Democrats in Washington State led by Governor Christine Gregoire pushed through a 2 cents a can tax on every 12 ounce soda purchased in the state last April. Now a Tea Party/Libertarian/Conservative effort to repeal the tax appears to be headed for the ballot.

From NJNewsroom.com:

Washington State on Friday (July 2), an industry-funded initiative to repeal the new soda tax appeared likely to be certified to go before voters on this November's ballot. Its sponsors turned in 395,000 signatures, much higher than the 240,000 required.

Austerity is his middle name

From Eric Dondero:

The Nation's most fiscally austere governor is at it again. After introducing a budget with a proposed 8.5% spending cut from last year's budget to the legislature, on of all days, July 4, Governor Christie is now proposing a property tax cap for local municipalities.

From NorthJersey.com:

He wants the electorate to vote on a referendum this November that would amend the New Jersey State Constitution. It would require that growth in property taxes be limited to 2.5 percent per year. If the referendum passed, municipalities/school boards wanting to exceed that limit would have to put the question to the voters and receive a super majority of 60 percent to override the cap.

Columnist Frank Hannon commented:

Christie has only been in office for six months and he has fundamentally changed the matrix of Trenton politics. He continues to outflank his opponents by going directly to the public.

But there's a catch. The heavily Democrat-controlled House and Senate must approve the referendum for the ballot.

It's a wait and see if Christie and the NJ public will prevail, or Democrats in the Legislature?

Democrat Cuomo favors Muslim facility

From Eric Dondero:

New York's WINS 101 is reporting:

Lazio Calls on Cuomo to Probe Funds for Mosque

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio wants his Democratic rival, Andrew Cuomo, to investigate the development of a $100 million mosque being planned near ground zero.

Lazio says he's concerned that not enough is known about the funding of the project. He says that Cuomo, as attorney general, has the authority to investigate the project because Cuomo's office has jurisdiction over nonprofit organizations in New York.

Cuomo has said he supports the mosque's construction.

Ayn Randian and Publisher of Atlas Shrugs Pamela Geller praised Lazio, calling him "Patriotically correct; not Politically Correct":

Finally, a Gubernatorial candidate New Yorkers can cheer, support and get behind: Rick Lazio. He is demanding an investigation into the shady financing of the 100-million-dollar mega mosque at Ground Zero.

Cuomo is for the mosque. New Yorkers need to know that.

Though, notably, Lazio has yet to come out fully against the building of the Mosque.

Libertarian for Gov. Warren Redlich - "Radical Islam rejects Freedom... preaches hate."

Reached for a comment about the Mosque, Libertarian Party candidate for Governor Warren Redlich had this to say:

I'm very much against radical Islam because it rejects freedom. The very freedom that allows them to preach their hate here is the kind of liberty they deny others where they have power.

Redlich, an attorney, cautioned there might be free speech issues involved. He went on to criticize Lazio for ties to companies who do business with Middle Eastern nations.

I also question Lazio's criticism of the project. Perhaps he could answer some questions about his bank's activities in the Middle East:

http://www.jpmorgan.com

How many radical Islamic groups use JP Morgan Chase for banking services?

LR FOLLOW-UP

Before the weekend, Obama slipped underwater, with by .3%. That spread has now grown to a significant 1.9%.

RCP Poll Averages
President Obama Job Approval

Approve46.1

Disapprove48.0

Spread -1.9

Obama no longer has any polling firms rating him at 50% of above approval. All polls have him in the mid-40s.

From Eric Dondero:

• Obama bows down to foreign rulers, including the King of Saudi Arabia

• Obama insults America's greatest allies - Britain, Poland, Czech Republic and Israel

• Obama directs his NASA head to "reach out" to the Muslim world rather than launch a program for Mars exploration, or a return to the Moon

• Eric Holder's Justice Dept. bring suit against State of Arizona for fighting Illegal Immigration

• Holder's Justice Dept. dismisses case against Black Panthers for intimmidating voters with weapons in front of Philly polling place

Tom Tancredo, out-of-office and not running for anything, is saying out-loud what many Republicans, Tea Party Patriots, and Libertarian Party members are thinking: Obama and his administration are the biggest threat to America and the ultimate survival of our Republic.

At a rally in Colorado last Thursday, from The Hill:

"We had that threat [from the former Soviet Union] and we survived it. Later we found out we had another threat to our way of life and that was al-Qaeda. We found that out on 9/11.

But I firmly believe this--it's not just, you know, sort of a dramatic statement that a person would make to get press or something, or ink. I believe this with all my heart. The greatest threat to the United States today, the greatest threat to our liberty, the greatest threat to the Constitution of the United States, the greatest threat to our way of life, everything we believe in, the greatest threat to the country that was put together by the founding fathers is the guy that is in the White House today."

Tancredo is the past president of the libertarian Independence Institute in Denver, served in the Reagan administration, and was a Congressman representing Denver south from 1998 to 2006.

