Christmas Caroling...

Another Christmas tradition that is often seen on Christmas Invitations is caroling, it's not uncommon to see carolers depicted on Christmas Party invitations or to have caroling be a part of the planned invitations Christmas party theme. The creation of carols is attributed by many to go back as far as St. Francis of Assisi during the 12th century. Whether you want carolers or something else to adorn your Christmas invitation, you can find unique and exclusive designs at www.cardsshoppe.com, where you also get free shipping and ten free thank you cards with your order...

Homeland Security to cut newspapers to save money

I suppose every penny saved matters but...From USA Today:

The Department of Homeland Security "is consolidating subscriptions to professional publications and newspapers, and, where possible, encouraging the use of free online publications rather than purchase the print version."

Anticipated savings total $47,160 in fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

Blaming Libertarians for the whole "birther" saga

Recommended blog post by Austin Petersen on the Libertarian Party website that addresses the accusation being made by some that Libertarians are involved in the whole "birther" saga, yes, related to was Obama born in the United States. Part of the post:

Recently, some elements of the right have been pressing the Obama birth certificate issue into the public light. Most notably, a segment on Lou Dobbs has added fuel to the fire by legitimizing their claims in the mainstream media. Chris Matthews featured a segment where Ken Vogel of Politico claims that the libertarian fringe are pressing the issue.

In my estimation however, the birther issue has been more of a Constitution Party issue than a Libertarian one.

This is an obvious swat at a movement that is making the establishment very nervous these days so they are going take any occasion they can to smear us. We can expect more and more of this in the future as the liberty movement is gaining traction and freedom becomes more popular.

Libertarians understand that the entire issue does not even matter in a larger sense. If were true that Barack Obama were a foreign born citizen I doubt there is anything the American citizens could do about it. The combined efforts of the entire capitalist grassroots network couldn’t stop the bailout from happening. The last century has been spent with the Executive Branch amassing enough power to do whatever they want so that even if credible evidence emerged that Obama was foreign born (and it hasn’t) then they could ignore it. Or maybe Nancy Pelosi would ram a bill through Congress changing the law ex post facto with several key Republicans signing on citing equality of opportunity for foreign born citizens.

Candy Corn & Halloween...

I'm a fan of candy corn so this Halloween invitation caught my eye, and made me think a bit more about the history of candy corn while I looked at Halloween Party Invitations. Did you know that the first candy corns were made by hand? They were the creation of George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company in the 1880s. If you want to make your invitations Halloween even more special you could actually include some candy corn, or if there's another image you'd like to include www.invitations-shoppe.com will let you add any photo, picture or logo to any of their cards. They'll also modify any card design or color you request. Which means your Party Halloween Invitations can be as sweet as you want them...

Speakers being lined up for Libertarian convention in 2010

To keep up to date on the details, if you don't already read Independent Political Report, you might want to bookmark it.

So far:

David Nolan, one of the Party’s 1971 co-founders
Gary Nolan, syndicated radio talk show host and 2004 LP presidential candidate
Mary Ruwart, noted author and 2008 presidential candidate
Dr. James W. Lark, III, former chair slated to address the Torch Club. ($1k donors)
Jeff Davis, a radio personality who produces “Just a Thought” commentaries.

Are on the list of speakers with more to be announced...

Libertarians concerned about Sotomayor

Recommended article from Small Government Times which is really kind of interesting when you take into consideration the pressure being put on the Blue Dog Democrats with Hacker's op piece I blogged about on Liberal Common Sense.

Part of the recommended read penned from the Libertarian perspective:

Libertarians announced their opposition to the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation early, after reviewing her troubling record on individual, property and gun rights. The Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 to send the nomination to the full Senate. South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham joined the committee’s 12 Democrats.

“A judge’s record is the best indicator of what they will do on the Court, and Judge Sotomayor’s record is one of opposition to the individual right to keep and bear arms. Libertarians, and all of America’s 90 million gun owners, will remember how you voted,” said Donny Ferguson, Libertarian National Committee Communications Director. “Your vote on Judge Sotomayor may come back to haunt you one November.”

