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.

Madison on War Powers

“The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war.”

U.S. President James Madison

Independentword.com is Officially Launched

Tilghman Media is proud to announce the debut of the political news website, IndependentWord.com.

Salisbury, MD (PRWEB) July 04, 2011

Independent Word will function as an “overt operation” website, intending to debate controversial issues while bridging an alliance with news writers, reporters and commentators whose various political ideologies share the common pursuit of truth and liberty in America.

Independent Word invites conservative, liberal, libertarian and independent writers to contribute to the website and encourage participation in the discussion of the issues of today.

The website is to be headed by three individuals: John Blythe, an entertainment media entrepreneur and founder of FRI, Jonathan Boda, a writer/researcher, and Muir Boda, Vice Chairman of the Maryland Libertarian Party.

About Tilghman Media: Muir Boda is the owner of Tilghman Media, a company that operates http://www.sby4rent.com and the forthcoming magazine “Lower Shore Rentals and More”. Mr. Boda is currently the Vice-Chair of the Maryland Libertarian Party.

About FRI: Mr. Blythe is president of Film Regions International, Inc. (FRI), a start-up production company that aims to produce high quality independent films to be marketed to festivals and worldwide distributors. Since 2005, FRI has produced and/or co-produced several low-budget feature films from various countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and South East Asia. Some of the upcoming feature films on the company’s slate include My Amityville Horror, Operation Mongoose, A Reckoning, Wretched and Someday when the Rain Falls.

Visit us at: http://www.independentword.com.
###

The Declaration of Independence

Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776

The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World.

HE has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good.

HE has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing Importance, unless suspended in their Operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

HE has refused to pass other Laws for the Accommodation of large Districts of People, unless those People would relinquish the Right of Representation in the Legislature, a Right inestimable to them, and formidable to Tyrants only.

HE has called together Legislative Bodies at Places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the Depository of their public Records, for the sole Purpose of fatiguing them into Compliance with his Measures.

HE has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly Firmness his Invasions on the Rights of the People.

HE has refused for a long Time, after such Dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the Dangers of Invasion from without, and Convulsions within.

HE has endeavoured to prevent the Population of these States; for that Purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their Migrations hither, and raising the Conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

HE has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

HE has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and the Amount and Payment of their Salaries.

HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance.

HE has kept among us, in Times of Peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our Legislatures.

HE has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

FOR quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:

FOR protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

FOR cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:

FOR imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

FOR depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

FOR transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences:

FOR abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an arbitrary Government, and enlarging its Boundaries, so as to render it at once an Example and fit Instrument for introducing the same absolute Rule into these Colonies:

FOR taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

FOR suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all Cases whatsoever.

HE has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

HE is, at this Time, transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the Works of Death, Desolation, and Tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous Ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized Nation.

HE has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the Executioners of their Friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

HE has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction, of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions.

IN every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People.

NOR have we been wanting in Attentions to our British Brethren. We have warned them from Time to Time of Attempts by their Legislature to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the Circumstances of our Emigration and Settlement here. We have appealed to their native Justice and Magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the Ties of our common Kindred to disavow these Usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our Connections and Correspondence. They too have been deaf to the Voice of Justice and of Consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the Necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of Mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace, Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Rectitude of our Intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political Connection between them and the State of Great-Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. —And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock. Frans. Lewis.

Samuel Chase. Lewis Morris.

Wm. Paca. Richd. Stockton.

Thos. Stone. Jno Witherspoon.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Fras. Hopkinson.

George Wythe. John Hart.

Richard Henry Lee. Abra Clark.

Th Jefferson. Josiah Bartlett.

Benja Harrison. Wm. Whipple.

Thos. Nelson jr. Saml Adams.

Francis Lightfoot Lee. John Adams.

Carter Braxton. Robt Treat Paine.

Robt Morris. Elbridge Gerry.

Benjamin Rush. Step Hopkins.

Benja. Franklin. William Ellery.

John Morton. Roger Sherman.

Geo Clymer. Saml Huntington.

Jas Smith. WmWilliams.

Geo. Taylor. Oliver Wolcott.

James Wilson. Matthew Thornton.

Geo. Ross. Wm Hooper.

Caesar Rodney. Joseph Hewes.

Geo Read. John Penn.

Tho M: Kean. Edward Rutledge.

Wm Floyd. Thos Heyward Junr.

Phil. Livingston. Thomas Lynch Junr.

Arthur Middleton. Lyman Hall.

Button Gwinnett. Geo Walton.

Why Legalize Now?

by Mark Thornton

Originally Posted on mises.org

Suddenly the world is abuzz with talk about legalizing marijuana and other drugs. Political candidates, politicians, former presidents, interest groups, and even the Global Commission on Drug Policy are all calling for drug-policy reform. Given that we are in a worldwide economic and fiscal crisis, why is everyone interested in drug policy? Have we all suddenly regained our senses and realized that prohibition is irrational?

