Why Licenses Are A Joke
There is currently a flurry of controversy surrounding a Texas law that requires anyone that repairs a computer hard-drive to have a Private Investigator’s license. This law was passed during the 2007 legislative session. Not only is this requirement absurd, it is also difficult to comply with. It takes a minimum of three years to obtain a PI license in Texas. This is obviously not a requirement that every single computer technician in the state of Texas can comply with. The penalty for breaking this law is a $4,000 fine and up to one year in jail. The craziest thing about this law? It applies the same penalties to the customer as to the technicians. So the next time you take your computer in for service it could end up costing you over $4,000, a year in jail and a criminal record.
While this law is ridiculous, there is a clear logic behind it. The reason for laws like these are so that professional groups can create virtual monopolies in their fields. License requirements reduce competition and often place harsh and unnecessary burdens on thousands of practitioners in their respective fields. Licenses are a form of labor welfare, these groups use government to grant them a commercial advantage. License requirements whether they be for PI’s or hair dressers create massive distortions in the free market. Distortions such as these reduce the efficiency of the economy and create higher unemployment levels. I suggest that the Texas legislature allow the market to determine who is qualified to repair computers rather than pander to special interest groups and create absurd and irrelevant requirements that serve no constructive purpose.
For more information click here.
2nd Amendment Victory
I am sure that you are aware of the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down D.C.’s firearm ban in District of Columbia v. Heller. This decision, which is the first supreme court ruling on an individual’s right to keep a firearm in their house, is a major victory for personal freedom. We are fortunate to have very good firearm laws in Texas. The most notable 2nd Amendment defense we have in Texas is the Castle Doctrine which has been steadily spreading across the many states. It is encouraging to see the Supreme Court actually doing the task assigned to it, ensuring constitutional compliance. We now have another line of defense protecting one of our most important freedoms.
I want to briefly discuss how the 2nd Amendment is reflected in the current presidential election. There is no question that Obama has no respect for the 2nd amendment as he clearly stated that he supported D.C.’s gun ban. What most people don’t realize is that McCain is no friend of the 2nd Amendment either. Click here to watch a brief video clip in which McCain says the NRA should have no place in the Republican Party. McCain has also been critical of gun shows as well as crafting the McCain-Feingold campaign contribution law which severally restricted the influence of the NRA by attacking free speech. I have to give Sen. Obama credit for at least being honest about his beliefs. Sen. McCain on the other hand has tried to pander to gun owners by padding his views. Rep. Bob Barr on the other hand has always been a consistentt and honest defender of the 2nd Amendment. You can read what Rep. Bob Barr had to say about the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court ruling here: http://www.bobbarr2008.com/press/press-releases/39/barr-applauds-supreme-court-for-defending-first-amendment-by-rejecting-mccain-campaign-finance-restriction/
You can rest assured that a vote for a Libertarian candidate here in Texas is a vote for an honest defender of the 2nd Amendment. We don’t pander to anyone when it comes to advocating for your personal freedom.
Why Libertarianism is Compassionate
The Washington Post recenly reported that Americans set a new record for philanthropic giving in 2007. Total financial donations amounted to $306 Billion last year. This of course does not include the monetary value of the millions of hours that Americans volunteered. America is a pioneer in the development of charitable and philanthropic organizations. A lot of people accuse libertarians of having a “heartless view of the world”. I believe that these statistics prove the opposite. It’s common knowledge that private organizations are much more efficient in directly helping people than governments are. This is caused by the very nature of competition, non-profits must prove their effectiveness and usefulness if they want to continue to receive contributions. By looking at any third world country it is evident that organizations like the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders are much more effective than government to government aid.
Imagine how much more Americans would give if they didn’t have to pay such high taxes. Funding for existing non-profits would skyrocket. With contributions to non-profits you also gain the freedom of chosing the causes that matter the most to you. Wouldn’t you rather choose which social cause to further rather than have your money be spent on corporate welfare or subsidizing artists that society has agreed are terrible through the NEA? Letting people donate more of their own money to causes they personally value through organizations that are far more effective than governments seems to me to be not only a smart move but also a compassionate one.
Click here for the Washington Post article.
Right to a Fair Trial
This week the United States Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Guantanamo would have a right to a civil trial as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Previously, these detainees were subject to military trials only. The Supreme Court split 5-4 on this ruling. Many Republicans have condemned this ruling. The most common argument I have heard is that this somehow puts our national security at risk. Senator Cornyn called the decision “troubling”. He argues that, since Congress had already legislated the issue, the Supreme Court had no need to rule on the issue. Apparently Sen. Cornyn has a rather weak understanding of the role of the Supreme Court. Then again, Cornyn doesn’t seem to understand why anyone in government would do anything other than pander to voters.
