Hearing From Another Party

WASHINGTON — Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict issued the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address:

Thanks to unprecedented levels of government interference and government coercion, Americans' rights are violated like never before. We are harmed by taxes, regulations, prohibitions, and shocking privacy intrusions.

Unfortunately, most of the harm and injustice of government occurs because too many Americans support existing government policies. We're suffering under a tyranny of the majority. Our Libertarian hope is that we can convince enough Americans to change their minds. We hope voters will come to understand that government is force, and force is unjust.

Here are some of the problems we see.

The government debt situation is atrocious. Government debt is a terrible thing, because it forces future generations to pay off debts they never agreed to incur. From 2001 to 2008, George W. Bush doubled the debt, mostly with the support of a Republican Congress. Since 2009, Barack Obama and the Democrats (and Republicans) have nearly doubled it again. It doesn't matter whether Republicans or Democrats control the government. Libertarians would quickly balance the budget by cutting spending on everything, including entitlements and the military.

Thanks to the work of Republicans and Democrats, America has declined in the Economic Freedom Index. We've been sliding for years, and now we're down to #12. We're below Australia, Canada, and Denmark. Libertarian policies would get us back to #1.

Government should stop creating programs to fight economic inequality. Some economic inequality is natural and healthy in a free society. Actually, government often creates artificial inequality by granting special privileges to certain businesses or classes of people. Republicans and Democrats do that all the time. Libertarians prefer a level playing field.

The employment situation is still pretty bad. Why? Because government gets in between employers and employees, and tries to dictate everything. Minimum wage laws, hiring laws, firing laws, subsidies, and business taxes all make it harder to create jobs and find jobs. These laws are supported by both Republicans and Democrats. Libertarians would eliminate the minimum wage, employment red tape, and business subsidies and taxes.

Since 2001, the federal budget has exploded. Whenever the government spends money, it displaces it out of the private sector. That means the government is making more choices about how we use our resources, and free people are making fewer choices. That inevitably harms our economy. Libertarians would eliminate most programs, and cut spending on the rest.

If there's one thing we have learned since 2001, it's that we can't trust what government officials say. They lie. Bush and Cheney said there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. James Clapper (Director of National Intelligence) said under oath that the NSA does not collect data on Americans. Those are a couple of the most outrageous lies, but there have been many others. The more power government has, the more government officials will have the opportunity and incentive to lie. Libertarians would greatly reduce government power.

Government should not be trusted to tell the truth about global warming, or to create restrictions in the name of fighting it. Look at the waste and environmental damage caused by government ethanol subsidies!

It used to be that if you said the government was watching you, people thought you were paranoid. Now, partly thanks to the efforts of Edward Snowden, everyone knows it's true. Between the Patriot Act, the IRS, the FBI, and the NSA (and probably other agencies as well), Americans have no idea whether ANYTHING they do is private anymore. Government should respect people's privacy, not violate it. Libertarians would end foreign wars, and end the War on Drugs, which would take away most of the government's excuse for spying. Libertarians would also repeal the Patriot Act and other invasions of privacy.

What about Obamacare? The problems with American health care go far beyond Obamacare. The problem is the whole huge mess that government interference has created. For decades, the government has done nothing but undermine health care by interfering in the health care market, and creating mandates and prohibitions that override our choices. Obamacare took a bad situation and made it worse — but let's not forget that it was already very bad. And that's thanks to the efforts of both Democrats and Republicans. As stated in our platform, Libertarians would "recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want (if any), the level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions."

Libertarians believe that government should have no involvement in education whatsoever. That goes double for the federal government. Unfortunately, the federal government massively interferes with education today: subsidies for preschool, subsidies for K–12 education, subsidies for higher education, and lots of mandates and regulations thanks to efforts like the Republicans' No Child Left Behind law. Our children would be much happier and better educated if government would get out of the way. Libertarians would eliminate the Department of Education and repeal No Child Left Behind.

Republicans and Democrats have also created a mess with immigration. The immigration debate has nothing to do with border security; it's all about employment. Currently, millions of foreigners work here illegally, because Republicans and Democrats have made it almost impossible to do legally. Libertarians would make it very easy for foreigners to come here, live here, and work here.