No, the more important reason for the interest in this issue is economic sense. Drug prohibition is a burden on taxpayers. It is a burden on government budgets. It is a burden on the criminal-justice system. It is a burden on the healthcare system. The economic crisis has intensified the pain from all these burdens. Legalization reduces or eliminates all of these burdens. It should be no surprise that alcohol prohibition was repealed at the deepest depths of the Great Depression.

Two Republican presidential candidates, former governor Gary Johnson and Congressman Ron Paul, support legalization. Ron Paul and Barney Frank have introduced legislation that would allow the states to legalize marijuana without federal interference. Former president Jimmy Carter recently published an editorial in the New York Times calling for an end of the global war on drugs, a position he has held since he was president.

The organization LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, has recently released a report entitled “Ending the Drug War: A Dream Deferred” on the 40th anniversary of the War on Drugs. They are critical of the war and point out that President Obama is actually making things worse. Finally, and maybe most importantly, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has issued a report that declares the war on drugs a failure and provides recommendations for reform.

Ballot Access Case: WE WON!!!!

A huge thanks on behalf of and from the Maryland Libertarian Party to Mark Grannis and his firm for representing us in our fight to stay on the ballot in Maryland. Mark's firm, Wiltshire & Grannis released a statement that I posted here on Independent Word with the pdf versions of the complaint, motion and ruling attached to the post.

There are many other people we need to thank for this victory including Doug McNeil who has worked tirelessly and is our own official Ballot Access "Guru". This is not only a great victory for the MdLP and the Green Party it is a victory for those who desire more than the typical two choices at the polls and a victory for ballot initiatives in our state.

Now it is back to work to continue our never ending battle at defending Liberty. 

Libertarian Party: 40 years is enough - end the Drug War

WASHINGTON - June 17, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of America's War on Drugs. Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:
"On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a 'War on Drugs,' which has become a relentless violation of the lives and property of Americans, including many who have never taken illegal drugs. These violations continue under President Barack Obama, an admitted former cocaine user who has shown no hesitation in throwing people into prison -- a punishment he might have suffered had he been caught. Moreover, although promising to respect medical marijuana use in states where voters have approved it, the Obama administration has already conducted close to 100 raids on patients, growers, and compassion centers in those states.

"America's first experiment in prohibition involved alcohol, and is widely recognized as a failure. Approved in 1919, Prohibition I led to a steady rise in both alcohol usage and violent crime. The murder rate rose 50% between 1919 and 1933, peaking at 9.7 murders per 100,000 population in 1933, when the country finally decided enough was enough. Immediately after the repeal of Prohibition I, gangsterism went into a swift decline, with all of the major gangs disappearing within 18 months, and the murder rate dropping every single year for more than a decade.

"Prohibition II -- the War on Drugs -- has been another tragedy. We applaud the efforts of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization of current and former police, prosecutors, judges, DEA agents, and others, which issued a 20-page report this month detailing the tragic results of this misguided crusade, entitled 'Ending the Drug War: a Dream Deferred.'

"In their report, LEAP documented some of the measurable costs: over a million people arrested each year, a trillion dollars spent, and drug gangsterism at a level that dwarfs its alcohol equivalent and which has led to a bloodbath in Mexico that is spilling over into the United States. Not because of drugs, but because of drug laws. And over 120 million Americans have used illicit drugs: only the most deluded observer believes the laws have curbed drug abuse, and only the cruelest believes that 40% of the American population belongs in prison. No wonder 67% of police chiefs say the War on Drugs is a failure.

"Ultimately, of course, this tragedy is the result of our government's refusal to allow people to engage in peaceful choices as to what they consume. Even if drug use were to rise upon a return to the American tradition of tolerance that existed before the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act, our streets would be safer, innocent people would not have their homes raided and pets killed by narcotics agents entering the wrong house, victims of asset forfeiture laws wouldn't have their houses and other assets seized without due process, and resources would be freed to spend on improving peoples' lives instead of destroying them.

"Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drug use, including substances classified as hard drugs. As a Cato Report entitled 'Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies' showed, drug use dropped over the next several years and the Portuguese now use marijuana at lower levels than Americans use cocaine.

"It only took Americans 14 years to realize the insanity of Prohibition I. Both practical considerations and simple human decency demand that our government end Prohibition II now."
The Libertarian Party platform includes the following:

1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating "crimes" without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.

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.

Libertarians say Obama's Afghanistan policy is a failure

WASHINGTON - Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle responded to President Obama's June 22 speech with the following comments today:
"President Obama's speech was disappointing, but not surprising. The withdrawals he announced are painfully inadequate. Obama's withdrawals, even if they are carried out as he described, will still leave about 70,000 American troops in Afghanistan, probably for years to come. The president is commander-in-chief of the military. He has the power to end the war now, and withdraw all American troops, and that's what he should do.

