Author Archives: Self Determination Advocates

Paul Bilyeu

Libertarian for House District 135

paul@bilyeufortexas.com

Office: (832)779-2598

www.bilyeufortexas.com

Paul on Facebook

Paul on Twitter

How did you become libertarian?

I was not aware of Libertarianism or the Libertarian Party until 2013 when my wife Whitney started getting involved. For the most part, if I have to label my former self, I would say I was on the Independent/Moderate Republican spectrum. However, I was mostly politically inept, uninvolved, and apathetic. Once I was introduced to Libertarianism and started to listen, learn, read and educate myself, the light bulb just came on and I’ve been an all in Libertarian ever since 2014.

Why run for office?

To get elected and do some real work to reduce government.

To influence change in policy and attitudes toward government.

To get people used to other options on their ballots. People are so conditioned to only see two options on their ballots. The more frequently they see other options, the better off we all are.

What are the issues in the campaign?

There aren’t any real hot button issues in this House District other than the normal ones. Public education is a large issue for the Democrat as he is wildly supported by the pubic teacher’s groups.

Unfortunately, this district is a hotly contested one. This seat flipped from Red to Blue last term and the Republicans will likely spend like crazy money to win it back. Making a third party option a difficult one to win.

What do you want to accomplish in office?

Abolish Article 7 of the Texas State Constitution which calls for Public Education.

Abolish property taxes

Significantly reduce and/or eliminate the excessive occupational licensing requirements in Texas

Eliminate qualified immunity and civil asset forfeiture

How can we help?

Continue to talk to friends, peers, coworkers, and everyone. Ensure everyone is aware there are other, better options on their ballot. Be prepared with a solid argument against the wasted vote mentality you will get presented with at every turn. 

Donate to candidates. Especially the ones who are extremely active or are in high profile races (Kevin Hale, Elliott Scheirman, Matt Sterret, among a few others).

Mello D Gooden

Lives in Bryan, Texas

JE: So, what do you think of the election, so far?

MG: I think that it is a total mess. All of the efforts to disenfranchise people in their efforts to vote and a bunch of misleading and outright lies for statements. 2 party-centered politics is garbage which is why we need other parties and for them to raise their profiles to let voters know they have a real choice out there.

JE: The Duopoly… do you think we would have to change the Constitution to get more parties involved? How can we get more parties involved?

MG: We have to get other parties to really dig deep into the grassroots to help become a household name. To do the things that the Working Families Party has done in some areas like Mississippi to get a mayor elected in Jackson and other places in the northeast. 

We have to get people to understand how other parties differ from the duopoly and what they can offer. If there were 3 to 4 3rd party candidates in the US Senate with the razor-thin margins there now, red and blue would have no choice but to come to them for help if they want to secure the votes. 

In exchange, the 3rd party could get some of their own legislative agendas looked after too.

JE: You are right, Mello Can I ask how you became libertarian?

MG: By accident. I was looking for something different and I liked what I was hearing and seeing. A friend of mine in Dallas was making a run for commissioner as an L and I felt what he was about

JE: When was that?

MG: It was a few years ago

JE: In your picture, you have on headphones

MG: Yes sir when I was at KEOS co-hosting a show as I work on my hours to have my own show.

JE: Do you have your own radio show?

MG: Not yet but I will soon

JE: What kind of show?

MG: I’m still undecided. I think it may end up being a show about local and statewide politics with a dab of federal-level politics.

JE: Sounds nice… going to produce podcasts too?

MG: Absolutely! That’s my first mission to get podcast ready.

JE: Unsolicited advice…. find a sponsor… make 3-6 ten minute segments… and distribute them to radio stations.

MG: Advice taken! Do you podcast?

JE: No… not yet… but it is on the list… Keep me informed about your progress.

SHANE D. NEWSOM

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 112

SHANEFORDISTRICT112@PM.ME

How did you become libertarian? 

Ron Paul got me looking into the Libertarian Party. I liked and believed a lot of his views on voluntarism and non-aggression principle. Even more with his views on the government.

Why run for office? 

I wanted to help the LP to have someone on the ballot, I was tired of how my area was being run by my local government. 

What are the issues in the campaign?  

My top three will be Taxes, War on Drugs, and Human Rights.

What do you want to accomplish in office?  

I hope to at least make a dent in my top three issues.  Help give people more freedom and plant some seeds of libertarianism in our local government.

