The Dying Breed

I attended a very interesting meeting last night. The bulk of the group were big "L" Libertarians but there were also a few of that dying breed of small-government-Republicans. I have railed on about how the Republican party has been taken over by God-and-Guns conservatives. After talking with these small-government-Republicans, I really have to wonder what it is that still makes them Republicans? If you limit government to the level it is supposed to be at, all of the God-and-Guns conservatives lose their ability to legislate morality. That in effect kills most of their platform. Without the "compassionate conservative" spending and the ability for the state to tell you what to do with your body (which may be a sin but isn't a crime) I don't think Republicans look that differently than Libertarians. Republicans are still talking about strict constitutionalism but other than a few Supreme Court justices I have seen nothing that harkens back to the days of Barry Goldwater. Even Ron Paul has been show the door by a party he refuses to leave. The only thing I can think of is that the small-government Republicans are operating under the Muslim rule of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Maybe they should ask the State department how that's been working for America.

McCain Feingold part deux??

I have been hearing to rumors of a possible McCain/Liberman ticket today. I remember quite some time ago someone saying that if either candidate crossed the aisle and took a member of the other party as a VP they would win the Presidency. Now we are days away from the possibility becoming a reality. Being a Libertarian this move would be nothing more than a novelty to me since my vote will be for Bob Barr in November. But without a dog in this particular fight it will be a lot of fun to watch the squirming that the Republican party will be put through with this. The independents will probably be swayed by this “maverick” move but the party faithful will be forced to hold their collective breath come November when they will dutifully vote for McCain because “party trumps person”. Of course this will not make McCain any less of a DC insider happy to play the politicians shell-game with American citizens, but it may make him President.

If you want CCW, obey the law.

I have been getting email newsletters from a guy named Tim Schmidt from Jackson, Wisconsin who runs an organization called the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) for about a month now. At first I was interested in what the organization might offer to American citizens. I was especially enthused by Tim’s assertion that all citizens that can conceal carry should because it benefits everyone to have law-abiding citizens out there that the Bad Guys (BGs) don’t know are packing. Well, my enthusiasm hit a brick wall today. Something about the Wisconsin address seemed a little funny to me so I looked closely at the concealed carry laws for the state of Wisconsin. I was shocked to see that Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two states in the nation that DO NOT issue concealed carry permits, period. Tim Schmidt is not just publishing a magazine about guns, he is publishing a magazine about the conceal carrying of firearms. Additionally, he has sent out another email newsletter (the last one I’ll ever get from him) in which he openly stated that he does carry a concealed weapon. As you probably already know from my previous posts, I am a Bill of Rights advocate. That Bill of Rights includes the Second Amendment and I am a solid supporter of states efforts to pass Right-to-Carry legislation. People like Tim Schmidt do a great deal of damage to the Right-to-Carry advocates by taking away our assertion that Right-to-Carry legislation will do good because it will put more law-abiding citizens on the streets with weapons that can be used to stop criminals. I think that if Tim wants to be a leader in his state in the effort to pass Right-to-Carry legislation that would be great, but for him to openly advocate concealed carry in a state where it is illegal simply makes Tim a criminal. I have emailed USCCA to tell them that what their President is doing is illegal and undermines Right-to-Carry advocacy all of the country. I think that anyone who cares about the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms should write or email USCCA and ask Tim to step down as the head of the USCCA and to condemn anyone that breaks the law by carrying concealed in an illegal manner. You can write to them through their website at: http://www.usconcealedcarry.com/public/department6.cfm.

Conservative does not equal Economically Literate.

