More Friedman...

This plea comes from the bottom of my heart. Every friend of freedom, and I know you are one, must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed camp, by the vision of jails filled with casual drug users and of an army of enforcers empowered to invade the liberty of citizens on slight evidence. A country in which shooting down unidentified planes “on suspicion” can be seriously considered as a drug-war tactic is not the kind of United States that either you or I want to hand on to future generations.

— Milton Friedman, An Open Letter to Bill Bennett [September 7, 1989]

I have a feeling the former Drug Czar would dissagree with Friedman. Like most fundamentalist right-wingers, he doesn't give a damn about the horrors of the failed War on Drugs. Bennett, like Falwell and Robertson have taken Christianity and turned it into a Gospel of Hate and Tyranny.

Friedman On Government Failure

"The government first provides very poor schooling, and then the harm is multiplied by the minimum wage law, which makes it difficult . . . To get on-the-job training. Without the minimum wage law, the least skilled could offer to work for low wages, which would provide an incentive for employers to hire and train them."

— Milton Friedman, U.S. News & World Report [March 7, 1977]

Aiming The Eminent Domain Gun...

"Cities use eminent domain most often as a negotiating tool with property owners," explained Peterson, who was speaking for the National League of Cities. "Just having the tool available makes it possible to negotiate with landowners." Sure it does—in the same way just having a gun available makes it possible for a bank robber to negotiate with a teller.

Jacob Sullum, Reason Magazine

Click here to read the complete article http://www.reason.com/sullum/021506.shtml

War On Porn: Homeland Security Style

From an article in the Charlotte Observer.......
"Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.

The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words "Homeland Security." The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography.

After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness. A librarian intervened. A police officer arrived. In the end, no one had to step outside except the uniformed men."

I guess these guys thought they had the authority to start an undeclared war on porn. Proves the point that most people can not handle roles of authority.

Get the rest of the story by clicking here.... http:tinyurl.com/833nq

Accessory To Tyranny...N.C. League Of Municipalities

Below is a link to a Carolina Journal article concerning the N.C. League of
Municipalities role in the Kelo vs. New London Supreme Court case.

http://tinyurl.com/7zor3

"It is in the public interest for municipalities to pursue economic development locally and regionally because a healthy economy helps generate the revenue necessary to provide services and infrastructure needs of the public," they wrote. "At times, the ability to provide the public good requires municipalities to exercise the power of eminent domain granted by state authority."

Ellis Hankins, Executive Director, N.C. of Municipalities
Donald Borut, Executive Director, National League of Cities
Co-authors of an editorial explaining why their organizations supported New London

Supporting forced annexation is bad enough. Now the N.C. League of Municipalities (NCLM) supports taking private property to give to private developers. The NCLM filed a amicus brief on behalf of New London, Conn.. When I think of the NCLM, the term Communistic Thugs comes to mind. These people are statists of the worst degree.

Based on these Un-American "crimes" committed by the NCLM, every city and town in N.C. should rescind their membership in that organization. Property owners across this state should demand nothing less!

Too Much Pork For One Fork

Hey D.C....Quit Trying To Drug Our Children!

Jeff Taylor On The T.I.F. Scam...

" As detailed by Daniel McGraw in the January issue of Reason, tax increment financing, or TIF, is the crystal meth on crack of local government re-development tools. TIFs allow developers and government officials to work together to "earmark" projected tax revenue increases from a new project to help fund that same project. The funding can either pay for government bonds floated on the new development or directly subsidize that development. But in either case, both developers and government win. Politicians get a shiny, new, multi-million project to take credit for with little upfront cost and developers get below-market financing and other subsidies. Everyone wins except the general public. The average tax-paying schmo has to pay for general government services for the free-riding new development."

Cracking The Code

Below is an excerpt from Steve Thomas' review of Peter E. Hendrickson's book, "Cracking The Code: The Fascinating Truth About Taxation".

"It’s Hendrickson’s contention that the only people for whom the federal government can legally assess an “income” tax are those who are direct beneficiaries of the federal government. Such parties would include federal employees, military personnel, and those who benefit from government licensing. In other words, if you are a private citizen who earns a salary, Hendrickson claims that you do not have to pay income taxes, including FICA, to the federal government.

Don’t believe him? Then go to Hendrickson’s website (LostHorizons.com) and bear witness to the unthinkable: multiple letters from the IRS acknowledging that the claim of “money improperly withheld” is valid. But don’t expect your accountant or lawyer to jump on Hendrickson’s bandwagon any time soon. Their jobs, and those of millions of others, depend on your confusion and fear when it comes to the IRS and the bewildering tax code it enforces.

Cracking The Code is a product of the information age. The Internet and its search engines allowed Hendrickson to not only read the entire tax code, but to investigate and cross-reference its content: all 3,413,780 words of it.

