An alternative to the politics of Big and Bigger

Mark Grannis

 If you're old enough to vote this year, then you're old enough to remember

• a Democratic president with a Democratic Congress;
  
• a Republican president with a Democratic Congress;
  
• a Republican president with a Republican Congress; and
  
• a Democratic president with a Republican Congress.
  

Taken together, these four periods exhaust all the ways power can be split between the two major parties in Washington.  What did all these periods have in common? Government got bigger.
That’s a problem, not because government is always bad, but because the proper functions of government do not require it to be very big. Government today is big not primarily because of waste or indolence, but because we have asked it to do too many things. And now, thanks to both Democrats and Republicans, the relentless growth of our government has brought us to financial calamity.
Our government can't pay its bills, but it won't stop borrowing or spending.  As a result, the government is currently headed for insolvency.  Our economy badly needs jobs and investment from the private sector, but instead of encouraging private enterprise our elected officials continue to concentrate power and money in Washington.  We need to change course, and we need to do it now.
The new course we should chart is not really new to people who know our history.  It's actually a return to the values that made our country great.  It's a return to individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and the good sense to mind our own business in military matters.  That's the Libertarian way forward, and it's a way that the two major parties both abandoned years ago. 

• I'll fight for government that protects us from violence and theft but otherwise respects our liberty.
  
• I'll demand balanced budgets and oppose new regulatory burdens. 
  
• I'll stand for civil liberties, against foreign wars, and against our counterproductive war on drugs. 
  
• I'll support Congressional reform to prevent a relapse.
  

Now for the make-or-break question:  Will you help me?
Every year, many voters go to the polls with a sense of futility—or worse, stay home from the polls with a sense of futility.  The choice always seems to be between Big Government and Bigger Government.  Smaller, less intrusive, more peaceful government never seems to be on the ballot.

Mark Grannis is the Libertarian Candidate for Congress in Maryland's 8th District.

Truth

"It is good for one to be free, and we would cherish Liberty even if she traveled alone, but she does not. Because Prosperity and Peace are both the companions of Liberty."  —Charles Goyette

Austerity

The current situation we find ourselves in with respect to the financial situation of the Federal Government is one that should be of grave concern to all Americans. This problem did not arise over night; this has been a slow and gradual step up the rungs to financial insolvency.

One example is the enormous amounts of money we have spent on the War on Poverty. We were told that this would “end poverty as we know it”, and it did, it made it worse.

The extreme failure of the War on Poverty has done nothing to pull people out of poverty, because the poverty that exists is not monetary, it is a cultural poverty. It is a poverty that no government can fix; it is one that requires individuals to be responsible for their actions. Through hard work and dedication one can pull themselves up out of their own situation by attaining success through learning from their failures and doing what is right.

The culture of dependency has nearly destroyed the soul of our country. The welfare state is wrought with fraud and failure. It has deprived generations of their dignity and few ever break out of the cycle. They have become enslaved by dependency and are trapped under the giant footprint of government.

Big Government solutions only lead to more misery, with more people identified as “poor” and it places a heavier burden on hard working taxpayers. The Keynesian Economic examples of Greece, Italy and Spain are a brief glimpse into America’s near future if we do not make drastic changes now.

The successful examples of Austerity, which have been implemented into a variety of forms in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are prime examples of responsible government solutions. These countries are on the road to recovery after slashing government spending and in Latvia’s case they eliminated nearly half of their government agencies. Latvia did borrow money from the European Union, but that was coupled with significantly reducing the size of its government.

Even if we look to the north at Canada, they have seen strong economic recovery from reducing taxes and government spending while responsibly reducing their debt and their deficit.

When coming back home and looking at America’s situation we have to honestly look at our situation and recognize that it is not sustainable. There is no longer a tax base available to sustain increases in taxes to maintain our current levels of spending. We must accept that this is the greatest threat to our National Security and that when addressing these issues there cannot be any sacred cows.