I don’t have many opportunities to say this, but THANK YOU Rush Limbaugh! The King of Speaking Off the Cuff has let the cat out of the bag. In his show today Rush Limbaugh said that the Democrats had won several recent Congressional elections by running candidates that were more Conservative than the Republicans. He even went so far as to call them Socialist Conservatives. Thank you Rush Limbaugh! You have made my point in those two words so much better than I could ever manage in pages of this blog, my point being that Republicans and more importantly Conservatives do not believe in Free Market/Austrian Economics. Conservatives are all about Guns and God. Now if you don’t believe me, just listen to Rush Limbaugh.
Republicans and Conservatives couldn’t give a flying leap about Austrian Economics and the Free Market advocacy that blooms from that fertile foundation. They simply roll out Milton Freedman whenever they are forced to appeal to all of the limited government and free market crowds that they have fooled into remaining a part of the Republican coalition after the Conservative take-over. Worse, when they do talk about market forces they have corporations whispering the words of great economists into their ears and twisting the issue to suit the corporations needs.
Take a look at the Global Warming issue. Instead of getting the facts and showing real leadership by ignoring whether or not it may be man made and denying the idea that Global Warming can be stopped, they stand out there and spout copious nonsense about how what is being done to stop Global Warming will hurt the economy. While that is partially true, it is more truthful that the fraudulent cure for Global Warming will hurt their corporate sponsors. There are some things that could be done to reduce the burning of fossil fuels that could really unleash our economy, such as permitting new nuclear plants and reducing the massive regulatory atmosphere that squashes the development of new technology. They are so focused on pseudo-economics that they completely deny that Global Warming is even happening. This critical error ignores what is scientifically certain. Global Warming is happening. Whether or not Global Warming has a human source is debatable but that debate needs to happen after we start dealing with the immediate issues of Global Warming. In my opinion, those two things include the rezoning of areas that will be submerged when (not if) the sea level rises and increasing development for fighting tropical diseases. These two things will happen. We will not stop Global Warming, we need to deal with it. By allowing the debate to be between Human made Global Warming and no Global Warming at all, both sides get to ignore what really needs to happen to help humanity.

Why the Global Warming crisis needs to be shaken not stirred.

First, if you want to look like an idiot, go into a bar and order a martini James Bond style. If the bartender knows anything, he/she should laugh at you and ask you to order something else. A martini is a SERIOUS drinker’s drink. It is mostly gin or vodka, and depending on how dry you want it, mixed with either a splash of vermouth or nothing at all. All alcohol, no fruit juice, no soda, no ice. Why don’t you ask for it to be shaken? Because vermouth is a wine and shaking it will bruise the wine and alter the taste of the drink. Asking for a martini shaken not stirred marks you as a person who doesn’t know jack about a martini. OK, that is a lot of information that you probably didn’t know about a drink that everyone has heard of but almost no one orders anymore.
To me Global Warming as it is known to most people is a lot like a martini. It is mostly politics mixed with a splash (if any) of science. Science has been rolled out as a main ingredient by men like Gore, Al Gore. Al Gore doesn’t know jack about science. We should be laughing at him and asking him to stick to the beer and shots menu. Instead, Al Gore has a Nobel Prize and an Oscar. The tragedy involved with allowing men like Al Gore to direct the environmentalist movement is that most people are genuinely concerned about the environment but don’t know that they are being swindled by politicians.
So what is going on? OK,
#1- There IS GLOBAL WARMING!! Happy now? Why is there global warming? Historically (geologic history, not human history), the planet has gone through heating and cooling cycles. All of the hows and whys are still not clear, even to scientists that have been studying it all of their lives. What I am going off of here is simple observation. The planet is coming out of a cooling cycle and is warming. In fact, if the historic sea level curve is correct, we have a lot more warming ahead of us. OK West, you agree there is global warming, don’t we need to do something??? You bet!! We need to (gradually) move cities back from the coasts and get prepared to farm in Canada. We need to put more effort into controlling tropical diseases which will spread when the tropics spread as the Earth warms. We can actually plan for global warming and sea level rise. Human caused or not, we have global warming. Now, if you want to do a 20 or 30 year study (preferably double-blind, we wouldn’t want it to become political now would we?) of the atmosphere to determine if there is a man made component to the problem, be my guest, but first things first, let us concentrate on problems at hand.
#2- Humanity causes damage to the environment! Wow!, not what you were expecting? I am fully aware of the damage that we do to the environment. For the most part I think that we are moving in the right direction. People are demanding green products and green policies. Companies are responding to that demand. What I think we need to improve on is population control and population density. This is what we are going to be fighting over a lot in the next few decades. The realization that we need to stop damaging the environment needs to be accompanied with an understanding of what contributes to that damage and a plan reduce that damage as much as is economically feasible. Why do I use a term like economically feasible? Because as an environmentalist; unless you are willing to kill yourself to stop yourself from damaging the environment; you must dedicate yourself to minimizing your impact. Remember, a politician asks you what you want, and economist will ask you what you want more. That is what it will come down to. What you are willing to change in your lifestyle and what technology we develop to help with environmental problems will determine what is economically feasible. Now, just in case you think that I am pointing the finger at Al Gore but am a hypocrite myself, I live in a second floor 1000 sq ft condominium and drive a compact car. In my opinion, if everyone else followed suit the amount we consume as a whole would be greatly diminished. The reasoning is that you can only pack a certain amount of crap into a 1000 sq ft condo. :)

