http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/…

Do you love the smell of libertarianism in the morning? If so, today is a good day for you.

Ron Paul

Last week we solicited your questions for Congressman Ron Paul.

There was such a big response (more than 400 comments) that we have split Paul’s answers into two batches, the first of which is posted below.

Thanks to Paul for his answers and all of you for your good questions.

Q: What was your first thought when you found out McCain chose Palin as his running mate?

A: At first, I thought it was a pretty savvy choice from a political perspective. I also knew that she had said some nice things about me in the past. At the same time, I knew that to be on the ticket, she would have to toe the line on foreign policy and the war, so that tempered a lot of my enthusiasm.

Q: Who in Congress would you consider to be your closest peer(s)?

A: There are a lot of members who I work with on a variety of different issues. Walter Jones is a good friend and works with me on foreign policy. Often on spending, if there is a 432-3 vote, the other two congressmen voting with me are Jeff Flake and Paul Broun. A lot of times, I work with Democrats on civil liberties issues.

I guess my point is that people from all over the political spectrum can side with liberty and the Constitution. The goal is to get a majority to vote that way most of the time.

Read More…

http://thejournal.parker-joseph.co.uk/…

November 4th 2008

A COPY OF ORWELL’S ‘NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR’ SENT TO EVERY MP

An Internet grass-roots campaign will this week deliver a copy of George
Orwell’s prophetic novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ to every Member of
Parliament.

The books will be inscribed with the words, ‘This book was a warning, not a
blueprint’, and will arrive at Parliament on or before November 5th — a
date of well known historical significance for that building.

—————

Outraged by the continual attack upon civil liberties within our nation, a
fortnight ago the Libertarian Party proposed reminding those in Westminster
who they were elected to serve, and in whose interests the laws that they
pass are meant to function.

Spread purely by word of mouth, a campaign to send each Member of Parliament
their own copy of Orwell’s dystopian classic met with overwhelming support
on the Internet, with many more books pledged than the 646 required to
ensure that every one of our elected representatives receive a personal
copy. The Libertarian Party contributed just 75 books itself, with the
remainder coming (directly, or via campaign donations) from people of all
political parties, and of none.

The UK Libertarian Party leader, Ian Parker-Joseph, explained, “As the
people of Britain become ever more spied upon and ever more heavily taxed,
as the government attempts to control how much we should smoke, eat and
drink, as the state legislates to regulate ever more the minutiae of our
lives, the Libertarian Party want to remind people that we have the power,
and that our elected representatives work for us.

“The Libertarian Party would like the people of Britain to remember that the
state is the servant of the people, and not our master. Moreover, we wish to
remind those in Westminster of this fact.

“Many constituents of these MPs will be adding their own personal messages
to the books that they are sending,” added Mr Parker-Joseph, “and it is a
sad reflection of how far towards Orwell’s vision our country has already
slipped that some members of the public have expressed fear at the potential
consequences of simply sending their MP a 60 year old novel. One
correspondent wrote to me:

<< I told my wife I was taking part in this campaign and her and the
children’s answer was “don’t do it, you will get into trouble and have them
after us”. I have been told on numerous occasions by my wife that you cannot
win against the State so “why argue with them, why complain?”

She believes that you cannot fight against the Government or powers that be
and that if you do you will be watched and eventually “they” will come and
get you so it is best not to complain, make waves etc. >>

“What sort of society are we living in where people are so afraid of their
government? Something is very, very wrong here” concluded Mr Parker-Joseph.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1) The Libertarian Party was founded on November 21st 2007 and officially
launched on January 1st 2008. The party’s website can be found at:
http://www.lpuk.org
2) Further details of the party’s policies can be found in our manifesto:
http://www.lpuk.org/pages/manifesto.php
3) Libertarianism is a political philosophy based on support for individual
liberty.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism
4) The Party’s blog regularly examines how the UK is slipping into the
totalitarian vision portrayed by Orwell. See, for example, here:
http://lpuk.blogspot.com/2008/10/1984-arrogant-tom-harris-mp-just-doesnt.html

Tom Harris, MP for Glasgow, received his copy of the book a few days ago. In his blog, Harris railed against the intended message in his blog:

[T]here seem to be an awful lot of people out there - perhaps dozens of them - who seem to get strangely exercised at the prospect of a “police state”. Except that what they define as a “police state” is a million light years from what Orwell himself described. CCTV cameras in the street? That’s just like Nineteen Eighty-Four, when families were monitored in their own homes, 24 hours a day! Can’t use racist terms to vilify people any more? Well, surely that’s thought crime, just like Orwell predicted!