We must begin the era of Austerity in America by eliminating wasteful and fraudulent programs and agencies. We must begin the era of Economic Liberty by lower taxes and eliminating stringent regulations on businesses.  We must begin the Era of A Smaller Government Footprint.

www.boda4congress.com

Gary Johnson Endorses Muir Boda and Mark Grannis for Congress

Muir Boda for US Congress, Maryland 1st District.

Muir Boda’s family history goes back hundreds of years on the Eastern Shore. For the past 18 years he has been an Asset Protection Manager for Walmart. He has served as the Vice-Chair for the Maryland Libertarian Party and has run for Salisbury City Council twice.

Governor Johnson states, “Muir Boda’s consistent stand for Civil Liberties, less government regulation, and minimum taxes will create a safer America where all can prosper.”

Muir Boda, “Only the Johnson/Gray ticket stands for a federal government that is small enough to fit inside the US Constitution.”

www.boda4congress.com
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Mark Grannis for US Congress, Maryland 8th District.

Mark is a small business owner as well as a lawyer. He serves as managing partner of a 30-lawyer firm that has quintupled in size since its founding. His is also the author of the book, “Less We Can: The Case for Less Government, More Liberty, More Prosperity, and More Security” available at https://www.createspace.com/3610240.

Governor Johnson states, “For several years, Mark Grannis has been sharing how good things in life expand only when government shrinks. His detailed knowledge of how Washington works, from the federal budget to our constitutional liberties, will make him a true Libertarian asset in the House of Representatives.”

Mark Grannis, “Governor Johnson and Judge Gray are at the forefront of a new generation of Libertarian candidates: candidates who not only understand the importance of our liberties, but who also have the background and experience necessary to govern effectively.”

www.grannisforcongress.org

MDLP Executive Board Member Arvin Vohra Elected to LNC

Arvin Vohra, a member of the Maryland Libertarian Party's Executive Committee, was elected to the Libertarian National Committee at this weekends Libertarian National Coventions.

Breaking News: Gary Johnson Nominated as the Libertarian Party's Presidential Candidate

Las Vegas, Nevada: C-SPAN is reporting that Governor Gary Johnson has been officially nominated as the Libertarian Party's Presidential Candidate. Judge Jim Gray a former Superior Court Judge in the State of California has been nominated as his Vice-Presidential Candidate.

The Johnson-Gray ticket for the Libertarian Party is the most qualified and experienced ticket the Libertarian Party has ever put forth.

Live Free!

Corruption

The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates.  

Tacitus

Madison on Making Laws

“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.”

U.S. President James Madison

Muir Boda Announces His Run for Congress in the First District

Muir Boda

A long shot, yes. However, our purpose for standing up and running for congress is quite simple: The message of Individual Liberty and Freedom and restoring our Nation’s Honor must be a viable choice for voters. We offer that.

We don’t anticipate raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and having entrenched political machines robo-calling and printing out wasteful mailers to voters which represent half truths and empty promises (if we send one out it will be a targeted, concise message). We actually believe that is part of the problem with modern politics in America.


Many people are still looking to Washington and the two major political parties to solve all of our problems, actually problems they have created. They have nearly bankrupt our national wealth by devaluing our currency, spending astronomical amounts of money on wars, nation building and a myriad of wasteful programs through a budget process that is broken. All of this set up on on a tax and regulatory system that is oppressive and has destroyed job creation in our country by forcing businesses overseas.

We can continue to elect people from the two major parties who disregard our Constitution by creating laws and giving our government powers not authorized by the Constitution. We can continue trusting the the same group of people to fix our issues of debt and oppression that created the problems. We can continue electing people who have allowed money and special interest to control their decisions and attack good people all for political expediency.

We can continue down this path and our country will continue in the direction that it is currently on which will lead to an economic collapse that will make the great depression look like a drop in the bucket.
Or we can truly change direction and elect people who respect the Constitution and believe that decentralizing the power of Washington is of utmost importance. Individual Liberty and Personal Freedom must be a priority. Eliminating oppressive tax codes, laws and regulation to bring back an economic boom unlike any this country has seen.