Today is the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. Three years ago over thirty thousand thoroughbred foals were born in green pastures all over the US. This year 19 colts and one filly will run in today’s race at Churchill Downs. One will win. One will set off a storm of speculation about the Triple Crown and if today’s winner can do what no horse has done in 30 years.
That leaves about 31,999 (American Horse Council, 1998) thoroughbred horses that won’t even be footnotes in horse racing history. Some will win other races, many will lose other races. Some will find loving forever homes where they will be treated like champions no matter if they never ran a single race. Sadly, many will be betrayed by the people that bred them, the people that trained them, and the people that invested the soft hope of spring three years ago as foals frolicked with their mothers. Those same foals will have grown into horses that will be sold to kill buyers and slaughtered for human consumption.
Today while you are watching the Kentucky Derby and sipping on a mint julep, I ask that you think about the foals that were born this year that will never race in the Kentucky Derby in three years and will end up in slaughterhouses because of over breeding and an attitude that these animals are expendable. Write the American Association of Equine Practitioners and ask them to renounce their stance that horses bred to be racers, riders, haulers, and lawn ornaments are just livestock animals that deserve no better than to be slaughtered for human consumption.
PS- My thoughts go out to the owners, trainers, breeders and anyone else associated with 8 Bells who was lost during this year’s race.

A matter of faith.

You know that I am a Libertarian and an agnostic. I want to explain why I am both. It all comes down to the fact that I have no faith. My favorite definition of faith is believing what you know just ain’t true. I think Mark Twain came up with that one. I have noticed that I even have a hard time using the word believe. I prefer think or understand.

In regards to religion, why is believing in God so important? What does it do for you? Religion is supposed to answer three big questions.
How did we get here?
Why are we here?
And probably most importantly for the deeply religious people I’ve observed,
What happens when we die?
My question is; why does it matter what happens to us when we die? You’re dead. Period. Religious righters love to preach about loving life and right to life, but what are they doing with theirs? Worrying about what happens to them after they are dead? Wow, they want to make sure more people can be born so they can spend their life worrying about what happens after they die. WHAT? Let’s just leave it that the third important question that religion answers is actually best answered by a FUNERAL DIRECTOR. Will that be buried or cremated? And you ain’t getting anything to go. Looking for Paradise? You better make yours in the here and now!

Science studies the world around us to try to help us understand how we got here and what we can do with what we’ve been given. For me, that takes care of: how did we get here?

Why are you here? You are here to live your own life. Living with the fear of God and in the needy arms of the Church (any Church, Synagogue, Temple, Mosque, or other religious construct) is living your life for someone else. They will tell you that someone else is God or Allah or Buddha or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The reality is that the someone else is whoever is leading the group and their favorite causes.

OK, I think that takes care of why I’m an agnostic. It’s not that I don’t think there is a God; it’s just that I don’t care. Being an atheist means I have to spend my life trying to prove that God doesn’t exist, no thanks.

Why am I a Libertarian? It is the same lack of faith issue. To believe that government is anything less than evil you have to believe something that you know just ain’t true. You have to believe in altruism. You have to believe that public servants serve the public. You have to believe the politicians are going to do what they say they will. You have to believe that the rules apply to everyone equally. You have to believe…well I think you have to believe an awful lot that just ain’t true.

