FREE VERMONT BLOG06/16/2008 We can continue the libertarian revolution Paul started when he spoke out againt the war and big government in the GOP debates. Join me in supporting the Libertarian Presidential Candidate BOB BARR.
<10/11/07 12/11/06
October 22, 2006
a book review of:
Not since the medieval church baptized, as it were, Aristotle as some sort of early very early church father has there been an intellectual hijacking as audacious as the attempt to present America's principal founders as devout Christians. Such an attempt is now in high gear among people who argue that the founders were kindred spirits with today's evangelicals, and that they founded a "Christian nation."
This irritates Brooke Allen, an author and critic who has distilled her annoyance into "Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers." It is a wonderfully high-spirited and informative polemic that, as polemics often do, occasionally goes too far. Her thesis is that the six most important founders Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton subscribed, in different ways, to the watery and undemanding Enlightenment faith called deism. That doctrine appealed to rationalists by being explanatory but not inciting: it made the universe intelligible without arousing dangerous zeal.
Eighteenth-century deists believed there was a God but, tellingly, they frequently preferred synonyms for him "Almighty Being" or "Divine Author" (Washington) or "a Superior Agent" (Jefferson). Having set the universe in motion like a clockmaker, Providence might reward and punish, perhaps in the hereafter, but does not intervene promiscuously in human affairs. (Washington did see "the hand of Providence" in the result of the Revolutionary War.) Deists rejected the Incarnation, hence the divinity of Jesus. "Christian deist" is an oxymoron.
Allen's challenge is to square the six founders' often pious public words and behavior with her conviction that their real beliefs placed all six far from Christianity. Her conviction is well documented, exuberantly argued and quite persuasive.
When Franklin was given some books written to refute deism, the deists' arguments "appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough deist." Revelation "had indeed no weight with me." He believed in a creator and the immortality of the soul, but considered these "the essentials of every religion."
What Allen calls Washington's "famous gift of silence" was particularly employed regarding religion. But his behavior spoke. He would not kneel to pray, and when his pastor rebuked him for setting a bad example by leaving services before communion, Washington mended his ways in his austere manner: he stayed away from church on communion Sundays. He acknowledged Christianity's "benign influence" on society, but no ministers were present and no prayers were uttered as he died a Stoic's death.
Adams declared that "phylosophy looks with an impartial Eye on all terrestrial religions," and told a correspondent that if they had been on Mount Sinai with Moses and had been told the doctrine of the Trinity, "We might not have had courage to deny it, but We could not have believed it." It is true that the longer he lived, the shorter grew his creed, and in the end his creed was Unitarianism.
Jefferson, writing as a laconic utilitarian, urged his nephew to inquire into the truthfulness of Christianity without fear of consequences: "If it ends in a belief that there is no god, you will find incitements to virtue in the comforts and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you."
Madison, always common-sensical, briskly explained essentially, explained away religion as an innate appetite: "The mind prefers at once the idea of a self-existing cause to that of an infinite series of cause & effect." When Congress hired a chaplain, he said "it was not with my approbation."
In 1781, the Articles of Confederation acknowledged "the Great Governor of the World," but six years later the Constitution made no mention of God. When Hamilton was asked why, he jauntily said, "We forgot." Ten years after the Constitutional Convention, the Senate unanimously ratified a treaty with Islamic Tripoli that declared the United States government "is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."
Allen neglects one argument for her thesis that the United States is a "secular project": the Constitution mandates the establishment of a political truth by guaranteeing each state the same form of government ("republican"). It does so because the founders thought the most important political truths are knowable. But because they thought religious truths are unknowable, they proscribed the establishment of religion.
Allen succumbs to what her six heroes rightly feared zeal in her prosecution of today's religious zealots. In a grating anachronism unworthy of her serious argument, she calls the founders "the very prototypes, in fact, of the East Coast intellectuals we are always being warned against by today's religious right." (Madison, an NPR listener? Maybe not.) When she says "Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, among other recent American statesmen," have subscribed to the "philosophy" that there should be legal impediments to an atheist becoming president, she is simply daft. And when she says that Bible study sessions in the White House and Justice Department today are "a form of potential religious harassment that should be considered as unacceptable as the sexual variety," she is exhibiting the sort of hostility to the free exercise of religion that has energized religious voters, to her sorrow.
Two days after Jefferson wrote his letter endorsing a "wall of separation" between church and state, he attended, as he occasionally did, religious services in the House of Representatives. Jefferson was an observant yet unbelieving Anglican/Episcopalian throughout his public life. This was a statesmanlike accommodation of the public's strong preference, which then as now was for religion to have ample space in the public square.
