BY MIKE SWITZER
Joe Byway says he is not a politician and he does not intend to become one.
Instead, he describes himself as a citizen who has decided to stand up for his rights and the rights of others.
Byway, the Freedom Party's provincial candidate in Oxford riding, said he entered the political arena after becoming disillusioned with the mainstream political parties, and frustrated with the current state of government.
"I see people like myself trying to get ahead," he said, "but taxes and the socialism we live under make it incredibly difficult.
"Socialism doesn't work, and recent events on the international stage should tell the government something. Unfortunately, the Peterson government has taken advantage of good economic times to tax the people of this province beyond all sensible levels."
Byway lives with his wife and two daughters on a 60-acre farm north of Thamesford. He is employed as a firefighter in the city of London, and restores antique cars as a hobby.
As a relative newcomer to the political scene, Byway said he was unsure of his public speaking abilities. When asked whether he would take part in the all-candidates meeting, he replied that efforts were being made to convince him to attend.
"I'm no public speaker," he added, "but I'll probably give it a try."
Government should keep out of the marketplace, Byway said, and private enterprise should be allowed to operate free of constraint. The Freedom Party's policy on taxation reflects this philosophy.
"There must be serious tax reductions," Byway said, "and they must take place soon. Spending has to brought under control and cutting taxes would put money back into the hands of the people who know how to make this economy work."
"The free market system, capitalism, does work. As most people know, governments consume and business produces. You can't allow something as wasteful as government to control the economy. They just aren't financially responsible."
Byway said that a number of Canadians have become dependent upon the government for their livelihood, and that is unfortunate.
"I think it's sad that a lot of Canadians are content with the way things are going," he said, "and they actually like being cared for. They let the government take care of them, expecting others to foot the bill."
"That can't work forever. Government should protect individual rights, not take them away. When you place a person on government support, there is a chance of creating a sense of dependency. That can only lead to a worsening of the problem."
The "fringe" label is one that Byway said he does not appreciate. He said that the party is neither right nor left wing, but simply a party of principle, standing up for individual rights. "The political left restricts economic freedom and the right restricts personal freedom, to a point," he said. "We don't want to restrict either.
"The biggest problem with the Freedom Party is that most people don't know who we are," he added.
"Voters seem to envision things like Che Gueverra in the jungle. We're not fanatics.
"If people understood us better, if they understood what we're really all about, we'd probably get a more positive reaction.
"For now though, I'm just a guy standing up for his rights, and trying to convince others to do the same."
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last updated on April 28, 2002
