I am involved in the community and live peaceably with those around me.
 

Why I’m running
 

It is time to step forward. I can no longer sit and watch our rights be trampled. I am an entrepreneur by nature, hardworking and willing to do what it takes to serve the people. My candidacy is based on protecting our natural constitutional rights, which come from God the Creator.
 

Those rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For the past 100 years, government has been increasingly run by progressive liberals who have been on a steady march to usurp those natural rights.
 

With your help, together we can restore Oregon’s former glory and return to the pioneering spirit which made Oregon great.
 

What I believe
 

My campaign slogan is “Your Liberty First.” I believe all human life is valuable. Therefore I am pro-life and have been endorsed by Oregon Right To Life.
 

I believe that liberty can only thrive when government is limited. That is why the Oregon Firearms Federation has rated me 100 percent for my stance on the Second Amendment.
 

I stand for the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately many people are confused about this phrase due to our poor education system. The classical definition for happiness is not about doing anything you want or pursuing a life of luxury. Rather happiness is defined as a life well-lived, a life that manifests wisdom, kindness and goodness, a life of virtue and character. I believe, as the founders did, that the primary role of government is to protect these natural, unalienable rights — not redistribute wealth.
 

My 2017-2018 legislative goals:
 

* Repeal new minimum wage law — an Oregon job killer and inflation catalyst.

* Promote an energy program that puts ratepayers first, not special interests.

* Protect the Bill of Rights from intrusive state government interference.

* Advocate for keeping and augmenting the Klamath River dams, so they will benefit both people and fish. We have been presented a false choice that it must be one way or the other. We are Americans! If we put our minds to it, we can accomplish incredible things.

* Promote an education policy that puts children first, not public unions and bureaucrats.

Government costs are exploding. Government monopolies produce mediocre products at the worst possible prices.
 

We often hear about budgeting problems or revenue shortfalls. Being a businessman, I always look at both sides of the ledger. The one side I control are costs. This is where action must take place first. But Salem operates with a sole focus on revenue — taking more money from you.

Public education is a specific example where government is failing us. We are getting a dismal return on our educational investment.
 

Oregon’s K-12 students rank near 40th for reading and math. Our graduation rate, tied fourth worst in the nation, hovers at 68 percent (D grade).
 

The current system is failing our children. There are excellent public school teachers, but their efforts are hindered by the system. On the other hand poor teachers are protected by the system and allowed to under-educate.
 

The answer to Oregon’s education woes isn’t more government. We need a proven approach.
 

The answer is good, old fashioned, American competition. Instead of sending school districts tens of millions of dollars for each student assigned to them, we need to provide vouchers so parents can decide best where their children will learn: public, private, charter or home school.
 

Only through competition will graduation rates rise and associated costs decrease.
 

We need to return Oregon to the founding principles of limited government and individual liberty.
 

Join me in making Oregon great.
 

Learn more at ElectWerner.com.