Christianity, particularly its post-Reformation ferments, fostered attitudes and aptitudes associated with popular government. Protestantism's emphasis on the individual's direct, unmediated relationship with God, and the primacy of individual conscience and choice, subverted conventions of hierarchical societies in which deference was expected from the many toward the few. But beyond that, America's founding owes much more to John Locke than to Jesus.
The founders created a distinctly modern regime, one respectful of pre-existing rights natural rights, not creations of the regime. And in 1786, the year before the Constitutional Convention constructed the regime, Jefferson, in the preamble to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, proclaimed that "our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry."
Since the founding, America's religious enthusiasms have waxed and waned, confounding Jefferson's prediction, made in 1822, four years before his death, that "there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die an Unitarian." In 1908, William Jennings Bryan, the Democrats' presidential nominee, said his Republican opponent, William Howard Taft, was unfit because, being a Unitarian, he did not believe in the Virgin Birth. The electorate yawned and chose Taft.
A century on, when the most reliable predictor of a voter's behavior is whether he or she regularly attends church services, it is highly unlikely that Republicans would nominate a Unitarian. In 1967, when Gov. George Romney of Michigan evinced interest in the Republican presidential nomination, his Mormonism was of little interest and hence was no impediment. Four decades later, the same may not be true if his son Mitt, also a Mormon, seeks the Republican nomination in 2008.
In 1953, the year before "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared July 4 a day of "penance and prayer." That day he fished in the morning, golfed in the afternoon and played bridge in the evening. Allen and others who fret about a possibly theocratic future can take comfort from the fact that America's public piety is more frequently avowed than constraining.
George F. Will is a syndicated columnist.
09/5/06 http://www.peacethroughcommerce.com/ - "It has been said that when goods cross borders, armies don't. Today, China and India are the world's two largest countries racing toward entrepreneurial capitalism. They are the example and test of that thesis. Several decades ago, their armies clashed. Now no one talks of war, only of their economic emergence. Capitalism has promoted peace and, in China, better though still inadequate respect for rights." 08/14/06 My campaign site is online. Visit it at www.hardyforhouse.com. 07/17/06 It's official. I'm running for State House in Grand Isle-Chittenden-1-1. I'll be updating this website in a few weeks to be my campaign website. 07/10/06
This is a great example of businesses (yes, co-ops and farms are businesses) working together to benefit each other. The co-ops with a private label. The Vermont farmer receiving some price stability and a improved profit margin. A similar idea has been ongoing in NH for the last eight years.
Food co-ops create milk brand--Burlington Freepress 07/06/06 Grand Isle - Vermont Libertarian Party State Chair Hardy Machia was elected last weekend as the regional representative to the Libertarian National Committee. Machia was elected at the national convention held in Portland, Oregon, and is representing New England, New York, and New Jersey. Eric Sundwall from Niverville, NY was elected as the alternate regional representative. At the Libertarian National Committee's first meeting of its new term on July 3, Machia was also elected to its executive committee, which meets to make decisions between meetings of the entire board. Machia stated, "I'm honored that my peers elected me. I'm looking forward to serving on the Libertarian National Committee for the next two years." Machia added, "I hope to use my local, statewide, and national political experience, as well as my business experience to position the Libertarian Party to take advantage of the growing dissatisfaction with the entrenched parties." Machia joins Howard Dean on the list of Vermonters serving on national political parties' executive committees.
The National Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 and is the third largest political party in the United States. Millions of Americans have voted for Libertarian Party candidates in past elections throughout the country. Libertarians believe the answer to America's political problems is the same commitment to freedom that earned America its greatness: a free-market economy and the abundance and prosperity it brings, a dedication to individual liberties and personal freedom, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. 06/26/06 The Vermont LP issued a press release today on the US Supreme Court campaign finance law decision. US Supreme Court sides with Libertarians, Upholds Political Free Speech I also included audio quotes for radio stations who want some sound bites to run. 06/21/06INVITATION: To SVR's FREE VERMONT Washington County Chapter First Meeting: Wednesday, June 21
Hello supporters and potentially interested supporters of a second Vermont republic!
We'd like to invite you to Route 100's Purple Moon Pub in Waitsfield on Wednesday, June 21 at 8:30 p.m. to officially launch our very first county-wide FREE VERMONT chapter! (Insert sound of horns blowing here...)
