An election asks a question about the kind of country we want to be. This year, I believe that question is especially clear: Will we trust people to direct their own lives, or will we give government more power to make those decisions for them?

Liberty means families can pursue opportunity, speak their minds, practice their faith, and build a future without asking Washington or Madison for permission at every turn. It also means taking responsibility for our neighbors and holding elected leaders accountable when they fall short.

Tyranny rarely announces itself by name. It can begin when leaders decide that their judgment matters more than yours, that disagreement should be punished, or that every problem requires another government mandate. Each decision may seem small. Together, they change the relationship between citizens and those who serve them.

Here's a specific example: When I take out my wallet or open up my house to help a neighbor who has fallen on hard times, that is charity. When a pencil-necked government bureacrat confiscates my wallet to use it in the same fashion, that is tyranny. Do you see the difference?

Charity is when we GIVE. Tyranny is when government TAKES.

Now don't get me wrong, if you want to donate all your extra income to the government then, by all means, you can do that. There's even a section of the IRS form that allows you to. But if you vote for more pencil-necked, government worshiping types to TAKE from me then you are part of the problem and would be voting for an un-American, immoral system otherwise known as Marxism. If you don't believe me then I challenge you to enter this prompt into your favorite Internet tool: "Tell me the history of when Venezuela was one of the richest countries in South America and how quickly it descended to one of the poorest and give me the timeline of how the downward spiral occurred."

Here's what chatGPT told me in part: "The catastrophic phase was much faster: in just eight years, 2013–2021, Venezuela lost more than three-quarters of its estimated economic output."

To be fair, I want to credit Jim Green, candidate for 96th Assembly District, for several conversations I've had about this topic. He helped inspire me to dive deep into researching Venezuela to see the disaster that socialism brings to nations who choose it.

I know some Americans dislike various candidates' personalities or the way they communicate. You do not have to admire every post or every remark to examine their policies and decide whether they have improved your life. That is a fair question to ask of every candidate, Republican or Democrat. Seek the facts about the topics that are important to you then grade the candidates according to how they represent those topics using facts such as voting records. You can also get a good understanding of our Republican candidates by watching my conversations with them in my Speakeasy Conversations Podcaast I perform those as a public service, free of charge, so you can get to know those who are asking for your vote.

Look beyond the noise. Ask who will protect your freedom of speech, respect your hard-earned income, and leave room for families and communities to solve problems themselves. Ask who welcomes scrutiny and who expects obedience and demands top down, one size fits all, command and control over every aspect of your life government tyranny.

Then make your choice and make your voice heard. Talk with your neighbors, study the candidates, and vote. Liberty survives when ordinary people take the responsibility of defending it. Always remember that the whispers of millions of voters will always drown out the noise from a handful of loud-mouthed protestors.

If you still aren't convinced, here is a visual to help you understand: