Big government dangers are cited

Editor,

Elections are an interesting way to measure and examine the values of our community.

Like other candidates who have written, I heard people of Senate District 8 expressing concerns about property taxes, availability and affordability of health care, and economic security for wage earners. As a citizen on fixed income, I have the same worries.

For this reason I write to remind voters that the best way to solve these problems is to always vote for personal freedom. This means less government interference and regulation. It means keeping more of your own earnings that you can spend on the things you value, and negotiating your wages and employment conditions with your employer. You get to purchase the health care you need, and be able to afford it, because you won't be paying for someone else's priorities, or priorities that some bureaucrat decides you should have.

Sadly, many candidates, both winners and losers (I was a loser), have proposed bigger government and false solutions; this removes the personal liberties necessary for us to make our own choices. It strips us of our own resources and we cannot afford to pay for our choices. Government "programs" and intrusions such as Social Security, CHIP, property taxes, and minimum wages are not solutions. They give the illusion of a caring society, but in reality they worsen our problems by reducing our personal freedom.

This is a reminder to voters to choose personal freedom in future elections, no matter what the party affiliation a candidate claims.

Let's choose legislators who will allow us the dignity and liberty to make our own decisions, instead of treating us like children. Let's vote for more candidates like Rick Jore, who promise to treat us like adults, candidates who allow us to earn and afford the things we value.

Let's remember that government programs create nothing — they can only take resources from certain people and redistribute them to others.

I thank the voters of Lake County who supported my campaign and voted for me.

Maria Folsom,

East Glacier