Sure hope this is just a typo.
Looks like the questionnaire I filled out back on 27 May 10 just got released from the fine folks over at The Georgia Tea Party along with their endorsements for candidates this fall. All well and good, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but if you go to the trouble ask candidates for their stances on issues and are kind enough to include the Libertarian candidates in the mix, please, please, please don't screw up their responses. Did this mistake cost me their endorsement?
According to the Tea Party Voter guide, I support Obama Care. Really? A Libertarian candidate supports a massive increase in the size and reach of our already bloated federal government? I'm assuming it's a typo, but my campaign is now saddled with this albatross and it's already pretty ripe. To set the record straight here's my post from way back in May on this questionaire:
Ms. Stanton,
The LP Operations Director, Brett Bittner, forwarded your email to me. It seems from the specific questions that these are policy questions for the candidates for the Office of Insurance Commissioner this year in Georgia.
First order of business, the name is Shane Bruce, not Bruce Shane.
Your questions. Please note that each is provided with a yes or no as requested and additional info as I see fit.
Reduce spending: Yes. That is one of the three fundamental elements of Libertarianism. Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom.
Reduce fees and taxes: Yes. See answer number one.
States’ Rights: Yes. Only as a subset of the rights of the individual citizen. Are any of the amendments after the 10th Amendment real?
Purchasing insurance across state lines: Yes. The citizens of Georgia must be freed from the Insurance plantation.
Obama Care: No. Obama Care is another intrusion by the federal government into the lives of Georgia citizens and must be stopped.
Establishing risk pools: Yes. Georgia already has a high risk pool that is unfunded. It is not perfect but it is a start.
Establishing coverage by menu: Yes. Each citizen of Georgia should be able to pick and choose the coverages they want and not be dictated to by the state in the form of mandates.
Portability: Yes. The citizen is the user of insurance products. The citizen pays for this directly or indirectly but the coverage is his. If he leaves one employment situation for another his policy coverage should go with him.
I appreciate the Tea Party's interest in these matters but urge you to also look at some of the other functions of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. What do the members of the Tea Party think about Georgia's hidden insurance premium tax? What is their opinion on payday loan operators? Do they think the statewide Fire Safety program as is currently constituted adequate for the job or in need of additional funding and staff?
As a first time politician and long term Libertarian I am interested in establishing communications channels with as many like minded Georgians as possible. Thanks for your inquiry and if you need more info, pick up the phone and call me. Or go to the campaign FaceBook page or my blog and see what's happening today.
Regards,
Shane Bruce
Libertarian Candidate for Insurance Commissioner
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shane-Bruce/111977342173440?ref=ts
http://bludgeonandskewer.blogspot.com/
I realize this massive voter guide has been released in electronic format and is probably being scrutinized in detail by the members and supporters of this new political movement. As a result I'll be spending a lot of time between now and November being quizzed by voters as to why I supposedly support Obama Care when we should be talking the premium tax, the use of credit scores in pricing insurance products or the captive insurance give away. This little screwup is not going to make my herculean task any easier.
The solution? Retract the guide, correct it, and reissue it. Make sure that Tea Party supporters have the correct info with which to make their decisions this fall. It's the right thing to do.
Posts
After being made aware of the typos, the guide was immediately corrected and reposted. We are continuing to correct or update the guide as other mistakes are brought to our attention and candidates come out of the woodwork to respond to the survey now that the guide is seeing some coverage. We appreciate that you chose to provide your detailed response beforehand, as some others did not.
ReplyDeleteWhile I recognize that you face a herculean task in winning election as a Libertarian, compiling a voter guide that covers the range of races, candidates, and issues that ours does is likewise a monumental task. As such, there is always the risk of human error. This is why we continue to update the guide as necessary, and will continue to do so right through the primaries next month.
There are always many issues that can be covered in a voter guide for any particular race. However, there is currently a shortage of voter guides in Georgia that cover the range of topics that ours does, especially with the loss of the Georgia Christian Alliance's guide. This is why we included contact information and web addresses for candidates where available, so that voters can further investigate candidates' positions for themselves.
Michael A. Williams
Georgia Tea Party
Mike,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking care of that. If we are successful this year in gaining ballot access rights as a full fledged party, your voter guide for 2012 could rank as the 13th labor, what with the candidate base expanding by 50% or more.
Once again, thanks for asking me to respond to your survey back in May and congratulations on getting it published, even with a few typos.
Shane Bruce