Stewardship, Freedom & Prosperity

James “Jim” Stivers (age: 52) and his family – former residents of Moscow - have lived for the last thirteen years on a 30-acre homestead near DeSmet, Idaho. He and his wife, Kay, have been married for 27 years and have seven children. James & Kay have home schooled their children for many years and have operated a family business repairing and painting houses throughout the Palouse Region. Kay is an Independent Consultant for Shelf Reliance, a company that sells freeze-dried food and offers a food storage program.

Their long-term goal is to expand their homestead into a full-scale organic farm.

James & Kay both come from working class families consisting of machinists, miners, and farmers. James shares an ancestry with the Pennsylvania Dutch (the Amish), while Kay comes from a family of Irish Catholics in Butte, Montana.

James received his higher education in seminary and spent several years as a young pastor. In 1995, he began a consulting service for those who want to study biblical antiquities. He has been involved politically over the years, mostly for Republicans and Independents. In 2010 he began working for the Green Party in Idaho and now is a Democrat. Once a member of the religious right, he has come to appreciate “the separation of church and state” as an important institution to protect freedom of thought. He believes that theology still remains useful in understanding our nation’s history and that it can, if properly understood, elevate the civic discourse between left and right. For more biographical information go to Gazette.

He studied Austrian School economics while in seminary (a view that emphasizes free markets) and believes that many of our economic problems stem from too much government intrusion in the markets and in our personal lives. But he also believes strongly in the notion of the “public sector” and the role of government in certain important functions such as banking, education, law enforcement, courts, public lands, roads, health care, environmental quality and so on. He believes freedom is America’s recipe of success and believes the role of government is to maintain fair competition in the market place, as well as choice.

He was also a business member of an international trade exchange for ten years, an experience which equipped him with a unique perspective on monetary issues, alternative currencies, and banking concepts. He serves as an officer for Pathways Community Development Corporation in Plummer, Idaho which is currently working to bring credit union services to the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Reservation. He is a member of various Chambers of Commerce in the Palouse Region and the Better Business Bureau.

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