Vote Third Party

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” -John Quincey Adams

That quote from our sixth president is one of my all time favorite quotes. Do not let anyone bully you on your vote. Don’t let them tell you by voting for a third party candidate that it will cost someone the election and we will be stuck with the other person. If they don’t represent you, don’t vote for them.

My race is no different, don’t let them tell you a third party candidate can never win. If the people who said they want a third party would vote third party, we would have a legitimate third party. I ask you tomorrow when you are in the booth vote third party, as our US House candidate Scott Gesty said, “It only feels weird the first time.”

However, if you think James Johnson does represent you please vote for him because I’m not the guy for you. If you want to see smaller government, less taxes, and more freedom please vote me. If you don’t like being able to live your life the way you want, you can always have a Republican or Democrat in office in two-years.

In Liberty,
John Machurek

Won’t Get Fooled Again

I’m always reminded of the song Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who around election time. I feel many people in America are fooled into believing the same lies regardless of party. This is how many politicians are able to remain in office.

I can promise you that will not be me if you elect me State Representative in the 16th district. I will tell you exactly how I feel on a issue. I have not backed down from this during my campaign, while my opponent has avoided debates (including one for charity) and has only filled out a couple of surveys. You also cannot find a website for him outlining his positions. I offered to set up a site where you the people could ask us questions and see where we stand on the issues, but he said no to that as well. You have to go by his voting record which thanks to the state’s website has made it hard to do. His voting record is inconsistent with some of the bills he has sponsored and has helped kill jobs in the state of Delaware.

If you like big government, job losses, failed policy then vote for James Johnson. I think it is time to look at a better choice for Delaware, one of smaller government, less taxes. and MORE freedom. I like to think I fit that bill.

Here are some surveys I have filled out.
League of Women’s Voters
Planned Parenthood(They don’t publish the questions, but the two I have X’s for we’re to give tax money to planned parenthood and telling a counselor how to do their job)
Political Courage Test
Campaign for Liberty

I humbly ask you for your vote on November 6.

In Liberty,
John Machurek

What I Want to Do For Delaware

The two most important issues in my campaign are things many of you know need to be done. I want to get the government out of controlling your life and to fix the education situation in our state.

The government has too much control over our lives, they decided what we can and cannot put into our bodies. The government control also goes into education as well, but I will get into that later. Places like New York City where large sodas are being banned, that is something that should never happen. Free people should decided what goes into their bodies, we may not have to morally agree with but they should be free to decide.

Government decides who needs licenses to work. HB 180, is a bill my opponent James Johnson has co-sponsored, is a bill that is putting people out of work. Just take a look at the synopsis of the bill

SYNOPSIS
This bill creates a journeyperson electrician and apprentice electrician license. Additionally, the bill eliminates the exception that allows for unlicensed persons to perform electrical work under the supervision of electricians licensed under Chapter 14, Title 24 of the Delaware Code.

This destroys jobs for people who were unlicensed. This will lower the pool of available workers and drive costs to the consumers up. Delaware had operated for over 50-years under the old system.

I would allow the free market to decide what’s best and to regulate itself and allow people to make choices for themselves. I know this sounds like a simple solution, but it really is that simple.

I could keep going on about government interference but it is a long laundry list of things I would fix. Let’s now move on to education.

If anyone thinks that federal government in charge of education has been a good thing please let me know, because I don’t see how it has. Our students are being trained to pass a test rather than actually being educated. I’ve personally talked to teachers and administrators and they tell me that aren’t being allowed to educate in ways they think are best. They have to instruct in guidelines set forth by the government. I want to return education to the parents and the teachers.

The Federal government provides less than 7% of Delaware’s public education funding, and yet that small percentage comes with mandates, compliance requirements, and strings that take control of our classrooms away from parents, teachers, and elected school boards. The Delaware Department of Education runs roughshod over our local school boards, using questionable data to declare failed schools, while committing millions to under-researched “reform” initiatives that have yet to demonstrate any ability to improve education. The General Assembly has abdicated its oversight role in public education by rubber-stamping the appointment of a Secretary of Education whose credentials for leadership are as thin as his political connections are substantial.

