And the winner is…

Our second annual essay contest generated around 40 submissions, many of which were very creative and persuasive. The theme of this year’s contest was “The Proper Role of Local Government.” We chose this theme because many people feel they understand the federal government’s proper role, but lack any similar understanding of the proper role of municipal government. Given how directly we are all affected by laws and taxes at the local level, we believe this subject deserved increased scrutiny.

The $500 “people’s choice” award, given for the most Facebook likes received, went to “How to Not Be a Tool” by Patrick Powers. This essay encourages the reader to not steal from or force certain behavior on the part of other individuals, whether directly or indirectly through government.

The $1,500 grand prize was a difficult determination to make, as several of the essays stood out as being worthy of mention. In the end, we felt compelled to select “Giving Liberty a Try” by Chris Jones.

This winning essay is very well written and conveys an important point: local government should operate based on a standard of liberty rather than central planning. This summary does the essay profound injustice, of course; read the essay here.

Congratulations to this year’s winners, and a big thanks to everybody who took the time to articulate their thoughts on this important subject!