We stand at a pivotal moment in our Nation’s history and the choice of electing the Establishment candidates seems like a safe choice. However, the Establishment politicians have brought us to this moment. I can assure you, we are not the Establishment candidate and our goal is to dismantle the monstrosity that the Establishment has created.

www.boda4congress.com

Authority: Muir Boda for Congress, Deborah Anderson Treasurer.

Libertarians to Bernanke: You're wrong

WASHINGTON - Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:
"Associated Press reports today that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is telling Congress they must not cut federal spending sharply. Chairman Bernanke, you're wrong.

"The federal government is currently spending somewhere around 24% of America's total economic output -- even more if you ignore the government's accounting gimmick of 'offsetting receipts.'

"That's far, far too high. 24% of our economy has been displaced out of the productive private sector into the unproductive government sector. The best thing Congress could do right now is to cut spending sharply. That would be good for both our short-term and long-term economic health.

"Chairman Bernanke does not have a fantastic track record. Under his watch, unemployment has increased dramatically, the Fed has more than tripled the money supply, and inflation is rising.

"Chairman Bernanke, I suggest that you read Frederic Bastiat's excellent essay 'What is seen and what is not seen.' I think it would help you reconsider your devotion to Keynesian economics and broken-window fallacies. Government doesn't create economic activity. The American people do."
For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

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

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ROOT: Raising Cain 9-9-9 was good ante. Let’s try 0-15-0.

Wayne Allen Root takes Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan to the next level in his editorial to the Washington Times.

The Looting of America

Throughout her history, the political discussion in America has encompassed a very wide range of issues.  In the last two or three years, however, the discussion has focused on one thing-money.  Whether its the economy, taxes, debt, spending, waste or corruption, it all comes back to money.  One of the primary reasons for this is the unheard of scale of the spending and on what that money is being spent.  Waste measured in millions was bad enough.  Now the graft, corruption, kickbacks and favors are measured in hundreds of billions or even trillions.  We have allowed government to grow so large that the accompanying corruption has become too big to ignore.

     There are two seemingly unrelated stories that illustrate not only the corruption but the reasons for it.  The first is the case of Solyndra.  The basics of this case are as follows.  Solyndra was a solar panel manufacturer hyped by the President as part of his “green energy” initiative that declared bankruptcy earlier this month.  Normally, this wouldn’t have attracted attention beyond Wall Street but in this case, there was half a billion dollars of taxpayer money involved.  Money that is now gone.  Your money.  Five hundred million dollars doesn’t sound like much when we are accustomed to a government in which only amounts over one hundred billion count as real money.  However, what if you, personally, were on the hook for it?  How long would it take you to come up with half a billion dollars?  For the vast, vast majority of us-never.  For an individual in America, a worth of half a billion dollars puts one in the rarefied atmosphere of the “super-rich”.  In most cases, we would have to confiscate the money from all the citizens of whole towns to come up with that kind of money.  Howerver, because it is spread out among all of us, it “only” amounts to about $1.65 for every man, woman and child in America.  $1.65 of your money up in smoke.  Take a dollar out of your wallet and burn it, throw the change down the sewer.  Gone.  (In case that doesn’t get your dander up, “what’s a buck sixty and change?” your personal share of the first stimulus slush fund is over $2300.  Still want to stand there with your wallet and a lighter burning hundred dollar bills?)

    

The Misunderstanding of opposing Subsidizing Extreme Home Makeover

Muir Boda

I think many people misunderstand why there is opposition from many of us who oppose Wicomico County subsidizing the project by Extreme Home Makeover by waving fees, paying overtime to law enforcement and other expenses of the project they requested for no cost by local businesses. I think baseless arguments and finger pointing at the Tea Party and those who oppose Obama has nothing to do with this issue. Saying we are not  “Christian” or are heartless because we do not wish our tax dollars to be used in this manner, again are baseless statements and comments and hold no merit.

