I don’t usually wade into politics. When I do, it’s usually the same quiet murmur about how taxation is theft and good ideas don’t require force — which, depending on the dinner party, either ends the conversation or starts a three–hour one. This post is the shorter version.

Where I Land

The best part about my political affiliation is that you don’t have to pay much attention to it. I most closely associate with the Libertarian Party, which, as the unofficial motto goes, is “Diligently Plotting to Take Over the World & Leave You Alone.” That phrase does most of the work for me. It captures how I think government should actually operate: as a quiet, minimal backdrop to the lives of the people it serves, not the main character in every story it touches.

Sure, I’ll occasionally murmur about taxation being theft. I’ll note, now and then, that a good idea should not require force to implement. I’ll, when pressed, explain why I think the free market is less a policy preference and more an emergent property of leaving humans alone long enough to trade with each other. But I genuinely don’t wish to impose any of that on you. If you think I’m wrong, you’re very welcome to go on thinking that. I won’t knock on your door about it.

Here’s the fuller statement of what the party actually believes — in case you’re curious, and in case you want to argue with it. Libertarians wrote it more clearly than I ever could.

We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual. We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life — accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action — accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property — accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by governments in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

The Part Where I Actually Want to Talk to You

Most political writing online assumes the point of a conversation is to win it. I don’t. I’ll happily sit across the table from someone who disagrees with me on nearly every meaningful question of governance, and I won’t allow the disagreement to keep me from learning more about them — or, more importantly, about why they think what they think.

That “why” is where all the interesting material is. Anyone can tell you what they believe. Most people have never been asked why, or if they have, nobody listened long enough to get the answer. You’d be amazed how much common ground hides under that question. You might also be amazed how often the person on the other side has thought carefully about something you assumed they hadn’t thought about at all.

I’ve changed my mind about things that mattered. I’ve also watched thoughtful people walk away from a conversation I was part of with their views sharpened instead of softened, and the world didn’t end. Politics doesn’t have to be an argument. Sometimes it can just be a conversation.

Why I Still Talk About Any of This

If I’m going to leave you alone, I’m going to leave you genuinely alone — which includes not pestering you about politics in the course of doing normal work together. But if you’ve ended up on this site, you’re probably here for something business–shaped, and I think it’s fair to tell you how I operate.

I believe all boats rise when the tide comes in. I don’t think I need to push someone under to come up for air myself. That sounds like a platitude until you start noticing how much of modern business (and modern politics) quietly assumes the opposite — that someone has to lose for you to win. I’ve built a career on the opposite bet, and so far the scoreboard agrees.

My objective, in the context that most likely brought you here, is to prosper financially while adding real value to whatever project or company I’m working with or for. Not short–term profit. Not extracted value. Long–term value built on lasting principles — and lasting principles, in my experience, have to be grounded in morality rather than legality. Legality changes. Morality, done right, doesn’t.

P.S. — That Time I Ran for Office

One small autobiographical note, since we’re on the subject.

I ran for public office once: Anchorage Assembly, District 3, Seat D, in the general election on April 1, 2025. (Yes, April 1. Make whatever joke you like.) My opponent was the incumbent, Kameron Perez-Verdia. I didn’t expect to beat him, and, for what it’s worth, the universe agreed with my forecast. What I did expect was to learn how the process actually works from the inside — and I did. Several unions and community groups took the time to interview me and walk me through the mechanics of local politics, and I came away with a genuine appreciation for how much work the people who do this for a living actually put in.

Nobody wants to come in last. Somebody has to. If I decide to run again and lose, I plan to do it more efficiently next time.