O-A News article: "Campaign 2006 candidate interview"
Dick Clark
Age: 25
Education: B.A. English (Technical & Professional Communications), minor in Philosophy, Auburn University, December 2004
Experience: Librarian, copy editor, archivist at local non-profit economics institute (2004-Present); Chairman, Libertarian Party of Alabama (2006-Present); Libertarian Candidate, Alabama Public Service Commission, Place 1 (2002); Co-founder, OnTarget Technologies (computer hard-ware and networking company; 1998-1999)
Q: Why should the citizens of our district vote for you?
People in Alabama's 79th district desire the ability to work hard and to reap the benefits of their labors. Supporting my candidacy means supporting a genuinely, drastically lower tax level and smaller government across the board. My constituents can count on me to be a tireless opponent of any state measure seeking to redistribute their hard-earned money through state bureaucracies. Our area is strong in education, strong in worker productivity, and has a generally rising standard of living. People in District 79 do not need the politicians in Montgomery telling them how to spend their money, and I will fight to ensure that the politicians don't get additional opportunities to do just that.
Q: What would you do differently than the office's incumbent, if applicable?
Unlike Mike Hubbard who is a conservative in name only, I am a true fiscal conservative who believes in getting rid of the ridiculous amount of pork-barrel spending at the state level. There are many projects that the state has no business spending tax dollars on. As one example, the Hank Williams Museum which is currently funded out of the state education budget should be privately funded, as should all other such programs that have nothing to do with the business of running government. The current politicians know that they have drawn partisan districts to make themselves safe from competition, and now they are raiding the cookie jar. I am not ever going to turn a blind eye to pork-barrel projects, and I will make it my mission to ferret out wasteful spending in the state budget, rather than to enable it as Mike Hubbard has.
Q: Do you believe in reforming Alabama's constitution and why?
I believe in amending the state constitution as needed. Currently, there is much being said about how long and "ugly" our constitution is. Well, there is no guarantee that we wouldn't amend a new constitution just as quickly as the current one. After all, Louisiana rewrote their state constitution in the 1970s and they are amending their new, "streamlined" document at a rate that exceeds ours. The cost of testing a new constitution in the courts will be incredibly high.
Q: What is the best way to handle Alabama's prison over-crowdedness?
Stop imprisoning people for things that ought not be crimes. As Article 1, Section 35 of our state constitution says, "the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression.
Q: What can be done to make Alabama's educational system better?
When one adjusts for cost-of-living, Alabama's teachers are paid at a very competitive level. Com-pensation levels, however, are not the only thing at play here. There is far too much influence exerted from the state level on local schools, both at the grade-school level and in higher education. I will fight to put control of local schools in local hands, because parents need to be able to have a real and meaningful influence on curriculum choices and other education decisions. Additionally, I support a temporary voucher program that would recognize that parents and students are the consumers of education services, and that their demand for particular services should be seen as indi-cating what is needed. Moving towards privatization in education will eventually benefit all students, will create a more productive, educated workforce, and will increase the standard of living for everyone in the state.
Q: Do you believe in the death penalty and why?
I believe that the death penalty is just retribution for the most abhorrent crimes. Unfortunately, our state criminal justice system has a poor track record in this regard, with certain demographic groups disproportionately receiving this maximum sanction. The death penalty would become far more just in our state if we work to solve the other problems in our state judicial system.
Q: Which group do you most closely associate with, pro-life or pro-choice?
I am solidly pro-life. I have attended fundraisers for Sav-A-Life, I have held pro-life signs in a picket line, and I believe that abortion is immoral, except in very rare cases such as tubal pregnancies that require an abortion to save the life of the mother. In fact, Sav-A-Life founder Wales Goebel is a family friend and customer of my father's antique clock business. I believe that the Roe v. Wade decision was a usurpation of state authority by the federal government, which is granted no authority over such matters in the federal constitution. With that said, I would say that abortion is virtually impossible to prove without first invading someone's body preemptively, and so anti-abortion activism should take the form of pregnancy test/counseling centers such as our own Women's Hope Medical Clinic which works non-violently to convince expectant mothers to choose another, more loving option.
Q: Should religion be kept out of Alabama's public schools and why?
So long as there are people in public schools, there will be religion there. The government should never use taxpayer money to promote or denigrate a particular religion. Students and teachers should be free to practice their religious beliefs as they see fit, but no one should be coerced into participating in any religious activity, and no religious activities should in any way require an additional state expenditure.
Q: What is the best thing that can be done to improve our state's economy?
The best way to encourage economic development in our area is to be able to assure entrepreneurs that our area and our state are committed to a low-tax, low-regulation future. Steady, solid growth must be built upon firm foundations and not special disbursements of taxpayer-funded benefits. We do not need to create temporary incentives to lure employers to our area and our state, for that will only result in problems down the road when the incentives cease. Rather, we should do our best to appeal to companies that are sound enterprises that do not require government handouts to prosper. Because of all the resources our geography and demographics offer, we will be attractive to all manner of investment if we can assure inves-tors that their property will be safe from government usurpation in Alabama's 79th district."
(Read the original interview here.)
