Clark Patterson
Libertarian | Texas
Candidate Profile
Moderate
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Clark Patterson
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2016
Election
General
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist.17
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Texas, Austin, BA, 1988
WORK & MILITARY
Clark Patterson Photography, Owner/Principal Photographer, 20
AFFILIATIONS
Beta Theta Pi, Member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Texas State House District 48, 1982
Texas Congressional District 1, 2012
Race
Previous Races
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Congress should repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Disagree
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Strongly Disagree
The U.S. military should wait for militant Islamic groups to directly threaten our national security on our shores, rather than eradicate them now wherever they may be worldwide.
Agree
The United States must maintain a nuclear arsenal that is safe, reliable, modern and numerically superior to those of potential adversaries.
Disagree
I support legislation such as the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) that would prohibit discrimination against individuals, organizations and small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Agree
The federal government should establish Common Core as a nationwide academic standard for high school graduation.
Strongly Disagree
I oppose the resettlement of Syrian refugees into the U.S. without proper vetting.
Neutral
Current regulations on domestic oil exploration and drilling are more restrictive than are necessary.
Strongly Agree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Disagree
More restrictive gun control laws are needed to protect public safety.
Strongly Disagree
The founders established pure democracy in the Constitution because they believed that it is the best form of government to ensure the safety and equitable treatment of all citizens.
Strongly Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self-interest into the most productive economic system there is.
Strongly Agree
Governments should pay to develop wind and solar energy solutions until they are economically feasible.
Strongly Disagree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States.
Disagree
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with public funds.
Disagree
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
The United States should help defend Israel from attack by its enemies.
Neutral
Planned Parenthood should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments.
Strongly Agree
Marijuana should be legalized and regulated like tobacco and alcohol.
Neutral
Islamic law (Sharia) does not pose a threat to the United States and its Constitution.
Neutral
Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
Ayn Rand Objectivists believe that morality can be rationally derived from the requirements of human existence. Unlike Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Objectivism believes that the ultimate question of "Why Be Moral?" can be answered securally.
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Abortion should be allowed in almost all circumstances. Ayn Rand Objectivists don't believe that life begins at conception. The fetus is not a human being until it is biologically viable. Outlawing abortion and requiring a woman to carry a pregnancy to term against her will forces her body to be a mandatory life support system for the fetus for up to nine months. All individuals, including pregnant women, possess an inalienable right to their own life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Even if a fetus is a human life, no human being can abridge the inalienable rights of another human [in this case, the pregnant mother] by forcing her to carry a pregnancy to term.
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
The Enlightenment belief that humans require freedom and natural rights in order to flourish, prosper, and achieve a secular, happy life on earth.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I'm an Ayn Rand Objectivist. Ayn Rand Objectivists are secular atheists. In the age-old duel between Plato and Aristotle, Ayn Rand Objectivism is an Aristotelian worldview, whereas Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are Platonist worldviews. Like Aristotle, Objectivists believe that morality is a normative science, moral values can be rationally derived, and that ultimate Right and Wrong must be based on the requirements of human life. [For more information about this, please consult the works of Ayn Rand.] We also believe in complete laissez faire, free market capitalism. Finally, Ayn Rand Objectivists are political libertarians.
Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which of these best describes you?
No Answer
Please defend your answer to the previous question by referencing your publicly available track record.
Politically, I'm a libertarian. As a political libertarian, I believe in reducing about 99 percent of the current size of the federal government in Washington. Political libertarians don't believe in a left-right or liberal-conservative political spectrum. Instead, libertarians believe that the political spectrum is shaped like a baseball diamond, with home plate representing complete authoritarianism and totalitarianism and second base representing extremely-limited government and libertarianism. In short, libertarians believe that it's more important to be closer to second base and away from home plate than it is to be on the right near first base and conservative or on the left near third base and liberal.
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you.
clarkryanpatterson@gmail.com (512)784-0929
Additional comment from candidate:
For too long in American politics, we’ve focused on the short run – not the long run. This must change immediately. Ultimately, the long run is far more important. In the long run, only the philosophic ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism can save modern civilization from a new worldwide Dark Ages. In the intermediate run, only the economic ideas of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian school of economics can rebuild the American economy. And in the short run, only enormous cuts in the size and scope of government can lead America out of its current fiscal plight of a $19,300,000,000,000 federal debt and future unfunded liabilities of $127,000,000,000,000.