Thinking of escaping...

while the weather here is nice now, it's been one of the colder July's in recent history, which when you look at pictures like the one shared here, it should be easy to see why the Outer Banks is a tempting place to escape to. I also have friends that have moved to that area not long ago, so I'd be able to not only get away but catch up with them and how things are going for them since they've moved away. This is one part of the country that I have not yet been able to visit so it keeps getting moved up on my own personal "bucket list."

Thinking of showers

I anticipated being able to come home after participating in a local community event that required boating on the Maumee river and taking a shower. Alas, instead of being able to wash away the sweat of the day my bathroom was over taken by teens who slept in while we were on the river. Which made me think about how glad I'll be when we are ready to move into our house that we are renovating, since it has two bathrooms, where I can dream about Grohe faucets and plan for a European styled pull out spray faucet in my kitchen with perhaps one of the shower systems...

A reason to visit...

Brian Doherty's post Two Periodical Looks at Libertarianism's Past is a highly recommended read because of the material he's linked. If you have never heard of The Mises Institute? It's one you will want to become familiar with, especially if you are interested in history.

Libertarian Nirvana

That's what the Porcupine Freedom Festival is referenced as in this Washington Post article that went online today. It's an interesting read, a few selected parts:

It hasn't been an easy message to sell these past few years. Their group, the Free State Project, has struggled to attract followers. But now, with Americans thinking anew about the reach and role of government, Free Staters see at least the hint of an opening.

So this weekend, they drink to the future. Between swigs of a custom brew called Overregulated Ale, they ridicule the Federal Reserve, applaud the defeat of a bill that would have required the wearing of seat belts, bemoan higher taxes and restrictions on gun rights.

"We said bad things are going to happen and they happen," Jason Sorens, a political science professor, preaching to the crowd clustered around picnic tables. "We say, we told you so."

Orange appears the most common Halloween color

As I've been sharing some of the popular Halloween Invitations with you, I've noticed that the most common color used in Halloween Party Invitations is orange. Pumpkins appear most often, followed by ghosts, on the typical Invitations Halloween style, either as a fall decoration or a jack-o-lantern. When you order your Halloween Invitation from Invitations-shoppe.com you not only get free shipping and 10 thank you cards for free, but they print and ship your order the same day it's approved. That gives you more time to worry about finding the perfect pumpkin...

No More Libertarians?

Mike Treder writes a piece pointing out his concerns with the Libertarian political movement on Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies. He makes some interesting points, a few of which:

Many people, including some of us who identify as left-wing progressives, can see the appeal of a political approach that combines fiscal conservatism with liberalism on social issues. It would be quite nice if we lived in a world where individuals would have full freedom in their private lives and be protected in their civil rights, and where governments could closely restrain spending, keeping taxes low.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in that place. Passionate, concerted effort is still required to help others gain and maintain basic human rights, both here in the West and especially in the developing world. Monumental challenges like global warming, widespread malnutrition, and the threat of pandemic disease can best be addressed through the blend of a mixed economy alongside representative governance.

Conditions simply don’t exist today in which classic libertarianism either makes good sense or can attain broad popularity. Perhaps they never will.

It's one of the reasons I've struggled with believing in the smaller government aspect on a federal basis and supporting liberalism on social issues as well as firmly believing that our federal government was not supposed to have the power it does over states. It's why though I am on paper a Democrat, I consider myself a "liberal libertarian" from a philosophical standpoint where neither the current Libertarian Party or the Republican Party is one I am fully comfortable with. On local and state issues, I support more Democrats because of they share a similar ideology...

Party invitation sayings...

When you look at a Halloween Invitation did you ever wonder who wrote it? There are people who's job is to create the graphics and sayings for Halloween Party invitations, who spend a good part of their day writing Halloween invitations and for other holidays. Then of course there are those looking for invitation Halloween perfection who want something designed just for them, companies like Holiday-Invitations.com will do that as well as add any picture or logo you want.

