Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

This is like being named valedictorian during your freshman year. There is a thing called hope, and a thing called results. This is the first time that I can think of that someone awarded a prize for the former.

For that matter, I don't think that a group of Norwegians have the final say on who has contributed the most to peace. There really should be other committees that award their own peace prizes.

Gerrymandering

There has been a lot of talk about prohibiting the redrawing of districts based on partisan voting patterns. Even if such a law were passed, how would you prove that someone violated it?

CITIZEN: Did you redraw the districts to help your own party?
POLITICIAN: Of course not! I merely wanted to ensure that each district had a proportionate number of (blue collar workers, farmers, middle class homeowners, minorities, or any demographic group that just happens to vote a certain way.)

So if the state legislature really, truly wants to prevent gerrymandering, then it should adopt guidelines that would make the practice harder. For example, the boundaries of a district should not snake in and out of residential neighborhoods. Whenever possible, cities should be divided into as few state rep and senate districts as possible. With every state rep district containing about 61,000 residents and every state senate district containing 122,000 residents, Fort Wayne's urban population would be better represented by 4 state reps and 2 state senators who represent only Fort Wayne and not surrounding rural areas. Four percent of Hoosiers live in Fort Wayne, so it should naturally follow that 4% of the General Assembly be from this city.

Recent road collapse causes speculation on origin and prevention but also leads me to call out and question local broadcast stations

Monday evening the road collapsed on US Highway 27 northbound, south of State Boulevard, just before the Kroger Fueling Station. This incident caused major headaches as the road in question is a primary route through town and the lights are timed at 28-32 miles per hour to make traffic flow smoothly, typically a twenty minute trip one way. According to an interview given to Stephen Parker @ Around Fort Wayne by Rachel Blakeman, a former blogger, and current Public Information Officer for the City, they checked all possible causes and their working position now is that a water main break ten years ago caused the soil to move or become settled and therefore caused the road pavement to buckle under and take the City on a wonderfully (35 miles per hour, across a 12 inch dip in the road, on a curve, at night) fun ride. The City hopes to have the road repaired, at a cost of 26 thousand dollars (INC 23 September 2009), by Friday, weather permitting. The only question left to ask now is, Does the City need to go back and check the sites of all other previous water main breaks to prevent this from happening yet again?

My Problem With Local Broadcast Media

This incident was responded to promptly so I wont critique the City on interdepartmental communication this time but I will critique the local broadcast media establishments for not broadcasting the traffic alert at the bottom and top of the hours as the incident unfolded and progressed. Most of the radio stations that I tuned into were on national syndication at the time with no one answering phones or able to announce the obstruction to traffic on the air. Maybe we need to take stock in what we want from local radio? I am not saying that national shows and prerecorded programs are a bad thing, but when there is no one present to put out the traffic advisory for such a major road closing, or receive up to date information from average citizens at the event's occurrence, we begin to see another issue at play. What does that say about the intention of these people we entrust with our airwaves?

That is right, our airwaves! Publicly owned airwaves!

This isn't an issue of local only it is an issue of local at all. Most radio stations rely on the prepackaged or syndicated programs to fill time and just milk the advertising dollars from such programs. I miss the days of long term, local hired, Disc Jockeys (excuse me, Personalities) whom actually get involved in the Community they serve and do more than slut out the top 40 list every couple of hours, we need more indie and local music.

We need independent stations that aren't owned by conglomerates in the same market. We need to celebrate the arts and music but also receive our news and commentary from many different sources rather than allowing one or two stations to provide every comment or thought from a biased, small minded, position of assumed public trust. We need to start having public conversations again on air and actually invite the best people to the airwaves not just the ones who have the loudest mouths or the most clout in the industry or social landscape.

Allen County needs its own radio station that celebrates the people, arts and music, cultures, reports the news, and offers a balance of commentary on everything. My only question, Whom is willing to start providing and maintaining a truly free press for everyone to participate in? Are You?

EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS POST IS CROSS POSTED ON MY PERSONAL BLOG WITH PICS & COMMENTS.

