Perry Clark Addresses Jefferson County Libertarians

by Pat Pending

On January 11, 2001, Kentucky State Representative Perry Clark spoke to the Jefferson County Libertarians.  Clark, a Democrat, said that he finds much in common between the old school Democrats and Libertarians.  Clark believes that government today intrudes too much into people’s lives.  Clark said that government should respect individuals and their property.  He supports legislation to protect private property rights, and he has vowed that he will not vote to raise taxes.  His views appear to arise from a strong religious conviction and a belief that people should be able to use their own resources in accordance with their own beliefs, not have the government control those resources.

Clark is proud of legislation he supported that repealed the motorcycle helmet laws, saying that it is proof that the government intrusion into our lives can be beaten back.  While Clark does not even own a motorcycle himself, he believes that people should be free to choose whether or not to wear a motorcycle helmet, and this is an area into which government should not intrude.  Clark was impressed with the motorcycle riders, who were not asking for any government hand-outs, but rather just wanted to be free to live as they chose.  Clark also supports home schooling and a state tax credit for education, which would give parents more control over their children’s education.  He said his family has been home schooling for eight years and is very pleased with the results of that effort.

Clark was asked whether there are very many legislators who agree with him that government is too intrusive, and he answered that there probably are about a dozen in the Kentucky legislature who definitely would agree with those views.  However, he said that many more legislators would agree if their constituents called and told them that was what they wanted.  He said that most of the calls they receive are from people who want something more from the government in the way of government checks, not from people who want more freedom and who just want government to leave them in peace.  He also said that both Democrat and Republican state legislators are pleased to receive the Friend of the Taxpayer award from Kentucky Taxpayers United, indicating that they oppose tax increases and favor limits on government spending.