This has to stop. I propose the following to begin the process of placing control of public education back where it belongs:
1. The State Board of Education should become an elected board, with members elected by, and responsible to, Delaware citizens and not the Governor.
2. The position of Secretary of Education should be abolished and removed from the Governor’s cabinet, to be replaced by the traditional State Superintendent of Education, who will be hired and (if necessary) fired by the State Board.
3. The Delaware Department of Education should be converted from a supervisory and compliance organization to a support organization for the school districts. Unless specifically authorized by Federal statute, DEDOE should be forbidden to take over 10% of any Federal grants or aid as a pass-through administrative cost. DEDOE should be stripped of its authority to mandate high-stakes standardized tests as sole or primary determinants of promotion or graduation.
4. Local school boards should become the primary mechanisms for approving charter schools, determining the measures of student success/graduation, and developing policies for teacher evaluation.

The government should not tell how to educate your child, that should be your decision.

In Liberty,
John Machurek

On the Ballot, No Thanks to John Fluharty

I’m on the ballot now as a Libertarian. Many of you probably don’t know I was going to run on the GOP ticket, as a favor to someone.

Since my opponent James Johnson, was going to run unopposed again and the DEGOP had no one wanting to run in my district they contacted me. I agreed to switch over to the GOP and run on their ticket.

Enter this man:

John Fluharty is the Executive Director for the DEGOP. I had a sit-down meeting and he basically told me the DEGOP has no money to support candidates, so I would pretty much be on my own for fundraising. Most of the meeting consisted of him asking me to do stuff for him and not anything of what the party would do to help me. He asked me to write a paragraph of why I wanted to run for office, something he said when he was Newt Gingrich’s campaign executive, Newt was unable to do. Shocking I know!!

Fluharty seemed genuinely excited to have me on board, especially since Rep. Mike Ramone recommended me to him after a phone call we had. I sent Fluharty my paragraph, we exchanged a few e-mails and things seem to look good.

Then after not hearing anything for about a week from him, I decided to email him. I let him know that I wanted to be on the ballot come November and that if they were not going to present me papers to sign, that I was going to go back to the Libertarian party. He told me sorry for the delay, He would be in touch tomorrow. I never heard from him, so I waited a couple days and said I hadn’t heard from him, when can we sign the papers. He told me that the last time he talked to me he said the individual on their end who needs to sign the papers is out of the country until Wednesday. We can not complete the process until he returns. That’s all well and good, but as I scoured my emails I never had any message like that from him. I sent him an e-mail on Tuesday and asked him would we be able to do the paperwork tomorrow, he said I will know by this afternoon. As you can guess by now he never let me know.

Then I told Fluharty I was going to file my LPD papers the next week, he said he was sorry for the delay in responding. He had been out due to a death in the family. He was sorry I decided to go down that route as he was looking forward to having me on the team. I told him if they could get me the papers first I would sign them. Mike Ramone joined the fray and told me Fluharty had me all set up to run as a R.

At this point Fluharty started playing games and it result in the DEGOP being down another candidate. He told me to call him, so I did it rang once went straight to voicemail and I left a one with my number. Then I e-mailed him and told him I called and he could call me back. He sent one back and asked what number? I told him the one in the voicemail and gave it to him again. He never called, but did e-mail back. He asked,

“Hey,

Are you currently of LP party member or a GOP party member?

We will not file a person if he/she requires us to also file a change of party.”

I said I was a member of the GOP to which he responded, “So, you would be having the state LP party file a party change certificate?” I told him yes and than he replied, “I need your mailing address. Please be advised that both your address and phone number will be listed publicly.

Also, please call me at some point today when you have time.”

I gave him and the info and he sent back this message, “One last thing….i need to get your resume for the county chair. I send a package over to him with all the info.” He then went silent again, to which I sent him a message on the 13th of this month saying can we speed this along LPD deadline is in two-days. He said, “I am in Sussex until tomm”

I found that very interesting as he didn’t specify when I’m back we can get this done or even a no we can’t.

I found a quote from an article when he was named Executive Director:

…We have to get voters registered; we have to rebuild our party’s resources and we have to get good, solid Republicans, I mean everyday Delawareans, not professional politicians, filed as candidates. Great Republicans are everywhere in Delaware, and I’ll go statewide to find them, get them ready, and get them elected to school boards, town councils and county and state legislatures.

We need to get good solid Republicans he also wanted everyday Delawareans. Topping that all off he says I’ll go statewide to find them, get them ready, and get them elected. Maybe he isn’t that good at his job….maybe he was lying….maybe he just didn’t like me. Also, to top it off the county chair e-mailed me after I sent him one and he had no clue who I was and told me he had nothing from Fluharty.