Wes Benedict new executive director of National Libertarian Party

I thought this would make more news than it did, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, from the Daily Texan:

Austin political activist Wes Benedict will take over as the executive director for the National Libertarian Party today.

Benedict previously served as the director for the Libertarian Party of Texas from 2004 to 2008 and has run for Austin City Council three times.

He makes the move to Washington following Libertarian Bob Barr’s presidential campaign in which Barr garnered 523,686 votes, according to the Federal Election Commission. The result was the second-most by a third-party candidate in the 2008 election as well as a Libertarian Party record.

Although this accounted for only 0.4 percent of the vote, it was seen as a success by third-party voters who hope that taking votes from the two major parties will force people to consider their issues, said Rock Howard, the Travis County Libertarian Party chair.

Of Ponds and pond scum...

I've always wanted a pond, which of course won't be possible in the yard of our house unless it's more like a small fish pond/water garden but even one that small would need some type of pond aerators to keep the pond scum to a minimum and if you wanted to have fish, keep them healthy. That would be the one downside to a smaller water garden, it would be very hard to keep the fish alive during the winter. So, I'd have to opt for water lilies or other water plants, or I could settle for a rain garden since they are also good for the environment, or perhaps both...I've been dreaming about an Asian themed garden area for the back yard, a small water garden with a fountain would be the perfect place to relax and unwind.

After Circuit City now what?

I didn't often buy things online from Circuit City but we used to go to the store here in Toledo because at times if we needed things in a hurry, like our last internet router, they were cheaper than any of the other stores in town. Now, of course they are gone, and it's smarter to try to wait and buy things online because if you are not careful some of the stores charge more at the store than they do online. I've discovered this several times and when you point it out, they will match the price, but only if you point it out. It's one reason why you should always check online...

Two Chu's and a Libertarian

I couldn't help wonder if there was any voter confusion considering both the Democrat and the Republican had the same last name when I read this Ballot Access News piece:

On July 14, California held a special election to fill the vacant U.S. House seat, 32nd district. The results: Democrat Judy Chu 61.67%; Republican Betty Chu 33.12%; Libertarian Christopher Agrella 5.21%.

This is the first time this district has had a contest between a Democrat and a Republican since 2002. In 2002, the vote had been: Democratic 68.79%, Republican 27.46%, Libertarian 3.74%. The district is centered in the Los Angeles County towns of El Monte and Covina.

Before you replace think about upgrading...

Unless you find a really great deal on a computer, sometimes you can make a huge difference in your computer's performance by upgrading your system memory rather than buying a new pc. There are also a huge number of things you can purchase, such as an external harddrive that can not only back up your present computer but can allow you to remove files that you no longer need and free up computer space. It's why I always advise people to look at what their system is and how much it would cost to upgrade it before they decide to buy new...

The digital revolution makes sharing information easier

Back when I first started blogging years ago it was more difficult and expensive to buy the kind of equipment that was needed to be able to record press conferences and other events. Now, thanks to digital cameras and digital camcorders I can easily go record an entire press conference in full, come home and depending on how quickly YouTube wants to cooperate with me, have the video online within hours, sometimes even sooner. Why this becomes important is typically the media only shows you a few moments with a few soundbites from a press conference and there are times when much more is said that if you were not there? You don't know about...

Libertarians: Theft Makes a Poor Memorial

This release was sent out by the The Center for Libertarian Press Information:

Libertarians call on the U.S. Government to forgo the threatened seizure of hundreds of acres of privately owned land for a memorial in western Pennsylvania near Shanksville, where Flight 93 crashed in 2001. They further ask the Park Service to reconsider spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on an extensive memorial, and to instead finance any memorial completely through volunteer contributions.