What rubbish. As I’ve written here before, this is all paranoid fantasy, and why so many people get off on it, I’ll never know. I recently had the latest in a series of requests from constituents regarding CCTV. Requests to have the cameras removed? No, no, no… Requests for more cameras…

We live in a democracy, and just because those — including my anonymous benefactor — who get excited about such things are unhappy that Labour is in power, that does not make us anything other than a democracy. And democratically-elected governments govern with the consent of the people. Yes, even this one!

Yay democracy (republican democracy?)!! Even if it turns to tyranny it’s OK because obviously the people want it… it’s a government of the people, right?!

• Ralph Nader, the Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party, and the Green Party will all substantially increase their raw vote totals over 2004.
• Ron Paul received 2.2% in Montanna and 0.5% in Louisiana. Third place in both.
• Ron Paul kept his districts House seat.
• Few of the Ron Paul candidates won. Lamborn of Colorado 5th District and McClintock of California 4th District. It’s been questioned however whether Lamborn is an actual RP backed candidate.
• Maine rejects sales taxes and medical claim fees to fund state health program.
• South Dakota voted not to ban abortion.
• Massachusetts decrims marijuana.
• Michigan voted to allow medical marijuana.
• Washington voted to allow for allowing some terminally ill adults to obtain lethal prescriptions.
• Arizona shot down requiring revocation of business licenses of any employer who knowingly hires illegal aliens.
• Colorado fails to define human life as beginning at fertilization.
• Nebraska bans discrimination and preferential treatment by the State.

Let me include the bad:

• Few of the Ron Paul candidates won. Lamborn of Colorado 5th District and McClintock of California 4th District. It’s been questioned however whether Lamborn is an actual RP backed candidate.
• Colorado fails to ban discrimination and preferential treatment by the state.
• Colorado fails to prohibit mandatory union membership and mandatory union dues.
• Arizona bans same sex marriage.
• Arizona shot down requiring that a majority of all registered voters approve any initiative with spending or tax increases.
• Arkansas bans unmarried cohabitating couples from adopting or being foster parents.
• California establishes the nation’s first comprehensive farm animal rights law.
• California shot down expanding treatment programs for nonviolent drug offenders. (better then prison IMO)
• California banned same sex marriage.
• Florida bans same sex marriage.
• Massachusetts overwhelmingly rejects getting rid of state income tax.
• Massachusetts bans dog racing.
• Montana provides government funded health insurance coverage for as many as 30,000 uninsured children.
• North Dakota votes against reducing or eliminating income tax.
• Oregon votes against requiring that teacher pay and job security be linked directly to classroom performance.

http://reason.com/…

A little while ago, I spoke with Penn “Bullshit!” Jillette about election 2008, not too long after he cut a video endorsing Bob Barr for president. Before the polls open (well, in that diminishing part of the country that doesn’t do early voting), here are his thoughts on the Most Important Election in the Universe.

reason: You said in 2007 that [1996 and 2000] Libertarian candidate Harry Browne was “as crazy” as you were, and thus was the perfect candidate. What did you mean?

Penn Jillette: Bob Barr is not crazy enough for my taste. Harry Browne had a kind of purity to his craziness. I couldn’t find anything in Harry Browne’s platform or his books that I disagreed, which didn’t seem exactly right in a presidential candidate.

Bob Barr is good guy. His conversion, I believe, is sincere. I believe all of that. But once in a while you want that Obama factor, of a guy who grabs your heart, like a rock star. Barr doesn’t do that for me like Browne did. Still, you know, there’s no trait we should celebrate more than changing one’s mind.

I do wish Barr had been more in agreement with me on sex and drugs. That always bothered me a bit. I’m for gay rights, boring monogamous rights, but I’m also for two guys fucking on the floor of my office. I don’t think Barr is. Although I don’t do drugs I’m ok with shooting heroin, and I don’t think he is. Someone smarter than me—I want to say it was P.J. O’Rourke—said if you’re going to go with a Republican or a Democrat, the person isn’t important. If you go with a Libertarian, you go with a nut, because if we do win somehow the first 16 years of Libertarian rule will be spent at the barricades, just rolling back stuff.

Read More…

1. if(third_party_candidates_available)
   choose_most_liberty_oriented_party’s_candidate();
2. else if(incumbent_running)
   vote_for_the_nonincumbent();
3. else vote Republican;

The reason for the last one is due to the fact Democrats will likely be picking up many positions. Turns out in the races without third parties the Democrats were the incumbents so the third condition wasn’t reached.