Despite the best efforts of a handful of dedicated supporters, we failed to collect enough qualified petition signatures to earn a place on the November 4 ballot.  I will be in touch will all of you who donated to our campaign with a brief report on income and expenses by the middle of the month. 

While we are disappointed, the campaign was not a total loss.  It taught me a lot about myself, it clarified my own beliefs about specific issues and the role of government generally, and most of all it helped me understand the problems we face as a nation of unconnected citizens.  My sincere thanks go out to all of you who took the time to read an email, sign a petition or more.  To get our government back to the principles upon which it was founded it will take lots of small efforts from all of us.

Post-Election Analysis

The primary elections were held yesterday and the results were not hard to forecast.  In our local Congressional race, the candidates who spent the most money won the day.  In fact, in practically every race, the candidate who spent the most money won.  To be fair, in many races the disparity in funds between the top tier candidates was not large, but it just goes to show that money produces votes.  On a positive note, the campaigns that engaged in the most negative campaigning all lost.  I'm not sure if that is a trend or a coincidence, but it would be a great thing if the races this fall at all levels were determined by who put forth the best positive message rather than who created the biggest negative perceptions about their opponents. 

Future Activities

During my campaign I tried to raise the concept of American Priorities, and I will continue to do so.  There are a number of challenges that face our nation over the next decade, and I firmly believe they are all connected to a single issue:  the sustainable use of our resources.  Through my work with the Missouri Prairie Foundation, I see the impacts that natural resource use decisions can have on the landscape.  As Americans, we need to take steps to use all of our resources (natural, fiscal and human) in a way that gets things done and helps us all.  The energy, healthcare and economic challenges we face are all about resource allocation.  We have to decide what we truly value as a nation, who is going to pay, and who is going to get the work done.  I am a big believer in public-private partnerships, so my efforts to focus attention on American Priorities will certainly involve citizens, businesses and policy makers.  I encourage all of you with time and interest to read Deep Economy by Bill McKibben and to check out the Institute for Local Self Reliance.