My County Magazine: Candidate Survey
October 3, 2008 | Conversations, Positions, Voter Information
My County Magazine, published in Western Missouri, has a comparison of the candidates for public office online. My responses are quoted below.
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What are your top three priorities to accomplish?
REDUCE TAXES on all Missourians, not just the middle class or the well-to-do.
ELIMINATE INTERFERENCE in the daily lives and property rights of all Missourians.
Bring about a SMALLER GOVERNMENT, reducing expenses and removing non-essential services, and returning the money to YOUR pocket book for YOU to spend as you wish. Who knows best how to spend your hard-earned money: you, or the legion of legislators and rule-makers who work in our state government?
How do you plan to accomplish them?
The Governor submits a budget to the legislature. I will accomplish my goals through the power of the VETO, if the legislature attempts to increase the budget I’ve submitted. The state will effectively go on a diet, for its future better health.
In addition, I will call for and support legislation and constitutional amendments to forbid the state government from interfering in its citizens’ lives. The taking of one person’s private property for the benefit of another via eminent domain, all in the name of “economic development,” must be stopped.
How do you plan to pay for them?
All three of my priorities will reduce the cost of government. Therefore, I plan to “pay” for it by giving the money back to the citizens; and once the legislature has reduced the tax rates for all Missourians, both rich and poor, I plan to “pay” for it by keeping the money in the possession of the people.
What unique characteristic or qualification do you possess that makes you the best person for this job?
I am not a politician - which makes me unique. I have to work for a living.
I am a computer software engineer — we don’t just study a problem or pass a new law further restricting how Missouri does business: we actually solve the problems. Libertarians fight for YOUR individual freedoms, and personal responsibility for the choices we make.
I am also a Catholic music minister, a singer, a landlord, a small, internet business operator, a member of MENSA, and a newlywed husband.
I know what it’s like to have to make ends meet through hard work and a realistic budget.
Why should voters elect me instead of my opponents? Only I will bring about a smaller government. My opponents promise new and expanded programs, spending to the limit of the state’s checkbook from taxes and fees. Only I will fight for your individual freedoms and liberties, while my opponents have accepted millions of dollars in campaign contributions - which they spend wastefully on negative advertising and misleading statements of “truth”. Do they think we are that stupid? No, we are not.
Don’t waste your vote — vote for Life, vote for Liberty, vote for Andy.
When was the last time you had a one-on-one conversation with a member of the opposite party? What did you hope to accomplish?
Also unique in our state, an office-mate of mine is running for State Representative this year. Two candidates working at the same non-political office running for state office the same year. It must be something in the water.
He is a Democrat. I am a Libertarian. We had been talking about the economy, and the $700 BILLION dollar (or more) bailout that was proposed over the weekend. As has been typical, we agree on many more points than we differ. We were not trying to persuade each other of the rightness of our own views, or the wrongness of the other’s views. We were discussing what would be best for our respective 401(k) plans.
Do you vote a straight party ticket, or what criteria do you use to vote when evaluating a candidate?
I do not. I gather information about each candidate, and each issue. I do not let my feelings get in the way. I evaluate each candidate or issue based on the principles of government that I hold dear: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, individual choices and responsibility for those choices. I never vote for the “lesser of two evils”, because that choice STILL chooses evil. And then I vote.
Finkenstadt Outlines Plans for Change; Nixon, Hulshof Promises Same Old Bigger Government Story
September 14, 2008 | Announcements, Positions, Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Missouri Press Association Gubernatorial Debate
Finkenstadt Outlines Plans for Change; Nixon, Hulshof Promises Same Old Bigger Government Story
“We should not be burning our food! And taxpayers should not be paying for the privilege”
COLUMBIA, Mo. - September 14, 2008 — In the gubernatorial debate, hosted by the Missouri Press Association, Libertarian Andrew Finkenstadt outlined his plans to change the direction of the state, while Attorney General Jay Nixon and Congressman Kenny Hulshof continued to embrace the same failed policies from the Democratic and Republican parties that have resulted in bigger government budgets, bigger government taxation, and bigger government interference.
