Letter to the Editor of the Opelika-Auburn News

(Published 13 January 2006 in the Opelika-Auburn News)

In the Sunday, 8 January 2006 OA News, AP writer Phillip Rawls informed your readers that the AL Republican Party is considering a reform of their party primary rules.

As a libertarian, I am happy to see the GOP consider the possibility of limiting outside influences on their internal party politics. This will provide principled conservatives with the opportunity to have greater influence within the Republican Party.

I would encourage these conservatives to follow the example of the Libertarian Party of Alabama. Because libertarians believe in small, low-tax government, those of us in this state decided long ago that we would not saddle the taxpayers of Alabama with the costs of our party activities. This is why the Libertarian Party selects candidates by privately-funded convention, rather than by taxpayer-funded primaries. If Republicans are really serious about being fiscal conservatives, perhaps they should take this step to demonstrate their convictions to the voters of our state.

Dick Clark
Candidate, Alabama House of Representatives,
District 79