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Alameda County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Smart Voter Political Philosophy for Charles Bartlett

Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Fremont

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

I believe America is on a dangerous precipece. We can't afford a government that provides healthcare, a legion of civil employee salaries, infrastructure, public education, corporate welfare, and social security. We are printing money, increasing taxes, and borrowing in order to promote a workforce with no ties to family, nation, or neighbor.

While the financial and cultural side of the equation is frightening, it also is a great opportunity. We are not going to solve these problems by small fixes at the margin. There will have to be a structural overhall. This state of affairs provides small government conservatives excellent opportunities to reduce government, decentralize power; returning government functions to families, churches, neighbors, business men, and mutual aid societies.

Unfortunately, as both Republicans and Democrats currently stand, neither parties are apt to deal with this crisis. Democrats are generally are enthusiastic about redistributive wealth programs and cultural internationalization. Republican leaders likewise are advocates of big government and corporate bailouts. Not only this, but Republicans have nearly become synomynous with globalized free trade and open borders, undermining our national soveriegnty with deepening and widening NAFTA.

It's the "centrist" wing of the GOP which currently runs the Party. Unfortunately, it has jumped onto the 'green' bandwagon, refused to protect or close the border, welcomed a softer form of socialized medicine, and spent more tax-money than any previous democrat administration. These Republicans presume conservatives will stay in the GOP simply because red-state voters have no other place to go.

Small Government radicals cannot wait for Republican leadership to turn around. We need to push conservative values and candidates at the local level. If beltway conservatives had stuck to their guns in the 1990's (while Republicans controlled both Houses and the Presidency), we would have won the culture war by the fruit of our ideas. That did not happen; therefore we are at a point were we must rebuild, starting at the grassroots.

The message of freedom, family, and community still resonates, bridging people of many different backgrounds and even political perspectives.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 5, 2008 19:12
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