Guess who isn't listed on the ballot in Texas

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so see for yourself.

From the Barr campaign:

Atlanta, GA - Bob Barr is slated to be the only presidential candidate on the ballot in Texas after Republicans and Democrats missed the Aug. 26 deadline to file in the state.

"Unless the state of Texas violates their own election laws, Congressman Barr will be the only presidential candidate on the ballot," says Russell Verney, campaign manager for the Barr Campaign and the former campaign manager for Ross Perot. "Texas law makes no exceptions for missing deadlines."

I would think that filing for the Texas primary guarentees that a candidate will appear on the primary if he or she wins the nomination. But if the Democratic and Republican parties were supposed to file on behalf of their candidate, yet failed to do so, does that mean Barr will be the only candidate on the ballot? If McCain and Obama are to be included, why aren't they listed on the Texas SOS site?

Personally, I'd hate to win a state on a technicality like this. Even minor party candidates like McCain deserve to be included.

Alcohol

Within Indiana, there is talk about allowing the retail sale of alcohol on Sundays. This makes sense. If Sunday is reserved as a day of rest, then it makes sense to allow people to purchase alcohol to aid in their resting. If Sunday is just another day of the week, then there is no reason for special restrictions for that particular day of the week.

Nationwide there is a debate about lowering the drinking age to 18. The argument against this is that 18, 19, and 20 year-olds lack the maturity level to make the decision of whether or not to drink. There are of course 30, 40, and 50 year-olds that lack that same maturity; the irresponsibility of these folks is no reason to spoil the fun for everyone else.

People do mature at different rates, yet there is no objective means of determining maturity. Eighteen is the age a person can vote, smoke, sign a contract, and join the military. If you’re old enough for an M-16, you’re old enough for MD 20/20. If 21 is the threshold for making your own decisions, every soldier, sailor, and airman under the age of 21 should be honorably discharged on the grounds that they did not know what they were doing when they signed up.

There are problems associated with college drinking, though. These are more due to lack of experience than it is to lack of maturity, although both are factors. If you never had a drink before, you do not know the extent of the effects that alcohol has on your body. For that matter, turning 21 does not automatically endow you with that information. The key to responsible drinking is education, experience, and experimentation. Colleges should be allowed to permit students to drink under the supervision of campus officials.

LPAC Yard Sale!!!!

To All,

This year we are going to simple things down a bit and just try a yard sale.

My father has decided to donate the use of his office on North Anthony for our use.

So I am trying to simplify things and have ALL DONATIONS brought to the office on Saturday, August 30th. They will be stored inside before the sale.

On Sunday, August 31st we will price everything for several hours that morning, say from 11A – 3P.

The yard sale itself will be held on Monday from 8A – 5P. Anything left over will be donated to a local charity.

If you have something large that you cannot transport we will come pick it up in a truck! Just call me and let me know your address and we will be there sometime Saturday. I will need your phone number as well to coordinate the pickup.

We will need help with folks on Sunday to help price things and on Monday for the sale itself. Email me or phone me to let me know what you can do to help.

I appreciate all of the help everyone has given in the past and look forward to seeing all again.

To make it easy for pickup we will be going around town from 12P – 4P on Saturday. If you will want us to take stuff away PLEASE EMAIL James Fitch (he has the truck) at JFitch44@MSN.Com.

Again, Email James if you want us to pick it up. You can also call me at (260) 704 – 4698.

Let us know by Thursday if you want things picked up. That way we will have time to organize a route for picking up everything.

I am going to try to schedule our Monthly business meeting for this Wednesday evening if anyone has questions. Details on that to follow…

Here are the details:

Who: Libertarians and friends
What: Annual Fundraiser Yardsale
Where: 1405 N Anthony Blvd (at the corner of Anthony and Tilden)
When: Monday, September 1st, from 8A – 5P.
Why: Raise money for the party

Thank you for all of your help!

Sincerely,

Doug Horner
Chairman, LPAC
(260) 704 – 4698

Libertarians At Large

Due to a scheduling conflict and circumstances beyond our control Libertarian, Andy Horning, candidate for Indiana Governor, will not be tonight's guest on our live hour long call in show Libertarians At Large, which is hosted by Doug Horner.

Tonight we will be playing an encore presentation of Libertarian, William Larsen's, interview from approximately two months previous. Mr. Larsen is our candidate for the Indiana Third District Representative to the United States Congress, currently held by seven term incumbent Mark Souder. Tune in tonight on channels Comcast 57 and Verizon 27, from 7-8 p.m.

As always the Libertarian Party of Allen County would like to thank Access Fort Wayne and The Allen County Public Library for providing us these opportunities to serve the public and promote the discussion at all levels of government about what is best for the future of of our communities, state, and nation.

Interesting "then and now" article on NPR site

This NPR article talks about how politics has both changed and stayed the same over the past century.