How can we help? – 

Pointers on how to reach more people, any type of help to run a better campaign.

Keller Williams

Vice-Chair at Lee County Libertarian Party of Alabama

Lives in Auburn, Alabama

JE: Many libertarians there in Alabama? Best land-use freedom in the USA?

KW: Not a lot of libertarians in Alabama mostly in big cities or college towns.

JE: Auburn is a college town, go to meetings there?

KW: We have set up an LP affiliate.

JE: At the college, or county?

KW: County,  YAL is the college’s closest org to a Libertarian org.

JE: How do the county affiliate and the YAL work together?

KW: YAL is more of a student org that helps campaign for liberty-minded candidates, though mainly its Repubs with libertarian values, but I use YAL to foster a pathway for new recruits into the Libertarian party

JE: Many people in the county party, that used to be in YAL?

KW: Yes, our secretary and myself are still apart of YAL.

JE: That other student organization helps mentor kids for success and has the older mentoring the students. Does YAL do something like that?

KW: In some ways sorta.

JE: How many come to your county meetings?

KW: Because of COVID we’re closed to just the executive committee but usually we get  maybe 5-10

JE: Yes, we usually get about 10 or so. How did you become libertarian?

KW: I started learning about the Fed.

JE: What prompted you to do that? How did you learn about the FED?

KW: My liberal econ teacher praised it and I started to learn more from the mises institute

JE: How did you hear about the Mises Institute, and what is your impression of them?

KW: I saw some mises memes and look up the person which led me to their website. I agree with a lot of what they say, and the people I know that affiliate with them are good people.

JE: Yes, so true. So, what other sites, books, and people do you like? How have you grown since first finding out about the FED?

KW: I’ve been reading Rothbard’s case against the fed, I’m about halfway through. I have become more ancap since I’ve come across the Mises Institute.

JE: So misses institute turned you more ancap? What can be done about the Fed?

KW: The process of nullification.

JE: How can Jury Nullification help?

KW: Not necessarily jury nullification but states and private parties using sound money policy to make the federal reserve obsolete

JE: Oh yes, What do you think of alternative currencies?

KW: I like BTC, McAfee is developing their own, I’d like to check out.

JE: Back in the ‘90s there was this book:

“New Money for Healthy Communities,” by … – Ratical.org 

The pinnacle of power in today’s world is the power to issue money. If that power can be democratized and focused in a direction that gives social and ecological concerns a top priority, then there may yet be hope for saving the world. 

What if parties, NGO’s, communities, could all issue their own currencies? Now an ICO costs millions… but if a free market… the cost would come down!

KW: I think there was a town in Michigan I think that issued their own “wooden dollars” during the downturn.

JE: It is something to think about and cryptocurrencies open up more alternatives.

Logan Wilder Fuller

Lives in Los Angeles

JE: Welcome to the SelfDetermination Advocates group. What do you think so far?

LF: Joined, but I’m not moving to New Hampshire.

JE: I understand… our focus is larger than the Free State Project…

LF: Ok. What’s the focus exactly?

JE: We help defacto nations, unrepresented peoples, secession movements, and Individuals gain self-governance through non-violent means… appreciate your involvement.

LF: I can get behind that!

JE: Do you consider yourself a libertarian or classical liberal?

LF: What is the difference? I’m a Libertarian that toes the line of anarchism.

JE: Yes, me too, more of an agorist/voluntaryist, but I have my hypocrisies.

LF: Don’t we all.

JE: You in LA?

LF: Yes

JE: I moved from Long Beach to Texas last year.

LF: Texas is too damn hot.

JE: I have air conditioning.

LF: Weather-wise, I don’t ever want to be uncomfortable. I’m from Georgia. I know about heat and air conditioning. Still not for me. I know California has a ton of problems, but I love it here.

JE: Actually El Paso, and Galveston may qualify. So how did you become libertarian/anarchist?

LF: I have been a Libertarian for 17 years. I discovered the party when I was 19 and it just made so much sense to me.

JE: How did you hear about it?

LF: Friends told me about it and I looked into it. It hit all the marks that neither D nor R could for me.

JE: What did the friends say?

LF: I don’t remember exactly. They just explained that there was another political party I had not heard of before and it was about freedom, less government involvement, self-reliance.

JE: So, do you go to meetings there?

LF: No. I should. I did lead a small convoy for “Let Her Speak.” I have contacted the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles to get involved. I should probably check my email soon. A friend out here got asked to volunteer with Spike’s campaign.

