Candidate, Montana State House of Representatives, District 54, 2014

No caucus information on file.

No professional experience on file.

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Reason for Seeking Public Office:

Why am I running for the House? I have four main reasons that are my motivation for seeking the seat. They are both a matter of my philosophy of government and my personal beliefs.
I believe in the concept of the "Citizen Statesman". That is a person who takes time out from their lives to serve in the government, spends a limited time serving their constituents, and returns back to their life. George Washington referred to the end of his presidency as being promoted. This is how it should be.Too many times the people we put into office make a career of their position. They may start out "serving" the people but they come to "rule" over them, seduced by the power of office.
The ever increasing over spending of our Legislature has to stop. We had one party, most of whom campaigned on a platform of fiscal responsibility, manage to increase our state budget by 13%. I can not condone this ever upward spiral of tax and spend. The people of Montana deserve to keep their hard earned money and spend it as they see fit, not as the state sees fit.
There is a referendum item on the ballot in November that, first of all, was put there by dubious means. It was railroaded over the legitimate concern of the minority party. The Senate President refused to acknowledge a parliamentary move that should have prevented this item from going forth. What is at issue is the right of Montana voters to vote for the candidate of their choice. It is referred as the "Top Two" process. It would limit the ballot to the top two candidates from the primary. It is designed to eliminate third party candidates from the ballot. This consolidation of power takes away your right to vote for the candidate of your choice. We should have more choice on the ballot, not less.
I have very strong feeling about the dismantling of our state's medical marijuana program. Until a few "Reefer Madness" educated legislators managed to make the program nearly impossible to navigate. Granted, there was some abuse that occurred. Rather than address those issues, the entire program was virtually scrapped. Thousands of people were being helped. Pain and suffering were being alleviated for patients suffering from chronic pain from various ailments. I personally know many people who were able to stop using dangerous, highly addictive opiates. After the program was virtually eliminated, they were forced to find other, much less safe, ways to obtain the medicine that had given them back their lives. While the rest of the country has come to realize the benefits of medical marijuana, Montanans have been denied the opportunity to get the medicine they need.
Thank you for your time. I hope that, if you agree with me, I can count on your vote in November.