First, Extreme Home Makeover is a for profit business. They sell advertising to fund their production and to pay their talent. What they do, I think is a great concept and it has been a very successful show which has led to the indirect success of HGTV. 

I also wish to commend all of the people who donated their time by helping uplift that neighborhood, San Domingo. I do believe this created a sense of volunteerism and tapped into one the greatest assets we have here on the Eastern Shore and that is our willingness to step up to the plate and serve our neighbors and friends when they need it. We saw this with the search for Sarah Foxwell and the outpouring of love to the family of Alice Davis.

The heart of the matter is waving the fees associated with permits and inspections, the waiver of tipping fees and paying law enforcement to work traffic and crowd control around the project. Some say it is worth the price to help the family in need and many on the County Council and in the County Government were quick to waive the fees and get things approved as quickly as possible. Government officials were very quick to cut through red tape so that the project could get underway. 

Yet this is the same County Government that has cut its budget the past couple of years because of decreased revenues. Our board of education is talking of making drastic cuts and changes in our schools because of budget shortfalls. This affects all of our children and families.

This is the hypocrisy many of us are seeing from our elected officials. They nickel and dime everything and then when Hollywood comes calling, they say, “It’s whatever you need.” 

Many have no objection to our tax dollars being used this way because “it’s for a good cause.” They point the finger at many of us who oppose this for not being “Christian” and being heartless. I take exception to that. The Christian thing would have been for all the Churches in the area to help with love offerings to help cover the fees and costs associated with this, not force taxpayers to burden the cost. I did not vote for my elected officials to use my tax dollars or waive fees in this manner.

Charity should be given freely and managed by organizations who do charitable work. For profit businesses should all be treated the same whether they are businesses that provide jobs and sell products or businesses that come into to do “charitable work” but are still businesses for profit.

If someone wants to donate their time, energy and money, I encourage and applaud those people because it is their money that they earned. Tax dollars are everyone’s money and should be used for the basic operations of our government not to grant special favors for pet projects no matter how noble.

Muir Boda

Vice-Chair Maryland Libertarian Party

LP Monday Message: A new year of government spending

October 3, 2011

Dear Friend of Liberty,

The U.S. government's fiscal year ended last Friday. (That was FY 2011.)

Republicans took over the U.S. House last November, and as a result, government spending finally dropped.

Whoops! I have that wrong. Government spending actually increased!

They haven't reported the final numbers yet, but FY 2010 spending was $3.456 trillion, and FY 2011 spending was most recently projected to come in at $3.597 trillion. That's a 4% increase.

Remember, there was no budget passed last year. That means that most of the FY 2011 spending occurred with the approval of the newly elected Republicans. (Remember all those "continuing resolutions"?)

I know, I know. Wait till next year, right?

Even though the press loves to howl about "deep cuts" from Republicans, you and I know there are no such things. Republicans love big government, just like Democrats.

Actually, you could make a case that Democrats are more willing to cut government than Republicans, crazy as that sounds. Many Democrats want to cut military spending -- that's big. But Republicans aren't willing to cut any big-ticket items.

Of course I'm not saying we should trust Democrats to cut government. My point is, Republicans and Democrats are going to keep leapfrogging each other.

Here's how compromise works in Washington: The Democrat says "I want to spend more on program A." The Republican says "I want to spend more on program B." So they compromise, and spend more on both!

The Libertarian Party, on the other hand, will keep fighting to cut government across the board.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.

Government intervention never produces prosperity

Mike Calpino

The results of the statist's dream are reaching fruition in the nightmare we are currently experiencing.
Make no mistake, we are in the early stages of a worldwide financial collapse that is gaining steam. Government's attempt to give everything to everyone has resulted in moral and fiscal bankruptcy from Greece to America.

Democrats and Republicans in this country have spent and borrowed us into this mess. Last week's deal was a Band-aid on a cancer patient; it did nothing. We know it, the market knows it and the world knows it.

