Follow Up Questions to Round 1 Q & A

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."

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.