Selecting the right local candidate can be tricky. In many cases you don’t know who people are or who they stand for, and advertising for local races doesn’t typically involve a big media buy. So what do you do? Start doing some sleuthing.

Take Josh Askvig, for example. I see his signs all over town and know nothing about him, but there’s a clue. His sign is up in the yard of some deranged person who’s put up one of those signs in favor of the government’s unconstitutional health care takeover. So if someone who wants the government to force their healthcare decisions thinks that Josh Askvig is a good candidate, maybe I need to look into this a little more.

At first glance, Josh Askvig’s website is all about “preserving our heritage” (whatever that means. I guess he’s trying to appear as a values candidate). Yet if you read a little more, you find out some interesting things. First off, he worked for Senator Kent “Countrywide Mortgage” Conrad, recently under ethics investigation, who votes with the Democrat Party more than he does with the wishes of North Dakotans.

Next, the site says, “Josh currently works on behalf of teachers and public school employees as a UniServ Director and Co-director of Government Relations for the North Dakota Education Association.” That means he’s making a living by organizing public employees (ie, unions). UniServ (according to the NEA website) is like an advocacy movement for these unions, helping the circle the wagons in defense of each other as well as recruiting new members.

Going to the NDEA website and reading one of their PDF newsletters reveals that they are cheering on (with ads, even) Congressman Earl Pomeroy for his vote in favor of the health care “reform” bill. No wonder; unions, especially government employee unions, are breaking the bank all over the country. The only way to try to rescue these bankrupt plans is to force non-union citizens to start paying into the same pool (ie, a national one.

Government employee unions are a scary thing, and they’re the impetus behind Barack Obama’s assault on this country. Government employee unions are now a majority while union membership is at an all time low in the private sector. They’ve got people like Josh Askvig earning a living as their advocate, helping them advance their agenda.

Speaking of the NDEA, let’s not forget what their building has looked like in recent past, with windows full of union-sponsored propaganda and signage supporting the government healthcare takeover.

One other thing on the Askvig website that caught my radar is talk about “smart planning” and “sustainable growth.” Those are keywords for people who like to tell everyone else where they can build a house, how they can develop their property, and what zoning they will be receiving. There’s nothing “smart” about it.

So here we have a candidate talking about heritage and values, but digging deeper appears to associate him with typical liberal Democrats who do not agree with America’s heritage and values. If that holds true, I would advise against advancing this person’s political career even one inch further.

Speaking of candidates and who their friends are, I saw a door hanger the other day that made sense to me. It’s from the local group of Citizens For Responsible Government. I know what these people stand for, and therefore know why they would endorse a candidate. They’ve got a list of candidates they support, listed above, and I’m inclined to go with them on their research.

Finally, ask around. We’ve all got a variety of friends, and certainly some of them are “in the know” when it comes to certain people. Bismarck-Mandan is still a pretty small town in many ways, and it seems so many people know (or know of) each other, that you can get a pretty good idea simply by asking. Take the time to be informed, do your own research, but ask others as well.

Please bear in mind that I make no insinuations about Josh Askvig’s character…how could I? There’s not enough information out there. That’s my point by recommending that you look at a candidate’s associations. While I don’t know this particular candidate, I’ve had plenty of time and information to shape my opinion of the NDEA, public employee unions, the government healthcare “reform” takeover, and so-called “smart planning” and “sustainable growth.” The fact that he’s up to his armpits in these things gives me all the information I need to know in order to decide that this is NOT the type of candidate I want in any sort of political office, local or other.

You may agree with me and vote for candidates such as the ones endorsed by Citizens for Responsible Government. You may disagree with me totally and vote for Josh Askvig and people of similar idealogical persuasion. So be it, that’s the American way. Just make sure you’ve done your homework and know something about the person you vote for, so that you do your part to elect someone who shares your political beliefs.