This has been a huge learning experience and I’m sorry to the people that tried to make this happen. For whatever reason Fluharty stalled and delayed this when many people wanted this to happen.

In Liberty,

John Machurek

HB 392…Numbers and Stopping a Discussion

Check out the Delaware Libertarian article about Kowalko, Jaques, and Crane getting taking to school on the numbers in the bill.

Also, look at how reasoning can apparently shutdown down a discussion.  4 Liberty minded folks Will McVay, Steve Newton, and myself ended up shutting down the comments.  I guess when you use logic and numbers some people just can’t take it.

In Liberty,

John Machurek

Delaware State Healthcare Takeover

To begin my post here I am going to borrow from Will McVay’s post on the same subject:

More taxes and a total state take over of every aspect of our health care system. What am I missing that makes this a GOOD idea?  Edited for additional sarcasm.  From the synopsis:

This Delaware Health Security Act will provide all current and future Delaware citizens, our state’s budget and future economy and job development a non-government run program and cost effective single payer health care system.

Government establishing a non-government program.  How’s that work?  Is there such a thing as a “cost effective single payer health care system?  I’ve never seen one.

Government establishing a non-government program……it’s a trap!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Let’s be honest here it is a government program.

This Act will be administered by a 15-member Delaware Health Security Board comprised as follows: State Secretary of Health And Social Services, appointed by the Governor; Two members from both the State House of Representatives and State Senate Committees concerned with health care issues; Five members from state health professional organizations and five members from eligible consumer organizations in our state.

Will the appointees be subject to approval (like it matters who says no in the General Assembly anyway)?

As pointed out by Steve Newton at the Delaware Libertarian this bill is just a recycled bill, in fact there was no change to the math.  Also, let’s talk numbers….make sure if this is passed to avoid working for a big company.

(3) Private individual and employer health insurance payments and out-of-pocket health care expenses will be replaced in this single payer Delaware Health Security Act as follows:

(A)  All employers shall pay a graduated payroll taxas follows:

(i) 4 percent for employers with less than ten employees;

(ii) 5 percent for employers with 10 to 24 employees;

(iii) 7 percent for employers with 25 to 49 employees; and

(iv) 9 percent for employers with 50 or more employees.

This payroll tax may be shared by employers and employees.

Single employers shall pay no payroll tax as each will pay according to paragraphs (B) or (C) of this subsection that applies.

(B)  All heads of households and persons subject to Delaware’s income tax return shall pay an additional Health Security income tax of 2.5 percent of taxable income.

(C)  Persons filing a Delaware income tax return shall pay an additional Health Security income surtax of 2.5 percent on net taxable income in excess of $250,000. Married couples filing a Delaware joint income tax return shall pay an additional income surtax of 2.5 percent on net taxable income in excess of $500,000.

I would hope by now you are starting to see why this is a terrible bill.  I’m sure some of you out there are thinking that this Earl Jaques-John Kowalko bill might cost them their seat.  Well you might be disappointed to hear they are running unopposed.

Are wondering how my opponent James Johnson feels about single-payer health care?  Well just in 2009, Johnson was the only member of only member of either house in Delaware to co-sponser State Legislators for Single Payer Healthcare – HR 676.  You can find his signature here, be sure to check it out.

Make sure to call your senators and representatives and let them know you do not support this Kowalko-Jaques bill.

In Liberty,

John Machurek

Separation Day

Come join me and some other candidates today at Separation Day in Old Historic New Castle.  I will be there along with Will McVay, who is running in the 32nd representative district, and James Christina, who is running in the 7th senate district.

We will be there so feel free to approach us and ask us about issues you have within in the state.  I look forward to meeting many of you today.

In Liberty,

John Machurek

Fundrasing and Outings

I got approved by FundRazr so now I can start taking donations.  The plan is try to use this format to raise so fund to help me get out in the public some more.

You can donate to my campaign here (I will appreciate anything thing you can give at all).

I will be at Separation Day in Old New Castle this Saturday.  I look forward to meeting some of you there and sharing my ideas for Delaware.

I am going to try to make public events in the area to help get my name out there.  If any of you know of outings and events in the area feel free to let me know about them and I will try to make them.

In Liberty,

John Machurek

Change of Plan

The way things are going we might change our course of attack.  I don’t want to get in specifics on here, but it could be a game changer for me.  Very possibly it could mean nothing in the end. 

I am very excited for this possibility and as soon as it happens I will post here.  In the end I hope that liberty and freedom will prevail.

In Liberty,

John Machurek