“I am a computer software engineer. Engineers do not create a blue-ribbon panel to study an issue. Engineers solve the problems put before them,” Finkenstadt said in opening remarks. “A lawyer looks at a problem and tends to say, ‘There ought to be a law.‘ I say in response, ‘We have too many laws already, we don’t need any more.‘ A politician looks at a problem and tends to say, ‘Hey, we should study that.‘ Computer programmers see a problem and address it in a more direct and methodical way, we actually solve it.”
Libertarian Andy Finkenstadt went on to say, “I will reduce taxes for everyone (not just the rich, not just the middle class), and I’ll do it by reducing the size of our government. Reducing taxes leaves more money in your pocket to spend as YOU see fit, without some government middleman getting in the way. After all, who knows best how to spend your hard-earned money: you, or the legion of legislators and rule makers who work in our state government?”
During the question and answer portion of the debate, both Nixon and Hulshof reiterated their campaign issues: bigger government spending on health care and insurance products, expanded government spending on educational programs, and more government control over alternative energy sources.
Libertarian Andy Finkenstadt advocated for the government to get out of the way of the free market solutions available for each of these issues:
1. Health care choices are, ultimately, the choice of each family. The choice of what kind of health insurance they want, what level of health care they want, the care providers they want, and the medicines and treatments they will use. For those families who are unable to pay for necessary health care, Finkenstadt holds that private organizations and charities whose mission it is to provide these services should be contacted for their assistance. (Finkenstadt’s family contributes a significant amount of its annual income to just such local charities.)
2. Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we should return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education.
Finkenstadt did not advocate vouchers that go to private institutions, despite Nixon’s misunderstanding during the debate. Perhaps it is just this common misunderstanding that prevents governmental leaders from coming up with the right solution: multiple school choices in an area, each supported exclusively by the publicly-funded dollars following the student.
3. Energy, especially clean energy, is the proper domain of the free market. The government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy.
Ethanol: Both Nixon and Hulshof support taxpayer-funded subsidizing of ethanol producers. Replies Finkenstadt, “We should not be burning our food! And taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for the privilege; that just adds insult to injury.”
Working a regular “day job” to support his family, Finkenstadt, 42, is a full-time software engineer for Simutronics Corp., a St. Charles, Missouri-based online persistent-world computer game company. He is also a music minister for St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cottleville, Missouri. His wife, Carol, is an administrative assistant at First United Methodist Church in St. Charles. Finkenstadt attended Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) 1983-1987, where he majored in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Andrew (Andy) Finkenstadt is the Missouri Libertarian Party Gubernatorial candidate in the general election on November 4th. He was unopposed in the primary election. More information can be found at http://andy4governor.com.
The Missouri Libertarian Party is one of three established political parties in Missouri. More information can be found at http://lpmo.org.
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The Libertarian Dime: Interview with Andy Finkenstadt
August 17, 2008 | Positions, Voter Information
The Libertarian Dime has a podcast up, containing an Interview with Andy Finkenstadt on running for Governor in the State of Missouri.
Private: Primary Election Results are in!
August 6, 2008 | Announcements, Positions, Voter Information
The Secretary of State’s very cool election results web site shows that nearly every vote in the August 5th 2008 Primary Election has been reported, and counted.
Personal notes:
To the 1,718 persons who selected a Libertarian Party ballot and indicated their trust in my run for Governor, THANK YOU. I’ve had several people contact me via facebook to tell me of their decision.
To the 53,600+ people who voted in the Democratic Party Primary, and the nearly 200,000 people who voted in the Republican Party Primary for candidates — whose candidate did not win, I encourage you to vote for me this November. It is my promise to do what is right, and best, for the State and all of you, its citizens.
Instead of choosing between the lesser of two evils, Go for Excellence! Vote for Andy in ‘08.
Project VoteSmart: Political Courage Test
July 12, 2008 | Positions, Voter Information
The good people at Project VoteSmart have made available a large amount of material for many elections across the nation. Finkenstadt’s biographical information is now available, and they are working hard at collecting and organizing candidate position information. Project VoteSmart advocates the “Political Courage Test”, challenging a candidate to publicly take a stand on various issues.