06/14/06 The Machia Wilderness Camp is a camp for youth ages 12 - 19. Teaching them about stewardship of the earth in its many aspects. It is a camp that was the vision of Larry Machia (my cousin) and one that his widow is creating in his memory. They are in need of campers this year. It presently runs as a week long day camp from July 10 -15 at the Ethan Allen Range in Jericho, VT at the bi-athlete training center there. It is a wonderful opportunity for our youth. The cost is $50.00 for the week, but there are scholarships because we do not want that to be a reason for kids not to come. Lunch is included daily. For more information please look at our web site http://www.machiacamp.org. 06/14/06 Military Complex, War, Eisenhower, Nixon
05/28/06
04/29/06 Vermont Libertarian Party Annual Convention is taking place at The Capital Plaza Hotel in Montpelier from 9:30AM - 4PM.
04/01/06
Where do you fall? Take the quiz a find out: World's Smallest Political Quiz
Personal Issues
1. Government should not censor speech, press, media or Internet
2. Military service should be voluntary. There should be no draft.
3. There should be no laws regarding sex for consenting adults.
"Consenting adults" means everyone involved in the sex act are 18 or older, and they freely agreeing to participate. Is does NOT cover rape because one person is not freely agreeing, nor does it include child molestation because the child is not an adult.
By keeping government out of bedrooms doesn't mean you need to endorse the behavior. If you are a strong religious person, and you think any sexual position other than the missionary position is wrong, you can exercise your right to free speech and association to form a group who's purpose is to try to persuade the doggie stylers that they should change their ways. On a more serious note, you believe that exchanging sex for money is wrong, then you could create an organization to help educate and train young women so they can find better paying jobs.
4. Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs.
5. There should be no National ID card.
Economic Issues
6. End "corporate welfare." No government handouts to business.
7. End government barriers to international free trade.
8. Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security.
9. Replace government welfare with private charity.
10. Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more.
03/24/06
Blog/website of the day: NoNAIS -- one Vermonter's efforts to spread the word of how harmful the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is to small farmers, homesteaders, pet owners & consumers.
03/23/06
GOP spending habits obscene
NOT SO LONG ago, in a country that now seems far, far away, Ronald Reagan said: "...we don't have deficits because people are taxed too little. We have deficits because big government spends too much."
He said that when Democrats controlled the House (where spending bills originate) and the national debt was $2.3 trillion.
Last week, a Republican Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling to nearly $9 trillion. Senators quickly passed a record $2.8 trillion budget. What would Reagan say now? Then he called for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and labeled the budget process a "sorry spectacle." That Republicans are outspending the most reckless 1980s Democrat (and 1960s Great Society Democrats and 1940s FDR Democrats) is the sorriest spectacle of all.
The Senate vote increased the debt ceiling for the fourth time in five years. The statutory debt limit has now risen by more than $3 trillion since President Bush took office. That any Republican majority could preside over such fiscal irresponsibility is grounds for revoking their party membership.
This is mostly about politics, not terrorism. Republicans fear only gobs of money will endear them to voters in sufficient numbers to re-elect their increasingly precarious majority. Why should Republicans be re-elected when one of the major reasons the GOP exists is to reduce the size and cost of government and free more people to do for themselves instead of restricting their liberties through costly and big government?
Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, rightly blamed out-of-control spending on his colleagues' political nervousness: "They want to go and say they are helping people, but we are not helping people when we are selling out their future."
DeMint might have added that it doesn't help people to cause them to rely on and pay for ever-expanding government. Such a policy stifles initiative and personal responsibility as well as incentive. It goes against the "Puritan ethic," one of our founding principles.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, "This budget could be the final nail in our coffin if we don't watch it." He said GOP spending habits are demoralizing voters.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., defended spending an additional $7 billion for health and education programs, claiming those areas have lacked money in recent years. Is he kidding? The Bush administration has sired the biggest new entitlement program in history -- a prescription drug benefit for the elderly. And let's not forget "No Child Left Behind," which massively increased federal education spending.
Perhaps the real culprit is not Congress, but us. A Pew Research Center poll found only 55 percent of Americans rate the deficit as a "top priority." That contrasts with the 1990s when the deficit resonated more strongly with voters. As long as we are willing to take the money in exchange for our votes, politicians will give it to us. This must change, not only because we are in debt up to our eyeballs, but also because many of the note holders are, or might be, our enemies.
Means testing for all government programs and term limits for Congress are the answer to never-ending debt, but neither is likely.
Reagan said his favorite president was Calvin Coolidge. When Coolidge was vice president, he said, "After order and liberty, economy is one of the highest essentials of a free government."
He left the presidency with a surplus. So did Bill Clinton. That a GOP Congress and administration are engaging in such spending is obscene. Little will change if we vote in Democrats. who also have engaged in deficit spending. What to do?
Maybe it's time for a strong third party, or failing that, another revolution.
Cal Thomas is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207.
02/28/06 Traveled to Washington, D.C. to listen to the oral arguments in front of the US Supreme Court in the Randall v. Sorrell campaign finance case. The Vermont Libertarian Party is one of the plaintiff in this case trying to protect Vermonters' right to political speech.
