Over the past few months I have
previewed some of the potential candidates for the Houston
Mayoral election in 2009. I have even fantasized about my
ideal candidate. But rather than continue to wait in vain
for my ideal candidate to emerge, I am now declaring my
virtual candidacy for Houston Mayor. (By virtual candidacy,
I mean that I am not literally running for Mayor. But I will
address the issues as if I were.)
Since I am approaching this as if I were actually running
for the City's top position, I must keep in mind political
and economic realities. For example, it would not be
possible to eliminate taxes and privatize all city services
in a single mayoral term (two years). Therefore, I will not
advocate such positions. This does not mean that I will
compromise; it means that I must recognize that creating
more freedom must be a gradual process. Moving towards
greater freedom is not as easy as throwing a switch. Weening
the public from government services without creating chaos
will require careful planning to insure an orderly
transition.
I have two reasons for this virtual candidacy. The first is
that it is an interesting intellectual exercise. It is one
thing to advocate that all property be privately owned. It
is another to lay out a plan to get from where we are to
that ideal. When Margaret Thacher was dismantling the
British welfare state, she created constituencies for her
proposals. She appealed to the self-interest of the various
individuals who would be impacted by her plans. She was able
to get support for her proposals by doing this, and thus was
able to get them implemented. My second reason is to be
pro-active.
Rather than simply criticize the actual mayoral candidates,
I will offer actual solutions. Rather than tell them what
they are doing wrong, I will real solutions to the issues
facing Houston. This is a form of intellectual activism.
For those who support freedom, my virtual candidacy will
offer concrete, positive alternatives to the expansion of
government. My platform will offer you ideas that stand in
stark contrast to those offered by the mainstream
candidates. These ideas will provide you with the
intellectual ammunition needed to combat the trend towards
greater government control of our lives.
Since this is a "political campaign" I do not know what
twists and turns it will take. Since I will not be an actual
participant, it will require some creativity to inject these
ideas into the debate. For those who support me, this can be
a fun and rewarding opportunity to spread the right ideas.
Between now and November I will run a virtual campaign. I
will write
OpEd
articles (I will actually submit them, though not under the
pretense of running for Mayor). I will "participate" in
debates. I will leave comments on other blogs. I will seek
speaking engagements and writing opportunities--not for the
purpose of becoming Mayor, but to put forth a positive
argument for individual freedom and property rights.
In the coming weeks I will lay out my platform and my
position on the issues I think most important. Unlike actual
candidates, I will provide real solutions to these issues.
Unlike actual candidates, my proposals will not involve an
expansion of government powers. The important issues facing
Houstonians that I will address are:
- Crime
- City services
- Taxes
- "Quality of life"
- The economy
- City assets
- "Protecting"
neighborhoods
My message will not cater to
the myriad special interest groups that attempt to influence
local politics. Politicians who do such are continually
changing their message to appeal to the group
du
jour.
My message will be aimed at all individuals, no matter their
skin color, their sexual orientation, or their religion. My
message will appeal to the best within each individual. My
message will be one of individual freedom, and the
opportunities which that freedom provides.
Since I am a virtual candidate, I ask for your virtual
support. I ask you to share my ideas with the media, voters,
and politicians. I ask for your help in delivering my
message by commenting on blogs and web sites. I ask you to
link to my position statements.
I do not ask that you do so for some higher cause, but
rather, I ask that you do it as a matter of your own
self-interest. If you value individual freedom and property
rights, promoting the ideas that support freedom is in your
self-interest. That is my motivation, and I would expect
nothing less of my supporters.
I am a political outsider. To run an actual campaign at this
time would be an exercise in futility and a waste of
resources. The ideas that I advocate are rejected by the
political mainstream. However, injecting these ideas into
the debate can have positive short term benefits, as well as
set the stage for long term success. In the short term we
can slow the growth of government; in the long term we can
reverse that trend and move towards greater freedom. This
virtual campaign is not about winning votes; it is about
spreading ideas.
I do not have political connections, nor I do not know the
minute details of city or state government. If I were an
actual candidate, this would undoubtedly be a liability.
However, the fact that such connections and knowledge seems
to be necessary to run for office is an indictment on our
culture, not my ideas. I say this, not as an excuse, but
because such details are largely irrelevant. To argue over
details is to accept the premise that government should
regulate and control the lives of individuals. I reject that
premise. I am not trying to fine tune city government. I am
trying to pare it down to size.
Many people run for political office and promise a more
business-like approach. But government is not a business--it
is an agent of force. Making the use of that force more
efficient in the violation of individual rights is not a
virtue. My goal is not greater efficiency in government, but
greater freedom for individuals.
A year from now, Houston will have a new Mayor. It will not
be me. But with your help we can have an influence on the
debate. With your help we can move towards greater
recognition and protection of the rights of all individuals.
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