"The Park Service has had nearly a decade to work with local landowners, and NOW they decide that it's imperative to get the land within the next week," said Rachel Hawkridge, representative to the Libertarian Party's National Committee. "Besides the fact that there can be no 'fair market value' in a forced transaction, we have the underlying issue that ALL of the tax money spent on the memorial has been taken by force or the threat of force. If folks want a memorial, they will be happy to contribute to one - and it will be the exact size that people want it to be. The idea that the Park Service can propose commemorating the self-sacrifice of 40 individuals with the forced sacrifice of the efforts of other individuals indicates to me that the terrorists have, in some small way, won part of the battle already."

Libertarians also decry the purchase of nearly 1,000 acres of land from a coal-mining company, with proceeds to be (according to the Park Service) "placed in a trust fund to operate and maintain in perpetuity the treatment of mine water from a sediment pond on a reclaimed surface mine." To Lee Wrights, representative to the Libertarian Party's National Committee, "this seems like a not-very-subtle way of getting the taxpayers to pay for post-mining remediation. A great deal for PBS Coals; a terrible deal for Americans who have more pressing personal financial needs than bailing out big businesses."

This July has been cold....

I'm not going to start yelling global warming, but it has been cooler this July so far in my part of the country than last year. In a way I really don't mind because our house doesn't have air conditioning and I'm certain the warmer weather will eventually come. It has however made the idea of going to Florida a bit more appealing, which of course would have been more appealing had JetAmerica not did away with their flights that were $9.00...But...it still is rather inexpensive to fly to Florida when compared to other places. Who knows I could hire a Fort Myers photographer to take some professional shots that I can tease others with this winter when the snow is piling up.

:-)

Libertarians say: Government (Regulation) Kills!

The following media release was sent out by the The Center for Libertarian Press Information:

The old adage “the operation was a success, but the patient died” is never more true than when government gets into the healthcare business. The restrictions on midwives were and remain an excellent example.

Ever since the first licensing laws were passed well over a century ago, healthcare in America has not been part of a free market. Those laws were passed with pressure from one group of medical professionals to give them protection from competition. The laws had little to do with protecting patients' health, and nothing to do with protecting their freedom to choose among medical practitioners.

Licensing laws were successful in killing the competition from midwives, but at the same time they harmed new mothers and their babies. Minority communities were especially affected, because they were denied the choice of alternative, less expensive, healthcare providers who were forced from business by the new regulations.

In his book “Born in the USA”, author Marsden Wagner, MD, MS, notes that Scandinavia and the Western Europe countries where midwives handle births have a lower rate of maternal and infant mortality than the more highly-regulated United States.

Washington State Libertarian and former gubernatorial candidate Ruth Bennett notes “Midwifery has started to make a comeback, but many states still restrict certain types of midwives. Women are still denied a choice and the results show up in the death statistics. Midwives also have lower rates of unnecessary procedures and Caesarian births. Opening the market to midwives can save lives as well as dollars”.

Speciality lawyers...

Our system of government and courts has become so complicated that there are a variety of areas where lawyers specialize in. This goes far beyond what you might think of when you think of lawyers that specialize in accidents or injuries, where specific diseases have created enough lawsuits that there are firms that specialize on one or more of these areas. Mesothelioma lawyers is just one example that over a decade ago you probably would not have heard about.

Libertarian Party Founder David F. Nolan letter...

An Open Letter to the Libertarian National Committee - I recommend all of it but a few selected parts I found particularly of merit:

And there is an important lesson to be learned from the success of the Paul campaign and the C4L. That lesson is that it pays to be bold. Notice that the grassroots uprising sparked by the Ron Paul campaign calls itself the Ron Paul REVOLUTION. Not the "Ron Paul gradual reform movement." They're calling for ending the Federal personal income tax, not just mouthing empty platitudes about "lower taxes" or "more freedom." (Compared to what? What we have now? Obama's proposals?) And they are gaining adherents far more rapidly than the Libertarian Party is; the C4L currently has five to ten times as many members as we do!