01/18/06
News Release: Vermont Libertarian Party Response to Governor's Budget Proposal
During the State of the State Address, Governor Douglas quoted Calvin
Coolidge saying, "I want the people of America to be able to work less
for the government and more for themselves. I want them to have the
rewards of their own industry. That is the chief meaning of freedom."
The Vermont Libertarian Party couldn't agree more.
However, the party notes that Governor Douglas seems to have forgotten
those words within the span of a week. Tuesday, Douglas proposed a
budget that increases spending approximately one quarter of a billion
dollars. Adding this year's budget increase to Douglas's three prior
budgets, the people of Vermont have seen the state budget rise 34%, or
$1.1 billion since Douglas took office.
Hardy Machia, chairman of the Vermont Libertarian Party said, "This
year's budget is 4.5 billion dollars, or about $30,000 for every family
in Vermont. For a minimum wage earner, this spending increase would mean
an extra 255 hours of work this year, with all of it going to the
state...in addition to the taxes she already pays."
Libertarian Party member Doug Richmond asks, "Has Douglas developed
money trees that he could urge farmers to grow as a new cash crop to pay
for any of this?"
Machia says to Governor Douglas, "Let us live by those words you quoted
from Calvin Coolidge, and let the people of Vermont work less for the
government and more for themselves. The solutions are simple. We need to
fundamentally change how the state's largest budget items--education and
health care--are purchased, delivered, and consumed. We need to
reinstall the free market mechanisms that have been removed."
###
01/17/06 HAPPY 300th BIRTHDAY to Benjamin Franklin - inventor/statesman/businessman/founder. Credited to Franklin are bifocals, franklin stove, Poor Richards Almanac, subscription libraries, fire companies, University of Pennsylvania, the post office, lightning = electricity,...
12/05/05 Free Buffalo discusses libertarian populism and has a couple diagrams that show the reason for our problems today.
12/05/05 Today is the anniversary of the repeal of the 18th amendment. Prohibition of alcohol existed in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933. The story of how Prohibition came to be, what it was really like, and how it effects American life even today is a story of unusual ideas, fascinating characters, surprising events, and unexpected outcomes. Here is the rest of the story of National Prohibition of Alcohol by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.
11/27/05 Newsweek had a column by George Will called "Free Speech Under Siege" where Will talks about Vermont's anti-freespeech campaign finance law. "... Under Vermont's limits, a candidate for state representative in a single-member district can spend no more than $2,000 in a two-year cycle. Every mile driven by a candidate--or a volunteer--must be computed as a 48.5-cent campaign expenditure. Just driving--and not much of it--can exhaust permissible spending..." I nearly ran into this problem in my campaign for governor. If a candidate is seeking the campaign finance grant, then they are limited to $500 before February 15th. If I made ten trips to Montpelier from Grand Isle, then I would have exceeded the limit, so I could not attended as many state house sessions as I would have liked.
This could easily apply to a state house race. As a for instance, let's say I decide to run for state house and announce in January that I was going to run. Part of my campaign might be to travelled to Montpelier to watch how my incumbent representatives acted and voted so I could report back to my potential constituents what is happening in Montpelier. That means that I could only attend half of the legislative session before I ran out of money. It wouldn't even include the hundreds of dollars in required campaign expenditures just for driving door-to-door in my 45 mile long district -- I can drive around the circumference of my district 16 times during a campaign before the mileage penalty dries up all the money I'm allowed to spend.
11/21/05 On Saturday I was elected Chair of the Vermont Libertarian Party.
11/17/05 Davey Crockett
11/12/05 I flew to Baltimore to attend the quarterly Libertarian National Committee meeting. There were a few issues that I was interested in, and it gave me time to smooze. The LNC keep the zero dues which I think is a good thing for the LP to be a real party. I used my smoozing time to let people know what Vermont is doing. I was about ten minutes late the first morning, so I missed the free praise Vermont received from Dan Karlan. I heard about it from another attendee later in the day. I also met several of the office staff from LP Headquaters. The trip finished up with some one-on-one time with the national chair Mike Dixon in the lounge at the airport. 11/07/05 Does any person or group of people have the right to initiate the use of physical force against others? To paraphrase Ayn Rand: "We have the right to use force only in self-defense and only against those who initiate its use. People must deal with one another as traders, giving value for value, by free, mutual consent to mutual benefit. The only social system that bars physical force from human relationships is laissez-faire capitalism. Laissez-faire capitalism is a system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which the only function of the government is to protect individual rights, i.e., to protect people from those who initiate the use of physical force."