I am a Libertarian because I will not believe, I have to know. I need to know that the rules apply to everyone equally. I need to know that when I buy something, that I am buying the best thing for my needs, not just believe that the government has the best of intentions when they restricted what I can buy. I need to know who is making the rules, not believing that campaign finance reform can stop the abuse of the system the politicians enjoy or that bureaucrats have any other motive in mind other than CYA when they set out regulations (which is a power given to them when politicians who are too busy abusing their power abdicate their responsibility to the people by giving that power to bureaucrats).

Conservatives???

Cato Institute just ran a series of public opinion polls. In one they asked people if they thought of themselves as fiscally conservative and socially liberal and received 58% positive response. They then changed the question to include the words "otherwise known as libertarian" to the end of the first question and the positive response dropped to 44%. OK, so people are mostly libertarians but don't want to be called libertarians. Why? is the question the Libertarian Party really need to be asking itself. Even people who would be willing to be identified as libertarians are not registering as Libertarians. Instead they glom on to the false hope that the alliance of so-called-conservative causes known as the Republican Party will really represent their interests. Even after multiple Bush terms that should have convinced them that the Republican Party left them long ago, these Libertarians-should-Be's stay with their unfaithful party.
What do I think the Libertarian Party needs to do about helping the American public with their identity crisis? In this age of consensus I say that the Libertarian Party needs to denounce "conservatives" and Republicans for their lack of economic knowledge or backbone required to institute proper economic policy. The reason many conservatives will never be Libertarians is because they will never sign on to the social liberties that libertarians feel are a critical freedoms in a state that doesn't pose as a victim. The likelihood of overcoming that aversion is very low. Libertarians must find the will to simply walk away from these closed minded people and walk in the direction that follows their principles and hope that the people follow them. As much as it pains me to say this, that includes walking away from Ron Paul now that he has declared that he will not leave the Republican Party (sorry Ron but the remnant is not in the Republican Party and hasn't been for a long long time).
This leaves us with everyone else with their varying levels of economic education. Some people don't even understand that the free trade of goods and services is the only economic system that is compatible with a free society. Some people who could be convinced of that still think that becuase Republicans say they are free-market advocates that any free-market advocate is automatically a corporate shill due to the overly comfy relationship Republicans and corporate America have. I think that it is this almost indelible stain on the free-market name has bled through from the conservatives and has sullied the reputation of Libertarians. Libertarians need to openly declare that the conservative adoption of the free-market name is a sham that they perpetuate purely with the intent to continually abuse the power of their offices and dole out favors to their corporate allies. Now, in case you are thinking that all of this venom is directed at corporations let me clear things up for you. Corporations are not moral creatures (no matter how much they pretend to be, or how much anyone WISHES otherwise) and they will take any advantage they can. If it takes buying politicians to limit their competitors from entering their markets then odds are they are going to do exactly that. What we need to get straight here is that this problem was not created by corporations, it was created by corrupt politicians that ignored the restrictions on government power put in place by the Constitution. The solution is not punishing the corporations but simply taking away the politicians power to play favorites. I think that once Libertarians make this point crystal clear to the economically literate voters that we will have more and more of them choosing to walk along with us down the path to real Liberty embodied in true free markets.

Go Ron!

I cannot believe that it was just days ago that I said that all Ron Paul has to do is hold on until the convention to win the nomination. Today the NY Times breaks the news that John McCain has had an affair, not just an affair, but an affair with a LOBBYIST!!!! Mr. Campaign Finance reform! LOL!!! Unbelievable. Go Ron Go!

Why Ron Paul can win

Right now the media and the Republican party wish Ron Paul would just
go away. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for them Ron Paul
isn't going anywhere. With only two other Republicans left running
for the nomination Ron is not far from winning by default. John
McCain is a RHINO and the party faithful (pardon the pun) know it.
Huckabee came in late and also lacks the reputation of being a solid
free market Republican. It may only take a few leaks about either of
them and Ron Paul will be the only one standing. McCain is more
likely to fall to such an issue and we have seen what kind of muck
governors have in their closets. Time will tell but as long as Ron
Paul is at the convention in September he still has a chance. Stick
in there Ron and good luck.

