over bureaucracy. We spoke briefly and he addressed several of my questions on his facebook page in the discussion area Bennets For Borough Facebook page
ASSEMBLY (SEAT C)
**Natalie Howard: I saw her at a recent Road Service meeting and she had good input to share there. She was open and listened and did not have an attitude of she knows best. She has a website: nataliehoward.us She is for:
• Transparent and Accountable Borough Government
• Responsible Fiscal Policies
• Limited Government that Respects Individuals
• Respect for Individual Property Rights
• Air Quality
Kelly E. Brown: was also at the Road Service meeting I attended and had an attitude toward us as being ignorant people who didn’t understand the government. I was unable to get a hold of her or even leave a message. In regards to the PM 2.5/Proposition A issue she said, “It needs to fail. Part of our [Borough] control plan needs to have some restriction, or we’ll lose local control.” Home: 452-5870 Cell: 590-9106
ASSEMBLY (SEAT D)
I didn’t do as much research here as I have listened to Michael Dukes on the radio many times and know his views on issues are in line with mine. Both Michaels are conservative and more for limited government.
Richard E. Tallant: I heard Richard Tallant at a forum last night. He appears to be conservative also. Home: 490-4811 Cell: 347-9898
*Michael Dukes: It appears three conservatives are running against one more liberal (Bartos) candidate. In all honesty I think Dukes has the best chance to win of the conservative candidates due to better name recognition. Home: 490-2434 Cell: 378-8499
Michael Palembas: I will say that I listened to some forums and Michael Palembas also sounded in line with conservative views. Cell: 347-4807
Hank Bartos: You can glean some information from an old website of his http://www.hankformayor.com/ This was all I found. Home: 488-3366 Cell: 347-4498
ASSEMBLY (SEAT I)
*Guy Sattley: Don’t know much about him and did not yet try to contact him. Eric Grabber (Seat B candidate) indicated he is more conservative then Kassel but less so then the Bennet brothers. 457-4149 Cell: 347-0384
Frank W. Turney: I don’t think he is serious about geting a seat. During one forum he kept answering with a bit about how Alaska needs to become the Hemp Hub and it can be used for fuel, fiber, etc. Home: 457-2333 Cell: 799-2156
Karl Kassel: I found these two websites for info on him, I noticed he is supported by several unions: http://kasselforassembly.com/ and http://politics.kosmix.com/topic/Karl_Kassel
*Aaron Bennett: Joshua’s brother. Constitutional conservative. For smaller government and people’s rights over bureaucracy. His views are in line with his brothers. Bennets For Borough Facebook page
SCHOOL BOARD (SEAT C)
Sue Hull: Knew her from church, you can glean information from this site: http://vote-ak.org/Intro.aspx?State=AK&Id=AKHullSue Home: 479-5729 Cell: 378-7139
Dean Ash: All I know about him I learned from Eric Grabber. He is a homeschooling dad and is conservative. He did not return my call Cell: 750-9902
SCHOOL BOARD (SEAT D)
Kristina Brophy: Spoke briefly; she does not have any website, blog, or facebook page. As far as I can tell from forum answers she has an “experts and experienced people know best” mentality. Home: 457-1178 Cell: 314-800-8477
**Michael D. Ames: Know him personally and fully endorse him. He has a blog: http://michaelamesforschoolboard.blogspot.com/ Cell: 388-1588
Proposition A:
Basically this is to say, “The borough shall not ban, prohibit, or fine residents for the use of home heating devices.” As it stands now with PM 2.5 or Ordinance No. 2010-28 the borough can fine $30-$50 per infraction. They will employ Air Quality Control Officers who will visually determine if a household is in compliance or not by watching the “smoke” plume emanating from a home. If the opacity level is greater than 50% for more than 15 minutes per hour (except a 20 minute startup from cold unit) the household is in violation. Only first time violations will be warned, subsequent violations will have no requirement of warning. Also the ordinance states, “C. PM2.5 Emissions Crossing Property Lines. No person shall cause or permit emissions from a solid fuel combustion appliance to impact the resident(s) of an adjacent property through the creation of an emissions plume that:
crosses the adjacent property line” . Get that?! Your smoke plume cannot cross property lines or you will be in violation. Also, “It shall be unlawful to install or fail to remove a solid fuel burning appliance installed in violation of this section.” Finally, the last section sounds contradictory to me. It states, “… shall have only prospective application” Prospective means, “relating to or effective in the future” which implies to me the concept of grandfather rights. But then the section immediately states, “meaning no provision shall apply to any act, including installation or purchase of a solid fuel appliance completed prior to the effective date.” This statement seems to negate the grandfathering rights concept.
**Vote Yes: http://www.northstarlandowners.com/ Borough Assemble members running now who voted noes on the Ordinance No. 2010-28 and subsequently support this Proposition are: Natalie Howard and Guy Sattley
Vote No: http://cleanairfairbanks.wordpress.com/ Borough Assemble members running now who voted Ayes on the Ordinance No. 2010-28 and subsequently do not support this Proposition are: Kelly Brown and Hank Bartos. Though they have no power in the Assembly, School Board candidates who are in line with this position are: Sue Hull and Kristina Brophy.
Proposition B:
This is to reenact a tax cap. The people have to get signatures to put the Proposition up for a vote to maintain the tax cap requirement on the Borough every two years. It’s been going on a long time. No other information.
*Yes
No
Saturday, August 20, 2011
FNSB 2011 Election
Election time again. I have my list from the borough and have emailed to all candidates my first set of questions. Here they are:
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
What makes a community a great place to live?
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
What would you say are the top 3 attributes in a candidate?
What top five principles do you try to live by? Why?
What makes a community a great place to live?
Have you ever made missteps in your political career? Care to elaborate or say what you would do differently today?
Many politicians (whether they run for Senate or School Board) always claim their best for the job due to “experience”, is experience all its cut out to be or are there more attributes we should be looking for?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)