I received this inquiry on 10/22/23:
Mr. Dixon,
I am a 19-year-old registered voter in Hunt County, Texas. I work full-time in the construction industry and attend college, yet I still cannot realistically afford to move out of my parents’ home or purchase my first house.
After researching your campaign, I found several positions that interest me, particularly your emphasis on individual liberty, reducing unnecessary government spending, opposing corporate subsidies, and supporting marijuana legalization.
However, there are important areas where I would appreciate clarification.
My greatest economic concern is affordable homeownership. Would you support restrictions on large investment companies purchasing substantial numbers of single-family homes? Would you consider government-backed financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, especially people who have never owned property? I understand this could conflict with your opposition to government subsidies, so I would appreciate knowing what alternative you propose to make homeownership affordable.
I strongly support unrestricted gun rights. Would you support repealing existing firearm restrictions? Are there any restrictions on gun ownership, possession, or carrying that you believe are justified?
I am firmly opposed to abortion. Although I recognize your belief that government should not enforce personal religious morality, I believe abortion is the unlawful taking of human life and should be treated under criminal law with penalties comparable to homicide. What restrictions and criminal penalties, if any, would you support?
Workers’ rights are also important to me. I understand you oppose government-mandated minimum wages, but I am concerned about workers having little bargaining power. I personally receive just eight hours of paid vacation per year despite working full-time. Would you support requiring employers to provide at least one full workweek of paid vacation and separate paid sick leave? If not, what concrete alternative would you propose to ensure workers can obtain those benefits?
I also support mandatory rest and cooling breaks for construction workers, strong environmental protections for groundwater and wildlife habitats, and additional development restrictions in environmentally sensitive locations. How would you reconcile these requirements with your philosophy of limited government and private-property rights?
I support legalizing adult marijuana use, prohibiting impaired driving, making legal immigration more accessible, maintaining necessary police services, and legalizing prostitution under strict regulations. I would appreciate knowing whether your positions on these subjects differ.
Finally, I understand your desire to reduce government expenditures. How much of Texas’ Rainy Day Fund should be maintained, and what would you do with reserves above that amount? Would you consider redirecting some of that money toward housing affordability or reducing property taxes?
I appreciate that you are willing to discuss political positions outside the traditional two-party system. I am trying to understand not only what you believe, but also what specific legislation you would pursue to accomplish your goals.
Thank you for your time. I would genuinely appreciate a response.
This is my response
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Thank you for contacting me
Texas divides governing authority among the governor, lieutenant governor, legislature and other elected officials. As governor, I would use the powers of the office to advocate for legislation, convene special sessions when appropriate, and veto measures that conflict with my principles. Other states give the governor much more power. In Texas the primary responsibility of the governor is emergency response. Policy issues are primarily the domain of the lieutenant governor and the legislature, but I will address policy matters as I have done on https://patdixon.org/pat-dixon-for-governor-statements/
My greatest economic concern is affordable homeownership.
My Free Market Sustainability policy (https://patdixon.org/free-market-sustainability/) is intended to ensure that economic growth benefits Texas residents rather than creating additional burdens for them. I would focus on identifying unnecessary government costs and regulations that increase the cost of housing, construction and everyday life. This policy would help make everything more affordable in Texas. The housing affordability problem is a function of inflation (which is a federal matter) as well as the housing shortage (https://www.texansforreasonablesolutions.org/). The CATO Foundation has several policy recommendations of affordable housing (https://www.cato.org/handbook-affordability/housing)
Would you support restrictions on large investment companies purchasing substantial numbers of single-family homes?
I don’t think so. My concern would be placing restrictions on voluntary activity. If you are a home owner that wants to sell and government interferes in that transaction, it can harm the seller. Restricting the marketplace can result in property owners settling for less money when they sell. If there is harm done by large investment companies (such as fraud), laws should be enforced to protect property owners.
Would you consider government-backed financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, especially people who have never owned property?
No. I believe for state government to do this would require additional taxation. We do not have a state income tax and I do not want one. My first house was purchased on Phoenix AZ when I had sufficient income and collateral to move out of an apartment. Homeownership is not the right choice for everyone at every stage of life, but people who want to buy a home should not face unnecessary government-imposed costs that make ownership harder to achieve. I would be concerned that we push too many people into homes that really cannot afford it. That was one of the root causes of the 2008 financial collapse.
Would you support repealing existing firearm restrictions?
I assume you already read https://patdixon.org/guns/. I am not sure what other restrictions exist in Texas that might be repealed. Feel free to reply with any suggestions.
Are there any restrictions on gun ownership, possession, or carrying that you believe are justified?
There can be. An example is if a person is known to be mentally challenged and not capable of having a weapon without high risk of harming others, I can support a restriction. I will admit there are people that know gun policy better than I and I would seek common ground that protects our rights and safety.
I am firmly opposed to abortion. Although I recognize your belief that government should not enforce personal religious morality, I believe abortion is the unlawful taking of human life and should be treated under criminal law with penalties comparable to homicide. What restrictions and criminal penalties, if any, would you support?
I assume you read https://patdixon.org/abortion/. I am open to restrictions, but Texas already has some. I do not have any suggestions on additional restrictions.
Would you support requiring employers to provide at least one full workweek of paid vacation and separate paid sick leave? If not, what concrete alternative would you propose to ensure workers can obtain those benefits?
No. I would not want state government to micro manage private businesses. I recognize an employee can sometimes feel powerless to the policies of the employer, but in a truly free market the employee has power to find a better job and collectively bargain. I recognize that workers do not always have equal bargaining power with employers. My disagreement is about whether government mandates are the best way to address that imbalance, not whether the problem exists. If state government interferes in employment practices, there may be fewer jobs.
I also support mandatory rest and cooling breaks for construction workers, strong environmental protections for groundwater and wildlife habitats, and additional development restrictions in environmentally sensitive locations. How would you reconcile these requirements with your philosophy of limited government and private-property rights?
I am in agreement on environmental protections that address harm done by polluters. We are share air and water, and creating harmful conditions should be illegal. The mandatory rest and cooling breaks relate to my prior statement. If an employer is willfully creating harm to an employee, that is a crime and the law should be enforced.
I support legalizing adult marijuana use, prohibiting impaired driving, making legal immigration more accessible, maintaining necessary police services, and legalizing prostitution under strict regulations. I would appreciate knowing whether your positions on these subjects differ.
I support ending the war on drugs, but that is primarily a federal issue (https://patdixon.org/the-war-on-hemp/). Of course we should not have impaired drivers on Texas roads. I believe immigration policy should be “if you are peaceful and productive, welcome” (https://patdixon.org/the-border/). My record shows I support better compensation to retain good police officers but there have been abuses that need to be addressed (https://patdixon.org/justice-for-xavier/). I do not believe prostitution should be a crime.
How much of Texas’ Rainy Day Fund should be maintained, and what would you do with reserves above that amount?
My position is that Texas should maintain a prudent emergency reserve and return excess funds to taxpayers rather than automatically expanding government spending. My proposed tax policy is explained here: https://patdixon.org/how-to-return-taxes/
Would you consider redirecting some of that money toward housing affordability or reducing property taxes?
No, as explained in https://patdixon.org/how-to-return-taxes/. As a Libertarian I want smaller government, which means lower spending, which can then result in lower taxes. I have made several statements about property tax (https://patdixon.org/property-tax/, https://patdixon.org/abbotts-tax-plan/)