We cannot trust the two parties, whose only interest is the maintenance of their power, to solve these problems. More spending, debt and dollar printing are only going to make things worse, much worse.
The fault, however, lies with us. We have allowed politicians to buy us with our own money and that of our great-grandchildren. With it, they have purchased a nation of dependents and slaves, bankrupting us all.

We have traded our liberty for the immoral and inefficient redistribution of our wealth to pay for a pitiful retirement, a bankrupt health system, generational poverty, a stagnant economy and high unemployment.

Anytime government acts beyond the defense of natural rights, it distorts and destroys. Prosperity is the result of freedom, not government intervention. That should now be obvious to all.
When we stop asking government to "do" and to "give," America will return to the peace and prosperity we all desire.

Michael Calpino
Nanticoke

Muir Boda's Comments to the Salisbury City Council

Every government, from the federal level to the municipal level must actively have a balance of power. The executive, legislative and judicial branches are necessary for proper checks and balance on each other.  Authority is given to each branch so that it may execute its duties properly and in accordance with its own specific role. This is government 101.

The current situation that we have with talks of reducing the role, discretion and authority of the Housing Board of Adjustments and Appeals is one of great concern. There is even talk of eliminating the board as a whole.

The HBAA provides a vital role as it acts as part of the judicial branch of government. Every branch of enforcement and executive authority must have an equal branch of the judiciary. In this case, the HBAA acts as the judiciary to Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance which is an extension of the executive branch and enforces the housing code. The role fits perfectly in the system we have as it provides an independent entity to settle disputes between NSCC and those they issue citations to.

Removing the HBAA’s authority or eliminating the board would be a blow to due process when dealing with disputes that arise from alleged housing code violations. Every individual who is accused of a housing code violation or murder must be given the opportunity through due process to defend him or herself.

The great misconception is that landlords are the only ones that benefit from the HBAA. This is not true. Every property owner, whether a landlord or homeowner, property manager or a commercial business owner, has a right to appeal their cases to the HBAA. 

So the question becomes what happens if we remove the authority or eliminate the HBAA? Several things will happen.

• ·         We remove an effective step in the course of due process where issues get resolved quickly and fairly.
• ·         We will increase the cost for the city and for those accused of housing infractions. The current board consists of volunteers. If this board is eliminated then the Circuit Court of Wicomico County is where all appeals will go. This will create a greater burden on a court system that is already overloaded. It will also create a greater burden on taxpayers as Circuit Court costs money to run to pay the judges, clerks and bailiffs.
• ·         The other cost is the City Attorney or Solicitor will be required to act as a prosecutor and will require additional funds to account for his time prosecuting housing code violations in Circuit Court.

o    This then puts citizens at a legal disadvantage and they may need to hire attorneys to defend themselves. Certainly great for the legal business but many things will cascade from here such as fines being increased to account for added costs or the other extreme where enforcement is reduced to a point where issues are never addressed.

The HBAA provides a perfect low cost solution to fulfilling our need for a balance of power when certain and specific types of laws or codes, such as housing codes, are being enforced. The HBAA keeps the executive and the legislative branch’s powers in check and they keep the board’s powers in check through appointments and legislation.

Are we this pathetic?

by Michael Calpino

Michael Calpino

President Obama has now tried to jump start negotiations over the debt ceiling by stating that he could not guarantee government checks for Social Security, veterans benefits, and military pay, to name a few, will go out on time in August if the debt ceiling is not raised. Obviously, this is a scare tactic to get all those government dependents across the land, a majority of us unfortunately, to pressure their congressmen to agree to something. Raising current taxes or reducing future benefits, it doesn’t matter to most people, as long as that government money is in the account on the first of the month. Whether the threat is real or not, the fact is there are a lot of people across the land for whom even the threat of not receiving their government benefits on time raises the specter of real privation.

How sad. How absolutely pathetic. How did the wealthiest nation in the history of mankind fall to the point where the majority of its citizens depend on a pitiful allowance consisting of money stolen from others or borrowed from future generations? How did we come to the point where the ineptitude of our national leaders can impact whether or not we can buy groceries next week? How did we allow ourselves to become so dependent on our masters in Washington that when they so mismanage their financial affairs as to bring us to bankruptcy, the serfs on the land will be reduced to absolute poverty?