LPIN Hosting Do You Think You Wanna Run For Office Workshop

The Libertarian Party of Indiana is hosting a free Saturday Seminar entitled Run! A Candidate Training Seminar on Saturday the 10th of October from 11am-3pm at The Market Square Center's 7th Floor Conference Room 151 N. Delaware Street in Indianapolis. Please RSVP to Chris Spangle (LPIN Executive Director) via email (lpinhq@lpin.org) before the 9th of October. If they run out of space, there is a good chance we will hold this a second time. Topics will include: Beginning the Race, Maintaining Effective Messages and Responses With The Public, Volunteer Staff Management, Funding, Announcing Candidacy, Avoiding the Penalties, and a Finish with Finesse. We'll also have time for basic Q & A, help with paper work, and have a photographer for head shots! If you aren't able to attend, we'd still love to know if you're interested in running. Please fill out this form so we can contact you!

LPAC BUSINESS MEETING IS MONDAY

The Next Business Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Allen County is on Monday the 21st of September 2009 from 6:45-8:15 pm in Meeting Room B at Main Branch of the Allen County Public Library. Please enter off the Webster Street entrance and proceed to the left for easiest access to the meeting rooms. Our Guest Speaker for the evening will be Ronald Heilman of Hoosiers for Fair Tax there will be a presentation @ 7:10 pm followed by a question and answer session. We will be providing Pizza from Little Caesars, and a small assortment of Pepsi
products. We request a small donation to help to cover food costs.

AGENDA FOR BUSINESS MEETING

A. Call Meeting To Order

B. Minutes from the last meeting read and approve

C. Treasurers Report

D. Vote Centers Report - Chair

E. Brochure Funds - Vice Chair

F. 3rd District/State News - 3rd District Rep/Vice Chair

G. Yard Sale Review - Secretary and Vice Chair - Fundraising Committee

H. Post Office Box Yes or No?

I. Guest Speaker Ron Heilman Hoosiers 4 Fair Tax
presentation and question and answer session

OTHER NOTES:

LPAC has a facebook page also!

I am working on a new mailing system so please anticipate future announcements to come from a generic email address plus this blog, facebook, and the website. If you wish to update your email and any other contact information, doing so at this meeting will be of great assistance.

Celebrate Liberty! Fan the Fires of Freedom.

+Kenneth White, Jnr.
LPAC, Secretary

You might be a racist if:

I can see how some might view it as racist if someone criticizes Obama for spending too much if that same person did not criticize Bush for the same practice. (Libertarians have been critical of both Bushes and Obama.) But there are other plausible explanations for the inconsistency:
1. They were not aware of Bush's spending practices.
2. They have become more fiscally conservative.
3. Bush's spending was beneath their threshold but Obama has exceeded it
4. They are party hacks.

Libertarians At Large Tonight 7-8 PM. Tune In, Call Up, Get Involved!

Libertarians At Large airs on channels Comcast 57 and Verizon 27, from 7-8 p.m., every third Thursday of the month. Tune in tonight as Doug Horner's guest this month will be Libertarian, Dan Drexeler, our State Party's Vice Chair. Call in to ask questions or just let us know you are listening. Please contribute to the conversation.

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.

Why not provide healthcare to illegal aliens?

Democrats insist that healthcare is a fundamental human right. Aren't illegal aliens human too? Isn't national origin simply another pre-existing condition? The fact that illegal aliens will not be covered under any proposed plans suggests that Obama's motives for healthcare reform are political and not humanitarian.

September 11

I have some hope that the current crisis is at least half over. The fog of war keeps us from knowing the enemy's capabilities. The uncertainty of it all is more scary than the actual danger. You are more likely to die in a car wreck, but at least you know the odds.

How will it end? Sooner or later we'll have to negotiate with the Taliban. The Continental Army did not kill every Loyalist, the Union did not kill or capture every Confederate, and there are ex-Nazis resting comfortably in German retirement homes. We'll bring the troops home. If we don't get attacked again, we can call that victory. If we do get attacked again, we'll reinvade.

LPAC garage sale postponed

One of our key members has had a family emergency. This person is critical to the success of our fundraising events, as a result the LPAC yard sale has been postponed for 2 weeks.

