"I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"- Ronald Reagan

This line of thinking seems to be pervasive in the votes I speak with. They are worried that this experiment in limited government will very soon drop the "limited". The sentiment seems to be widespread that government always grows, elected officials always do what is good for them, and we get stuck with the tab.

I wish I could disagree. Having grown up in New Jersey, I have witnessed first hand how a government class can destroy a state with regulation, cronyism, and taxation. There is widespread patronage and corruption, an incredible amount of bureaucrats for every area, and taxation and fees have sent people like myself scrambling to get out (of course, there is also a $4 toll to get out of the state but none to get in).

And, for all the complaining I can do to my family, I get no sympathy. My wife grew up in Venezuela, her step-father in Cuba. I practically lived in a libertarian paradise compared to the conditions they had to deal with. And they both describe much of the same thing, that it starts with the little things, and before you know it many of the freedoms you used to enjoy are gone.

I mention this because I bring a sense of perspective with me. Having lived in and living with another person who has seen much worse happen, I know the best way to stop this encroachment is to make sure it doesn't start. And the best way to do it is to make it as hard as possible for the government to "help" you. That is why much of what I plan to accomplish is designed to keep our city government from getting out of your way so you can better help yourself.

Having seen what we get when government officials say "trust me" or act as if they know best, I am very skeptical of any candidate that hasn't said exactly what they will do in office or given the voters a detailed list of things to be able to hold them accountable and see if they are fulfilling what they promise. No one here has served in elected office before, so therefore no candidate has an actual track record of fighting against government expansion while serving in office, and no one has shown through personal history that they can survive the temptations of office while holding true to their ideals. That is why I have discussed my specific plan for the city early and often, so you know exactly what to expect from me, what I'm fighting for, and how to know if you are getting what you voted for.

I have been criticized for issuing a list of 12 things I plan on doing in office but none of them are designed to "help" in the sense of free medical care or free cell phones. They are designed to make you more informed citizens, allow you to see the functioning of your government clearer and without budgetary tricks, and to tie the council's hands as much as possible on fiscal issues so that they can't "help" you.

My platform is designed to keep an engaged council by limiting the time someone can serve in office; eliminate the desire to spend money just because we have it by limiting the amount of money the city government can accumulate; make sure any tax put on the city (and there will be one in 2012, regardless of what representations some candidates may have made or whom is elected) is repealed automatically once we have the money to fill our legal obligations.

Others are designed to examine and hopefully remove regulations and make compliance easier. Specific plan points would eliminate fines for first time minor code infractions and have volunteer committees to review all our codes so we can simplify and reduce the ones on the books.

Lastly, many such points are designed to make sure that the voting public has the resources available to know their options and elect people who support them. Specific points in this space is having all city meetings recorded and available through the web, to audit every service we do every year so you can see exactly what you are paying for each and what we could get it for if we were to find a new provider; and get citizens involved in the SDS negotiations so they can weigh in on what is wrong with our current services from Gwinnett County that they are paying for and how they would like to see them improved; and providing citizens detailed answers to any inquiries within 24 hours.

Once government starts moving, it acts like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger until it turns into an avalanche that no one can control or see where it is going but you know it will destroy anything it touches. My goal is to stop that snowball from rolling (and hopefully forming to begin with) by making sure the city council's hands are tied as much as possible from the start. We get one chance to do this and if we miss it, its too late.This is the only term for city government I will ever run for, that I guarantee, because it's the only one we can make this sort of thing a reality.

Check out my plans in detail to stop our city's government from turning into something none of us voted for and allow me to fight on your behalf against anyone who tries to do so. I have no political ambition beyond this one term and no political debts to pay, no hope to get my name on street signs or parks, and no desire of running for elected office again. I just want to make sure that we tie the hands of the city government as much as possible so no one there ever has the means or mandate to try to "help" me. I hope you vote for me this Tuesday so I can spend the next 3.5 years fighting to make sure the city government leaves you alone so we can all be free to help ourselves,

Scott Ehrlich

Candidate, Peachtree Corners City Council

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