1. October 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Northern Indiana voters concerned about the irresponsible bailout of Wall Street and foreign banks, just might want to mark their calendars for this Friday, October 3.  The only presidential candidate who has been consistently and unequivocally opposed to the Republicratic bailout fiasco  is Libertarian Bob Barr Barr on Bailout.  Details are sketchy but apparently Barr will be coming to Northern Indiana on Friday to speak at two events hosted by the Libertarian students at two local universities.  On Friday afternoon, it appears that Barr will be speaking at the University of Notre Dame. Later on Friday, Barr is  being scheduled to be at Valparaiso University to meet students, faculty, media and all interested public.  Both events will be open to the public and preliminary details are available at  Barr Indiana Events

It is exciting to watch the freedom fighting Libertarian students at both Notre Dame and Valparaiso working hard to advance the pro-liberty agenda. Congratulations and sincere thanks for all of your efforts and success in bringing Bob Barr and his critically important message about REAL change to Northern Indiana. 

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25. September 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Well, maybe that is not exactly what they said but that seems to be what they implied in a rather arrogant editorial against the inclusion of Ralph Nader and Bob Barr in the Presidential Debate Debacle. 

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/09/our-view-on-t-1.html#Close

Any voter who owns a TV or lines their birdcage with a newspaper knows they have had plenty of opportunity to “scrutinize” the two Old Party Candidates. In fact, the 24/7 non-stop McBama propaganda campaign is just about all they see, even when they have had more than enough and really don’t want to see anymore.  What they don’t have much opportunity to see are the sensible alternatives to the status quo train wreck.  Bob Barr and Ralph Nader are both principled presidential candidates who will be on the ballot is nearly every state.  They are running good campaigns and deserve the opportunity to present their ideas to the American People in the debates.  American People are certainly smart enough to be able to make a sensible and informed choice from among four candidates. When actually asked the question, a recent Zogby Poll showed that  69% of the crucial independent voters wanted to see Bob Barr included in the debates  ZOGBY POLL.  So exactly what is it that USA Today and the Ruling Elite are so afraid of that they don’t want a better informed electorate? Why do they  attempt to limit our access to important information and real debate about issues while trying to force feed us the “Lipstick on a Pig” bullshit that they think is so newsworthy?

 Voters are getting far more than adequate opportunities to scrutinize McBama and most are less than thrilled with the choice they are being offered. The solution to that problem is more choices, not less.  If you are a grownup voter who would like to see a real debate and be offered more choices, please feel free to express your opinion to the Commission on Presidential Debacles at 202-872-1020.  While you have them on the phone, you might want to ask them to release the secret contract between the Democratic and Republican campaigns so we all can better “scrutinize” McCain and Obama to see exactly what it is they have planned for our future.  

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19. September 2008 by Greg Kelver.

It is always interesting  to watch the lengths that some enlightened journalists will go to in order to avoid reporting on what Libertarian candidates are saying. Despite the  non-stop 24/7 media frenzy of the McBama campaign, rarely do they ever mention Libertarian Bob Barr who is on target to be on the ballot in just about every state.  If they do, he is usually painted as a “spoiler” to the Republicratic Party’s  assumed ownership of your vote.   But the latest manipulation by Indianapolis Star political guru Matthew Tully about the gubernatorial debate is totally amusing if not downright hilarious.  

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080917/NEWS08/809170380

Just like their apparent blindness to the financial meltdown now taking place around us, our political professionals seem to be totally oblivious to the 800 pound gorilla. A gorilla who is not just in the room but is now standing on the stage, waving his arms, and grunting loudly.
 

While it was encouraging to see the Indiana Debate Commission properly and fairly acknowledge  the Libertarian Party ballot access by including Andy Horning in the gubernatorial debate, apparently some still haven’t quite figured it out yet. Although not apparent from Mr. Tully’s column, Andy Horning actually was on the same stage as Mitch Daniels and Jill Long-Thompson - standing right next to Jill although he probably should have been standing between the two bickering candidates.  He answered just as many questions and had just as many rebuttals as either of the other two. Andy was clearly both smart and funny in the debate. He is an obviously qualified individual who has a different and far more constitutionally friendly vision for Indiana than either Daniels or Long-Thompson has. It is a vision that I and probably many other libertarian leaning Hoosiers share.  Andy gets and understands the big picture even if most of Mr. Tully’s faithful readers remain completely clueless.

But fortunately, in this broadband driven information age, voters can see the debate online to decide for themselves who actually won the debate. Those interested may want to visit http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&tID=5&src=atom&atom=todays_events.xml&products_id=281110-1 and have a look without a heavily biased media slant.