UPDATE: It is going to be rescheduled for the 19th a/o 20th of September. This allows time for you to donate still any items in good condition you wish to the LPAC. Please contact the Secretary @ 260-312-2200 to arrange pick up or delivery of your donations. Thanks also goes towards those whom have already donated.

We need a new word

Some people claim to hate labels, but the fact is that we need them to communicate effectively. You are only permitted a finite number of characters in your social network profiles, so words like "liberal", "conservative", and "libertarian" come in handy when describing your beliefs or the beliefs of others.

What am I supposed to call a person who advocates handing taxpayer dollars over to a company without expecting anything in return? Suppose there was a cut in corporate subsidies; what name would be on the buttons and banners of those who oppose the cut? I can't imagine that anyone would organize a "Rally for Corporate Welfare", but there is clearly some support for these programs or else they would not exist. Liberals like Michael Moore opposed TARP and the Big 3 bailouts, and so did conservatives like Rush Limbaugh.

So what do we call these people? TARPists? Tarpies? I'm not trying to be insulting, I just don't know what to call a person who takes money from the working class and gives it to a dysfunctional company. I do try to be fair to people on the other side of a debate by calling them the name that they choose for themselves. I'm going to go with "Tarpy" until one of them suggests a better name.

Too lazy to post, so it's movie time!

Sometimes things are better explained with diagrams:


Or maybe not:

Another Modern Modest Proposal: Outlaw Sex!

(For the original "Modest Proposal", click here.)

The government cares about Americans so much that it is stepping up its role in providing healthcare. But many of the irrational concerns about "death panels" stem from very real concerns about how the government intends to reduce healthcare costs. A comprehensive plan needs to be put forth so that conservatives are forced to stop spreading wild rumors.

Now is the time for a federal ban on all sexual intercourse. Sex no longer has any redeeming social value, since responsible adults now have access to in vitro fertilization. We all know the hazards of sex: STD's, rectal trauma, and unauthorized pregnancy. So why do otherwise sane adults persist in this behavior? Because it produces a euphoria that can only be compared to a drug induced high.

The government has rightly outlawed drugs because of all the havoc that they cause in the mind of the user and society at large. Why should sex get a free pass? Prohibition is progress!

This ban must be absolute; not even married couples should be allowed to have sex. Especially if your spouse is a politician who travels to countries where sex is legal.

Some argue that responsible adults should be allowed to make their own personal decisions. But when an adult makes the wrong decision, that's proof of his incompetence. This is why we have an enlightened Congress: to tell us all what to do. Just as responsible parents forbid their children from playing in the streets, responsible governments prevent their citizens from engaging in dangerous or unhealthy behavior. The best way for the government to lower healthcare costs is to make safer, healthier, and celibate.

Public option vs co-op's

The public option died because it could have had the effect of driving health insurance companies out of business. Unless enough people like me paid extra for private insurance, the insurance industry would simply have to move on. There are many people out there who would see the demise of HMO's as a good thing. But I think that this administration probably realized that it isn't ready to become the sole provider of healthcare to an obese nation.

We should give health care co-op's a shot. Unlike a business, a co-op does not seek to make a profit; unlike a government, it cannot run on a deficit indefinitely or print its own money. Plus, you are free to leave a co-op at any time. To switch health insurance companies, you often have to get a different job. To switch governments, you pretty much have to move. A co-op measures its success solely by the quality of service that it provides to its members, and can continue to operate effectively no matter who wins Ohio and Florida in 2012.

The best way that Congress can move this along is to make all health insurance payments tax deductible. As things stand now, a company health plan is tax deductible, but a individual health plan is not.

The real way to reduce healthcare costs.

Your personal behavior plays a large roll in your long term health and healthcare. Personally, I've racked up a lot of medical bills due to recreational activities and poor judgement. I broke my pinkie playing touch football. I bit a hang nail off and it got infected. I've had other tests done that are nobody's business.

Forget all those rumors about death committees. If government starts playing a larger role in healthcare, these will be the real questions: Will the federal government start regulating personal behavior, or will taxes be raised to pay for celebrity syphilis treatments? Will I be allowed to choose what to eat, or will I have more taken out of my check to pay for other people's gastric bypasses? Will alcohol remain legal, or will Congress start springing for liver transplants?

