Clark Patterson

Clark Patterson was born in Houston, Texas. Patterson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988.[1] His career experience includes owning Clark Patterson Photography & Videography and working as a wedding photographer and videographer.[1][2] Patterson has been affiliated with the Atlas Society, the Libertarian Party of Texas, and the Libertarian Party of Travis County.[3]

Clark Patterson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Clark Patterson, Libertarian candidate for Congress in 2022 [Texas Congressional District 37]. I’m running for Congress to advocate the philosphic ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism and the economic views of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian School of economics. Bad philosophic and economic ideas have led America to our current philosophic, cultural, and financial crises. According to a 2013 US Census Report 151 million Americans received a benefit or check from some level of government. Unfortunately, far too many Americans today have become addicted to the government trough. It’s my sincere belief that America is on a slow road to an authoritarian state. Only massive cuts in government spending and a severe reduction in the size and scope of government -- at the federal, state, and local levels -- can avert this. And the massive cuts and severe reduction need to begin immediately. For too long in American politics, we’ve focused on the short run – not the long run. This must change immediately. Ultimately, the long run is far more important. In the long run, only the philosophic ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism can save modern civilization from a new worldwide Dark Ages. In the intermediate run, only the economic ideas of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian school of economics can rebuild the American economy. And in the short run, only enormous cuts in the size and scope of government can lead America out of its current fiscal plight.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Eliminating the $31 trillion federal debt and unfunded liabilities of c. $100 trillionPhasing out all "entitlement" programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, within 25 yearsEnding all foreign economic and military interventionism

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Drastically cutting government spending, phasing out all taxation, and ending foreign interventionism

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ayn Rand, because she saw the greatness of America before she was 20, and then moved here from the Soviet Union.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Atlas Shrugged

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The ability to focus on the long term.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Stubbornness

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Upholding the US Constitution

What legacy would you like to leave?

He fought the good fight to Make America Free Again.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. I had just turned 10.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Target in Sharpstown [Houston] (2 months)

What is your favorite book? Why?

Atlas Shrugged, because it shows what could happen to America, and is also a blueprint for how to Make America Free Again.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Howard Roark

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Like A G6" by Far East Movement

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Big government

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It alone possesses the "power of the purse" and only Congress can declare war.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

It’s my sincere belief that America is on a slow road to an authoritarian state. Only massive cuts in government spending and a severe reduction in the size and scope of government -- at the federal, state, and local levels -- can avert this. And the massive cuts and severe reduction need to begin immediately.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Banking; Foreign Affairs; Ways and Means

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I'm agnostic on term limits; I could live with or without them.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ron Paul

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

No one story in particular.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Sorry, but it's not G-Rated.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I believe that "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and that moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue."

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Libertarians such as myself believe in immediate drastic reduction of taxes, and eventual elimination of all taxation.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm Clark Patterson, Libertarian candidate for Congress in 2020 [Texas Congressional District 31]. I'm running for Congress to advocate the philosphic ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism and the economic views of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian School of economics. Bad philosophic and economic ideas have led America to our current philosophic, cultural, and financial crises. Only the sound views of Rand and of Mises and the Austrian School can make America great again. It's my sincere belief that America is on a slow road to an authoritarian state. Only massive cuts in government spending and a severe reduction in the size and scope of government - at the federal, state, and local levels - can avert this. And the massive cuts and severe reduction need to begin immediately.

For too long in American politics, we've focused on the short run - not the long run. This must change immediately. Ultimately, the long run is far more important. In the long run, only the philosophic ideas of Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism can save modern civilization from a new worldwide Dark Ages. In the intermediate run, only the economic ideas of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian school of economics can rebuild the American economy. And in the short run, only enormous cuts in the size and scope of government can lead America out of its current fiscal plight.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Only Much More Liberty Can Genuinely Make America Great Again Libertarians Don't Want To Live In Donald Trump America OR A Joe Biden AmericaLet's Legalize Freedom

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1) Reducing the size and scope of the federal government to less than 5 percent of its current size.

2) Phasing out entitlement programs.

3) Auditing and then ending the Federal Reserve System and replacing it with private, free market money.

4) Closing all overseas military bases, ending draft registration and the military draft, withdrawing from the UN, NATO and all other entangling alliances, and ending all foreign policy interventionism.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 15 when Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in August, 1974. He lied to the American people but he also lied to his youngest daughter Julie who was at the time going around the country defending her father.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" (1991) by Leonard Peikoff

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The current U.S. federal government's debt now stands at $26,776,000,000,000. The federal government's annual budget deficits routinely exceed $900 billion; the deficit for Fiscal Year 2021 is projected to be $966 billion. Even more alarming, economists Laurence Kotlikoff, Alan Auerbach, and Jagadeesh Gokhale in 2014 estimated the U.S. fiscal gap of unfunded liabilities at $210 trillion, almost ten times the current U.S. Gross Domestic Product of $22.3 trillion. And this figure is rising rapidly. So-called "mandatory spending" accounts for almost two-thirds of the annual federal budget. Regaining control of the federal budget necessitates making large cuts in mandatory spending, either legislatively, or by constitutional amendment, if necessary. In short, before we can restore fiscal solvency, more Americans must embrace the idea that no citizen is 'entitled' to health care, a college education, a government-funded pension, etc. According to a 2013 US Census Report, in 2011, 151 million Americans received a benefit or check from some level of government. Unfortunately, far too many Americans today have become addicted to the government trough. Almost every American family has an immediate family member receiving some benefit or check from some level of government, whether a Social Security payment, a Stafford Loan, a Veterans Administration benefit, a government-guaranteed home mortgage, etc. Additionally, too many Americans today either work directly for the federal, state, or local government, or work for private companies that are heavily dependent on government contracts. This must change. A federal government that provides government benefits to over half of its citizens is precisely the kind of paternalistic government that our Founding Fathers warned us about. Cradle-to-grave and womb-to-tomb government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are not consonant with a limited, constitutional republic and are antithetical to the Spirit of '76.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ron Paul