What Hendrickson found is that the tax code, regardless of its confusing and misleading language, is consistent with the Constitution’s original restriction on direct taxes — and that there is no legal way for the federal government to enforce an income tax on the labor or earnings of private citizens. Hendrickson cites clear and consistent case law throughout the book to back his claim, including a plethora from the U.S. Supreme Court."

It's Only Money

ATF Director Caused $19 Million in Cost Overruns

By Matthew Dailey

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was found to have $19 million in cost overruns that stem from Director Carl J. Truscott changes and upgrades to the new ATF headquarters. The Justice Department inspector general's office is investigating the cost overruns along with a Senate subcommittee, the Washington Post reported.

After the Justice Department inspector general's office was made aware of the budget overruns, Truscott quickly canceled some of the upgrades that he planned for the new headquarters, according to the Washington Post.

$300,000 of the proposed upgrades at the new headquarters were for Truscott's new director suite that included a $65,000 conference table and more than $100,000 for hardwood floors, custom trim, and other items.

Anonymous sources told the Washington Post that Truscott devoted an inordinate amount of time to the new headquarters construction project. He has held occasional meetings that covered the project's smallest details, such as paint colors and soap dishes. One anonymous source said Truscott incurred an additional project cost by changing a floor tile order in one area of the new building because the original design "made him dizzy."

The ATF director has also come under criticism for what some say is an excessive security detail. Truscott uses five full-time agents and two armored Chevrolet Suburbans, at the yearly cost of $1 million. This large security detail was not employed by previous ATF directors, the Washington Post reported.

Because of the cost overruns, many critics say, the ATF will likely have to cut back on basic operational needs such as buying replacement bulletproof vests and new vehicles.

Some ATF officials stated that many of the cost overruns could have been avoided and should have been foreseen ahead of time by Truscott. He hired an additional 500 employees over the objections of subordinates, despite not having sufficient work space for them.

Libertarians Praise BB&T

NEWS RELEASE
Libertarian Party of North Carolina
1821 Hillandale Rd. #1B-253 Durham NC 27705
919.286.0152
www.lpnc.org
*********************************************************************
For more information contact:
Brian Irving, press secretary
(910) 987-5277

Libertarians Hail BB&T Policy Decision on Funding Eminent Domain Abuse

DURHAM (Jan. 30) – Libertarians are hailing the decision by BB&T not to loan money to private developers who use the state’s power of eminent domain to develop property taken from other citizens.

“We’re heartened when a major corporation, especially one based in North Carolina, takes a strong stand in support of property rights,” said Brian Irving, spokesman for the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. “This is an excellent example of responsible corporate leadership working in a free market to support individual liberty.”

BB&T changed their commercial lending policy in response to a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. New London. The court ruled that governments can seize personal property to make room for private development projects. This cleared the way for an expansion of eminent domain authority historically used primarily for utilities, rights of way and other public facilities.

Libertarians have condemned the Kelo decision as a nullification of property rights. North Carolina libertarians have called for a state constitutional amendment to prohibit the state from taking private property for private development.

In a news release announcing the policy, BB&T Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Allison said, “The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided, in fact it's just plain wrong”

“One of the most basic rights of every citizen is to keep what they own,” Allison said “As an institution dedicated to helping our clients achieve economic success and financial security, we won't help any entity or company that would undermine that mission and threaten the hard-earned American dream of property ownership.”

“We wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Allison,” Irving said. “We commend BB&T not only for this specific action but for the underlying fact of their acting on principle. As the ‘Party of Principle,’ Libertarians appreciate BB&T as the ‘Principled Bank.”

“I think this is outstanding news,” said Chris Cole, 2004 Libertarian Party candidate for lieutenant governor.
Jim Capo, a libertarian activist said, “Between this press release and the understanding that Atlas Shrugged is assigned reading for their top management team, I have decided to move my Wachovia account over to BB&T.”

Jim Pitts, a Lee county libertarian wrote to Allison to say he’s “extremely pleased” to be a customer. “BB&T’s clear stance against supporting eminent domain is very heartening to everyone. People, including governmental entities, who want to take individuals’ and families’ property to use as ‘they’ desire, have challenged our American way of life.”

Libertarian Tim Rohr, who’s also a Lenoir city council member said, “I think I'm going to propose Lenoir move its accounts to BB&T.” Rohr was instrumental in getting the Lenoir council to pass a resolution condemning the Kelo decision.

“The LPNC already has its money there,” noted Bev Wilcox, a member of the LPNC executive committee. “Bravo to them.”

I'm Back

I have been on a vacation away from politics since I resigned as chair of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina on January 9th. After six intense years of political activism, it is past time for me to put my personal life ahead of my political life. It is time to focus my attention on the social and political issues that affect my home. Cabarrus County is my home and she deserves my full attention.

I'm back and I will have plenty to say in the coming months.

Stay tuned............