Burke resident Michael Kane is a charter member of the Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia.  "It's the party of principle," he said. 

"Libertarian policy is all about personal choice.  I don’t think I know how to run your life better than you do,” he said. It's on that platform that Kane is seeking election.

As a candidate for delegate in Virginia's 41st District, Kane's focus is on lower taxes, smaller government and more freedom. He said the time was right for his foray into state politics because he was able to take time off work and focus on campaigning.  He is vice president of sales and operations for PMC Construction, LLC, in Springfield.

As of the August 31, Kane had $7 cash on hand.  He said the money he's received for his campaign is all from individual donors.  “I’m running to serve everyone equally, not cater to any special interest groups,” he said.

In contrast, Kane said his opponent has received campaign contributions from numerous unions and politicians. According to the non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project, Filler-Corn had $27,655 cash on hand as of August 31, 2011. 

Winning in politics usually takes money, and Kane recognizes he's in a financial David and Goliath situation. “All I can tell people is go out and vote with reason,” he said.

There are many issues important to Mike Kane, which he discusses on his campaign website and Facebook page.  When asked, he said his top issue is school choice.  “Virginia should set the standard for the country with a voucher system for schools,” he said.  “We’re not locked-in geographically for shopping or dining out.  We should have the same free choices for schools,” he said.  “Parents know better than anyone what’s best for the education of their children.”

Kane talked about the success of the school voucher program in Milwaukee, WI, and said that competition would be good for our education system.  “When schools don’t have a guaranteed income [based on the number of children assigned to attend], it encourages competition,” he said.  “It’s like Ford and Toyota, or Caribou and Starbucks.  Competition engenders a better product for a cheaper cost,” he said.  “I haven’t found yet where competition is bad for the end product.”

Another of Kane’s leading goals is restoration of freedoms that have been legislated away.  Top on this list is drug prohibition, especially marijuana.  “It’s not the government’s job to tell consenting adults what they can and can’t do in the privacy of their own homes,” he said.

In addition, he said the cost of law enforcement, the judicial process, and jails for prosecuting marijuana use is wasteful.  “It’s not productive to put people in jail for marijuana use,” he said.

Kane also believes gun laws are too restrictive.  “I don’t feel that guns should be treated any differently than any other product,” he said.  “Both the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions say, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

"The main role of government is to protect people's rights, not take them away," he said. 

On the issue of job creation, Kane said the government should not be involved.  “The government should not create jobs because it takes money out of the tax payers' pockets and puts it into another person’s pocket,” he said.  “It’s all to pay for the government, which is already too big.”

Instead, Kane believes individuals with more money in their own pockets, resulting from lower taxes, would then use that money to expand their own businesses or make purchases, thus strengthening the economy.

Mike Kane does see limits to personal choice.  On the issue of abortion, he believes it's a mother's right to choose until the fetus would be viable.

Kane graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary School, and then from Northern Virginia Community College with an A.S. in Business Administration.  Kane went on to earn a B.A. in Economics from George Mason University.  He said the years spent studying economics convinced him that regulation is bad for business because the costs of regulation are passed on to the consumer.  "The reason health care costs are so high is because government mandates place extra burdens on medical practices," he said.  

He is a proponent of privatization of roads because this would allow for the market to choose the priorities and allocate the money as appropriate.  "The E-Z Pass makes this feasible," he said.  "Privatization provides more incentive for upkeep."

Kane will be participating in Robinson Secondary School's PTSA sponsored candidate forum on Wednesday, October 19, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Gold Cafeteria.