JE: What do you think of the ticket?

LF: I really wanted Hornberger to receive the nomination, however, the more I learn about Jo, the more I love her. I don’t know enough about Spike to make an assessment of him yet. How about you?

JE: I liked Kokesh… But Jo and Spike are doing a great job campaigning. What is your vision of a perfect society?

LF: First of all, I don’t believe a perfect society could exist, but a more perfect society would be one where we have the freedom to do what we want without infringing on the rights of others. Local problems solved at a local level, and of course getting to keep all of our money.

I chatted with Jason Riddle.  

JR: I moved to Delaware. Even the libertarians there are conservative. Lol

John: What do you think of Delaware?

JR: I love it. No sales tax, open carry.

John: Many libertarians there in Delaware?

JR: Classic libs, not millennial douches

John: So what is the party doing there?

JR: Not much really, we’re in every race, my brother-in-law ran for governor last cycle, a friend of mine ran for Congress…

John: You have a local meeting you can go to?

JR: I do, but I’m relatively new to Delaware, I’ll get to it eventually. Traveling for work puts a damper on it though.

John: you travel for work?

JR: I do. Currently in the DC area. I love my job. The site I am working for this week is super busy. I deal with a lot of pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and chemical companies.

John: Wow! Can I ask how you became libertarian?

JR: Well, I was a Bernie supporter for a little while, but, someone close to me, gave me some research ideas, and I did just that. Poof, I became a libertarian.

John: What were the research ideas?

JR: Health insurance invention, Healthcare pricing, pharma pricing, and how they’ve changed as insurance grew.

John: So you saw how as government grew involved, prices went up?

JR:  I did. Also how the drug war and private prisons demanding to be filled caused many lives to be ruined over victimless crimes.

John: what do you think of the current protests?

JR: Well, the protests and the burning of police stations are justified. I believe most of the looters and vandals of businesses are opportunistic assholes taking advantage of a bad situation.

John: How can we as libertarians use this crisis to our advantage?

JR: By pointing out that Biden was a major factor in the current drug laws we have today and the disproportionate penalties for being convicted.

John: You have insight into the medical field you have done your research, what do you think needs to happen?

JR: Well, first, end the drug war. Then, demilitarize the police. Then, start treating addiction as a disease. Then, end private prisons. Then get rid of health insurance mandates. Make it completely optional. Make doctors compete for service. 

Then withdraw all troops from foreign countries. And only develop weapons for the defense of this country. That’s a start. After all that, a fair tax.

John: What is a fair tax?

JR: Well, I agree that taxation is theft. But in order to get rid of a lot of things, we will need to continue taxing for a while as we pay down the debt. So, I would say, each working individual above the age of 18 and below the age of 67, would pay 15% of their income. 

Corporations would pay 10% and smaller businesses 7%. Get rid of all other federal taxes.

John: How have you grown, since you became libertarian?

JR: I’ve grown in many ways. I believe in freedom for everyone. I believe that government is always the problem and never the solution.

John: What would you recommend to new libertarians, and the curious?

JR: Read anything by Thomas Sowell, “Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt, Research Gary Johnson’s governorship, research all the things I did, and go to LP.org to read our planks.

ANTHONY CRISTO

U. S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 34

124 Tower Bluff

Cibolo, TX 78108

Mobile: (210) 569-4837

Email: anthony.cristo@gmail.com

How did you become libertarian?

I officially became a Libertarian in 2018, but I have been voting Libertarian since 2000. Like most people, I was familiar with the platform of the two major parties yet lacked knowledge or even initiative to learn more about the Libertarian Party. 

Most of the time, I simply voted out of complete and utter disdain for the candidates from the two main parties. It was not until Ron Paul ran for the presidency that I finally learned more about being a Libertarian and discovered that their ideals reflected 90% of my own. 

So I decided to declare myself a Libertarian as I have never felt passionate enough about either of the other two to swear my allegiance to either of them.

Why run for office?

As the elections continued producing worse and worse choices from the two main parties, I decided to stop complaining about things on social media and to do something about it by running for elected office. 

It goes along with the saying, “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

What are the issues in the campaign?

Since I am running for U.S. Congress, multiple issues need immediate attention:

Auditing and then dissolving the Federal Reserve

Pull our troops home and stop getting involved in foreign conflicts.