Laissez-faire is used to distinguish this form of capitalism from the form of state-managed-capitalism (crony-capitalism) that the left is correct in despising. Crony-capitalism is created when special interest lobby legislatures for favors, tax breaks and licensing/regulation to keep competitors out of their markets, and the legislature complies by passing new laws and administrative rules.
The McCains and Feingolds of the world see the corruption and understandably want to do something about it. Their feel good legislation is hasn't stopped the money flow, but has stopped people from getting involved in the political process. They falsely believe that passing new laws to restrict people's freedom of speech by limit how much people can give to politicians, and also regulating when, how, and how much money can be spent on political ads that this will stop the corruption. They are battling the wrong end. Money and favors will continue to flow around any obstacle they try to erect. We need to stop the politicians ability to grant the special favors in the first place. This will fix the problem without limiting our right to speech.
11/02/05 Father Daughter Talk
One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to higher taxes on the rich & the addition of more government welfare programs. Based on the lectures that she had participated in and the occasional chat with a professor she felt that for years her father had obviously harbored an evil, even selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.
He stopped her and asked her point blank, how she was doing in school. She answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain. That she studied all the time, never had time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying. That she was taking a more difficult curriculum.
Her father listened and then asked, "How is your good friend Mary doing?" She replied, "Mary is barely getting by." She continued, "She barely has a 2.0 GPA," adding, "and all she takes are easy classes and she never studies. But Mary is so very popular on campus, college for her is a blast, she goes to all the parties all the time and very often doesn't even show up for classes because she is too hung over."
Her father then asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your 4.0 GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0." He continued, "That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."
The daughter visibly shocked by her father's suggestion angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I worked really hard for mine, I did without and Mary has done little or nothing, she played while I worked real hard!"
The father slowly smiled, winked and said, "Welcome to the Libertarian Party!"
(I've had a couple Republicans tell me that they've seen this story before, but with Republican Party. As time moves on, stories are updated to reflect the current reality, and the GOP is as bad, if not worse, than the Democrats when it comes to redistribution of wealth. Currently, they are taking the wealth from our kids and grand kids with their deficit spending and with the largest increases in spending in the last 40 years (and that doesn't include the Iraq War and Katrina). If you want smaller government, lower taxes, and more freedom, then currently you only have one choice -- the Libertarian Party).
10/27/05 Reason: The Only Oracle Of Man -
A Compendious System Of Natural Religion By Col. Ethan Allen
10/27/05 I attended Richard Tarrant's campaign kick-off event last night. I am very impressed with what I've heard so far. It sounded a lot like my campaign or issues I had supported. Free market healt care reform with an universal access safety net. I've been involved with health care for about 10 years, and Tarrant has been involved for 35 years. He bashed the politicians in DC for their spending. Especially, on nation building when we don't have our own country in order yet. He grew up poor and made his millions honestly...contrast this to Sanders who made his millions from taxing you and I to pay for his government salary all these years.
Tarrant said he's not going to apologize for his success -- I loved hearing this because I made that same decision last year when I was campaigning...I drove my Boxster to campaign events. I had Republicans tell me that I should buy a an American beater car to fit in. If you are frugal with your money, work 10-12 hours days, then why should you hide the fact that you made your money honorably as successful hard worker. Tarrant is said he's not going to take part of mud slinging that Sanders site is already doing.
It's still to early for me to make any decisions about who I'm going to support. I want to support a strong freedom supporting centrist (ie, libertarian). Take the World's Smallest Political Quiz to see what I mean. We might have a Libertarian in the race. Vermont Senator Mark Sheppard from Bennington is also running in the Republican primary. I like Mark. He is another of us entrepreneurs who is a hard worker and understands basic economics.
10/25/05 I had a chance to listen to a lot of great speakers last week at The Advocates event. One particually good speach was Globalization is Grrrreat! by Tom Palmer. It points out many of the myths of globalization, and explains why it benefits all of humanity.
10/23/05 Vermont has many successful socially responsible businesses (Ben & Jerry's, Magic Hat, Seventh Generation, Gardner's Supply,..). Their success proves that free market capitalism needn't be a dirty word among the left. Social responsibility and capitalism can go hand-in-hand.
10/22/05
Patriot Act circa 1798 10/22/05
Vermont ACLU Annual Meeting - Noble Hall Lounge, on the Vermont College Campus in Montpelier, VT.
10/15/05
2005 Vermont Freedom Fest - Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT. This stimulating all-day event will feature a terrific nationally known speaker, plus issue briefings sessions on economics, environment, energy, education, health care and cultural renewal. The afternoon program will have valuable workshiops on "Grassroots Organizing for Victory" and "Getting Your Message to the Masses".
