My last post on the LPAC blog

This is my last post on this blog. I have decided to move on and to let other's run this blog. Robert Enders has done a great job with this blog in the last few months and I will be leaving it in his able hands.

My reasons fit into two categories: political and personal.

The personal reasons are the easiest to explain:

1. The largest reason for this is that my wife and I have expanded our accounting business and we are both swamped; tax season is our busy time. We will prepare around 450 tax returns this tax season!

2. I am being pulled in too many directions at once and I need to do fewer things so that I can do them better. I am the Treasurer of my PTO, I coach my daughter's basketball team, I am the President of my neighborhood Association, etc.

3. I have been blogging for two and a half years and I no longer have time to post every day. I truly feel that to run a successful blog you must average at least seven posts per week.

4. I have a business website and blog that I need to post at more frequently. That blog is located at:
<http://www.sbscpagroup.com/>

5. When I started this blog the Fort Wayne "blogosphere" was in its infancy. The Fort Wayne "blogosphere" has grown and there are now a lot of high quality local blogs that I enjoy. I will continue to read them and post on them.

My political reasons are more difficult to explain; however, I owe it to those who have loyally read this blog over the last couple of years to do my best to explain them here.

I want to start by discussing my political views in the past. Since I was a Freshman in High School I have held the following views throughout my life:
A. Government is too big and intrusive; it breaks more things then it fixes.
B. This country is based on personal freedoms.
C. Hard work can lead to success in America if you apply yourself and the Government stays out of your way.
D. I believe in a strong National defense and I feel we should maintain the best trained and most effective military in the world to protect our Country.
E. I believe that our Federal Government is far too big and has infringed on the rights of the fifty states. I believe that there are many issues that should be determined by each of the fifty states rather then by the Federal Government.

I have one major political view that has changed. I have always felt that abortion was wrong; however, until my second child (Graydon) was born I strongly felt that this choice should be left to the mother. My second child, Graydon, was born on January 30th, 2003. He was born seven weeks early and was bascially "yanked" out of my wife due to complications. Graydon spent a couple of weeks in the hospital and I almost lost both my wife and my son. It was a very close thing and I am glad that I live near a hospital. If I had lived further from the hospital they would most likely have both died.

That event changed my view on abortion. I am now relatively "Pro Life." I want to see Roe v Wade over-turned and I want abortion to be determined individually by each of the fifty states. In my state I would support a ban on abortion as long as it had "reasonable" exceptions for items like health of the mother, rape, and incest.

When I was in High School and for the next four years (1981 - 1989) I was a "die hard" Republican and Ronald Reagon was my hero. I was an even bigger fan of Barry Goldwater!

In 1989 I joined the navy and did not pay much attention to politics for a couple of years. I spent two years in technical schools and became an Electronics Technician on a nuclear powered submarine. The first couple of years I spent in the navy I considered myself a Republican and my views changed little.

In 1991 - 1995 I was stationed in Pearl Harbor and I met my wife. I felt that the Government was getting too large and I voted for both Republicans and Reform Party candidates. I spent a lot of time at sea, under the water, and was not too active in politics. I was a HUGE fan of the 1994 Republican Revolution. I had very high hopes for the Republican Party. I 100% believed in the Contract with America; I still believe in that Contract with America.

1995 - 2004 I spent as an Independent because I was so mad that The Republican Revolution did not honor their Contract with America. I supported Reform candidates, Republican candidates, and Libertarian candidates. I did not consider myself a member of any political Party during this time. I always looked at the candidate and I voted based on the candidate I felt would increase the size of Government the least.

In late 2004 I helped form the Allen County Libertarian Party. I was elected its Chairman and served as Chairman for two years. I am proud of what the local Libertarian Party has accomplished and I hope that they continue to grow and espouse the views they champion. I also strongly approve of the Indiana Libertarian Party. I think that the Indiana Libertarian Party has some great people in it and I am proud to have been a member of it. The National Libertarian Party is not an organization that I have been able to support. My wife and I travelled all the way to Portland Oregon to attend the 2006 Convention in an attempt to "fix" the national Platform of the Libertarian Party. We were able to "fix" the platform a little; however, it is still a document that I do not support.

From 2004 - 2006 I voted for most of the Libertarian candidates I could. I always vote for the better candidate and the one that supports my views rather then vote "straight" ticket.

In January of 2007 I stepped down as the LPAC Chair. I still attended some meetings in the first part of the year; however, I was not real active. In 2007 I supported Matt Kelty in his race as a Republican for Mayor and I supported Libertarian Byron Peters in his bid for City Council. I also attended my first "Right to Life" banquet in Fort Wayne. I expect to attend more in the future.

In 2007 I also looked at those issues where I disagree with "pure" Libertarians:
A. While I agree with "pure" Libertarians that the war on drugs has 100% failed; I do not agree that the answer is to legalize all drugs immediately. I believe that the Federal government should get out of the "drug war business" and that each of the fifty states should pass its own drug laws. I support the right of each of the fifty states to decrminalize marijuana if a majority of their citizens choose to do so.
B. I am a military veteran and I love the United States military. I want to maintain a large and effective military.
C. I believe that we should have a non-isolationist foeign policy. I did not want to go into Iraq this last time; however, we cannot change the past.
D. I believe that the Government has a role to play in more things then most "pure" Libertarians.
E. I believe in "Fair Trade" not "Free Trade."

On February 3rd, 2008 I have decided to rejoin the local GOP. This has been something I have been strongly considering since 2006. I want to promote smaller government and I want to support candidates who support smaller government. I bear no ill will towards the Allen County Libertarian Party or to the Indiana Libertarian Party; however, I feel that this Country is entrenched in a two party system and I feel that I have a better chance of getting smaller government candidates elected in the local GOP.

Today I joined the local GOP and sent my first fiancial donation.

I have discussed this with the Allen County Libertarian Chair; Doug Horner. Doug has been a good friend of mine for twenty five years. Doug was in my wedding Party and we have always been friends and will always be friends. I am convinced that Doug Horner will be a great LPAC Chair and that he will grow the local Libertarian Party!

I wish the Allen County Libertarian Party the best!

I am going to do my best to reform the local GOP and to ensure that it espouses the views of Ronald Reagon and Barry Goldwater rather then the views of George Bush and other "big government" Republicans. I will support Republican candidates who are small Government Republicans.

I will NOT support "large Government" Republican candidates.

Mike Sylvester, CPA