"The U.S. has no business fighting a war in Afghanistan. Nearly three years ago, our Libertarian National Committee adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of our armed forces from Afghanistan. We are saddened and angry that there are now more troops there than ever.
"Obama talked about 'ending the war responsibly.' I think the word 'responsibly' is a weaselly escape hatch in case Obama doesn't want to withdraw more troops later. He will just say, 'That would be irresponsible -- I need to keep the war going strong.'

"This war causes the Afghan people to justifiably feel a greater hatred toward America. It makes American taxpayers poorer. And it emboldens other would-be aggressors, who can point to American intervention in Afghanistan whenever they feel like doing the same elsewhere.

"There are two big winners from the continuation of this war: Our military-industrial complex, which seems to have the president in its back pocket, and the Afghan government, which continues to enjoy tremendous benefits at the expense of the American taxpayer.

"If anything, Republican reactions to the president's speech were even more ridiculous than the speech itself. Republican Senator John McCain fretted that this withdrawal was not 'modest' enough.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, feeling the need to criticize Obama despite the fact that they basically agree on everything, complained of an 'arbitrary timetable.' Republican House Speaker John Boehner worried about losing our 'gains' in Afghanistan. All these comments show an inability to comprehend an intelligent, modest foreign policy, as well as a serious lack of respect for American taxpayers."

The Libertarian Party platform includes the following:

3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

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.

9% Approval Rating for Congress: The Reasons?

by John Blythe

Originally Posted on Independent Word

Well you gotta love it! A recent Rasmussen poll shows that Congress’ approval rating is tied at an all time low of just 9%. It’s pretty pathetic.

One must ask why our Congressional leaders, the people we elect to represent us and to establish policy and law, are universally hated by almost everyone in America.

Certainly, Congressman Anthony Weiner’s little fraternity act exposing X-rated pictures of himself doesn’t help the reputation of the now irrelevent Congress. It also doesn’t help that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is calling for an ethics investigation for Weiner, still won’t force him to resign, even though the pressure is mounting. This is the same Nancy Pelosi who vowed to “drain the swamp” in Washington and the same Nancy Pelosi, when she was elected as Speaker of the House in 2006, wanted to have “the most honest, ethical and transparent Congress in our nation’s history.”

I suppose the American people are remembering some of this bull crap and realize that Mrs. Pelosi plays the game of double standards. Interestingly, the same Rasmussen poll showed that 42% of Americans believe members of Congress are simply corrupt. Indeed they appear to be.

Additionally, Speaker John Boehner, who voters sent a very clear message to back in November, is seemingly doing nothing about improving the way Congress conducts business.

It seems that both the House and the Senate simply don’t care about the Constitution anymore, nor do they care about promoting basic American values. So while Congressman Weiner and Congressman Chris Lee before him, put photos of themselves exposed on the internet, we have a President that is acting like a mini-dictator, a crippled economy, tens of millions of Americans out of work, the housing market at an all time low, a Federal Reserve rapidly inflating our currency, $14 trillion in national debt, a war in Libya that nobody even knows why we’re there in the first place and Obama Care which was shoved down the country’s throat last year.

Interestingly, Congress has authority over all of these issues. When the framers of the Constitution established a legislature, it was Congress who is supposed to be the dominate force of government in America with authority over the President. Unfortunately, what has happened over time is that Presidents have largely rubberstamped their own party in Congress to set an agenda, rather than for the fundamental good of the American people. If any of our current members of Congress read the Constitution, they would understand this, but apparently they’re too busy taking lewd pictures of themselves.

If Congress sincerely wants to achieve a better approval rating, then maybe they should start exercising the authority granted to them in the Constitution. First of all, start supporting business and capitalism in America instead of outsourcing jobs to China or anywhere else. Congress should re-stablish good regulation on commerce and Wall Street to prevent another meltdown of the economy and the scapegoating of millionaire banking executives. Allow an internal audit of the Federal Reserve to see where money has trickled down to over the last 90 plus years, in addition to the bailout and TARP program. As to the War in Libya, if a President authorizes air strikes on any sovereign nation that is not a threat to national security and done so without Congressional approval, it is simply a violation of the U.S. Constitution, regardless of the War Powers Act. Why is the President not undergoing impeachment proceedings? And Obama Care? More than two thousand pages long? Here’s an idea: Read the damn bill!

Quite frankly, I am disgusted with Speaker Boehner, the Republican controlled House and the Democratic controlled Senate. When Boehner said that America had sent a clear message to Congress in November and things would change, we all believed him. As usual, nothing changes. And the members of Congress talk about these ridiculous ideas of submitting proposals to solve our country’s problems with a straight face and we believe them. Are we morons?

Maybe we are morons. After all, we keep re-electing the same ineffective, non-productive people to Washington that have been destroying our country. In some regard, I would say that Congress is responsible for generating a 9% approval rating, because they don’t listen to the people that elect them to office. On the otherhand, why do we keep re-electing them, if they’re not doing anything?

The United States of America, once the largest economy in the world, has now diminished so rapidly, because these jackasses in Washington refuse to do anything. It is an absolute pathetic disgrace.