posted
Quite right. I have altered the writing to clarify my stance. Thanks.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Omega: As for handguns, I simply don't see the benefit of registering them. Care to enlighten me?
Same reason you register your car- if found at a crime scene it can be traced to a owner, without mandatory registration, guns used in crimes could find their way into the hands of unsuspecting innocent citizens (buying used) that would be owning a murder weapon.
Registration can also tell the make, age, caliber and (if expanded) the lan/groove pattern of a gun- which would make crime scene investigations much easier and faster.
Registration also gives cops a heads up as to what kind of arsenal a perp may have and gives leads in cases where a suspect's registered gun may match the type used in a crime.
Then, of course, there's the registration fee the state collects ( a minor issue, IMHO, but still revenue the state collects).
Despite the tired NRA viewpoint that guns are somehow tools, they are not: a Tool can make something and is an instrument of construction- a gun's only use is in killing. Thus regulation/registration/tracking of all firearms protects citizens.
If only our military kept such standards- over 80,000 US made guns have gone missing in Iraq. That's a whole army's worth.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Omega: I've also added that US corporations that sell weapons to not-nice countries should be heavily taxed.
From your website:
quote: I believe that the United States should refuse to sell weapons of any kind to countries with a consistent recent record of violating the rights of its citizens, or of aggression against its neighbors. Sale of weapons to these countries by US corporations should be heavily taxed.
Unless they're dealing under the table (i.e. illegally), I'm fairly certain that US corporations aren't allowed to sell weapons or any military hardware to ANY foreign country without express government approval, so it kinda makes the second part of your point moot. This is coming from my experience in the aerospace industry.
I'm curious, are you going to have any sort of campaign staff? You've got to have someone out there putting up signs, etc.
I'd also work a lot on your website design. Some graphics (which some of us can help with) can spruce it up quite a bit. Plus I'd make your links and section headings look different. Right now, it's a bit confusing, especially on the Links page.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I'll have to make a point of reading your site in detail, but good luck. Just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I've been thinking of running for office myself as a liberal Democrat who seeks to reform the system. The Tennessee fifth is a heavily Democratic district and you're running against Jim Cooper, a Democratic incumbent. Try to distinguish yourself from him on issues but try not to go ad hominem negative; no personal attacks.
When talking about debt, talk more about statistics and mention David Walker and the Concord Coalition where entitlements like Social Security will assume a massive amount of government spending.
On the tactical end of campaigns, get some more pictures of yourself on the campaign trail. Get some stuff you can hand out like buttons or literature. Campaign hard everywhere from fairs to parades to schools. Have at least one person as a campaign manager working for you to coordinate volunteers, press and fundraising. Try to get into local news, write editorials, set up interviews and a YouTube channel, issue press releases. As an underdog campaign, make it look like you're punching above your weight.
Please spell check your issue page. I spot a few errors. I disagree with you on FairTax and the balanced budget proposal, which will never pass. The congressional stuff will probably not happen as there are vested interests involved. Try to add more stuff on military stuff and foreign relations. Where do you stand on the bank bailout? The ongoing federal involvement in the auto industry? Campaign finance? Torture? Wiretapping? Do you support or oppose the idea of a carbon tax?
"All sessions of congress must be a matter of public record." Doesn't that already exist in the publicly available Congressional Record?
"Police use of tasers should be thoroughly examined." Shouldn't this be a state and local issue?
Interesting: "NASA should focus on things that can not be done by commercial spaceflight industries, especially the detection and deflection of earth-threatening asteroids."
Registered: May 2009
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posted
Also, as a first time candidate, you will make mistakes and screw up. You will also spend a lot of time fundraising unless you have millions squirreled away somewhere; worse, running as a libertarian, you probably won't get much cash. Have you considered running for a local office first? Is your heart really into running a grueling campaign for yourself and your family? Can you be willing to give up time from work or family to run for office?
Registered: May 2009
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posted
Take a look at my friend's website he put up to run for Los Angeles City Council (He won this past May 19th by 700 votes) for some tips on redesigning your site.
Have you done research on the voting patterns of your district (party demographics breakdown, age and gender, who are frequent voters each election, etc)? How is your fundraising going and do you have a strategy for short term and long term fundraising? Who has so far endorsed you? Are you actively seeking endorsements and speaking to groups and organizations as to why you are running and why they should support you? Have you identified a base of support to help you run the election (canvassing, volunteer outreach, PR/Marketing)?
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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OnToMars
Now on to the making of films!
