I am running for State Representative in House District 52 first because I have come to believe that the State of Oregon is going in the wrong direction. I am increasingly concerned about the depressed business climate of our state and government actions that are stifling our economy and hindering job creation. I am concerned with the calloused disrespect for private property rights Democrats in Salem have demonstrated and the propensity many legislators have for raising taxes as their first response to every problem.

It is obvious to me that politicians in Salem are growing more and more out of touch with everyday working people and seem to see us more as their ATM than the citizens they were elected to serve.

I have been blessed with much success in my athletic career and have done well in business. However, the blessings I have enjoyed have come largely as a result of hard work, dedication, and discipline. I have always believed that if a man or woman works hard and works smart, and if government does not get in the way too much, then there is no limit to your potential success.

It is that philosophy that I would bring to the Oregon legislature and that is why I hope you will honor me with your vote in the Republican primary.

You and I are part of the hundreds of thousands of everyday Oregonians who get up early and work hard to take care of our families. It is people like you and me who make this state strong and not the bureaucrats or politicians who tend to create barriers to our success.

Our Republican caucus needs someone who will be a strong voice for the simple but important conservative values; things like limited government, free markets, lower taxes, private property rights and family values.

Seems pretty simple doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the Democrats, who control both the House and Senate, have been taking us in the opposite direction. Last year, they increased state spending nearly 20 percent in one biennium. As if a 20 percent increase was not enough, they proposed an additional $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees. Then instead of going home happy, they called for an unconstitutional second session, so they could do even more damage.

In that second session, the Democrats continued their assault on the citizen initiative process by writing their own competing crime measure and drafting their own biased ballot title in order to undercut a citizen initiative that was already headed to the ballot.

This kind of chicanery should concern every Oregonian. Our initiative process is the people’s last line of defense when the legislature does something against the will of the voters or fails to address a problem that needs immediate attention, but doesn’t get that attention because lobbyists for the special interest groups bottle up a bill their clients don’t like.

While I may not agree with every initiative that makes it to the ballot, I believe the initiative process is an important right and must be protected from politicians and lobbyists who see the vote of the people as a threat to their power.

Also, I have signed the Taxpayer Association of Oregon’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” and thereby promised not to raise your taxes.

Unfortunately there are some politicians in Salem, and yes even some in our party, who seem to believe in the “slow but steady” growth of government. This ill-advised approach has frustrated me to the point that I decided that it was time for a “non-politician” to step up and say “enough.”

Someone needs to say to the state legislature and state bureaucracies that state government does not have to “grow” in hard economic times, but should actually shrink and be less of a burden on the struggling working people and small businesses that are in the final analysis the real strength of our state.

In the end, that is what will separate me from the professional politicians. They believe government is the answer and that steady growth of government will solve our problems. I, on the other hand, prefer to place my faith in the creativity and hard work of the good people of our state.

I am not afraid to fight for the things I believe in. If you honor me with your vote, I will stand up for you in Salem. I will not back down or be intimidated by special interest money or lobbyists. I have taken on some pretty tough customers in my career in the ring, and you can rest assured that I will bring the same “courage of my convictions” to bear on your behalf in Salem.

I had to buck a lot of odds to make it to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia and win my silver medal. There were a lot of times when it would have been a lot easier to give up and go do something else. But that is not the way I am made. I am not very good at backing down, even when the odds seem long, and frankly, that philosophy has worked well for me.

If you honor me with your support, you can rest assured that I’ll be a strong voice for the people of House District 52. I will not be co-opted by the “political” class in Salem. When I return home, you can trust that I will be the same Matt Lindland as when I left. I will not let those fancy chairs and the esteemed title turn me into someone else.

All I ask of you my fellow Republican, is that you read through my biography and check out my positions on the issues. If you like what I have to say, then please make the effort to vote for me in the upcoming May primary election.

It would be truly an honor to represent you and an assignment I’d not take lightly.

Thank you,

Matt Lindland

PO Box 22
Eagle Creek, OR 97022