Liberty, that antiquated idea that this country was founded upon, is the idea that each man will make choices about his life and he will either benefit from the results or suffer for them. He and he alone. His prosperity or poverty is based only on his decisions and hard work. Your prosperity or poverty should be based only on your decisions and hard work. It should not be based on what happens in Washington, things you have no control over. Our destiny, our ability to meet our basic needs, and our ability to secure our future, should reside within ourselves, our hearts and minds.

Oh, how far the mighty have fallen. Strong, independent American men and women who once viewed obstacles as challenges and whose hard work and persistence built a nation out of the wilderness have been reduced to sniveling beggars who grovel before their masters in Washington, begging them to continue their idiocy just a little longer so they can have their bowls filled with poisonous gruel.

Where are you standing? If the checks stop coming in August will you quickly slide into homelessness and hunger? Does your entire life depend on receiving stolen and borrowed money from the government? It doesn’t matter if the president was lying about the ability to pay benefits or not. The question is whether or not your survival depends on the goodwill of Washington and its ability to continue its financial insanity. We will all suffer when that insanity comes to its logical conclusion whether in August or the next month or year. However, the more independent and better prepared you are, the better position you will be not only to weather the storm but provide a beacon of liberty to show your neighbors the way forward.

“They are obscure, unorganized, inarticulate, each one rubbing along as best they can. They need to be encouraged and braced up, because when everything has gone completely to the dogs, they are the ones who will come back and build a new society, and meanwhile your preaching will reassure them and keep them hanging on. Your job is to take care of the Remnant.”

                              Albert Jay Nock

Barack Obama Suicide Bomber

by Mike Calpino

As the debate over the debt ceiling heats up, each side is looking for an advantage. Except for a few principled holdouts, it would appear that both sides want to raise the ceiling, again, and are using it as a huge bargaining chip. The Republicans are trying to hold the line on taxes, or “revenue enhancements”, and get major spending cuts. We shall see whether they hold fast, the last several months of capitulation don’t hold much promise. The Democrats want to keep every program and increase spending and taxes, particularly on the “rich.” It is clear that President Obama wants to tax and spend, his recent speeches have made that abundantly clear. The question is, what is the end game?


Several years ago I postulated that the Democrats would use economic crisis to remove the Republicans from contention in politics for another generation. Their ability to demonize Republicans, particularly “conservative” Republicans, has been very successful over the years. If a “compromise” is reached, which is the most likely outcome, we will borrow even more and demonstrate to the world that we have no intention of reigning in our spending and balancing our budget. The compromise will probably take the following form. The Democrats will agree to a few trillion in cuts over the next ten years, meaning we’ll only borrow an additional twelve trillion dollars instead of sixteen trillion from our children and grandchildren. The Republicans will agree to some revenue enhancements like closing loopholes. Remember, a “loophole” is a legal way to keep more of your money so read that “tax increase”. This will anger the TEA party, conservatives and libertarians among the Republican party who will either actively abandon them and go elsewhere or simply give up and stop supporting them. This will ensure Democrat victory in the near term and as the economy continues to falter under the greater debt and tax load, more dependents will be created-read “Democrat voters.”

That is one possibility. What if a deal is not reached? What if on August 3rd we find ourselves unable to borrow the forty cents on every dollar we are currently spending? All of a sudden our government will be forced to live on the two hundred billion dollars that come in every month in taxes and no more. In the face of the fact that we have taken on obligations we cannot pay for, we will suddenly find ourselves in the position of having to choose priorities. If it were your household, you would be choosing between car and house payments, food, the cable and cell phone bills, the utilities. It is assumed that our first priority will be to pay the interest on our outstanding debt and redeeming bonds that come due in order to maintain our fiscal health and credit rating. Beyond that President Obama will have the discretion to choose which bills get paid. If the end game is to put the Republicans far in the back of the bus, as the President puts it, he will spend or not spend to his and the Democrat’s political advantage. He will slow or reduce welfare and social security payments, reduce Medicare reimbursements and panic the largest constituencies while blaming the Republicans and the rich who won’t contribute their fair share. The pressure won’t have to be applied long before the debt ceiling will be raised and the Democrats will get everything they want. More spending, more taxes and a new tactic for fear mongering. If you elect those mean Republicans, they won’t raise the debt ceiling next time and your benefits will go away. If the accumulation of power is the end, this is certainly an effective means.

