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Until a few weeks ago the race for Lansing's U.S. Congressman was between  Democrat incumbent Michael Arcuri and Republican challenger Richard Hanna.  A new challenger entered the race almost at the last minute.  Logan Bell, a Texas native and currently a Lansing resident, was at the Lansing Harbor Festival garnering signatures, meeting voters, and talking about what he says is a unique and independent approach.

Lansing Star: You are running for Congress as an Independent?

Logan Bell: I am running as an independent nominated by the Libertarian Party.  I have no affiliation with the Independence Party.  I'm seeking to be a true independent because I think the political establishment has failed us.  I think the people need to be represented and that's why I'm running as an independent.

LS: What are you bringing to the table that Arcuri or Hanna can't do?

LB: I'm bringing energy and a young perspective.  I'm 25 years old.  I'm a Marine Corps veteran.  I also understand that the Constitution should be the contract we have with our government.  it should determine how we operate.

I am also bringing a perspective that nobody's talking about.  I am introducing issues like changing our foreign policy, making peace an option and putting peace on the ballot.

I feel encouraged by the response I'm getting from people.  These are issues we're not even talking about with the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.  I'm introducing real issues into the race, and I think people like it.  It's a breath of fresh air.


LS: What about the economy?  What would you do about that if you were elected?

LB: I think we have to face reality.  We're in a depression now.  Our economy is collapsing around us.  At the same time we still maintain our obligations overseas, spending billions and billions of dollars.  We have to immediately start to channel that money here to start rebuilding our local communities and receive the tax burden on the American people.

We also have to understand our monetary policy and the federal reserve system, and how inflation is keeping the middle class in slavery.  They can never catch up.  Prices keep going up because we keep printing money to cover government debt.

All this debt and borrowing has to come to an end.  We're at the end of the rope here.  We're going to have to face the reality and start to fix these problems.

LS: When did you get into the race?

LB: I announced I was going to run January 1st at the Ithaca Commons.

LS: What do you do for a living?

LB: I've been going to school on the GI bill, I'm a carpenter, and I'm in the Army National Guard.  And I'm running for Congress, so that keeps me busy enough!

LS: How many signatures do you need, and how many do you have?

LB: I need 3,5000 signatures and we'll have every one of them.  We are getting every signature we can and I believe we should have as many as possible.  Even though we do have enough now, I'm pushing to the end.

LS: Have you brought your campaign farther north?  We're the southern-most tip of the district.

LB: I've been working my way north.  Cortland is going to be where my main office will be once I'm elected, because i don't believe this part of the district is being represented.  They do whatever they want in Utica.  The Republicans should pay attention, too.  I'm asking everybody for their support.  This isn't really about politics, but we have to make sure we're represented.

I have been making stops in Utica.  I was in Little Falls for Canal Days yesterday.  That was a great experience and we got a really good reception there.  So we are going everywhere, but I am starting here.  This is my base.

LS: You need money to run. Do you have campaign money to start with?

LB: A little bit.  We've been running this campaign on almost nothing and it's amazing how much we've accomplished.  I don't need a lot of money, but I plan on raising $50,000 to win this race.  I don't know what they're spending all their money on. I spend my money on gas to go around and talk to people. I think that's all I'm going to have to do.

I'm going to raise some money as soon as we get on the ballot.  I've raised enough money to maintain my campaign so far.  But I plan to run my campaign like I plan to run my office, and like I think the government should run.  That's bare bones.  This is somebody else's money that I'm spending, so I treat it with the high respect.  When they give me $100 I stretch it as far as I can.  I spent less than $1,500 so far.

LS: I was talking to Richard Hanna earlier about his thinking government is too big.  That's what I'm hearing from you, too.

LB: Government is too big, and it's been too big for a long time.  Half our big government is overseas.  So if we cut that half we can start to work on what we can see here.  The biggest waste and corruption is the subsidies overseas.  The foreign aid, our military policies, maintaining those bases...  our government here is too big, too.

I'm the only candidate proposing real cuts to government, not just symbolic ones.  We can't afford it.  We need to start running our government more the way they are asking private citizens to do: on a budget.  I would propose we scale the government back 30% to 40% immediately.  We could do that immediately just by changing our foreign policy and bringing our troops home.

LS: Do you have an organization?

LB: Sure.  We started about two weeks ago and we're gaining ground every day.  People are really receptive to the message.  They're looking for a real change in Washington.  I'm offering them that.

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