Bill Wayne for 51st Dist

For issues and discussions on my races for Missouri House, formerly 121st District, now the 51st.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Campaign Finance & Questionnaires

I attended a campaign finance seminar yesterday evening. I can spend up to $500 in the primary and in the general election campaign without creating a committee or reporting in detail, but local candidates can spend up to $1000 in each election. Meanwhile, my mail box is inundated by paper spam from outifts wanting to sell campaign materials. I need to do some pricing on essentials, like bumper stickers and yard signs, and find out what the other candidates are paying for those mini-programs on KOKO.

Meanwhile, the candidate surveys keep pouring in. One from another pro-choice group, one from a very conservative group, and one from pro-business group. Still none using electronic media - what, pray tell, is so difficult about making a survey available in Word format at a group's website? So it could be downloaded and actually TYPED and returned by email?
I hope that I'll get one from the NRA, seeing as I've been a member for about 40 years, but I doubt that I will. The NRA won't consider Libertarian candidates, even when we're sounder on the 2nd Amendment than the D or R candidates they endorse - to them, the winning percentage is everything since that's how they prove their clout.

Bill

Saturday, April 15, 2006

It's Questionnaire Time

So far, I've received 5 candidate questionnaires. Two were from "Pro-Choice" groups, two were from teacher unions, and the other from PromoPac (GLBT issues). I doubt if I'llget any endoresements from these groups, since I'll provide a lot of "half-a-loaf" answers - while I may agree with some of their objectives, as a good Libertarian I don't think government mandates are the way to acheive them.

The best survey was from a local pro-choice group. They asked for detailed answers to their questions, giving me a chance to explain my position. NARAL and the Missouri NEA just allow "yes" or "no" answers. The MSTA and PromoPac left a little room for comment.

Since all the early-bird surveys are from groups traditionally associated with the Democrats, I'm wondering when I'll start seeing surveys from the other side - and how many toal surveys I'll see. I also wonder why they're all working strictly with paper instead of allowing an on-line option.

I'll post my surveys and answers to my campaign website; I want my positions on issues known, for good or for ill.

Bill