--
John West

A rising tide lifts all boats - JFK

A couple of notes for the Democrats

I am a Libertarian; therefore you should expect a set of principals to guide any policy I suggest. In this post I will be making a few suggestions to Democrats concerning their policy decisions in the future. This is not to be taken as an endorsement of anything the Democrats represent but only as suggestions to them concerning the detrimental effects of some of their policy decisions.
First, I would ask the Democrats to be careful about the size of the stick they give the government. In specific, they are boasting about socializing health care in this country. As a Libertarian I am completely opposed to this course of action but I know that I am only shouting at a wall when I try to talk to Democrats about the virtues of a market system providing superior health care. So I will take a different tack. Democrats, before you dance in the streets celebrating the triumph of the Everyman in gaining universal (socialized) health care I want you to think carefully about what the Republicans will do with your precious system when (and yes it will only be a matter of when) they regain power in DC. Don't worry about them dismantling it, they are not interested in smaller government anymore. In fact they will look forward to controlling a national single payer health care system, because it will do one very important thing for them, it will remove the need to make abortions illegal. Thats right, no more fighting over Roe vs Wade, or fighting against anti-protest laws at abortion clinics. You will have given them financial control of those clinics and they will simply stop funding abortions in the United States. Even if the Doctors tried to open new clinics to provide abortions as a service, the Republicans would only have to deny them the necessary licenses to open the clinics. Really, what good is universal (socialized) health care if there is any competition from the free market? That's what you really want isn't it? To get rid of nasty free market greed. To get rid of competition becuase that doesn't protect the common good as well as government regulation, right?
Second, with all of the hubbub about global warming and the destruction of the environment that has been saturating the media lately I want to talk to you about the basic core of why we have some of our current environmental problems. Cars are one of your favorite targets. Why does everyone feel the need to drive everywhere? Why can't they walk to where they need to go? The other issue I always hear Democrats complain about are McMansions. Why do people feel the need to be so wasteful? Why do they need such big homes on so much land so far out in the suburbs? Here is a bombshell for you, I agree with you! I abhor McMansions and Hummers. I think they are just as wasteful and abnoxious as you do. However, the reasons for why these things exist are where we part ways. You think it is just about American greed. I think it is becuase people cannot stand to be around other people in this day and age. I think the reason they cannot stand to be around other people is becuase we live in a society not where we are our brothers keeper, but where our government wants us to be our brothers warden. Unfortunately, it is human nature to want to stick our nose where it doesn't belong. I will return to a common idea now. You want to make sure the government has the power to do the things that you want it to be able to do. The problem is, when you give the government that kind of power it becomes a two sided sword that the Republicans happily use to enforce their morality on society. Not to say that Democrats are not willing sacrifice their civil liberties in the pursuit of their Utopia but simply to say that many of the anti-social policies that drive people away from each other come from laws that legislate morality rather than justice. Now imagine with me. Take a bong hit if that will help (I promise not to tell anyone). Imagine a world where people are free to do ANYTHING they want to as long as they do not harm someone else while doing it. ANYTHING. Want to carry guns with you anywhere you go, fine. Want to do drugs out in the middle of a playground, fine. Want to throw a sex party at our place, fine. Want to start a company because you are convinced that you have found THE better mousetrap, fine. Want to do something that you are pretty sure most people will find highly offensive on your balcony in full view of the world, fine. All of those things need to be legal. As long as you don't hurt someone else, go for it. Being offended is not the same as being hurt, grow up. If you are damaging your body, hey, its YOUR body. No one should have the right to demand that you live a certain way for them. It is my belief that if we lived in a society that let you live your life as you see fit without hurting others and a society that was taught to value to resources that we have and wanted to live in the most efficient manner that you would have your Utopia. Urban sprawl would be replaced by compact city centers where people could live and work and shop and play within walking/biking/taxi distances. The biggest barrier to that reality right now is not American greed, its American busybodies.