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Vail Daily letter: Casida for Congress

Using Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet “Common Sense,” I want to explain why Tisha Casida is our common-sense choice for U.S. Congress. Paine wrote that at its best, government is a necessary evil that exists solely for the benefit and security of its citizens. Casida believes that the best federal government is a limited one that exists to protect the rights of its citizens, including gun rights, property rights, food rights and rights for small-business owners.

Paine wrote that our legislators are supposed to have the same concerns as those who elect them and therefore should never form interests separate from the rest of the population. In other words, they should not be concerned first and foremost with the interests of the corporations who contribute to their campaigns, but rather serve the interest of the communities they are supposed to represent. Casida is a Colorado native and small-business owner in Basalt, working hard and struggling like the rest of us to survive in today’s economy. She’s one of us. Casida has a heart for our concerns because we share common interests.

Finally, Paine stated that oppression is often the consequence of riches, and therefore, we need to beware the distinction between kings and subjects. Such a distinction creates a ruling class that becomes poisoned by self-importance, and separate from the rest of mankind, living in a world that differs so materially from the world at large, that they are frequently the most ignorant and unfit to lead. Paine would agree that today’s politicians in America have become a kingly ruling class. They are clearly separated from the rest of the population because most of them have a net worth over $1 million, they receive outrageous pension plans for even one term of service, salaries around $175,000 per year, they can keep direct contributions from donors, can legally make investments based on insider information (illegal for every other American), and they have a better health insurance plan than the vast majority of Americans.



Let us begin to elect candidates like Tisha Casida who have the courage and conviction to change the system and protect the rights of Coloradans everywhere. Tisha Casida is the only common-sense choice for U.S. Congress in Colorado.

Patrick Beaudine

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