by Clifford F. Thies

According to the Obama administration, this was supposed to be the summer of recovery. And it is, for Germany. With spending under control and lowered tax rates, the German economy posted a respectable growth rate of 2.2 percent for the 2nd quarter of the year, highest among highly advanced economies.

But in America, it's been the summer of slowth: 0.6 percent, down from 0.9 last quarter and 1.2 the quarter before that. Germany famously avoided recourse to fiscal stimulus to deal with the global recession. Accordingly, it's budget deficit remains modest, at 3 percent of GDP, as compared to a budget deficit of 11 percent of GDP in the U.S. Furthermore, Germany has moved to moderate some of its tax rates (which remain quite high in support of its social insurance programs); while, in the U.S., tax rates have been rising and the talk is only of further increases.

Accordiong to the Wall Street Journal/Heritage Foundation index of economic freedom, during the past year, the first year of the Obama administration, the index has dopped by 2.7 points in the U.S. and has risen by 0.6 points in Germany, although it is still higher in the U.S.

The image is of a German uber-grinder, capable of grinding up and re-cycleing the materials in roads, small buildings vehicles and other things, in a single operation.

Produced by Punk Libertarian and Wyoming Republican Liberty Caucus Coordinator Michael W. Dean.

To be released in the Spring of 2011.

JUST BREAKING... LR EXCLUSIVE...

Stuart Bain Issues Statement
on Perriello’s “Libertarian” Comment

Roanoke, VA – Stuart Bain, Libertarian Party candidate for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District race, issued a statement today about Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello’s (VA-05) comment that Obama’s health care plan is, “really being about individual rights and libertarian rights.[1]”

Bain said, “Clearly, Congressman Perriello is either delusional or completely uninformed as to the core principles of liberty. His assertion that the provisions of the Obamacare bill are anywhere close to being in line with the views of libertarians or the Libertarian Party is absurd. Libertarians believe in smaller government and free market solutions. Tom Perriello’s track record proves he believes the exact opposite.”

“Just the individual mandate alone violates everything even remotely related individual liberty. Luckily, we in Virginia don’t have to abide by the individual mandate thanks to Virginia’s Healthcare Freedom Act,” said Bain, referring to the state legislation passed earlier this year to thwart the federal government’s efforts to force citizens to buy health insurance.

When asked about the government forcing others to be charitable towards their fellow citizens, Bain responded that “Forced charity at the hands of the government is not charity at all. It is legalized plunder. If Congressman Perriello truly believed in the principles of liberty, he would know that free market solutions to health care are the only way to ensure cost effective solutions for all. With the amazing resurgence of support for libertarian ideals and principles in the country, it is clear that Congressman Perriello just views this as an opportunity and is using these comments as a ploy and last ditch effort to try and maintain his seat. While Perriello’s comments will no doubt reach the liberty-minded individuals of his district, they will not resonate at all.”

Bain went on to explain that Congressman Perriello’s vote to expand socialism in this country through Obamacare is no different than that of 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s (R) 2003 vote to expand socialism with the deficit-building, unfunded $5 trillion Medicare expansion. “The only difference is the letter after their names,” he said. “I don’t think either of those two votes are in line with the beliefs of the districts they represent.” Bain then mentioned that the Libertarian Party does not have a candidate running in the 5th district against Perriello this year, but that “the voters will have their say come November. My district and Congressman Perriello’s share areas like Lynchburg and Bedford. I talk to a lot of fired up activists in his district eager to see him defeated.”

Stuart Bain is the only major party candidate running for the United States House of Representatives in the sixth district of Virginia against incumbent Bob Goodlatte. He served in the United States Marine Corps after high school and studied computer science and business at Virginia Tech and American Sentinel University. He and his wife Sarah live in Salem, Virginia and have two children. Stuart is employed by a Roanoke-based web technology and marketing firm where he has served in the capacity of IT manager and Chief Technical Officer for the past eight years. He has the endorsement of the Libertarian Party and is the only candidate in the race who supports the popular Fair Tax Plan.

Editor's Note - We are thankful to the the Bain Campaign for allowing Libertarian Republican to be the first media to break this news. For more information BainforCongress.com

CARLY-FORNIA!

From Eric Dondero:

Republican for US Senate Carly Fiorina is surging ahead of Democrat incumbent Barbara Boxer, in what many consider to be the most critical race in the Nation.

From PalinPromotions.com:

California Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has increased her lead over Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer to five percentage points according to a new CBS 5 KPIX-TV poll released Thursday, which also shows gubernatorial candidates Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman in a dead heat.