How about the military? The Libertarian attitude is pretty simple: the U.S. military should leave other countries alone, even if their governments are unstable, and even if there are people living there who hate Americans. We need to cut military spending a whole lot. Try getting Republicans or Democrats to support ANY cuts to military spending.

Amid all this gloom, we do see a bright spot: the War on Drugs. In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington passed initiatives to end prohibition of marijuana. Recently the New Hampshire House of Representatives did so too. A majority of Americans now believe that marijuana should not be prohibited. As time goes on, we believe that more and more Americans will join us in opposing the War on Drugs. We're pleased President Obama is moving in our direction on this issue.

All in all, the state of our union is a big mess created by Republicans and Democrats. Libertarians offer a path forward to peace and prosperity. Our 149 elected Libertarians nationwide work to implement libertarian policies directly. Hundreds of other Libertarians run for office each election cycle.

Another Party Heard

An Open Letter to the
Commission on Presidential Debates
Dear Members of the Commission:

On behalf of the 6% of likely voters nationwide who plan to vote for the Libertarian Presidential Ticket of Governor Gary Johnson and Judge Jim Gray this November 6th (Polled 9/21 by Princeton Survey Research International),

On behalf of the 2% to 10.6% of likely voters polled in the razor-close Tipping Point States of New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, and Colorado -- who plan to vote for Libertarian Presidential candidate, 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson,

On behalf of the 26,192 individuals (as of 10/1/12) who signed the petition for you to include Libertarian Presidential candidate, Governor Gary Johnson in the Presidential Debates with Democratic Presidential candidate, President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney,

 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson is Qualified to be Included in these Presidential Debates

Successful entrepreneur, business executive and leader who created 1,000 private sector jobs.
Two-term governor. Re-elected by voters of New Mexico. Neither Mitt Romney nor Barack Obama has been re-elected.

Has 8 years chief executive experience in government -- as much as Mitt Romney and Barack Obama combined.

As governor, he vetoed over 750 unnecessary bills - more than all other governors combined. Only two vetoes were overridden. This saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
Is already on the ballot in 48 states plus D.C. and is challenging the last two states for ballot access in federal court.
25-Year Superior Court Judge Jim Gray is Qualified to be Included in the Vice-Presidential Debate:

Juris Doctor, USC

Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica

JAG Defense Attorney in the US Navy

25-year California Superior Court Judge

Champions the cause of legalizing marijuana, re-classifying it the same as wine and beer

Relevant: Libertarian Presidential Candidate Governor Gary Johnson’s votes in one or more of the key Tipping Point States – New Hampshire(4), Virginia(13), North Carolina(15), Florida(29), Ohio(18), Iowa(6), Nevada(6), and Colorado(9) – could shift as many as 100 Electoral Votes this November 6th …and could determine the outcome of the 2012 Presidential Election.

Shouldn’t the voters in these 8 Tipping Point states get the opportunity to compare and contrast Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson against the republican and Democratic Presidential candidates in the nationally-televised Presidential debates – BEFORE they decide who to vote for?

Most Americans need an Electron Microscope to find real differences between most actions and policies of President Obama and Governor Romney.

Excluding Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson from the Presidential Debates guarantees that real differences don’t get debated. For example:

Federal Spending:
Both Obama and Romney will add $1.2 Trillion more to the federal debt in their first year alone. President Gary Johnson will cut spending in Year One by 43% to balance the budget.

Bailouts:
Obama and Romney supported bailouts for banks, corporations, foreign governments and state governments. President Gary Johnson will veto all bailouts.

Medical Insurance:
Obama will preserve, protect and expand Obamacare. Romney will replace it with Romneycare. President Gary Johnson will repeal Obamacare completely and return medical choices to families and doctors.

Foreign Intervention:
Romney and Obama will keep 550,000 U.S. troops stationed in foreign countries and drag on the war in Afghanistan. President Gary Johnson will radically draw down U.S. troops in foreign countries and immediately bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

Drug War:
Obama and Romney will continue the failed Marijuana Prohibition.
President Gary Johnson will end the Prohibition and free the many who suffer from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, migraines, and other serious disease to seek relief from pain and disability.

What if you put on a Presidential Debate and nobody watches? That’s the direction you’re headed by excluding qualified candidates like 2-Term Governor Gary Johnson.

