Saturday I raised the question of whether Republican Gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad truly wants to win the support of those that cast their ballots in favor of Bob Vander Plaats in the Republican primary on June 8th. He claims to want their support but seems to be doing absolutely nothing to demonstrate this. In fact as I pointed out Branstad seems to be laboring under the delusion that the Republican base will support him in the November general election because they have nowhere else to go. And as I pointed out, contrary to Branstad’s rhetoric, Vander Plaats supporters do indeed have other options available to them in November. As a result of this I have decided to highlight all the candidates for the Governor’s race regardless of party affiliation. And to lead off this series I will showcase the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, Eric Cooper.

Born in Iowa City, Dr. Cooper grew up in Kansas where he attended the University of Kansas where he earned a B.S. in Cognitive Psychology. He then migrated to Minnesota where he earned a Ph.D. in Psychology. After returning to his native Iowa in 1994, Dr. Cooper began working at Iowa State University where he serves as an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Cooper has made several unsuccessful attempts at the Iowa Legislature in the Ames area, the most recent in 2008 when he ran against Democrat Lisa Heddens in House District 46. Despite his electoral losses, Dr. Cooper is undaunted.

On education Dr. Cooper believes that the state is conducting business in a very inefficient manner. In a manner fitting the Libertarian moniker Dr. Cooper articulates that it makes no sense to have the government run the education system. He feels that the virtual monopoly that the state holds on the education system is the prime reason for the poor quality of education in our state. He believes that a highly competitive free market education system would be the answer to our state’s education blight. That is not to say that the state would be completely out of the picture. The state would still provide the funding necessary for the school to operate. He rationalizes this by stating that all taxpayers have a vested interest in promoting a well educated society. He believes that the benefits the taxpayers would reap from better education would far outweigh the costs associated funding education. His philosophy is really interesting and one that I have not heard from anywhere else. If you want to read more about his education proposals you can do so here.

On the sanctity of marriage Dr. Coopers philosophy gets a little confusing. At one point Dr. Cooper points out that the government should not define marriage. But at the same time Dr. Cooper points out that all rights need to be extended to all people. This issue is one that I would like to discuss with Dr. Cooper should I ever get the opportunity. For more on Dr. Cooper’s marriage philosophy click here.

On the inflated taxation tobacco Dr. Cooper points to the Revolutionary War. He points out that the Revolution erupted over a two percent tax on printed material used to pay for the French and Indian War. He articulates that taxes were meant to be imposed only for the purpose of paying for the actions that must be undertaken by the government. He further points out that the usage of a tax in an attempt to persuade the citizens to act in a certain way is a form of tyranny. For more on Dr. Cooper’s comments and musings on the cigarette tax please view this page.

I have had the opportunity to hear Dr. Cooper speak at the Iowan’s for Tax Relief Candidate Forum several months back. He proved himself to the most articulate speaker on the night. And his economic proposals were enough to wow the assembled crowd of predominately Republican activists. I found Dr. Cooper to open and honest as demonstrated by his assertion that he is not in this race to win it, but to influence the debate in some way. His goal is to garner two percent of the general election vote so as to win the Libertarian Party major party status. It is clear to me that if Dr. Cooper were to somehow win this election it would be a blessing for our state. Dr. Cooper has proven himself to be one of the alternatives in this race.