My Goals
Where I've Come From
It all started over 35 years ago when I attended my first John Birch Society meetings at age 15. Contrary to the "Grab your guns boys and head for the hills" stereotype, the JBS of that day even during the height of the cold war stated that the U.S. would never be taken over by a foreign power by force. They always believed that the threat to our freedom would come from within. True how their words ring today.
Throughout the years I kept an interest in politics. I took classes in American Government in high school and at Kings College. I drifted between the two major parties with a bias toward the Republican party until 2006 and the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush. At that point I felt that the Democrats were out and out socialists with the Republicans not far behind, having been hijacked by Neocons. It was at that low point that I joined the Libertarian Party.
"When the government’s boot is on your throat, whether it is a left boot or a right boot is of no consequence." ~ Gary Lloyd
Where I'm at Now.
In the past two years I have become active with the Campaign for Liberty and the Tea Party movement, speaking at the latter's events and writing letters to the editors that have appeared in both local newspapers on both groups behalf. The economic events of the past year and the steepening slide toward the abyss of socialism as evidenced by nationalization of the banking, insurance, and auto industries, and the push for socialized medicine has pushed me to act. What more can I do? My answer to myself was a natural response for me. Like anything worth while in life, I decided I would take the path of greatest resistance, do what I never intended to do, and run for public office as your citizen legislator.
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty." ~Thomas Jefferson
Li-ber-tar-i-an
1. One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimalizing the role of the state.
2. One who believes in free will.
My own definition includes one who advocates individual responsibility, free markets, limited government, individual liberties, non-intervention in foreign policy, sound money, constitutional government, and principles of the Founding Fathers.
The Libertarian Party is the party of principle and being such it's direction cannot be blown by the wind as is the case of the two major parties. In their case the prevailing wind usually blows toward the direction of the money. Once you grasp the Libertarian principles it is not hard to figure out where we stand on the issues.
Before I continue on, it may be best if I dispel any preconceived notions that some may have due to some type of exposure to the Libertarian Party.
Common Libertarian Misconceptions
1. The Libertarian Party is a fringe element.
Nothing is farther from the truth. Libertarians that I have met are far more knowledgeable about politics and current events than your average constituent. They come from all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds and are for the most part slightly younger on average than the general electorate. The media is in large part to blame for promoting distortions about the party or in most cases they choose to ignore us as was the case in Congressman Ron Paul's futile 2008 attempts to debate the Republican front runners even though he remained a strong contender.
"Here’s your enemy for this week, the government says. And some gullible Americans click their heels and salute often without knowing who or even where the enemy of the week is." ~ Charley Reese (1998)
2. The Libertarian Party is soft on crime.
We believe in being tough on crime, especially violent offenders. In these cases justice should be dispensed swiftly and consistently with a minimum of plea bargaining. Where we differ is on the issue of non-violent or victimless crimes. The U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country on earth and incarcerates the highest percentage. Not even notorious human rights violators such as China or Iran come close. The problem is not that we have more criminals here. The problem is that there are more laws and lawyers here. In addition to the tremendous costs to house and guard non-violent offenders, these people are not paying taxes and/or child support, or parenting. In Pennsylvania the costs of incarceration make up a huge portion of the budget. Tremendous savings to the taxpayers are possible without endangering the public.
"There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws." ~Ayn Rand
3. Libertarians are weak on national defense.
Libertarians favor a strong national defense, but do not favor world policing or entangling alliances. With two wars going on at present, and over 750 bases in 110 different countries, the military is stretched beyond capacity. You don't have to go back to the collapse of the Roman Empire to learn a lesson in having a military spread too thin. A lesson can be learned from the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago after their disastrous foray into Afghanistan.The argument that terrorism must be fought in the terrorist's back yard holds no water when our front door is left wide open. Just witness the recent Fort Hood shooting for confirmation. Remember bankrupt is bankrupt, whether the cause is from massive socialist entitlement programs or from the cost of world policing and the constant state of war that comes with it, both major parties are responsible for leading us well along the road to economic collapse.
"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.“ ~Thomas Jefferson
As I make my rounds speaking and visiting with constituents I emphasize the need for all to reconnect with family, friends, neighbors, and churches. The promises of government will either be scaled back or be broken. The national debt now stands at about 12 trillion dollars or about $36,000/person. Throw in the unfunded liabilities such as future outlays for medicaid and social security and you're up near 100 trillion dollars or $300,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. Any attempt to raise taxes to pay this down will throw us back into recession or worse. Foreign lenders are becoming very leery to loan us any more money, after all who in their right mind would continue to loan money knowing full well it may never be paid back or paid back in inflated worthless dollars. The printing press is the method of choice history tells us. This will wipe out savers and perhaps lead us into hyper-inflationary depression. State and local governments will be cash strapped as revenue dries up and little to no help comes from the federal government. Still at no level does government seem willing to do what has to be done and that is to cut government spending and the size of government, thus reducing the debt and the tax burden, and allowing capital to flow where it is needed. Government after all produces nothing and neither does the military for that matter.
"Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.“ ~Herbert Hoover
Where We Go From Here
The Libertarian Party has always been at the center of what is now called the liberty movement. It includes such groups as conservative republicans, independents, the Constitution Party, Tea Party members, and other patriot groups such as the Campaign for Liberty, the 912 Project, the John Birch Society, and many others. In my initial talks with constituents, I have been pleased to see a positive response from many that consider themselves staunch Democrats. Many agree that big government with its excessive taxing, borrowing, and spending is leading us down a dead end alley. Career politicians that cater to special interests or their own interests are not doing right by the voter that elected them. Many people say a third party is needed badly, after all, electing the lesser of two evils is still evil. I say the time is ripe now to bring it all together. The " L" that will appear after my name should not dissuade you from voting for me. I want you to vote for the message and not the man or the party. I have no intentions of making anyone a card carrying Libertarian. I'll let the message do that for me. Your vote of confidence in me will mean that as the first elected state representative with an "L" after my name, that you will have made a part of history that will shake the foundations of the Capitol in Harrisburg and beyond. It would be ironic, but perhaps only natural that out of a district contained within the most corrupt county government in this country, would be born a movement to retake what was once given to us. It will have meant that the voters of the 120th district have spoken and demanded another word that begins with the letter "L" and contains an old message. That message is LIBERTY.
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.“ ~George Washington
