It is risky for a candidate to express opinions on the issues. People have their own opinions. Even if you disagree with the positions I have expressed, you should still vote for me, Kevin McCormick for Lieutenant Governor.
Think of voting as a strategic choice. We are told in the media to "vote your concience" or vote for one party to prevent the other party from being elected, that a vote for third-party candidates is a "wasted" vote. However, the voting public is close to evenly divided between the two establishment parties and there are more independents than partisans for either establishment party. A vote for a third-party candidate is a vote that an establishment candidate might have won had they addressed the voter's interests. It takes only 3% of the vote for a third party candidate to send a message to the establishment that they need to address these voters. Far from a wasted vote, the third-party vote may actually change the direction and agenda of public policy. Do not allow your vote to be taken for granted, but do understand that electoral politics is a gradual process.
The most important political issues are about resources and money — not about identities or partisan rivalries. The media emphasizes identities and partisanl rivalry, while ignoring or mis-reporting on issues of resources and money. Today, corporations and bureaucracies control both resources and money, and the public is expected to work harder, pay more, and settle for receiving less. The Texas state government is largely controlled by special interests —state agencies managed by corporate lobbyists— with corporations and bureaucracies manipulating the system for their own advantage.
The establishment parties, Republican or Democratic, will continue to serve special interests unless the voters demand action by voting for third-party candidates. The establishment parties calculate how to win elections. If talk, identity politics, and token gestures are enough to win the vote, then talk, identity politics, and token gestures are what the voters will get. The voters must prove they want better public service by casting their votes for third-party candidates.
I believe that we can reverse special-interest control and restore service to the public as the purpose and design of government. It is a process that begins with a few crucial reforms — reform the election process to reward public service rather than partisan division and reform of the tax-and-spend system to affordable tax rates and valuable public services. The basic transportation system policy should allow alternative modes and align infrastructure with public needs. Our approach to agriculture should be to revitalize the rural economy and promote environmental stewardship. We must carefully design the incentives in our system so that public service is rewarded and special interest manipulation is discouraged.
Whatever your opinion may be, the more votes for Kevin McCormick for Lieutenant Governor the more likely it becomes that the Texas state government will increase the priority of serving the public.
Thank you