What else happened in 1908? A mysterious object exploded over Siberia. The Cubs won the World's Series. And a guy with a mustache was elected President. None of these things have happen since. But sometimes, things have a way of surprising you....



The Cubs are leading their division this year. Hey, if there's hope for them, anything can happen.

Ethanol: The Video

One possibility that is not mentioned in this video is that ethanol could be economically viable if it is made from sugar. But we would have to import the sugar. Because of tariffs, sugar costs four times as much on the US market than it is on the world market. It is possible that American ethanol made from Brazilian sugar could reduce our dependence on Venezuelan and Middle Eastern oil. No developed country is resource independent, but we can do more trading with our allies so that we can trade less with our enemies.

We are fortunate in that we are not dependent on other countries for the most important goods, food and medicine. Right now, third world countries need grain from us more than we need oil from them. If you don't believe me, try starting your morning off right with a healthy breakfast of shale topped off with light, sweet crude. We should stop making our ethanol out of food and start making it from sugar.

8888

Today is the 20th anniversary of the "8888" uprising.
On August 8th 1988, (8-8-88) Burmese students took to the streets to protest, only to be crushed by the military. This is why I like living in a country where I can protest without getting shot at. This anniversary has special significance for Fort Wayne, since our city is now host to Burmese refugees.

Before you shut down another parking lot standardize the fees $ 3.00 all day no more free nights and weekends means at least 15 new jobs in the City

Location 1/2 Hour 1 Hour Ea. Addl. Hr. Daily Max Mon. - Fri. Attendant Hrs. Night/Weekends
120 W. Berry St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $7.00 7 am - 6 pm Closed
132 W.Wayne St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $7.00 6:30 am - 5:30 pm $2.00 Flat Fee
210 E.Washington Blvd. Flat Fee Flat Fee Flat Fee $3.00 7 am - 5:00 pm Private Parking
300 W. Main St. Flat Fee Flat Fee Flat Fee $3.00 24 Hour 24 Hour Flat Fee
337 W. Berry St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $4.00 7 am - 5 pm $2.00 Flat Fee
400 W. Berry St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $4.00 7 am - 5 pm $2.00 Flat Fee
520 W.Wayne St. Flat Fee Flat Fee Flat Fee $3.00 24 Hour 24 Hour Flat Fee
720 S. Calhoun St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $7.00 7 am - 5:30 pm $2.00 Flat Fee
City Center Garage $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $7.00 7 am - 6 pm No Charge
Merrill Lynch Plaza $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $6.00 7 am - 5:30 pm $2.00 Flat Fee
Headwaters Park Flat Fee Flat Fee Flat Fee $2.00 7 am - 5 pm No Charge
^=They're getting rid of this one to build yet more restaurants and its the closest to City County Building=^
Wayne and Ewing $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $4.00 7 am -5 pm Private Parking
100 E.Washington Blvd. $0.50 $1.00 $1.00 $7.00 7:30 am - 5 pm Mon.-Sat. $2.00 after 5 pm
One E. Main St. $1.00 $2.00 $1.00 $7.00 7:30 am - 6 pm No Charge

http://visitfortwayne.com/data/DowntownParkingMap.pdf

To read more about this visit my personal blog

One difference between Fort Wayne and Los Angeles

LA bans fast food restaurants in certain parts of town, while Fort Wayne gives them tax abatements. While I still disagree with tax abatements for fast food, this is one reason why I'm glad I live in Fort Wayne. I want and need fast food as part of my lifestyle. When I just got out of work and have to be someplace else in an hour, I don't have time for a home-cooked meal. Nor do I have time to sit down in a family restaurant and stare at antique surf boards that have been nailed to the wall. All I have time for is someone to hand me a bag of warm, empty calories through my car window.

California is a weird place. If you want marry within your gender, they will respect your lifestyle choice. Props to them for that. But if you want a cheeseburger, then supposedly that's a health risk. What you decide to put into your mouth, be it a pancake or a penis, should be up to you and you alone.

Another Modern Modest Proposal: National Service

Our children respect authority as much as Rudy Giuliani respects the sanctity of marriage. By age 18, the average high school senior has done as much drugs as Cindy McCain. Video games are teaching them that horrific violence is ok even if you are not following the President’s orders. Our children are not learning proper values. To teach them through example would mean that we would have to clean up our own acts. So instead, I propose a national service program.

Now, to pay a adult less than $6.55 an hour to work is exploitation. But to make a teenager work for free builds character. Forcing them to do volunteer work for the government will make them loyal, patriotic citizens. The government can in turn sell that labor to US companies, helping America compete in the global sneaker industry and helping to reduce the deficit at the same time. As a bonus, the parents get to spent time away from the kids. Everybody wins.

To view the original Modest Proposal, click here.