Politics are still in heavy swing around the Lake Area lately; did you know we have another option aside from Republican and Democratic parties here?

Henderson and Kaufman county, which cover the Cedar Creek Lake Area, are two of the about 80 Texas counties affiliated with the third largest political party in the United States, the Libertarian Party. With Henderson county being affiliated since January 1, 2013 and Kaufman County since June of 2015.

Three Lake Area community members of the Libertarian party are running for seats that would affect the Cedar Creek Lake area by districts. These guys will go up against some of the most prominent names in not only the local community but the state and nation as well if they receive enough votes for nominations.

With that being said, if members of the community are paying attention to any level of politics and see where the status quo doesn’t necessarily align with what you feel is the best choice for the community, you can inquire at any monthly meeting as to how to contribute to the betterment of Cedar Creek Lake.

The three Lake Area community members of the Libertarian party who are campaigning are:

Ben Leder candidate for US Congressional House in Congress District 5

Ben Leder’s website, his platform shows:

Serving the Community

Ben Leder has been a lifelong resident of Texas, and whether it is creating jobs during the last financial crisis, or volunteering during Hurricane Harvey, he has what it takes to get Texans through even the toughest times.

United By A Common Goal

Ben Leder knows the value of your Constitutional Rights. That is why he is running for this position as a Libertarian. Check out http://www.lptexas.org/ to join the "Resistance Party", and find out how you can get involved in making a difference in your community today

Matt Savino, candidate for Texas State Representative for District 10

On Matt Savino’s website, his stances on issues are the following:

Firearms-

Gun control laws are unconstitutional. The Second Amendment states,” …shall not be infringed.” Meaning no laws shall be made to restrict or prohibit the ownership or carrying of firearms. All gun control does is makes more victims as only law-abiding citizens are the ones following them. Removing all restrictions on firearms and carrying of firearms will arm the populous, and people can better defend themselves, their family, and their property. Law enforcement is overwhelmed and cannot respond quickly enough in all situations. I will push for Constitutional Carry here in Texas. It is accepted in nine other states now and the numbers speak for themselves…crimes drop when the people can defend themselves.

Taxes-

Lower the cost to live and work in Texas. I will fight for our hardworking families and individuals to keep more of what they earn. Support and work towards eliminating, or at least lowering the states property and sales taxes, and all other taxes forced on the people of this great state. Lower taxes promote growth for our economy and will make Texas a better place for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren to grow and prosper. I will oppose any and all tax increases across the board. Currently Texas is the 12th highest state in sales tax and ranked 4th in property tax!

Education-

Parents should be allowed to send their children to the education institution of their choice or the option to home school, free from government interference. The purpose of school is education and that should be the focus. Tax money is being spend on stadiums, gymnasiums, sports equipment and uniforms, and that is not fair to the parents of children that don’t participate or the people that do not have children at all. The state needs to remove the restrictions placed on schools. Parents and teachers of the children attending each school should be the ones to decide how funds are spent, not politicians or board members. Home schooling saves the state of Texas 1.2 BILLION dollars each year. On average private school and home schooled children perform better than public school children. Let’s learn from that for the children’s sake.

CPS-

CPS has power that supersedes state courts. Texas has given them more power than any other state in the union. I have seen family's torn apart by CPS. CPS needs to be brought back under control and monitored more closely. The funding they get from the federal government has added to the corruption within the organization. The federal government gives CPS up to $9000 for each child they remove from a home and place in foster care. It has become legalized kidnapping. They blatantly violate their own rules and regulations with no consequence.

Allen Miller, candidate for Texas State Representative for district 4

Annexation and property rights:

I will be bringing forth legislation to the state of Texas that will allow communities that have been annexed but not received any city services within 5 years, and have not received all city services within 10 years of the annexation to petition to be de-annexed. This would require a petition signed by 50% + 1 of the registered voters within that community. The city would then be required to hold a vote for this community to De-annex. The rest of the city and the city council would not have a say in this vote unless they lived in the community the vote took place in. If the majority vote is received, it will pass and the community will be de-annexed from the city. This would give the power back to the people, and take it away from corrupt city governments that Annex outlying communities for the purpose of generating tax revenues.

Police Officers and body cameras:

I find it utterly ridiculous that in 2018 not every uniformed police officer in the state of Texas utilizes this technology, which not only protects them, but also shields the public from corruption, lies, and holds the officers accountable for any misdeeds. I will propose a bill to the Texas legislator to change that; a bill that will require all state police officers to wear a body cam while on duty, one that the officers themselves have neither the access nor ability to delete, turn off, or otherwise corrupt.

This is not only for public safety but also for the officers' safety as well and for real truth and transparency in our justice system.

If you want more information on them or the local party, follow the link below to see who is running for local county positions as well.

The first part of the election process to vote in the Libertarian party will be this Tuesday evening at the Jalapeno Tree in Athens at 7pm followed by several conventions after to elect locally as well as who will be able to be a delegate (or voter) for the next level of the Libertarian election process which is slightly different then the two main parties.

The Libertarian "umbrella" shows to have a wide variety of belief but that all align with several core thoughts.

On the official Libertarian Party website, the principles can be found easily.

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

“We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life—accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action—accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property—accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.”

A breath of fresh air in regards to living in a heavily populated “Conservative Republican” state. To know we can believe in personal freedoms and responsibility of our own life holds the ring of truth for the future stability of our entire generations to come. They see us and what we do every day that leads to the future. Be it good or be it bad. It is all up to us in this world or home in this place we call Cedar Creek Lake to design the community in a way that is sustainable for the long term while growing in grace with the influx of thousands of homes being built and the growing population.

A list can be found to bullet point the guidelines the Libertarian party members take an oath to abide by:

-Personal Liberty

-Economic Liberty

-Securing Liberty

In a world full of options, a small number of people are choosing the “other” option in the realization that there really is something different out there then the “status quo” which does not mean anything when our children’s future is at stake.

http://www.lptexas.org/state-county-affiliates
https://www.lp.org/platform/
http://www.lptexas.org/
http://www.lptexas.org/2018_candidates
https://benleder.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BenLederForCongress/
https://www.facebook.com/D-Allen-Miller-For-Texas-127921267874903/
http://savino4tx.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Savino4TX/