Texting while driving

Texting while driving is stupid, dangerous, and irresponsible. It should be illegal. But any activity that causes a driver to take his eyes off the road should be illegal. As technology progresses, there will always be new gizmos that morons will be using while driving. If virtual reality headsets become widely available, some doofus will have one on while driving.

Calhoun Street: The case against change

Calhoun used to be a two way street all the way through downtown. Then the city changed it at great expense. I didn't like the idea at the time but we all got used to it. Now some are pushing for it to be changed back.

Businesses have to deal with a wide variety of variables that can make it hard to plan. Demographics, supply surplus, demand shortage, the weather, etc, can all affect a business in unpredictable ways. Certain kinds of change are inevitable and even necessary, but most businessmen prefer to have as few potential contingencies as possible.

Whenever possible, municipal government should strive to be a constant factor, not a variable. Spontaneity and creativity have no place in urban planning.

I am starting to wonder if the unpredictability of downtown is starting to drive businesses away. Look at all these new and exciting projects that been pushed through over the past decade. Look at all the empty office space as well. The problem seems to be that nobody wants to build their castle in a political sandbox.

There are many pros and cons to changing Calhoun St. But with no guaranteed benefits, the city must err on the side of the status quo.

Scam for clunkers

At best this could be called an economic placebo. The government takes action, and this provides reassurance to the segments of the population that thinks the government needs to do something. The same effect could be achieved at a lower cost if officials keep putting positive spin on economic news. Human psychology is the most important factor in economics.

Some more thoughts:
1. Because of the complex rules of the program, it seems likely that some car dealers will be denied reimbursement by the government and end up taking a loss on sales. I will have no sympathy for them. Sleep with dogs, wake up with fleas. Sleep with the government, wake up with paperwork to fill out.
2. "Regressive" and "progressive" are used to describe taxes that directly impact the poor and wealthy, respectively. It's about time that they be used to describe government programs as well. CARS is a regressive program that disproportionately helps upper middle class car buyers. Most people who make less than $25K a year will not be able to take advantage of this program.
3. Watch for people starting to hoard "clunkers" if they think that the program will be repeated or extended.

Good News for LPAC in coming months plus some other housekeeping issues for the blog.

Happy Birthday Mr. President....

As most are aware by now according to the short form Certification Of Life Birth from Hawaii records the date and time of President Barack Hussein Obama Jr. at 19:24 on this day in 1961. He will be 48 in an hour or so. Let them eat cake and drink some beer!

Housekeeping

We have slowed down as far as written posts and readership goes this year but I wanted to take a moment and thank our loyal patrons and party members for your dedication. This year has been one of rest and preparation for the very important 2010 Election Cycle. We have several interesting things coming down the pike in the next couple of months as we approach the 2010 cycle.

The 2010 Election Cycle

This next mid term election cycle is very important to all Americans, especially Libertarians. Why? Because the results of the Indiana Secretary of State's race determines whether or not we are a major or a minor party and whether or not we have actual ballot access in the State of Indiana, without having to go through a petition drive for each candidate that we put forward for your consideration.

We need your votes to fight for you and do what is right in Local, State, and National government policy. By achieving 10% of the vote in the SOS race in Indiana we get elevated to major party status and then have hundreds of appointments to local boards and commissions come our way and then we can make an even greater impact in keeping government both transparent and small and allow you the citizen to have greater discretion in your day to day lives and choices. The 2010 Election Cycle is your chance to shake things up just a little bit more, it is time to choose not just the lesser of two evils but to make the right decision for your Country's future and consider voting Libertarian even once just to deny the status quo and to voice your disgust with the game of politics as usual.

Voting Center Steering/Advisory Committee Appointment

We were notified last month by the Allen County Election Board that our Party was able to appoint one person to sit on the new Committee which will help establish and facilitate the Voting Center Initiatives that will streamline the 146 of the County's 301 precinct specific voting locations down to 40 larger, centralized Vote Centers throughout the County. Robert Enders, LPAC's Chair, will be making his final decision on that appointment either before or during the August meeting. I would like to personally thank the Allen County Election Board for making the Libertarian Party of Allen County a part of the conversation and implementation of this new policy and plan.