10/15/05
Third Party National Convention - Merrimack Hotel and Conference Center, NH. Several third parties will be attending. The NH LP is holding their state convention there, too.
10/15/05 I already made plans to drive the Blue Ridge Highway down to Atlanta, Georgia for the
Advocates for Self Government 20th Anniversary Celebration. They are the folks that bring the Worlds Smallest Political Quiz to millions of people each year. I hope Vermonters are able to attend the Vermont Freedom Fest. I'm bummed that I will be missing it.
09/28/05
Underage Drinking in Restaurants & Bars -
Seven states in the U.S. permit persons under age 21 to drink alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars with their parents.
Giving, Providing or Supplying Alcoholic Beverages to a Minor -
The negative consequences to a person who illegally supplies alcohol to a person under the age of 21 can be both serious and permanent.
09/27/05 The US Supreme Court is going to hear a campaign finance lawsuit that the Vermont Libertarian Party is a plantiff in. Story on ABC. 09/23/05 I setup a new websites for Citizens for Property Rights and Vermont NORML. This is a sample of how libertarians are smack dab in the center we people try to say libertarians are either right or left. Libertarians place liberty first. So issues that are are typically viewed as liberal issues like marijuana reform, and issues that are typically viewed as conservative issues like private property rights both fit nicely in the libertarian political philospohy of liberty. BTW, ending drug prohibition is a property rights issue -- something both the left and right ought to ponder. 09/14/05 Moved website to a new server. 11/07/06 Are you interested in running for State House in Vermont as a Libertarian? I'm the Vermont Libertarian Party's State House Campaign Coordinator. The Party will help with fund raising, training, and other issues around your campaign. If you are a quality candidate and can organize your schedule to run a serious campaign then contact me: 802-372-9512 or via email (see contact info on left).
09/04/05 The Tango T600 by Commuter Cars - I found this site over a year ago, but then was unsuccessful in trying to find it again (even with Google). The Tango is an electric car that goes from 0-60 in 4 secs, top speed of 150mph, drives 80 miles on a charge, charges by plugging into a dryer outlet,... While, I'm talking about interesting electric vehicles, here's another called the Twike.
09/01/05 Vermonters helping with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
09/01/05 Federal judge rejects Vermont man's appeal.
I read the WCAX story, and found this page by doing an internet search for JN36TN. It took me a while to figure out how JN36TN meant John 3:16 (JN = John; 3 = 3; 6TN = six-teen).
The guy should be allowed to put whatever he wants on the plate. No exceptions even for curse words. If someone can stand on the State House lawn in Montpelier and prostelize(sp?) or curse, then they are exercising their free speech right.
Putting a word on a license plate cannot insight panic. Yelling "fire" in a crowded movie theater might, but writing "fire" on a piece of paper and handing it out to the people sitting in their movie seats doesn't.
BTW, my license plates are FREEVT and AFREEVT. Neither one of which I believe the state of Vermont endorse ;-) ... www.FreeVT.org
08/23/05 With the cost of fuel on a seemingly endless increase, it's time for America to drop its trade barriers and overhaul its regulations that keep fuel efficient vehicles off US roadways. Here are some sample diesel vehicles, including one prototype by Volkswagon that gets over 300 mpg.
08/19/05 According to a September 2004 Zogby Poll 72% of Americans support allowing someone living in one state to purchase health insurance from another state. More Republicans (20%) than Democrats (12%) or independent voters (13%) are opposed to allowing the free market to work to allow free flow of services between states.
08/19/05 Ethan Allen Radio is a new weekly radio show/pod cast discussing Burlington Vermont issues from a libertarian perspective. 07/19/05 Last week the US House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that could dramatically reduce the ranks of the uninsured and spur general economic growth--all without costing a dime to the Treasury. This was one major part of my health care proposal for Vermont. read more
07/19/05 The Vermont Department of Public Safety had a nice chart that showed lowering the drinking age had no affect on alcohol related traffic fatalities, but lowering the BAC did. I guess that someone that be decided that they couldn't have data that flew in the face of what they were trying to convince us was reality so they removed it. But, thanks to the webarchives you can still the view the data here: the missing chart.
07/12/05 Are you interested in running for State House in Vermont as a Libertarian? I'm the Vermont Libertarian Party's State House Campaign Coordinator. The Party will help with fund raising, training, and other issues around your campaign. If you are a quality candidate and can organize your schedule to run a serious campaign then contact me: 802-372-9512 or via email (see contact info on left).