Newspaper executives can’t seem to get a real handle on why fewer and fewer people are subscribing to their newspapers. Perhaps they might want to take a good, long, hard look at Mr. Tully’s column and pay some attention to the handwriting on the wall. There are plenty of clues for those paying attention. 

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31. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Don’t laugh, I’m being serious here  - far stranger things have happened in the past and will happen in the future.  As a former hard core right-wing conservative, Bob Barr really is the perfect person to help a hard core, left-wing liberal see the libertarian light too.

The Republican Party has a long and distinguished history of taking long and careful aim in order to more accurately shoot both feet - with VP Cheney perhaps being the exception who still hasn’t quite been  able to master hitting those either. 

Republicans are continually whining about Barr’s presence in the race and how he is “stealing” votes from McCain. Nothing could be further from the truth - particulary since McCain is giving them away faster than Santa Claus hands out presents on Christmas Eve.  His latest bonehead pick of  who will become POTUS if he is unable to continue to perform his duties is pretty much a sell out of America in order to pander to disgruntled Clintonites.  The Republican Party has many very highly qualified women like  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice  who have been thoroughly tested at the national and international level.  Instead, Maverick McCain goes outside the box to pick a person who has less than two years experience as governor of a small, remote state and served as Mayor of a town of 5700 people after being on the city council there.  Call me crazy but is that really the person America wants taking the 3 AM phone call after Iran, North Korea, Russia, or China has just upset the international apple cart?

While hard core R’s may be singing the praise for his “brilliant” choice, skeptical I’s are not signing on so quick.  Preliminary polling indicates that McCain’s pick of Palin may be making full brain “undecideds” (aka Independents) less likely to vote for him  http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/undecideds-dont.html  I suspect that trend will probably continue as more people start asking questions and reality stares them in the face when they go to punch the touchscreen.  Many Americans DO understand that the Vice Presidential choice DOES matter,

But back to the point about Barr making a Libertarian out of President Obama. I try to understand things that I am afraid of.  The more frightened I am of something, the harder I try to understand it. And quite frankly, this election just scares the Hell out of me and has me clinging to both my gun and my religion tighter than ever before.  But in my quest to try to better understand it, I came across an interesting read at the Atlantic.com titled Reconcilable Differences that offers some pretty good insight and understanding about the political mess we have, what has caused it and what might happen in the future.

I do know for a fact that right-wing  conservatives can turn into libertarians after a life changing reality check.  Left-wing socialists can too. Locally, I have watched with interest an anguished young conservative Porter County blogger who is an avid Huckabee supporter migrate to Barr and apparently then on to Obama. Figure that one out. But I fully understand his frustration - been there, done that - but I suspect he will ultimately find a home as a libertarian Independent.   I suspect that deep down inside Obama probably wants to be a Libertarian too, but like conservative Barr in 2002, he just may not know it yet.

For the sake of America, I hope that Bob Barr will be able to get into the presidential debates so he can at least help shine the libertarian spotlight on our future POTUS. In exchange for our ”consent to be governed”, We the People deserve at least that much.  

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28. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Perhaps the McCain hacks ought to spend just a little less time trying to throw Bob Barr off the ballot in Pennsylvania and a little more tending to their own campaign http://blog.bobbarr2008.com/2008/08/25/mccains-hypocrisy-on-ballot-access/ .  Obama’s people probably should have dotted a few more i’s and crossed  a few more t’s themselves before heading off to the Democratic lovefest in Denver.

Apparently Libertarian Bob Barr will be the only official presidential candidate on the ballot in Texas since somehow neither the Democrats or the Republicans managed to get their candidates listed on the Texas ballot before the deadline. http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/08/27/democrats-republicans-miss-texas-deadline-to-certify-presidential-nominees/

It is a 100% safe bet that if a Libertarian candidate missed a deadline, there would be no changing of the rules to accomodate him/her.  It is long past time for the Old Parties to also play by the same set of rules that they force others to play by. That is only fair and anything else would clearly be an abuse of power that Joe Biden should be first in line to help stand against.  

But if neither McCain or Obama can figure out how to make an important campaign filing deadline during normal daylight hours to get themselves certified for one of the biggest states in the country, do we really want to try to wake up either one of them for the 3 AM phone call?

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16. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

For years, the Old Party candidates have desperately tried to hold onto power by excluding other political parties from the political process.  They have set prohibitive restrictions on ballot access that force smaller parties to waste an excessive amount just trying to get on the ballot in many states.  They are excluded from participating in primary elections that all taxpayers are forced to pay for.  State legislators force alternative parties to play under special rules that incumbent parties don’t abide by while Two-Party controlled election boards simply wink-wink past them.  These genuinely sincere long-shot candidates are ignored and frequently ridiculed by ”enlightened” corporate media hacks (who probably don’t cling to either guns or religion.)  Third and Fourth Party candidates are often not invited to events that agenda driven organizations, who want a special interest “something” from government, hold under the guise of candidate forums.  And they are often deliberately excluded from the very type of hard hitting, informative  public debate that this country was founded on.