As I see it, the Libertarian Party has gone far astray from its original mission. Somewhere along the way, our commitment to being The Party of Principle was replaced by a shallow, opportunistic goal of "winning elections now" -- any election, anywhere. Principles be damned, according to the proponents of this vision. We should back off from "scary" positions, tone down our rhetoric, find out "what voters want," and tailor our message to what they want to hear.

Most of us are not John Thain....

When it comes to buying office furniture most of us are not like Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain who in 2008 spent 1.2 million dollars to have his office re-furbished. One of the many pricey items was a $87,000 area rug. When his purchases came to light he claimed he was going to reimburse Merrill Lynch but one really wonders had this not come to light would he have? If he was using his own money the first time would he have spent so much? Those are the questions that have no answers, but for those of us who's house may not be worth as much as his area rug? We wonder...

Could we put government on a diet?

Government in many ways is similar to people, when there is fat you need to figure out how to get rid of it, and no matter how much exercise you do, it comes down to making good decisions. You can try to find the best diet pills but similar to cutting government fat, there are no quick and easy solutions. A sensible diet is also needed, you can't take in 4,000 calories a day and not exercise and expect to lose weight. The Government can't take in $4,000 and spend $8,000 without it eventually catching up to them...Perhaps part of the reason so many people have difficulty with both is because they don't want to make choices. While you can have your cake and diet too, you have to have smaller portions...not the whole cake...

Why some Libertarians took issue with Sotomayor...

There is one main reason that some Libertarian groups actively opposed the appointment of Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, her stance on guns and self defense.

Though it doesn't appear any of these concerns expressed mattered, they are worth pointing out:

WASHINGTON — America’s third largest party reiterated its opposition Wednesday to the Supreme Court nomination of federal judge Sonia Sotomayor after the nominee refused to give a firm answer on whether individuals have the right of self-defense.

“Is there a constitutional right to self-defense?” Sotomayor asked when questioned by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) whether or not the Constitution guaranteed him the right of self-defense. “ I can’t think of one. I could be wrong.”

“Whether you agree with her position or not, Judge Sotomayor has had no problem stating that things not directly found in the Constitution are ‘settled law.’ That’s why it’s troubling that when confronted with a constitutionally-enshrined principle she disagrees with, the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of one’s rights, things are suddenly muddled and up for debate,” said Donny Ferguson, Libertarian National Committee Communications Director.

“The Libertarian Party is the only party that never compromises in its defense of our Second Amendment-guaranteed rights. That’s why we have opposed Judge Sotomayor’s nomination from the moment we reviewed her troubling anti-gun record. Judge Sotomayor’s answers Wednesday further show she believes the law should flow from her own personal biases and not the literal wording of the Constitution,” said Ferguson.

Examiner Libertarian 101

I came across this article posted recently in the Cleveland Examiner, from the Denver Examiner Libertarian 101: What is the libertarian position on taxes? that I found was an interesting read. Barry Ritchey II also links to Harry Browne's 2000 piece Great Libertarian Offer part of which is something that makes me lean libertarian when it comes to the federal government, there is not really that huge of a difference between a Democratic Congress and a Republican Congress.

If you grow tired of the excuses, they try to scare you by saying their opponents would be even worse. In truth, the differences between the two old parties are so negligible that we'd probably never notice if they swapped names.

Apart from the scandals, how different was the Reagan or Bush administration from the Clinton administration? During the Republican presidential administrations of 1981-1992, the federal government grew by 6.3% per year, while it grew by 3.3% yearly during the Clinton administration of 1993-2000.

How different was the Democratic Congress from the Republican Congress? During the first five years of the Republican Congress, government has grown by 3.2% yearly; during the final five years of the Democratic Congress, government grew by 3.9% yearly.

How different are the Republican Supreme Court nominees from the Democratic ones? The current Supreme Court judges were nominated by Presidents of both parties — and regardless of party, most of the judges were approved overwhelmingly by Senators from both parties. On the really important matters concerning the role of government, they all agree that the federal government is more important than the Constitution.