"Hey man. I don't normally vote, because I personally feel its a waste of time because [politicians] are all corrupt and lazy, but I would go register to vote for you (because I believe you would be neither), but being that I don't normally vote I don't know the rules. Can I even vote for you if you aren't in my area?"

- Shawn from Austin, TX

Dear Shawn,

Thank you for the vote of confidence. I don't think all politicians are corrupt and lazy, but I do think that many care more about being staying in power than they do about the public good. I encourage you to get involved, if you know good people, encourage them to run for public office. Vote for the lesser of the evils if no other option... but doing nothing only helps the lazy and corrupt stay in power.

Sadly, no, you are not able to vote for me as you do not live in the 22nd District of Texas. What you can do to support me is tell your friends about me and my campaign... a 25 year old Texan running for congress should be news across the state!

Hopefully we will see more people get involved with politics and less apathy. I believe blogging, YouTube, social networking and other aspects of new media will decrease political apathy as more people can voice their thoughts and be heard.

Expect to see more purple and yellow in CD 22

Sugar Land, TX – Fed up with the wasteful spending and government inefficiency, Alan Steinberg has returned home to explore running for the 22nd Congressional District of Texas seat in the U.S. Congress. When asked why he was running Alan replied, “I’ve been up in Washington, DC and I’ve seen first hand the problems with inefficiency and waste, and worse yet, I see that no one is working to fix it. Politicians are concerned more with getting re-elected and focus on pork projects than public good. I’ve always felt that I should do more about a problem than just complain about it, so here I am, ready to make things right.”

Many people in Fort Bend county recognize his 1998 Corvette Pace Car as the purple convertible with yellow racing stripes is hard to miss. Now people will get to know the man behind the wheel. Alan grew up in Sugar Land, attending Dulles Middle and High Schools, and is happy to be home.

Over the last few weeks Alan has been traveling across the 22nd district to get a feeling of the general public's support for his potential congressional bid. Attending a wide range of events Alan as found himself at Republican Party gatherings, civic organization meetings, and even at the Hitchcock Good Ole Days Festival where he was asked to be a BBQ judge. So far the response has been better than expected, and the purple and yellow of his pace car are becoming a regular site throughout the 22nd district, from Needville to Galveston; be sure that you too will see him soon!

- Facebook (8/28/07)

I am interested to know what you feel makes you qualified to administrate on behalf of this state and for this country at the age of 25. What have you seen, done, or been a part of that should lead your possible constituency to believe that you have something to offer in the way of change for the better. I also believe that this country is hindered, not helped by career politician who believe their job should be to ensure they have a job come reelection. By beginning a campaign for U.S. congress at the youngest age stipulated in the Constitution, I am not sure that you won't follow in the footsteps of others desiring to carry label of "politician" for the remained of their lives.

- Lee from Houston, TX

Lee, thank you for your response.

I feel I am qualified because of my diverse experiences despite my young age. Over the last five years I've earned three degrees, published and presented research internationally and worked in academia, government, non-profit and corporate words. You can read more at the About Alan page of my website.

I have never been a politician, and I think of this as a good thing. I enter this unencombured, without ties, distractions, or favors owed to interest groups. The typical route to Congress is to serve at the local or state level first, but rather than use these positions as stepping stones, we should find the right people for the right job. School Boards should be made up of teachers, administrators, and parents rather than political hopefuls. State government should be full of people from the state, with strong ties and no interest to live elsewhere. U.S. Congress should be those with knowledge and interest in country wide and international affairs. Right now in Congress we have too many career politicians who are more concerned with being re-elected than serving the public interest. I offer change, a new face, and a new outlook. I want to bring to light the waste and inefficiency that many try to hide or ignore. I want to inspire younger people to get involved... be it serve in government, be aware of the issues, and at least vote.

Alan

"We need to focus on the FairTax and on doing a top to bottom review of all government programs and eliminating all those that are not doing their job and consolidating all duplicated programs. There is no sense to have 6 programs designed to do the same thing."

- Brandon from Houston, TX

Brandon, you touch on two important issues. There are many government programs that exist that do not need to. This is a prime example of the inefficiency wasting our tax dollars. I also agree with you that we need to move toward a consumption based tax. A recent discussion on the issue led to a question about people who had worked for years, paid taxes on their money and have been saving for retirement. With a consumption based system these people would be getting double taxed on their money. Despite this problem, a gradual phasing may be the solution. I will continue to look into this issue to find a solution.

The following video is a decent representation on my thoughts regarding the IRS and the Fair Tax:

"Met and talked with Alan Steinberg, a 24-year-old from Fort Bend county who is running in the upcoming primary to earn the right to face the Democrat to retake Tom DeLay's 22nd district."

- Records by Karl Ninh (8/20/07)

Full Blog

"Another Sugar Land resident, Alan Steinberg, also has been courting support. Steinberg, 24, enjoys the distinction of being perhaps the only Republican contender with a MySpace page."

- Fort Bend Herald (08/16/2007)

Full Article