Politics 2016: Early March Status Report: Government still won’t work

Posted on 2016-03-07 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-10B, by Nathan Barton

In breaking news on Friday, Freedom’s Phoenix (publisher Libertarian Ernest Haycock) announced that Romney has declared to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that he is running for president, despite his claim (during his attack on Donald Trump on Wednesday) that he is not doing so. “After stating he is “not running for president,” lo and behold, what do we find? That, in fact, he has filed papers to run for president with Paul Ryan as VP.” As proof, the Phoenix cited an FEC document [pdf]. But when I read that document, I see that it was filed with the FEC on 30 January 2016, more than a month ago. How is this breaking news? According to the committee number, this is the same committee that ran his election campaign in 2012, and before this, was updated most recently in October of 2015. And yes, I checked. Paul Ryan, now Speaker of the House, was the running mate in 2012. Gee, do you suppose this is NOT breaking news at all, and that maybe Romney was flat-out lying about not running in 2016? And do you suppose this helps the cause of liberty how? Continue reading →

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What if, or when? Is Trump toast?

Posted on 2016-03-06 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #18-10A,  By Nathan Barton

Is Trump at the Zenith? The first week of March 2016 has been an eventful one in that stupid game called “presidential politics” here in the Fifty States. On the Democratic side, that evil and maniacal woman and crypto-socialist/all-out Tranzi, Clinton, has apparently staved off Sanders’ quixotic quest to quash the Clinton crime gang (and bring in his own bunch of socialist, less-Tranzi gangsters). The potential for some (gag) “man on a white horse” (like crazy Uncle Joe) coming into play is much less.

But it is the GOP side of things where the real shake-up is evident. Yeah, Trump only took 7 of 11 contests, BUT that is definitely NOT what the GOP movers and shakers (especially the donors and the technocrats) expected. I dunno what happened; maybe someone hacked into their voting machine programs and kept them from doing the usual vote-rigging. Or maybe their arrogance just plain finally hit a trigger point on millions of deluded GOP voters. Cruz got three states (including his critical home state of Texas), and Rubio got one. But also important, Chistie, long viewed as an establishment Republican, not just dropped out but endorsed Trump. And very, very important, that washed-up piece of political trash named Mitt Romney, that perfect “RINO” and latest in a long tradition of worthless and failed GOP presidential candidates such as McCain, Bush I, and Dole, Tranzis all, dumped on Trump. Continue reading →

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Politics 2016: Baker’s Dozen ™ Federal Ballot Issues (what-if)

Posted on 2016-03-05 by TPOL Nathan

by Nathan Barton

As Jeffrey Tucker pointed out in a recent column, voters need to remember that when voting in federal elections, people are voting for (or against) PEOPLE and NOT on issues. That the people elected may make all the promises they claim about how they will vote, but are not bound to do as they promised. Jeffrey suggested it would be neat to be able to vote directly on the issues. So here is a proposal!

2016 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT

Please select YES or NO for the following Issue Questions. The results of these questions will be binding on the Senators from our state, and the Federal Representative for our District, subject to penalty of law, including removal from office, imprisonment up to 25 years, and fines of up to $100,000 per issue. Continue reading →

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Low how the mighty have fallen: deterioration, decay, and collapse

Posted on 2016-03-03 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-09D by Nathan Barton

Lo, how the mighty have fallen. The deterioration of government and society and the current “civilization” worldwide proceeds apace.  Stories this week illustrate this, and send a chill up my spine.

The major example comes from Europe, and specifically the European Union.  Conditions in Greece, steadily worse for years if not decades, are deteriorating in an accelerating manner. Yahoo reports that food lines are growing in Greece while the border camps housing the Muslim “refugees” flooding through Greece into the rest of Europe explode.  Greece is in a full-blown depression and government actions have made bad conditions incredibly worse. This is coupled with a similar depression in Spain, where their government is more interested in forcing Catalonia to remain part of Spain than in setting ALL the Spanish people free to make a living and behave as adults.  And this in turn is helping send Europe over the boiling point. Continue reading →

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Cops and ALL Lives

Posted on 2016-03-02 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-09C By Nathan Barton

How much is a black life worth? Especially that of a 50-something business owner? Seems to me that the race-baiters who supposedly “support” black liberty would scream at this decision. Four white men are ordered by a court to pay restitution for killing of a black man. The defendants were teenagers in Mississippi in 2011 when they screamed “White power!” and beat James Craig Anderson before running him over with a truck. The WaPo reports this, five years after the atrocity. Putting aside issues of how an ARMED black man is a lot harder to torture and kill, consider that the attitude of courts and Tranzis is to let perpetrators of atrocities like this off with very little punishment. I am very much a believer in restorative justice, but this payment of $840,000 (before taxes) seems to be a poor penalty for torture and murder. Which leads to problems like the next incident. Continue reading →

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Peace

Posted on 2016-03-01 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-09B by Nathan Barton

Today, there is very little peace around the world, with dozens of nations and regions involved in violence at all levels: Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Mesopotamia, Nigeria, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan, Philippines, Venezuela, Mexico, and on and on. Even where there is  actually no sustained combat, we have violence marring society, here in the US, Germany, Sweden, Greece, etc. Too much of this must be laid solely at the feet of governments, aiding, encouraging, and actually doing it themselves.