Now Fiorina is continuing with the momentum taking a campaign swing through the troubled agricultural region of the Central Valley. She is emphasizing very libertarian themes on the environment.

From the LA Times "Fiorina, Whitman court Central Valley voters" Aug. 12:

in Bakersfield, Senate nominee Carly Fiorina ticked off statistics about the slowing recovery and Kern County's unemployment rate — contending that incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer had failed the region by neglecting its water woes and by embracing what Fiorina described as the failed federal stimulus program.

"She has walked away from every opportunity to help," Fiorina said.

pumping restrictions imposed to protect the delta smelt remain a heated campaign theme. Signs dotting the region's highways beside barren fields proclaim a "Congress-created Dust Bowl." Other signs nearby bear Boxer's name with a slash through the "o."

Fiorina has accused Boxer of allying herself with "extreme environmentalists" [saying]...

"Forty-six thousand people lost their jobs because Barbara Boxer believed that a fish was more important than those 46,000 people and their families."

Including libertarians

Appearing on Sean Hannity's America Tuesday night, Tea Party Caucus leader Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota commented about Democrat dirty tricks, including against Rand Paul:

It demonstrates clearly what the Democrats fear more than anything is the Tea Party in the mid-term elections. After all what the Tea Party is nothing more than mainstream Americans that don't like the Obama/Pelosi agenda. And that's made up of dissafected Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Libertarians...

Bachmann reelection effort MicheleBachmann.com

Pelosi the Pied Piper

Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta, running for Congress in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. Guinta has been closely associated with the NH Tea Party, and is a longtime political ally and friend of the NH Libertarian Party.

Efforts for Abolishment also underway in Wisconsin, North Dakota and New Mexico

From Eric Dondero:

Campaigning in Abilene yesterday, Libertarian candidate for Governor Houston-based lawyer Kathie Glass called for the complete elimination of all property taxes throughout the State.

From the Abiliene Reporter-News:

Her ideas would include an end to property taxes, which she regards as the most unfair of taxes, and a 50 percent cut in the state budget.

“That would put us back to where we were 10 years ago,” she said. “Coincidentally, the time that Rick Perry first became governor.”

Eliminating property taxes to pay for schools would be replaced by money raised locally. That would return control to local boards, who could decide what they needed to spend money on to serve their specific needs.

Glass is not alone. Libertarians nationwide are pushing for complete abolishment.

In North Dakota, the Libertarian Party, Constitution Party, and local Tea Party groups are leading a drive to abolish Property Taxes statewide (article - PlainsDaily.com).

In New Mexico, Publisher of New Mexico Liberty and a Republican candidate for State House Thomas Molitor of Bernillo advocates abolishing property taxes, in part, to help minority rights. From NMPolitics.net 5/4:

In the Southwest, the property tax system has been used to tax minorities out of their neighborhood so affluent residents can “gentrify” areas. Few of the original Hispanic residents can continue to afford their homes, some of which have been in their families for more than 100 years, because the property tax is based on the valuations of the fancy new homes being built in adjacent neighborhoods.

Libertarians also believe that with property taxes an individual never really owns their home even when the mortgage is paid off; that in essence, the home is "rented" from the government.

In Wisconsin Libertarian candidate for State Rep.Anthony De Cubellis recently opined in the Racine Post:

It’s time for Wisconsin to abolish the property tax. No tinkering or fiddling with rates; abolish it completely. Abolishing the property tax would no longer allow politicians to play favorites with preferred companies -- by granting property tax exemptions -- while home-owning taxpayers pick up the budgetary slack. Abolishing the property tax would lower rents -- as the property tax would no longer be part of the owner’s costs. Abolishing the property tax would mean your property rights are secure -- in that you do not “rent” your property from your local government.

Libertarians call federal worker pay gap 'appalling'

WASHINGTON - Recent data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that federal government workers get compensation, on average, more than twice as high as private-sector workers. That gap has expanded dramatically over the last decade. Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle released the following statement today:

"The numbers are appalling. In 2009, the average private-sector worker received $61,051 in total compensation, but the average federal government worker received $123,049. There is no excuse for this enormous, and growing, compensation gap.

"I guess you just can't beat a federal job. Very high pay, unbelievable benefits, extremely generous retirement plans, and near-perfect job security.

"And those retirement plans are often unfunded pensions, which will have to be paid by taxing our children and grandchildren, who never had the opportunity to vote when they were created.

"Apparently wishing to add insult to injury, government employee union reps have claimed that federal workers are entitled to their sky-high compensation because they are more educated and skilled than the rest of us. I have had many personal experiences with federal employees that indicate the exact opposite.

