Who is James Arthur Strohm?
Summary
James Arthur Strohm seeks the US House seat held by 10-term Republican Lamar Smith, TX-21. Strohm was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1957 and grew up in Seattle, WA; and Waco, Ft. Worth, and Austin, TX. Strohm is a professional writer with multiple degrees from the University of Texas and more than two decades' experience in high tech. Although a Libertarian voter since 1975, Strohm is a relative newcomer to the Libertarian Party, joining just prior to his unsuccessful 2006 bid for US Congress for Smith's seat. That race was the second most contested House contest in the nation with a field of 7 candidates in November, following a US Supreme Court ruling on a series of failed redistricting plans.
Current Hometown
Austin TX
I live in a somewhat suburban area of Austin, within the city limits, near Lake Travis.
I live in a somewhat suburban area of Austin, within the city limits, near Lake Travis.
Occupation
Technical Writer
I make sense out of the obscure and the confusing, so that others can use that knowledge to make our world a better place. If you've read anything coming out of Congress lately, you know it's a useful skill much in need.
I make sense out of the obscure and the confusing, so that others can use that knowledge to make our world a better place. If you've read anything coming out of Congress lately, you know it's a useful skill much in need.
Experience
Up until just a few years ago I was content to be a productive and docile member of society. But then I started noticing how the rights and freedoms I'd previously enjoyed in Texas since 1970 were quietly being nibbled away, and everything I did had some new tiny component of government regulation or intrusion that hadn't been there the last time I did it. It wasn't until after the 2004 Presidential election that I got the feeling that we -- all Americans -- had been "had," and the winning administration had stolen not one, but two Presidential elections in a row. Granted, these elections were stolen fair and square, and dirty politics have always been a mainstay of American politics, especially in Texas. Remember "Landslide Lyndon"?
Well, after 2004 I thought back to the last time that Presidential politics had been so despicable, and I recalled 1968 ... and Pat Paulsen. I researched the economy a little, started watching Jon Stewart, and began wondering if maybe it was time to change careers. Then Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the Texas Libertarian Party, approached me in 2005 about running for office. And I cast away 30 years as a "yellow-dog Democrat" and private citizen.
In my life, along with being a technical communicator, I've been a Notary Public, a scuba instructor, a Boy Scout, a short-order cook, a tutor for college-level astronomy classes, a heavy equipment operator, an international mail-order computer salesman, a short-order cook, a broadcast radio engineer, a mechanic, a small business owner, a dishwasher, a truck driver, a fast-food restaurant manager, a construction superintendant, a computer assembler, and a professional photographer. And a few other things that don't come to mind right now. I've proudly held an awful lot of those jobs that the current administration likes to claim that "Americans won't do," and the only thing I'd do differently is ask for a raise for me and for my co-workers.
For hobbies, I've dabbled in sailing, alpine skiing, sanctioned motorcycle roadracing, raising ornamental koi, amateur radio, restoring European sports cars, and gourmet cooking.
Well, after 2004 I thought back to the last time that Presidential politics had been so despicable, and I recalled 1968 ... and Pat Paulsen. I researched the economy a little, started watching Jon Stewart, and began wondering if maybe it was time to change careers. Then Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the Texas Libertarian Party, approached me in 2005 about running for office. And I cast away 30 years as a "yellow-dog Democrat" and private citizen.
In my life, along with being a technical communicator, I've been a Notary Public, a scuba instructor, a Boy Scout, a short-order cook, a tutor for college-level astronomy classes, a heavy equipment operator, an international mail-order computer salesman, a short-order cook, a broadcast radio engineer, a mechanic, a small business owner, a dishwasher, a truck driver, a fast-food restaurant manager, a construction superintendant, a computer assembler, and a professional photographer. And a few other things that don't come to mind right now. I've proudly held an awful lot of those jobs that the current administration likes to claim that "Americans won't do," and the only thing I'd do differently is ask for a raise for me and for my co-workers.
For hobbies, I've dabbled in sailing, alpine skiing, sanctioned motorcycle roadracing, raising ornamental koi, amateur radio, restoring European sports cars, and gourmet cooking.
Affiliations
I'm a member of the National Rifle Association, AARP, and occasionally the ACLU. I support NOW, NORML, and the NAACP. As a Libertarian, I see no conflict in those affiliations.
Some people tell me that they have issues with the groups I support. Please understand — these groups support the freedoms of individuals. We may not always like it, but freedom's not just a good idea, it's the law.
What Else?
While I'm not a big fan of Abraham Lincoln, I find hope and inspiration in the closing words to his Gettysburg Address: "that this nation ... shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
And I do not share Dr. Ron Paul's pessimism about how doomed our economy is. I'm optimistic that we can resolve our terrible national deficit and debt without defaulting on the debt and without printing another $10 trillion of paper money -- but only if we're all willing to require and accept LESS from our government than we now demand.
It's going to be hard for me to win a seat in Congress by promising my voters LESS, especially when my opponent has rightfully earned his position as the poster child of our "Do-Nothing Congress."
And I do not share Dr. Ron Paul's pessimism about how doomed our economy is. I'm optimistic that we can resolve our terrible national deficit and debt without defaulting on the debt and without printing another $10 trillion of paper money -- but only if we're all willing to require and accept LESS from our government than we now demand.
It's going to be hard for me to win a seat in Congress by promising my voters LESS, especially when my opponent has rightfully earned his position as the poster child of our "Do-Nothing Congress."