07/11/05 Driving laws in Vermont: It seems the legislature inadvertently changed the laws around the junior operator's license a few years ago, and in doing so created a situation that if your junior operator's license was suspended 3 months before you turned 18 that not only would you have to wait for the three month suspension after which you could drive again, but then you'd have to wait for another 6 months before you are able to get your adult driver's license. I know an 18-year-old that is going through this process now. The Motor Vehicle Department told him that the legislature just hasn't gotten around to fixing the law yet (it's been 5 years). This law is unfair because it isn't applied equally to everyone. If you had a suspended license in another state, or never had a junior operator's license in Vermont then you could go in on your 18th birthday and get your regular operator's license. This is just another disenfranchisement of the youth in Vermont from the Democrats and Republicans parties who continue to treat them like second or third class citizens. 07/09/05 Are you looking for a good libertarian talk radio show? Do you know about podcasting? Check out Free Talk Live. I you live in south eastern Vermont you might be able to hear them on WUVR 1490 AM on Saturday nights, or online Mon-Sat.
07/08/05 The Vermont LP issued a press release on the US Supreme Court's eminent domain ruling. 07/04/05 Independence Day - the day to mourn all of our lost freedoms. The list is long, but here are a few: right to private property, right to privacy, right to travel, right of free speech, right of free association or non association, right to protected from search and seizures, and the right to keep the money you earn. 07/02/05 1:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. my annual Independence Day Party. Old Grand Isle Train Depot, 31 Town Line Road, Grand Isle, VT. Volleyball, horseshoes, swimming, camping, bonfire, food,... 07/02/05 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Vermont Libertarian Party State Committee Meeting. Location my house. 06/25/05 Steve Jobs founder of Apple and Pixar gave the commencement speech at Stanford University. I related to it very well. Love what you do, live each day like it's your last. 06/09/05 The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against sick and dying Americans being able to seek relief by using medical marijuana. Their ruling maintains the status-quo. Now, the proverbial ball is now back in Congress's court. Take action now.
05/26/05 If you want a quick lesson in economics that is easy reading then grab download a copy of Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. This should be required reading for high school or college students. I have multiple copies of this on my bookshelf.
05/22/05 12PM-5PM: HUGE TEXAS HOLD'EM - FUND RAISER at Burlington High School to benefit the National Youth Rights Association. 200 player maximum. Two levels of tables $10 and $50. Call 372-9512 to guarantee yourself a seat. 05/20/05 Two of my post-campaign predictions have come to pass. 1) The House/Senate would pass a state wide smoking ban. 2) Governor Douglas would sign it. From today's Rutland Herald, "Just moments after the Senate's 22-6 vote, the governor said he would sign the legislation. The House passed its bill by a ratio of nearly 2-1."
05/18/05 Two Options Available to Vermont to Avoid Losing Federal Highway Funds, but allowing Vermont to make our own decision on the proper alcohol policy for our state.
04/19/05 I have mixed feelings over the Demcrats plan to bring socialized health care to Vermont. H.524 was passed out of the Health Care Committee this week with half of the Republicans on the Committee supporting it.
On one hand, 2 billion in new taxes in only a 50% increase in the size of Vermont's government. Governor Douglas's first term saw the state budget increase 17%, so it won't be too big of a step for him to expand it a bit more.
The ten wealthy Vermonters who appeared at the Statehouse last week calling on the government to increase their taxes will get their wish. Hopefully, they have a combined net income of over $2 billion per year. I know, I'm barely getting by so the state won't suck anymore blood out of this rock.
The other benefits will be longer lines at the doctors office so that we have more time to get to know our neighbors. Vermont is big on conservation and recycling, so the State should have no problem conserving the amount of health care they give to Vermonters or recycling needles to contain costs.
On the other hand, if H.524 passes, I expect we'll see a small exodus of entreprenuers and small government types joining the Free State Project. New Hampshire isn't that far away, and NH's health insurance costs are already up to 50 percent cheaper than Vermont's.
Here's some information on H.524.
04/17/05 - 1:00 PM Vermont NORML is holding their annual meeting. Location: Fletcher Free Library on College Street in Burlington. Nancy Lynch will be keynote speaker. More info...
04/10/05 Alex and Dave started their drive back to DC. The two week blitz is over. We garnered a lot of media attention, within and outside of Vermont. There were editorials in Maine, columns in Indiana, interviews with the NY Times. But, we aren't done yet. We still have a couple thousand postcards and petitions to deliver to Vermont legislators. We collected between 300 and 400 yesterday just yesterday on Church Street. There's a lot of support. Now, it's time for the Chair of the General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee to start taking testimony on H.139.
03/29-04/10/05 Alex is posting a log of what we are doing in Vermont on the youth rights front. Check out his blog at oneandfour
03/29/05 - 3 p.m. Press conference at state house in Montpelier for National Youth Rights Association of Vermont's two week organizing blitz in Vermont. 03/27/05 LTE in Free Press
One of the favorite arguments used by the alcohol prohibitionists is that if we lower the drinking age then more young kids will drink. This is a myth and easily dispelled by looking at the statistics.