Ending the War on Drugs

Balancing the budget by eliminating subsidies, FDA, ATF, and other agencies that are impeding our country’s progress

Eliminating the Department of Education so that educational decisions are in the hands of the teachers, parents, principals, and superintendents.

Reopening America’s borders and eliminating tariffs

Cease all foreign aid and allow people to donate to the non-profit agencies that help them more efficiently.

Allow people to determine their own choices of where their healthcare money should go.

What do you want to accomplish in office?

Ideally, I would like to accomplish all of the above. However, I hope my election to office will show countless others who are disillusioned by our current two-party system that there is a third option.

As this third option grows in congressional seats, the less likely it is for one party to dominate Congress at any given time.

How can we help?

All I need is for people to get my name and my stances out to the people of U.S. Congressional district 34 in Texas. Thank you for allowing me to get my stances known.

My campaign website is www.dickillyes.com.  I became a Libertarian Party Member decades ago because of my belief in the Non-Aggression Principle and my desire for small government.

The biggest issues are government monopolies.  There are free-market alternatives that most Texans would accept.  The Blog and Positions section of my website has practical suggestions that would dramatically reduce the cost and the size of government.

Contacts should use the contact form on the website.

Donna Gundle-Krieg

https://www.facebook.com/Donna-Gundle-Krieg-2020-Libertarian-for-Mancelona-Township-Trustee-101436798299131

How did you become libertarian?

I have been a Libertarina for 20 years. I first became interested when I was forced to homeschool my children downstate. Several second graders at the school were sexually abused, and the school acted horribly and took no accountability. As a journalist, I broke the story and had to pull my kids. I discovered a huge underground movement.

So, why did you decide to run for office?

As a communications professional, I hope to better communicate with Mancelona residents about what’s happening in their town. I also want to be sure our local township continues to have few ordinances and no zoning.

What do you see as the main issues?

Right now we have no burning issues in our township because they do practice limited government. I want to keep it that way. 

I also want to see that they become more transparent. For example, right now there is no contact info on the website, and the meetings are not filmed. 

I also am very involved in a local effort @Citizens who want a vote on the Antrim County Jail, and I think the townships should be actively involved in those issues which are hot at the county level.

How can we help?

My efforts are all local. Erica Dahl is my campaign assistant and she has been a huge help, assisting with passing out door hangers and signs. 

As a real estate broker, I have a very strong social media presence and am using those skills to promote my campaign.

So anything you can do to spread the word to my voters is helpful.

Chelsea K. Meckel, M.A.

County Chair

Libertarian Party of Hays Texas

www.lphays.org

Director of Media Monitoring

Jo Jorgensen for U.S. President

www.joj2020.com

How did you become a Libertarian?

I became a Libertarian once I started to pursue my undergraduate degree. The more I studied politics and political communication the more I realized that the government holds too much power for comfort, and the Libertarian Party was the only party offering to reign in some of that power.

How did you become chair?

After graduate school, it was time to get active in the party. Kathie Glass was running for the nomination for Texas Governor in 2018, and I applied with her campaign on one of her campaign stops. 

She told me that Hays County was going to need a chair and that conventions were coming up soon. So, I helped to organize the conventions and was unanimously voted in for my first term as chair. 

I ran again for chair in 2020, and here I am on my second term as chair.

What have you tried in the county?

We’ve hosted a few events in the county. However, since COVID has become a thing we’ve had to slow our projects down. In 2016 we hosted a Candidate Mixer in San Marcos, and every candidate that showed up talked about how our event was one of the biggest events they had been to. 

According to Neal Dikeman we had over 50 visitors show up to hear what the Libertarians had to say.

What has worked, what hasn’t?

We have been pretty lucky here in Hays County. For the most part, we have an exceptionally active team, and the people of the county have been pretty receptive. After all, in 2020 we received an extra delegate and extra alternate (and we were the only county party in 2020 to receive an extra delegate/alternate).

 What is your vision for the county?

Elections- Considering we have a pretty “purple” county, I would like for us to be able to find quality candidates to run on the county level.

County Party- I would like to see our county-level party continue to grow in both participation and funds so we can begin to be a force to be reckoned within the county.

What challenges do you face?

I think the biggest challenges we’ve faced have been those associated with COVID-19. Our meeting schedule has been up in the air, as have our social events. This has made planning larger events impossible. 

But, we are working on one now. So here’s hoping we get to launch.

How can we help?

Keep an active party and promote Liberty