10 million to 20 million fewer Americans will watch your 2012 debates than the 2008 debates – UNLESS you include the other qualified Presidential candidate, Libertarian 2-Term New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Why? His viewpoint and proposals are dramatically different from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. He attracts a different segment of American voters. He brings in new viewers to the debates.

Do the right thing, the good thing, the smart thing:

Invite and include Libertarian Presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson and Vice-Presidential candidate Judge Jim Gray in the 2012 Debates.

Yours for open debates and elections,

Geoffrey J. Neale                                             Carla Howell
Chair, Libertarian Party                                 Executive Director, Libertarian Party

Another View On Healthcare

Having trouble finding clarity, truth and common sense in the sea of commentary addressing the recent Supreme Court’s health care ruling?

Here’s what some Libertarian candidates have to say about it.

Libertarian presidential nominee and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson issued this statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling:

“It has been clear for a while that we need a new President and a new Congress. Now it appears we need a new Supreme Court.

“Whether the Court chooses to call the individual mandate a tax or anything else, allowing it to stand is a truly disturbing decision. The idea that government can require an individual to buy something simply because that individual exists and breathes in America is an incredible blow to the bedrock principles of freedom and liberty. It must be repealed, and Congress needs to get about doing so today.

“There is one thing we know about health care. Government cannot create a system that will reduce costs while increasing access. Only competition and the price transparency that competition will bring can accomplish the imperatives of affordability and availability. Whether it is the President’s plan or the Republican prescription drug benefit, the idea that anyone in Washington can somehow manage one of the most essential and substantial parts of both our quality of life and the economy is, and always has been, fundamentally wrong

“We can never know how many Americans are out of work today because of the uncertainty the monstrous health care law has caused. The Court has done nothing to remove that burden.

“Nothing about the court’s decision changes the basic reality that it is impossible to eliminate deficit spending and remove the smothering consequences of federal debt without dramatically reducing the costs of Medicare and Medicaid. And neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have given the slightest hint of willingness to do so.”

Libertarian Dan Cox for U.S. Senate of Montana, who’s running in a high-profile race that could determine the balance of power in the senate, said:

“Chief Justice John Roberts (a Republican President George Bush appointee) cast the deciding vote that declared Obamacare constitutional.  For years the argument has been that we need to vote Republican, so we can get good Supreme Court justices.  I guess that theory has been blown wide open.  It is a very sad day for America when the Republican majority Supreme Court is openly trying to destroy the Constitution. 

"Government Officials Afraid Of Full Body Scan Of Their Words Should Resign"

While Democratic and Republican politicians outdo each other with calls for the prosecution and even execution of Bradley Manning and Julian Assange for providing information to various news media, Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle says that free speech and freedom of the press must be supported unconditionally. Hinkle released the following statement today:

"In 1787, as the U.S. Constitution was being written, Thomas Jefferson wrote, 'Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.' His recognition of the critical need for a free press led him and others to demand a Bill of Rights, where freedom of speech and freedom of the press were listed in the very first amendment to the Constitution.

"In 2010, Democratic and Republican politicians alike are trying to destroy this precious liberty. The Obama Administration, which has already invoked the 'state secrets' claim in court more than any administration in history, has arrested Army Private Bradley Manning, alleging that he copied and leaked various documents, and is holding him in solitary confinement pending a military trial. Meanwhile, Republican presidential hopefuls are falling over themselves seeing who can sound the toughest. Mike Huckabee says that anything less than execution of the leaker is too kind. Newt Gingrich wants Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, declared an 'enemy combatant' so that he can be denied all due process. And Sarah Palin wants Assange hunted down like Osama bin Laden (perhaps missing the irony that bin Laden has not been caught).

"Even more ominously, companies which provided various services to WikiLeaks suddenly decided to end their relationship after receiving pressure from Washington. Amazon, PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard all suddenly felt that the activities of WikiLeaks, well-known to them for years, were illegal, absent any actual charges being filed for the violation of any law. When government officials start pressuring businesses in order to silence critics, tyranny isn't far off.

