About John Robert Strohm

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm 53, an embedded systems programmer by trade, an unreconstructed paleoConservative Cold Warrior by temperament. My father was a mechanical engineer working aerospace and defense, and we moved around a lot as I was growing up. I probably inherited my love of airplanes from him. I attended The University of Texas at Austin, studying computer science, math, engineering, and other things. Knowledge is to be cherished for its own sake, and there are worse things to do with your life than learning.

Q: How do you stand on the "Bailout Bill" and the current Economic Crisis?

The subprime mortgage crisis is a mess. It was predictable, it was predicted, and the people who predicted it and warned of the risk were reviled. The bailout is a bigger mess. Starting as three pages of "Trust me and give me your credit card," the bailout grew to over 100 pages of questionable-at-best, and was still voted down. The Senate then wrapped another 350 pages of everything you could imagine around it, and we now have a real mess on our hands.

I have never understood how a bureaucrat 2000 miles away is better qualified to know how to spend your money than you are. I remain convinced that the best way to reduce taxes is to reduce spending, and the need for taxes. And I really feel that, when taxes must be collected and the money spent, it should be spent doing things that work.

Q: Where do you stand on Education?

Fifty and more years ago, children learned to read in first grade. Period. ALL of them. Period.

When I was in first grade, there were about 30 students in that classroom, and one teacher. By the end of the school year, all 30 of us could read. My mother had the same experience, closer to 70 years ago, except her first grade classroom had 48 students in it. Her mother was also the informal remedial reading teacher (there were no formal remedial reading programs then, in that town), Mom helped out, and Mom reports that they NEVER found a child who couldn't learn to read. Today, there seem to be far too many teachers who seem to believe that explaining why this child is unable to learn to read is far more important than teaching the child to read.

I consider teaching children to read, write, and do arithmetic critically important, possibly the second most important thing a nation can do. "Provide for the common defense" is arguably the most important.

Q: What are your views on National Defense?

I've spent most of my career in the defense industry, working on systems that have to work because people's lives depend on them. Friends and coworkers flew for the ANG on weekends, and a lot of my friends are ex-military. This makes it difficult for me to play the "Let's send troops to Berzerkistan!" game, as I know the guys who will be going and getting shot at.

Q: What's your position on American Politics in general?

I am not now, have never been, and never intend to become a career politician. I enjoy building things too much to give it up. I have a great deal of faith in the ability of Americans to meet challenges and solve problems, when they are allowed to do it.

Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that:

"in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself. Examples in education would be teachers who work and sacrifice to teach children, vs. union representative who work to protect any teacher including the most incompetent. The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions."

I have a great deal of faith in the ability of the American people to understand truth.

Q: Where do you stand on America's Space Program?

In January of 1961, John F. Kennedy issued the challenge to land a man on the moon, and return him safely to Earth, by 1970. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins lifted off from Cape Kennedy in June of 1969. Neil and Buzz landed "Eagle" in the Sea of Tranquility a week later. We went from NOTHING to Saturn V in eight years, with no guarantee at all that it was even possible. We now HOPE, despite KNOWING it can be done, KNOWING how it WAS done, to get to first flight in seven more years, after two years already, using a vehicle built of existing, proven hardware. Something is wrong with this picture.

Meanwhile, after a few years of development, and three failures, SpaceX just put the first completely-privately-developed and privately-funded vehicle into orbit. Something is very right with THIS picture.

Q: Any additional words of advice to the voters in District 11?

I would certainly appreciate your vote in four weeks. Please feel free to pass this to your friends.

Sincerely yours,

John R. Strohm
Candidate, US House of Representatives, Texas District 11