A libertarian view: Neither party is serious about debt reduction (The Baltimore Sun Version)

Originally published in the Baltimore Sun

Muir Boda - Vice Chair Maryland Libertarian Party

President James Madison said each generation should bear the burden of its own wars, not foist their expense off on future generations. Since Barack Obama became president, he and the Congress have been responsible for one-third of the current national debt. Record spending for entitlements, war, bailouts to banks, businesses and states have paved the way for future unfunded liabilities of up to $100 trillion.

Obama and the Democrats, who hold to the Keynesian theory of economics, spout the class warfare argument that we need to tax corporate jet owners and raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires to preserve the sacred cows of big government.

Meanwhile, the clueless leadership of the Republican Party demands spending cuts that are only symbolic. Even if both parties got their way — by closing tax loopholes and cutting spending — the savings wouldn't be enough to reduce our national debt, which is the greatest threat to our nation's security.

Essentially, we are borrowing on the earnings of future generations, our children and grandchildren who have not joined the workforce or even been born yet.

Madison warned us of the need for each generation to pay its own way. If he could have envisioned the burden we are heaping on the backs of future generations, he would be appalled by the corrupt and morally decrepit actions of elected leaders at all levels of government. I know I am.

Muir Boda
The writer is vice chair of the Maryland Libertarian Party and managing editor of IndependentWord.com.

A Libertarian Case for Monarchy

by Leland B. Yeager from Mises.org
[Is the Market a Test of Truth and Beauty? (2011). This article was originally published in Liberty, (2004).]

Clear thought and discussion suffer when all sorts of good things, like liberty, equality, fraternity, rights, majority rule, and general welfare — some in tension with others — are marketed together under the portmanteau label “democracy.” Democracy’s core meaning is a particular method of choosing, replacing, and influencing government officials (Schumpeter 1950). It is not a doctrine of what government should and should not do. Nor is it the same thing as personal freedom or a free society or an egalitarian social ethos. True enough, some classical liberals, like Thomas Paine (1791) and Ludwig von Mises (1919), did scorn hereditary monarchy and did express touching faith that representative democracy would choose excellent leaders and adopt policies truly serving the common interest. Experience has taught us better, as the American founders already knew when constructing a government of separated and limited powers and of only filtered democracy.
As an exercise, and without claiming that my arguments are decisive, I’ll contend that constitutional monarchy can better preserve people’s freedom and opportunities than democracy as it has turned out in practice.[1]
My case holds only for countries where maintaining or restoring (or conceivably installing) monarchy is a live option.[2] We Americans have sounder hope of reviving respect for the philosophy of our Founders. Our traditions could serve some of the functions of monarchy in other countries.
An unelected absolute ruler could conceivably be a thoroughgoing classical liberal. Although a wise, benevolent, and liberal-minded dictatorship would not be a contradiction in terms, no way is actually available to assure such a regime and its continuity, including frictionless succession.
Some element of democracy is therefore necessary; totally replacing it would be dangerous. Democracy allows people some influence on who their rulers are and what policies they pursue. Elections, if not subverted, can oust bad rulers peacefully. Citizens who care about such things can enjoy a sense of participation in public affairs.
Anyone who believes in limiting government power for the sake of personal freedom should value also having some nondemocratic element of government besides courts respectful of their own narrow authority. While some monarchists are reactionaries or mystics, others (like Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn and Sean Gabb, cited below) do come across as genuine classical liberals.