County Council Candidate To Discuss Libertarianism In Pierceton
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
PIERCETON - Daniel Stevens was a republican from age 18 to 40 and then became a libertarian.
Stevens, 51, Warsaw, became concerned that the Republican and Democrat parties became one party.
He will share his beliefs on libertarianism at Blue Lion Coffeehouse, Pierceton, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m."I saw the Republican and Democrat parties turn into one party, and there wasn't a difference between the two, and both were saying the same thing and not accomplishing anything," Stevens said.
"I saw government getting more wasteful with more problems, and I saw the Libertarian party offering better answers to the problems."
He said once someone learns about the Libertarian party a lot of people find out they are libertarians.
He said he believes in limited government and individual rights as a libertarian.
He said his parents, Marvin and Vera Stevens, were republicans and influenced him to support the party, but he wanted to be a libertarian and began voting that way when he was 40.
Stevens, a 1977 Warsaw High School graduate, is employed as a printer with Donnelly's of Warsaw.
"From the time I was able to vote I was voting republican, but 10 years ago I got on the Internet and began looking around politically for issues and came across the Libertarian Party's national website," Stevens said.
He inquired about starting a local libertarian chapter and was advised that there had already been a chapter started.
He joined the local libertarian group more than 15 years ago, but it has disbanded since then.
When asked what it means to be a libertarian, and what he believes, he said he believes libertarian answers are much needed at the national and state level.
He said the best way to educate people of libertarian ideas is to start at the local level.
He said as a libertarian he believes people should be able to control their own lives, without government intrusion.
As a libertarian he said he believes people should have the right to own and use guns.
"I don't think people should be restricted in the ownership of guns," Stevens said.
Stevens is running for the county council district 3 seat as a libertarian in the Nov. 2 election.
He previously ran for Warsaw School Board in 2002.
"I decided to run for county council because I kept hearing people complaining about the government wasting money and big government," Stevens said.
He said he realized the people who are complaining voted those people in, and said he knew the libertarians had better answers to issues on each level of government.
He said he believes government should hold themselves to the same standard as a taxpayer.