"Publishing documents provided by a government agent is not a crime. Embarrassing public officials is not a crime. Regardless of the degree to which the released documents are helpful or harmful, Assange and WikiLeaks are exercising their rights, and American politicians and government agents should stop threatening and harassing them.

"Freedom of the press is not a luxury, and the prospect of a government able to silence dissent and prevent the press from communicating unfavorable information about the behavior of government employees should frighten anyone who loves liberty. It is understandable that government officials who are lying to the public and covering up misdeeds want to keep their actions secret, just as a criminal doesn't want the police to find out about his crime. As Steven Greenhut of the Pacific Research Institute notes, 'If it weren't for anonymous sources and leaked information, the journalism business would serve as a press-release service for officialdom.'

"Private Manning deserves the presumption of innocence, due process, a speedy and fair trial, and decent treatment while in prison. If Manning revealed information which did not damage national security or result in harm to others, but instead revealed evidence of incompetence, corruption, or other illegal activities, then he should be able to raise that as a defense at any trial. Just as when Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and had his subsequent prosecution dismissed by the courts, an important principle is that information which is being kept secret to protect wrongdoing is not in fact legally and properly classified. A jury should be able to judge both the facts and the law, and to acquit Manning if the jury finds his actions to be justified.

"Two years ago, candidate Barack Obama praised the long tradition of information leaks by defending those who revealed Bush-era covert actions. 'We only know these crimes took place because insiders blew the whistle at great personal risk.... Government whistle-blowers are part of a healthy democracy and must be protected from reprisal.' Obama appears to have forgotten this statement, just as he has forgotten many other statements and promises he made while campaigning.

"Only a month ago, we were told by the Transportation Safety Administration that they should have the power to strip or grope us if we want to exercise our right of travel. In my view, any government official too embarrassed to handle a full-body scan of their words and actions should resign."

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that federal government workers get compensation, on average, more than twice as high as private-sector workers. That gap has expanded dramatically over the last decade.

Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle, in a recently released statement says, "The numbers are appalling. In 2009, the average private-sector worker received $61,051 in total compensation, but the average federal government worker received $123,049. There is no excuse for this enormous, and growing, compensation gap
.
"I guess you just can't beat a federal job. Very high pay, unbelievable benefits, extremely generous retirement plans, and near-perfect job security.

"And those retirement plans are often unfunded pensions, which will have to be paid by taxing our children and grandchildren, who never had the opportunity to vote when the pensions were created.

"Apparently wishing to add insult to injury, government employee union reps have claimed that federal workers are entitled to their sky-high compensation because they are more educated and skilled than the rest of us. I have had many personal experiences with federal employees that indicate the exact opposite.

"The problem is that federal worker compensation is not set by the free market -- it's set by government fiat, which causes it to be artificially generous. Another factor is the monopoly government employee unions, which are able to extort that compensation up to even higher levels.

"One sure sign that federal employees are overpaid is that they never quit. Tad DeHaven of the Cato Institute has noted, '...in 2009, private sector employees quit at a rate that was more than eight times higher than federal employees.... This indicates that federal employees recognize that the generous combination of wages, benefits, and job security is hard to match in the private sector, so they stay put.'

"Libertarians support minimum government and maximum freedom. Unfortunately, federal employees have incentives to make government bigger, which makes us less free. With government employment paying more than the private sector, the rational self-interest of many workers will drive them to seek employment with the federal government.

"That's a formula for disaster.

"Libertarians want productive people working in the private sector to build our economy, not working for the government and hurting our economy".

Hinkle adds, "I would like to see an across-the-board pay cut for all federal workers, That would reduce federal spending, reduce the deficit, and reduce the insult to American private-sector workers. It also just might encourage some federal government employees to quit their jobs and seek more productive work in the private sector."

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets and civil liberties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at their website.

Illinois Libertarians Score One Victory

It's time to celebrate, but not for long. There are only 2 months left until the election, but llinois Libertarians are celebrating one victory--
The Illinois State Board of Elections certified, by unanimous vote, the state-wide Libertarian candidates for the ballot in the November election.


The candidates are:
Governor – Lex Green
Lt. Governor – Ed Rutledge
Attorney General – Bill Malan
Comptroller – Julie Fox
Secretary of State – Josh Hanson
Treasurer – James Pauly
US Senate – Mike Labno