I would like for one of the Republican mouth pieces to explain to me how giving people a fair trial threatens our nation’s security. Are bombs and terrorist attacks suddenly going to spread across the country because a few hundred men will be given lawyers and an audience at their trials? Are we afraid that the world will see that we extend to foreigners the same rights we claim for ourselves? I personally have much more faith in our civil courts than in our military courts. Can we honestly expect our soldiers to be unbiased in their treatment of our prisoners of war? I fully support the Supreme Court’s decision. One of the pillars of liberty is openness. If we are to be free in a nation of laws it is vital that we have an open judicial process. I think this ruling sends a bold message to the world that we are not hypocrites and that we wholeheartedly believe in the values set forth in our Constitution.
Pat Dixon on Austin Radio KUT News
Libertarian Party of Texas State Chair Pat Dixon was interviewed yesterday by KUT News here in Austin. They also briefly discussed our recent state convention.
Click here to listen to the story.
LPTX Convention Summary
The 2008 Libertarian Party of Texas convention ended today. These last three days have been very exciting and invigorating. Our business sessions have revised our rules and bylaws as well as by nominating our statewide candidates. Our speakers provided many interesting and insightful workshops on topics ranging from abortion to campus activism. For our Saturday lunch we had the pleasure of hearing from Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr. Our conference room was completely sold out for the lunch banquet. Rep. Barr’s speech can be heard on the previous post on this page.
Attendance at the State Convention exceeded expectations. As far as I know the Texas convention was the largest Libertarian State Convention in the country. It has been very encouraging to see so many dedicated activists gather together to discuss our shared values. Our members have come out of this convention energized and better prepared to spread our message of individual freedom across the state of Texas. State Chair Pat Dixon summarized the convention by saying “this weekend was a tremendous success and demonstrates that our party is strong and growing”. The 2008 election is looking to be very successful for Libertarian Party candidates across the state.
Following is some of the press that our state convention received:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram 2nd Article
Yvonne Schick Wins LPTX Nomination for U.S. Senate
On Saturday, June 14th the delegates at the 2008 Libertarian Party of Texas State Convention voted to nominate Yvonne Schick as the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate. Ms. Schick won the nomination in a three way contested race. Yvonne is a very active member of the Libertarian Party and an effective campaigner. I am looking forward to Yvonne’s campaign as she works to replace Sen. Cornyn in the U.S. Senate.
For Yvonne Schick’s campaign website click here.
Bob Barr Speaks at LPTX Convention
LP Presidential candidate Bob Barr spoke today at the Libertarian Party of Texas State Convention. Below is a link to his speech. It is a fairly large file so loading may take a few minutes.
Click Here To Listen To Bob Barr’s Speech To The LPTX Convention.
Ron Paul Ends Campaign
Today Ron Paul officially ended his campaign for the presidency. Ron Paul is a hero of the fight for liberty and greater personal freedom. He deserves our utmost respect for his tireless efforts in our shared cause. CNN wrote that although he did not secure the Republican nomination he has nonetheless come out of his campaign a winner. I believe that the cause of liberty has won a great battle through Paul’s campaign.
In his closure letter Ron Paul wrote “the work of the Campaign for Liberty will take many forms”. We as the Libertarian Party are one of those fronts. We are one of the most visible fronts on this struggle in Texas and in America. I personally believe that it is important to keep in mind that while we play a crucial role in spreading the message of freedom, we are not the only front in this ongoing campaign. To the right of the articles on this blog you can see several links to other organizations dedicated to personal freedom such as Reason Magazine and the CATO Institute. There are many other organizations that are not listed. I encourage all those who are interested in the Libertarian Party and those who already support us to explore the other fronts as well. The more involved every individual is on the different fronts of spreading liberty in America, the faster we will achieve our shared goals.
Click here for more information.
Should Government Legislate Oil?
Texas Representatives Carter (TX-31) and Thornberry (TX-13) are pushing for a vote on the No More Excuses Energy Act (H.R. 3089). So what does this creatively named bill propose? In essence 3089 suggests a two pronged approach to reducing the price of oil.
The first approach is to provide tax incentives to oil producers and refiners. The bill also recommends that federal land be granted to private companies to build oil refineries. The bill does not specify which federal property is to be used but this brings up the concern of eminent domain abuse. This is basically corporate welfare and very disappointing, although not surprising in the least coming from Republicans.
The second approach is to deregulate ANWR and coastal drilling. This is the good side of the bill. Less government regulation is almost always a good thing. By reducing constraints on private companies they will be able to explore and produce more oil closer to America. Republicans have this one right. I am sure that the environmental lobby is fuming but then again they have yet to offer any practical alternative solutions.
From a Libertarian perspective the No More Excuses Energy Act is a mixed bag. It reduces government regulation while at the same time giving handouts to business. The fact that these handouts benefit oil companies and are coming from Texas congressmen is a pretty blatant demonstration of pandering. I am sure that both of these congressmen will receive generous donations from oil companies for their next re-election campaigns. Ideally the bill would be modified to eliminate the corporate welfare and just focus on deregulation. It would also be nice to know that the agendas that led to the support for this bill are ideological and based on principal rather than on financial and political considerations.