 This deliberate debate exclusion is especially outrageous when a political party is running a candidate who is probably more qualified than either of the choices the two Old Parties have dished up - and a strong majority of Americans want to hear what that candidate has to say. Zogby just released a poll that shows that among political “independents” 69% believe Bob Barr should be included in the debate.

 ZOGBY POLL   

Zogby also reports that more than half of LIKELY VOTERS - 55%- want to see Barr included in those debates. Despite the deck being heavily stacked against him, Libertarian Barr is on track to be on the ballot in 48 states ( that’s 96% for mathematically  challenged journalists.)

 So why does the Commission on Presidential Debates, a PRIVATE, non-profit entity set a polling standard that is nearly impossible for an alternative candidate to meet? Perhaps it is because it is the only way to keep Americans from hearing that alternative candidates like Barr and Nader are the ones that seem to be making the most sense. But with Old Media refusing to give credit where due, polls can be manipulated to make sure that Barr and Nader cannot speak directly to grown-up voters who actually may want to hear a real debate.

The high stakes discrimination may start today at the Saddleback Church in  Orange County California which wants to hold a candidate forum for Obama and McCain but exclude Barr and other candidates. However,  Barr apparently has some pretty smart lawyers who happen to believe that forum may be a violation of that horrendously awful piece of legislation  known as McCain-Feingold.  Apparently “federal election laws stipulate that an event such as the one Saddleback Church is hosting must provide pre-established and objective criteria for inviting candidates.  A failure to do so can be considered an illegal campaign contribution.” Not to mention the IRS guidelines for non-profit organizations.

 Like Libertarians at all levels, Barr is not going to take that violation without a fight Barr’s Fight  Libertarians are used to getting excluded and usually take it in stride. But when the future of a country is at stake, they certainly will not shy from a fight.  However, to prevent future fights, it sure would be nice if Obama would do the right thing and take a principled position by refusing to participate in ANY presidential debate that discriminates against non-majority candidates and violates the provisions of McCain-Feingold.

 If you are truly fed-up with politics as usual and simply have had quite enough, you may want to visit Bob’s website and find out what YOU can do about it.  Let freedom and phones ring.   

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13. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Some libertarian purity checkers have been pitching online hissy fits about Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr

 http://www.bobbarr2008.com/ 

 They correctly rip some of the seriously wrong votes that Barr made during his tenure as a Capital “R” Republican congressman a few years ago.  But they fail to give Barr credit for how far and how fast he has traveled up the Libertarian Freeway.  People can and do change - I believe that  Bob Barr has and will continue to do so in the future.

One of my favorite organizations, Gun Owners of America, knows both the Old Republican Barr and the New Libertarian Barr very well - and they obviously like the New Libertarian a lot more than they do the Old Republican.  For any thinking voter who understands that the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting but is an individual right that  secures all other rights, GOA’s assessment of Bob Barr is a very interesting read

http://gunowners.org/pres08/barr.htm 

2nd Amendment Voters may be equally interested in how GOA sizes up Republican candidate McCain.

 http://gunowners.org/pres08/mccain.htm

Personally, I think I have a fair understanding of how Barr has moved on from ”Conservative” to ”Libertarian” since I have been on a similar journey myself - although at a much slower pace.  In 1980, I proudly cast (aka wasted) my very first presidental vote on Democrat Jimmy Carter.   By 1984, I had grown a bit wiser and put my one vote toward Republican Reagan. In 1988, I again spent my one vote on a Republican candidate who asked me to “read his lips”. But thanks to a School Board run in 1990,  some local Republicans helped to make a thinking Independent out of me and I cast my first principled vote for a Libertarian candidate in 1992 - although I did appreciate much of the message that Ross Perot was delivering.  Since 1992, I have never wasted my vote on an Old Party Presidential candidate, nor will I again anytime soon in the future.

 Along my journey, I have been helped by some pretty terrific friends in who have taught me to better understand and appreciate libertarianism and why genuine liberty is the only real solution for the major problems we are facing.  Many of my libertarian friends might have been described as “Liberal Democrat” in their previous political life.  A few were even double parked in the Socialist camp.  But unlike “conservatives” who can’t seem to get past hating “liberals”, I highly value and appreciate the viewpoints of my libertarian friends, regardless of whether they came from the liberal or conservative camp.  Libertarianism seems to be the place where principled hard right and principled hard left ideas converge to form a very large common center of agreement with individual liberty as the foundation base.  And while we still may sharply disagree on some political issues, we fully respect and appreciate the simple fact that we have the fundamental right to do exactly that.  That freedom that the founders originally established for us is what makes this a truly great country.