Member # 621
posted
Hey, I canvassed for that guy.
Who's your friend?
Registered: Jun 2001
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quote:I've been thinking of running for office myself as a liberal Democrat who seeks to reform the system.
Do it! More people need to do crazy things like this.
quote:The Tennessee fifth is a heavily Democratic district and you're running against Jim Cooper, a Democratic incumbent. Try to distinguish yourself from him on issues but try not to go ad hominem negative; no personal attacks.
I wouldn't attack Cooper. I respect any man with a "nerd pride" mug on the shelf in his office.
quote:Get some stuff you can hand out like buttons or literature. Campaign hard everywhere from fairs to parades to schools.
I've got business cards with an infodump of my platform I've been handing out pretty much everywhere.
quote:Have at least one person as a campaign manager working for you to coordinate volunteers, press and fundraising.
There's not enough of that going on yet for it to be needed, unfortunately, but I've got a couple people lined up if it gets to that point.
quote:Try to get into local news, write editorials, set up interviews and a YouTube channel, issue press releases. As an underdog campaign, make it look like you're punching above your weight.
Youtube is something I've been meaning to get into. Viral marketing is a powerful force. I just have to sit down and actually do it. Same with editorials.
quote:Please spell check your issue page. I spot a few errors.
All errors are fixed. I keep adding new stuff and not spellchecking it. (Amusingly, my spellchecker doesn't think spellchecking is a word...)
quote:I disagree with you on FairTax and the balanced budget proposal, which will never pass. The congressional stuff will probably not happen as there are vested interests involved.
If I limited myself to things I considered likely, I wouldn't be running.
quote:Try to add more stuff on military stuff and foreign relations.
Suggestions?
quote:Where do you stand on the bank bailout? The ongoing federal involvement in the auto industry? Campaign finance? Torture? Wiretapping? Do you support or oppose the idea of a carbon tax?
I address torture and wiretapping, and I'm not terribly interested in campaign finance, though perhaps I should be. The others you mention I probably should get into more. To answer the question, the bank and auto industry bailouts are not unreasonable courses of action at this juncture. But we need to remember that the gigantic deficits involved will only move the problem, not solve it. The only solution is time and guarantees of future fiscal responsibility.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:"Police use of tasers should be thoroughly examined." Shouldn't this be a state and local issue?
Arguably, but there are federal police officers as well. There are also those that argue that taser misuse can qualify as torture, in which case it's more likely a federal affair.
quote: Interesting: "NASA should focus on things that can not be done by commercial spaceflight industries, especially the detection and deflection of earth-threatening asteroids."
Any particular reason you find that interesting?
quote:Have you considered running for a local office first? Is your heart really into running a grueling campaign for yourself and your family? Can you be willing to give up time from work or family to run for office?
Local office holds no appeal to me. These are the issues I care about, so I'm running on them. As for the time this will take, well, that's my problem. I can handle it.
quote:Have you done research on the voting patterns of your district (party demographics breakdown, age and gender, who are frequent voters each election, etc)?
Only briefly, and I didn't find much. I should probably dig harder.
quote:How is your fundraising going and do you have a strategy for short term and long term fundraising?
I'm just starting to get donation offers, and I'm in the process of setting up Paypal and Google donation portals on my site. Aside from that, I'm not gonna go begging for money.
quote:Who has so far endorsed you? Are you actively seeking endorsements and speaking to groups and organizations as to why you are running and why they should support you?
I'm the Libertarian candidate, and I've been endorsed by the Pirate Party of the US. I have high hopes of being endorsed by the Modern Whig party, and some chance of a Green endorsement as well. The Constitution party hasn't responded to any of my e-mails, but they probably wouldn't touch me. I've e-mailed a few other organizations, but no response there either.
quote: Have you identified a base of support to help you run the election (canvassing, volunteer outreach, PR/Marketing)?
I've got a few people. Some of them even live in my district.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Omega, when you re-vamp your site, make sure online contributions is clearly shown. Along with JOIN the CAMPAIGN.
OnToMars: I live in Sherman Oaks and Paul Koretz I've known since he served in the CA State Assembly.
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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quote: Interesting: "NASA should focus on things that can not be done by commercial spaceflight industries, especially the detection and deflection of earth-threatening asteroids."
Any particular reason you find that interesting?
I thought we were just going to send Bruce Willis and his motley crew up and nuke the asteroids.
Registered: May 2009
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posted
Sir, so long as I am in office we will obey the laws of physics!
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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