According to the state of Vermont's statistics, drinking by eighth-graders has increased by 17 percent between 1984 and 2003. This data comes from the 1985 and 1987 "Vermont State Report on Drug and Alcohol Needs Assessment" and the 1995 and 2004 "Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey."
If we want to lower alcohol abuse among teens in Vermont, then the best solution is to adopt a European alcohol policy. The drinking age in Europe is between 16 and 18, and parents teach responsible and moderate alcohol consumption to their teenagers in restaurants and pubs.
HARDY MACHIA 03/26/05 - 9 a.m. Vermont Libertarian Party having their monthly meeting at the Fletcher Free Library 03/25/05 Did you know that under Vermont law you can be fined between $10 and $500, and jailed between 10 days and six months for having playing cards hidden in your house? That's right, chips and cards are instruments of gambling.
Title 13: Crimes and Criminal Procedure
A person who has or keeps on premises owned or occupied by him
implements or other things used in gambling and permits persons
resorting to such premises to use such implements or things for the
purpose of gambling shall be imprisoned not more than six months
nor less than ten days or fined not more than $500.00 nor less than
$10.00, or both.
03/24/05 The next two weeks are going to be fun and hectic in Vermont. Vermont Youth Rights Association and the National Youth Rights Association are conducting two weeks of intensive grassroots lobbying to lower the drinking age. We need more help, contact us to get involved. 02/20/05 My article in support of ending marijuana prohibition and ending treating our neighbors as criminals is now available in the March/April issue of Vermont Livin' Magazine. Pick it up on your newsstands today. 02/20/05 LTE in Free Press
Democrats want drug reimportation to save Vermonters money. Republicans oppose reimportation because it is illegal and might be unsafe. Republicans want health insurance reimportation to save Vermonters money. Democrats oppose reimportation because it is illegal and might be unsafe. The Ds and Rs need to stop playing politics.
Libertarians want drug reimportation and health insurance reimportation because libertarians put freedom before politics. We must restore free market competition to these areas to increase choice and lower costs. As I mentioned repeatedly during my campaign for governor last year, I can buy the same health insurance plan in Arizona for half the cost of what I was paying in Vermont.
As for the Medicaid crisis, we need to learn from the success of the Swiss system of universal free market health care (also known as: Consumer Driven Health Care). By purchasing private insurance policies for Medicaid recipients and the uninsured, the state can save taxpayers over $100 million per year while keeping Medicaid solvent, providing universal coverage for all Vermonters, and restoring the benefits of the free market. (Figures compiled from 2000 VT Health Care Expenditure Analysis; Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration; Published October 2002.)
Putting freedom first will save hundreds of dollars for consumers, save millions for Vermont tax payers, and is the fundamental reform needed to bring runaway health care costs under control so all Vermonters can afford health care.
HARDY MACHIA 02/19/05 Citizens for Property Rights - Annual meeting. Guest speakers Free State Project founder Jason Sorens and former Rep. Frank Mazur. Charlmont Restaurant, Route 100, just north of downtown Morrisville. 02/12/05 Citizens for Property Rights - Speaker Virginia Duffy on judicial accountability. Coolidge Hotel in White River Junction. 02/06/05 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Vermont Chapter of the National Youth Rights Association. Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. Come help reduce the voting age to 16, reduce the drinking age to 18, and construct a student bill of rights 01/22/05 What has been the longest period of time that the US hasn't been involved with a major war? The answer is 30 years and has only happened twice in the 1800s. Since, WWII some people will argue that we have been continually at war some where in the world. This timeline sketches out our history of war.
01/15/05 Vermont Independence Day Celebration at Langdon Street Cafe in Montpelier. Music by Xander, Ethan Allen to make guest appearance, and town meeting to start at 2:30. For details contact Rick Foley rfoley@keene.edu or Noah Hahn at The Langdon Street Cafe 802-223-8667. 01/15/05 Vermont Independence Day Celebration at Radio Bean Coffeehouse in Burlington. UVM student Wesley Buckley and friends will provide music and lead a discussion on Vermont independence. For details contact Wesley Buckleywbuckley@uvm.edu. 01/09/05 First meeting of the Vermont Chapter of the National Youth Rights Association. Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. 01/08/05 Burlington Libertarian Town Committee meeting at Van Phan Sports Billiard Hall on Dorset Street in South Burlington. More info www.burlingtonLP.org. |
I was talking with a friend the other day about her job. She works at City Market and was very excited about a new project they kicked off. 