Kevin Leininger of The News Sentinel reported on the plan too. Here is a synopsis of the article:

Beth Dlug, Allen County's Director of Elections, has presented a plan that would replace 146 of the polling places with 40 “vote centers” open to all registered county voters regardless of address. Although the change would require approval by the General Assembly which means it wont be in place until 2010 at least she would like to start the planning now. Even though some are concerned that the new Vote Centers would require residents to travel farther, she believes that carpooling can alleviate that issue as neighbors and friends will be able to go to the same place to vote regardless of their home address versus their work location. This in turn would also reduce the overhead for political parties to fund “get out the vote” programs and reduce the amount of locations candidate materials have to be dropped off at.

Kevin's article goes on to establish that the facts and principles that guide this decision and process are sound:

"1. Each vote center must have room for at least 20 machines and 50 parking spaces.
2. Machines would be programmed...to display candidates from any area of the county.
3. Reduction in places would allow the election board to hold about 50 poll workers in reserve on Election Day, sending them wherever necessary to meet voter demand.
4. To get a “head start” on the process, Dlug said she hopes to establish several early-voting satellite locations in 2010, in addition to the early votes accepted at the election board office in the City-County Building."

A brochure that introduces you to LPAC, and what we stand for...YOU!

It took a year and a half and a lot of hard work, but it is done! Shortly after Labour Day you will notice a large trifold brochure at certain locations throughout Fort Wayne and all of Allen County introducing and welcoming you, your family and friends, and neighbors to become involved in the Libertarian Party of Allen County and help make a difference in the way government is run in Allen County. I would like to thank personally John Good of Left In Aboite for allowing us to use his picture from the Three Rivers Festival a couple years ago for part of this brochure.

The Business Meetings are set 3 months in advance

It has taken a few attempts and we finally put some grease to the wheels, but for the last three months we have gotten back to a standard meeting time and place on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The August meeting will be on 19th @ Allen Co. Public Library Main Branch from 7-8:30 p.m. in Meeting Room C (which is just kitty corner across from the Webster Street entrance) doors open @ 6:30. We look forward to seeing a lot of you there and we will have some form of snackage there. September through the November Business Meetings will be set before that date and as always posted at the top of this blog. For your information, we typically do not have a formal meeting in December because of Seasonal/Holiday obligations and weather issues if anything does occur it is a social gathering or planning session only.

Other opportunities to join in the fun!

We are also discussing having a monthly meetup or social gathering, during the first week of each month, where debates and educational opportunities on Libertarian philosophy and principles can be explained and their application within local government opportunities and issues discussed either in small groups or a lecture/discussion format and with an occasional guest speaker. We want you to get involved in your Community and your Government these forums will also assist with providing information and resources to that end.

Secondly we are floating around some other ideas for both advertising and getting our message out into the Community. There are several Committees that you can join to assist the Libertarian Party of Allen County in that endeavor, just contact any Officer to find out more information after the Business Meeting or one of our Social Gatherings.

We have a FACEBOOK group page?

I recently found out about and am in the process of taking over LPAC's FACEBOOK group page. Please be patient as this transition process takes time and it will be updated as soon as I get editorial control switched over to me, apparently there is a bug in the system. Until we do get the quirks worked out feel free to join the group and show your support as we transition this information outlet and social networking resource to better serve you.

Thank you for reading and remember to stand for Liberty!

MRev. Kenneth White, Jnr.
LPAC Secretary

Who said this?

"But the last point I would just make in terms of the operating economic philosophy here: My working assumption has always been, if the market could do it better, have the market do it. I have very little confidence in, as I said, some sort of command-and-control regulatory regime. I think businesses create jobs. And I'm a big believer in the profit motive and think free-market pricing is the best way to figure out how to distribute goods and services in a complex economy. In that sense, maybe I spent too much time at the University of Chicago, but I'm pretty steeped in what would be considered a very mainstream view of the economy and government's role in it. I just think it's a sign of how far our ideological pendulum has swung that the things we suggest are somehow deemed anti-business."

Just for fun, take a guess before finding out the answer here.