Managed Growth- Voluntary supply and demand should determine economic growth of the local area. Each business should be free to manage its own affairs with as little interference from government as possible. All government can do to manage business is redistribute taxpayers money, restrict, regulate and increase taxes. These are not growth stimulators but rather inhibitors. Business manages best when the market is truly free of restrictions so that companies can compete and vie for market shares.

I believe that a good government is one that concentrates on managing its own affairs and leaves growth in the private sector to voluntary exchange.

Taxes- Taxes should be collected only for truly constitutional and public applications. Public monies used for assisting business startup or acquisition simply redistribute economic wealth, and because of government involvement, it always reduces the net wealth of the community; it is consumptive, not productive. All existing government agencies should be reviewed to determine if private industry could do a better job for less cost to the taxpayers. The practices of collecting taxes to fund budgets that exceed the amount needed to run the county, and letting the surplus accumulate in bank accounts, should be stopped. These excess funds should be left in the hands of people who generate the wealth in the first place.

I believe that taxes are higher than they need to be. Taxes should be lowered and any existing surplus used for road improvements instead of levying additional taxes.

Property- Private property is the backbone of industry in America. Property owners must be free to direct the use of their own property in the manner that suits them best. Regulation and zoning are truly a "taking" of property since both techniques hamper the use of property and reduce its value to the owner. If you don't control it, you don't own it and a deed becomes nothing more than a license to pay taxes. Zoning and owning are incompatible.

I believe that to truly protect property rights, county government should limit its Planning & Zoning ordinances to those required to meet Idaho Code.

Government- Never forget that even good government that stays within its proper bounds is necessarily a "taker" of wealth. Government operating within strict constitutional limits is still a burden on the producers of society. It's true that such a government provides a valuable protective service that is a benefit to society, but we should never deceive ourselves into believing that government is a creator, instead of consumer, of wealth. History clearly shows that government operating outside of its proper limits always destroys the society it's supposed to serve. It does this by regulating human behavior to the point of destroying the incentive to produce. When the producers stop producing the products necessary to sustain society, collapse is inevitable.

I believe that government should truly be the kind of servant that interferes with the peaceful activities of the people as little as possible.

Today Republicans have become fearful of losing and so have adopted the "Big Tent" strategy. Modern Republican philosophy is so inclusive that almost no policy is rejected. We must proudly return to our roots. If we were to simply abide by the current Idaho State Republican platform, government would be much less intrusive and expensive than it is. I intend to restore Republican ideals to our county government. Lower taxes than last year, a smaller budget than last year, more productive use of the current funds in the budget and restoration of genuine property rights. Look at just a few of the planks of the Idaho GOP and see if we haven’t departed from our roots:

We believe the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations.

Bonner County intruded into EMS several years ago. Traditionally, EMS and medical have not been a part of government and private providers did a fine job. Costs continue to escalate and this should be expected as administrative costs in government oversight are always unnecessarily expensive.

Financing government: The Idaho Republican Party recognizes that government is financed only from taxing its citizens. We believe the size and cost of government, as well as the national debt, must be reduced. We believe Social Security should be stabilized, diversified, and privatized to expand individual retirement options. We commend our entire Republican delegation for strong support of a balanced budget.

The Bonner County budget has grown exponentially since 1983. from $5.3 million to $47.4 million in 2007-2008. The population increased from 1983 to the present about 60% but the budget increased in the same time 792%!!! Have your services reflected this increase?

Private Property Rights We reaffirm our commitment to the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution: "No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." The right to own, use, care for, and market property is a fundamental tenet of all free nations. The vigilant protection of private property rights safeguards for citizens everything of value. We support strong enforcement of the "takings" clause to keep citizens secure in the use and development of their property. We oppose any federal, state or local regulation that would diminish a property owner’s right to develop his property in a positive and productive way. Because state and federal governments administer the majority of Idaho lands, we need to limit and, if possible, reduce the amount of land owned or administered by the government. We affirm to all government officials and employees that property rights are not granted by the government - rather, government is directed by the governed to protect the rights of private property owners.

Nowhere is it more evident that Republican principles have been deserted than in the realm of Private Property Rights. Today we must have permits to dig, build, remodel, or change our properties and we must submit to a plethora of inspections and rules that do not offer any protection should the property be damaged by improper building or incorrect application of land use principles. Government agencies, you see, are protected from suit should they cause harm. And, our properties can be devalued by refusal to allow us to use them in a way that would benefit us economically if the use doesn’t fit some land use regulation.

I hope to bring a moderating balance to land use planning with a careful and thoughtful reintroduction of genuine private property rights to the current discussion.