I’m Tim Grady and if you haven’t heard in the last 4 years, I’m running for state representative for the Ohio 2nd. Long time viewers may recall my scrappy 2016 write-in campaign in which I earned a whole 20 votes! This year I hope to be on the ballot as a Libertarian.

You might be asking, “who is this handsome 22 year old (22? He looks 12 (thank you, my secret is avoiding sunlight working on policy proposals)), why is he running for office, and what qualifies him to represent me?”. Great question! I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe and unfortunately that’s brought me to the despicable world of politics. I’m a romantic when it comes to American government, envisioning dedicated public servants, democratically elected in open, honest elections, doing their best to tend the experiment begun on this continent not even three centuries ago. That experiment of course being the United States of America and whether or not a free people can successfully govern themselves. Well I guess we’ve drifted away from that ideal a bit.I do recognize the reality that politics is more about waging a partisan war rather than vigorous policy debates, that we’re governed by parties instead of people, that government tends to be a cynical endeavor.

So that’s why I’m running for office. I’m first and foremost about shaking up the system and proving that anyone can be an active participant in government and it no longer need be a cynical endeavor. That’s why I run a low cost campaign, that’s why I don’t take donations from anyone, that’s why I’m running as a Libertarian. Admittedly the message would be better if I were running as an independent but Ohio doesn’t make that easy. I appreciate the Libertarians letting me onto their ticket, at least one party has to be a voice for open government. Hopefully when I win (or die trying!) it will be enough to get you up on your feet and running for office, no election should go uncontested in the country that began modern democracy.

I’m also running for office to get you all talking about something new. Democrats and Republicans have been going back and forth on the same issues for forty years, some of them longer. You have to start saying something else, you’re driving the whole country insane!

As to what qualifies me to represent you, well that’s easy, I’m over the age of 17 and a citizen of Ohio, that’s the only qualification necessary in Ohio. I could even run for governor, I actually tried for a month back in 2014. But I guess you want to know what makes me a good candidate. Well I’m currently a student of economics at Ohio University, that’s enough to disqualify me from your consideration right there. Economics is a nonsense field. Besides that I’m a lifelong resident of Richland county and I’m oddly dedicated to the place of my birth, I want to see it succeed because it’s the place I want to live my life. Shocking I know, seems like no one stays here. How does that qualify me then? It doesn’t, the only thing that qualifies a person to represent you is you. You vote (you better), you’re in charge. I believe in government that operates at the lowest practical level, in 9 out of 10 instances that means you, the individual, the citizen. It’s citizenship, not government that makes our society great, or at least could if more of us actually accepted that responsibility.

I’m not quite a progressive (especially as what are traditionally liberals have claimed the word), I’m not quite a centrist, I’m not quite a classical liberal. I’ve been accused of being a capitalist and I’ve been accused of being a socialist. I’m certainly not a moderate, I am a principled person with many strongly held beliefs. That said I am always open to new ideas and am never deluded enough to be absolutely certain about anything.

What I do know is what I want for myself and for Ohio. I have a vision for Ohio’s future, one of rapid economic development, of prosperity and opportunity for all Ohioans regardless of their origins, of the freedom to make one’s own choices in life. I do not subscribe to any ideologies, I do not believe there is a singular way to accomplish something, I believe in taking whatever measure, be it left, right, market, government, commons, or whatever else to achieve this vision. More often than not that requires experimentation rather than adherence to an ideology. I think the best way to describe me is simply as a student, attempting to learn all I can. I am just who I am, do not try and attach any adjectives to me, they will not stick.

If you like me, if you believe in me and my cause, if you believe in decentralized government, if you want a prosperous economy, if you want new ideas and someone dedicated to the ideals of fraternity, equality, and liberty, if you want to give me your support and your vote, I am qualified to represent you. Otherwise I’m not qualified to represent you and maybe no one is. So go run for this office, you have until August 27th to register as a write-in candidate. I would be thrilled to see a dozen candidates for this and every office.

 

Don’t follow me on this twitter: twitter.com/TimGradyIs