The track record of government is very bad on preventing violence and violent disagreement among themselves and among those whom government supposedly protects against violence and other aggression. Stories this week point that out, directly and indirectly.

Peace in Syria?  Don’t hold your breath.  Zero Hedge offers a very pessimistic view of the two-day-old “ceasefire,” as Russia bides its time.  Russia at least has a dog in the fight, the US does not. Its only possible ally might have been the Kurds, but the FedGov is clearly NOT supporting them (and should not).  Yes, Turkey is an ally, but if it attacks (instead of really being attacked) then the US has no excuse for intervening more.  The US and NATO need to go home, peace or not. Continue reading →

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My “Every Day Carry” (EDC)

Posted on 2016-02-29 by MamaLiberty

By MamaLiberty

Over at The Truth About Guns, many people have posted pictures of the things they carry every day, and some good commentary on why they do so. But, so far, it’s all been about men and what they carry in their pockets!

So, I thought it might be fun to show what I carry and how, as well as why.

Here is the belt I wear each time I leave my back door, whether to go to town or just out to the burn barrels, tend to the horses or anything else. Because you just never know when an emergency might overtake you. Not too many criminals around here, but quite a few large, wild animals.

Continue reading →

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Better Ideas with Liberty

Posted on 2016-02-29 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-09A, by Nathan Barton

Truth in Media reports that a currently-serving Colorado State Assemblyman, who survived the Columbine attack in 1999 when he was a student there, has introduced a bill to allow teachers in public (government-run, tax-funded) schools in Colorado to be armed to defend themselves, other staff, and students, instead of relying on “too-little, too-late” police defense. “The only thing that is going to stop murderers intent on doing harm is to give good people the legal authority to carry a gun to protect themselves and our children,” saidRep. Neville of Castle Rock.

He had introduced a similar bill last year; I don’t expect this one to go any further: almost certainly the guy in the office on the main floor under the gold dome in Denver, cowering behind the armed guards that now infest the statehouse, will veto it even if the General Assembly passes it. Better solution? Get your children OUT of these places, even in states which DO allow teachers to be armed. Teach your children how to be free. Continue reading →

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Socialism: the nature of government

Posted on 2016-02-26 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-08E by Nathan Barton

As I discussed in a recent commentary, government’s nature is both evil and secretive, not because it necessarily wants to be, but because that is how government functions, for many reasons. The nature of its power, the people who are attracted to work in it (especially those who run for office), and the attitudes of those who live under its rule (voluntary and involuntary).

The British-born, American commentator John Derbyshire has written this. “Ultimately, however, as the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter pointed out, a powerful bureaucratic class is in the same relation to commerce as was the scorpion in Aesop to the dog on whose back he crossed the river. They will destroy commerce and establish socialism, even if it kills them, because that is their nature.” Continue reading →

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Government Secrets – Secret Police

Posted on 2016-02-25 by TPOL Nathan

Libertarian Commentary #16-08D by Nathan Barton

Government is virtually synonymous with “secret” – no, not necessarily some “secret government” or (current term) “deep state” or “shadow government.” But secrets. Every “freedom of information” act has its loopholes, carefully crafted to allow officials and bureaucrats to hide a lot. Files (and e-mails) and documents disappear or get “misfiled” and information on their activities is just not available. Raw data is “lost” and often “routinely” destroyed. It isn’t just a FedGov thing: state and local and tribal governments are as bad. Here are some examples from recent news.

That is WHY they are called “secret police.” The WaPo reports that the Virginia Dominion Senate has passed a bill to make the names of police officers secret. That the heirs of the legacy of the House of Burgesses should become agents of tyranny and embrace a police state like this, so blatantly, should make you violently ill. Not that an organization called the “Virginia State Police” should EVER be considered as anything but evidence that it serves anything BUT a tyranny, a police state. (And yes, I apply that to ANY of the Fifty States that has a “State Police” and many of those where broad powers have been given to so-called “State Patrol” and “Highway Patrol” organizations.) This evil bill stinks so much that even the WaPo is opposed to it (although their opposition is pretty self-serving). Continue reading →

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