"The problem is that federal worker compensation is not set by the free market -- it's set by government fiat, which causes it to be artificially generous. Another factor is the monopoly government employee unions, which are able to extort that compensation up to even higher levels.

"One sure sign that federal employees are overpaid is that they never quit. Tad DeHaven of the Cato Institute has noted, '...in 2009, private sector employees quit at a rate that was more than eight times higher than federal employees.... This indicates that federal employees recognize that the generous combination of wages, benefits, and job security is hard to match in the private sector, so they stay put.'

"Libertarians support minimum government and maximum freedom. Unfortunately, federal employees have incentives to make government bigger, which makes us less free. With government employment paying more than the private sector, the rational self-interest of many workers will drive them to seek employment with the federal government.

"That's a formula for disaster.

"Libertarians want productive people working in the private sector to build our economy, not working for the government and hurting our economy.

"I would like to see an across-the-board pay cut for all federal workers. That would reduce federal spending, reduce the deficit, and reduce the insult to American private-sector workers. It also just might encourage some federal government employees to quit their jobs and seek more productive work in the private sector."

More info lp.org

From Eric Dondero:

State Representative Steve Vallaincourt is without doubt New Hampshires most outspoken and quixotic legislator.

He is a self-described "Libertarian-Republican," (with the slash). He was originally elected to the House as a Democrat. But in 2000 he ran on the Libertarian ticket. He won as a Libertarian, and for two years served as America's only elected Libertarian legislator. After the term he switched to the Republican Party, but still continued to identify himself as a Libertarian.

Vallaincourt has a knack for national publicity. Ballot Access News explained in May of 2009:

Steve Vaillancourt is a Republican state legislator in New Hampshire who in 2000 was elected to the legislature solely as a Libertarian Party nominee. He has been in the national news this week. Two weeks ago, the New Hampshire legislature passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor John Lynch said he would only sign that bill if it were amended to provide extra protection for individuals who do not ever want to be forced to participate in anything involving same-sex marriage.

On May 20, the House rejected the Governor’s proposed amendments to the bill, by a two vote margin. Vaillancourt, who is gay, and who supports same-sex marriage, feels the Governor’s amendments are bad policy, and spoke on the House floor against the Governor’s amendments. See this story.

Vaillancourt became the Libertarian Party nominee in 2000. He had been a Democratic house member but he had run and lost the Democratic primary for State Senate in August. After he was defeated in that primary, he asked the Libertarian Party to nominate him for his House seat.

Now, Vallaincourt is back in the national news, this time headlining on Fox News over the raging Sarah Palin controversy. A NH Democrat legislator commented on a Facebook page, that he wished Sarah Palin had been on the downed plane that killed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens over the weekend. Democrat Rep. Keith David Halloran, a self-described "progressive," wrote:

"Just wish Sarah and Levy were on board..."

A colleague of Halloran's State Rep. Timothy Horrigan, D-Durham, who is also a progressive, then wrote:

"Well a dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one...she is all about her myth & if she was dead she cldn't commit any more gaffes."

Both legislators have since tendered their resignations to the State Party Chair.

But now, Vallaincourt is coming to the defense of Horrigan, saying that he was misinterpreted. From the Manchester Union-Leader:

"Rep. Horrigan didn't wish anyone dead; he simply stated a political truth," Vaillaincourt wrote. "Were Sarah Palin to die today, her myth, like actor James Dean, would surpass anything she's done in life. If Dem officials took Rep. Horrigan to the woodshed for these remarks, they rather than he should be resigning."

There has been no reaction yet from either the Republican Party in New Hampshire or the Libertarian Party to Vallaincourt's remarks.

From Eric Dondero:

In what some have interpreted as a shot at Republican nominee for Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who happens to be running against Rory Reid, Harry Reid's son, Reid, Sr. said the following yesterday at a campaign stop:

“I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican, OK? Do I need to say more?” — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), August 10, 2010

Sandoval is of Mexican heritage.

Meanwhile, RedState reports that another Hispanic Republican called Reid's charge "ridiculous," and "outrageous."

Marco Rubio on Fox News via RedState:

There’s only one economic system in the world that’s proved possible time and time again, and that’s the American free enterprise system. And the reason why Americans of Hispanic descent should be Republicans is because the Democratic leadership is trying to dismantle the American free enterprise system–the only system in the world where parents like mine, who work hard and play by the rules, can give their children the opportunities they themselves did not have.

Sandoval is currently way ahead of Rory Reid; latest poll by 19%. If elected he will become America's first Hispanic Republican Governor.

BrianSandoval.com