Bob Barr certainly has taken a hard turn at full speed on the Libertarian Freeway.   And because of Barr’s and Ron Paul’s spirited efforts to run presidential point in  the battle to restore Liberty for America, many younger, smarter libertarians will engage in this fight much quicker.  After having a chance to chat with a couple of very bright young Libertarian law students from Valpo last week, it is genuinely exciting to see these young people are getting the libertarian message a whole lot quicker than their Boomer parents have.  The bright young Libertarian candidate in Marshall County is single handedly shaking up local government in his own backyard.  These future stars are enthused.  They are energetic. And they fully understand that Libertarianism, not Socialism or Republicratism, represents the bright shining light that can be the very best of America’s future. 

 BTW, for informed voters who may want to hear the message firsthand and unfiltered, Bob Barr will be in Chicago this Friday evening http://lpinscr.blogspot.com/2008/08/bob-barr-in-chicago-friday.html

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6. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

Tonight I will be gathering with some other liberty oriented folks at Stimley’s Town and Country Bar in Michgan City for the annual LPLP  Sam Adams Kickoff.  One of the topics that likely will be discussed is the current attempt by some nanny-staters on the Michigan City Council to enact a  smoking ban.  A ban  that will further strip away the basic property rights of the small business owners who operate bars and restaurants inside the city limits of Michigan City.

Smoking is bad- everybody gets it.  But lost in the heated arguments between rude smokers and the busybody anti-smokers is the fact that the smoking ban debate is NOT about the rights of either smokers OR non-smokers. They both have the right to take their money and spend it where they choose at a dining etablishment that best meets their needs.  But the real debate IS about the fundamental property rights of small business owners. 

Small business owners take risks and work hard to run a successful business.  It is both their right and their responsibility to provide an environment that best serves the needs of their customers, not a handful of electeds on the Michigan City Council.   

As usual, the first thing lost in the political battle is basic common sense. But there is a truly simple and effective solution that does not require any involvement by government at any level.  Restaurants, bars, and other private businesses  can simply post a sign on the front door that indicates if smoking is allowed or not.

Smoking Advisory Sign 

Customers can then decide before they ever open the door whether they want to spend their money there or at someplace else that will happily provide the type of dining environment they are looking for.

If any private, for-profit small business would like a “Smoking Advisory” label for their business, please drop me an e-mail at gregkelver@sensiblealternative.org and I will be happy to drop one off to help you better serve your customers. 

Competition works, government doesn’t.

Posted in Government, Politics | 1 Comment »

3. August 2008 by Greg Kelver.

As a taxpayer, I appreciate it when I see an elected advocate a genuinely sensible idea. LaPorte County Recorder Barbara Dean has one that should be seriously considered http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=75&ArticleID=16384&TM=18519.89

Investing in a wind turbine that would provide some “green” power is actually a pretty good idea.  It could provide some electrical power to the county to reduce future energy bills  and serve as a good example to other LaPorte County citizens who are concerned about both energy and environment.  Using taxpayer money to sharply reduce LaPorte County government energy consumption through sensible energy conservation projects coupled with cutting edge power generation is the best way to fight a NIPSCO price increase.  Sharply cut the demand, allow more free market competition to counter NIPSCO’s government created monopoly, and let basic supply and demand economics do their job.  A wind turbine certainly is a much, much better investment of taxpayers’ dollars than paying out huge legal fees so that County Attorney Friedman can create the illusion of fighting a NIPSCO rate increase.

There are plenty of other areas where sensible investments could generate some real long term benefits.  If you come down to the Mill Pond Festival on August 23-24, take a look at the dam and the road going into the park.  Because of age and deterioration, the ”black hole” that serves as the dam gate is going to require replacement and reconstruction.  Instead of just replacing it, perhaps someone should look at the potential for a small hydroelectric generator installation.   The water flow over that dam certainly has the potential to generate some green power 24/7 if we are smart enough to take advantage of it. There probably are a number of other areas in LaPorte County where hydroelectric power might make sense.

Unfortunately, ideas like wind energy turbines will likely be killed off before they even start because of the “ban everything” crew that exists in LaPorte County.  The unelected Plan Commission has already passed a wind energy ordinance

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=16426&TM=21216.54 

Although a multimodal train yard is bearing down on Union Mills full throttle, LaPorte County Government seems oblivious to the “vibration” and pollution potential that will inflict on the residents of Union Mills.  But before a company can even start to study LaPorte County potential for wind energy, the LaPorte County Planner is already waving the regulatory red flag. 

God save us from the planners.

Posted in Energy, Government | 1 Comment »