Stanton Campaign Kick-Off a Success!

It’s official.  The Stanton Campaign to become State Representative for the 10^th Middlesex has begun!

This past Wednesday night, June 6^th, at Shopper’s Café in Waltham, I had my Campaign Kick-Off event.  And what a terrific event it turned out to be.  With roughly 50-60 concerned citizens in attendance coming out to hear what I had to say and to offer their support, it felt pretty good to know that the constituents from Newton, Watertown and Waltham were willing to lend me their ears for an evening.

I got to mix and mingle with the voters and talk to them about what concerns them and what they would like to see from their State Representative.  It was nice to really get to know them and what matters to them most.  To a great extent, they were concerned about the economy and the political situation up on Beacon Hill and they are hoping that someone will come along to change things up.  I told them that I hope to be that someone.

I am also proud to say that the Kick-Off was also attended by other candidates who are currently running for higher offices.  Sandi Martinez, one of our candidates for State Senate in the 3^rd Middlesex, was in attendance as well as Jeff Semon who hopes to run against Ed Markey in the new Massachusetts 5^th Congressional District.  Best of luck to the both of them!

I also gave a speech at the event where I informed the voters a little bit about who I am, why I am running, and why I humbly ask for the voters’ support.  Here are my three reasons for why I ask the voters to consider me in November:

The first is to offer the voters a choice in the voting booth since otherwise the race would have been uncontested.  Because far too often, due to a lack of opposition in the voting booth,  the political mentality here in Massachusetts is that once you are elected into office, the seat is securely yours until you decide to either run for higher office, get promoted, or retire (we saw this with the “Kennedy Seat”).   Such a mentality leads to bad politics and unaccountability to the voters.

The second is to begin to bring some balance to Beacon Hill by putting an end to our current one-party super-majority rule.  With super-majorities of 80% in the State House and 90% in the Senate, the culture on Beacon Hill has led to a great deal of corruption and fraud (see our last 4 speakers of the house).  It has also led to over-used tactics of misdirection (take a look at how many difficult issues have been passed on for a study rather than providing a straight up and down vote on the issue itself—lowering taxes and voter ID has recently met such a fate).  Finally, it has led to a “holier than though art” mentality of “we know what is best for you better than you do” as demonstrated in ideas and policies such as fighting over bottled water, consolidating Health Care into one giant bureaucracy, and banning bake sales at school.

The third, and most important reason, is in light of the economy.  Massachusetts needs to get better at promoting a business friendly environment that encourages real job creation and economic growth.  A great deal of our economic woes can be placed at the feet of Beacon Hill.

Much like how it operates politically, when it comes to business and the economy Beacon Hill is not a big fan of competition and prefers to be in the business of picking winners and losers.  Again, we see this with the new Health Care Consolidation that will limit choice and competition in the medical realm.  Beacon Hill achieves its goal of controlling the economy through their high rates of taxation and over-burdensome regulations.  Now let me clarify, I have no objection to the government acting as a referee in economic affairs between a business and its customers but it is clearly evident that Beacon Hill is no longer a referee but an active player in our economy.   And its policies are not only driving businesses away but are also stifling economic growth, dwindling the amount of free-market competition, and are discouraging new entrepreneurs and small businesses owners from opening up a shop because they simply cannot get through all the red tape.  

As a candidate, I want to bring a more hands-off approach to the economy which will encourage new markets to open up and new small business owners and entrepreneurs to enter those markets.  We need to reduce the tax burdens on both the business as well as the tax payer so that the business can invest more and hire more people and the tax payer can save and spend more.  It is a common sense solution that can’t seem to pass the stubborn and controlling mind of Beacon Hill.

And as for Beacon Hill itself, what is needed is balance; more voices of opposition to business as usual and holding their feet to the fire to ensure good government is legislated and implemented by allowing for greater competition in the realm of ideas, policies, and leadership. 

That is how we get Bay-stators working again.  That is how we can get Massachusetts working again.

Based on their comments and reactions, those in attendance firmly agreed with me.

In all, it was a good night; the first of many as I am soon to plan more events throughout the district in Newton, Watertown, and Waltham.

So please join me and support my campaign as I set out to fix the economy and fix Beacon Hill.  Vote Stanton!