From Eric Dondero:

For now it's just two landings on the northern San Diego County coast. But is Orange County next, points further north, Ventura, Santa Barbara? And what about the South Texas Coast? Even parts of Louisiana, or Florida's West Coast?

San Diego Tribune, July 6 "Illegal immigrants arrested after coming ashore in North County"

NORTH COUNTY — Two groups of illegal immigrants came ashore in North County and [Oceanside] were apprehended Tuesday, including 18 adults who were dumped off by a boat on a Camp Pendleton beach.

Marine Corps officials contacted the Border Patrol around 6 a.m. after the 13 men and five women were spotted on the base. It is believed the group was dropped off by smugglers using a boat, said Border Patrol Agent Mark Endicott.

The 18 were all Mexican nationals illegally in the country, Endicott said.

And then there's this, also from the SD Trib:

Earlier Tuesday, 16 people were apprehended when a boat carrying illegal immigrants came ashore in Leucadia.

The panga was first spotted about 1:20 a.m. by a Coast Guard helicopter on routine patrol south of Oceanside, Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy said.

The boat made landfall about 2 a.m. near the Batiquitos Lagoon north of Grandview Beach, Dunphy said.

Border Patrol agents assisted by the Sheriff’s Department took the people into custody. Endicott said the 15 men and one woman were all Mexican nationals. The majority were apprehended near stairs leading to a condo complex near the beach, he said.

Tim Daniels of Left Coast Rebel, who lives north of San Diego County, commented:

is it any wonder then why Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (and 70% of Arizona residents) are desperate to resolve the crime and mayhem at their border? Because it is much, much worse there.

Yet Dear Leader and Eric Holder's cronies push to sue a state for simply and perhaps even desperately trying to save itself from a warzone situation.

The nation wants the borders closed and our country protected. As the White House and Justice fight the vast majority of America, can you say reelection, Western Democrats?

Note - I live on the South Texas Coast.

(By Jason Pye, Originally Posted at United Liberty.)
Were taxes a factor in LeBron James picking the Miami Heat over other teams, such as the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets or even his former employer, the Cleveland Cavaliers? It’s a question worth looking at:
In a July 1 blog post, the [...]

The Evil Face of Communism

From Eric Dondero:

July 26 - that is the date in which one of the greatest mass murderers of human history will be sentenced by a UN Tribunal. Comrade Duch who ran the most infamous death camp in Communist Kampuchea (Cambodia) in the late 1970s is now on trial for crimes against humanity.

GlobalIssues.org describes the Killing Fields and Duch's role:

The judgement on Jul. 26, in the first international trial of a surviving Khmer Rouge leader, will be a groundbreaking moment for the South-east Asian nation, coming 31 years after the genocidal regime led by Pol Pot was driven out of power.

The 77-day trial of Kaing Khek Eav, better known as Comrade Duch, at the U.N.-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, began on Mar. 30, 2009.

Tuol Sleng, or S-21 as the extremist Maoist group called it, was a former high school where Duch and other jailers interrogated and tortured civilians, including children, who were considered enemies of the Khmer Rouge.

Only 11 people came out alive from the estimated 12,380 to 14,000 people imprisoned in Tuol Sleng. It was one of the nearly 200 detention centres that the Khmer Rouge maintained across the country during its rule from April 1975 to January 1979.

During this period, close to 1.7 million people, or nearly a quarter of that country’s population at the time, were executed or died due to forced labour or from starvation, as the reclusive tyrant Pol Pot pushed to create an agrarian utopia.

Rightwing Human Rights advocate Paul Chesser commented at American Spectator:

Duch's verdict is due on July 26, and the trials of four higher-ups in the Pol Pot leadership structure are supposed to begin in 2011 (if they're still alive), but the court has been marred by conflicts of interest and corruption. Millions of dollars have been wasted on this U.N. co-sponsored exercise in so-called justice, but at least the next generation of Cambodians will have a clear marker on their dark history.

Editor's Note - there has been little no coverage of the Duch trial in the liberal media. Only the conservative media has given coverage. (Dissapointedly, Not a single libertarian media outside of this website have covered the story.)

Right Libertarian defends Western Culture

From Eric Dondero:

Leader of the Dutch Party For Freedom (PVV), and internationally acclaimed Radical Islamist fighter, Geert Wilders, has been nominated for a distinguished award for Human Rights.

From the EU Independent Reporter, July 7:

Geert Wilders has been nominated for the Sakharov prize for his "tireless commitment to freedom of speech and his continuous struggle against islamization, mass-immigration and the leftish attacks on Western Humanist Judeo-Christian values that destroy Europe from within."

The nomination came from fellow Member of Parliament Barry Madlener.

Wilders, a libertarian-leaning Member of Parliament, has been a staunch supporter of Israel, and defender of Western culture from attacks by Radical Islam in the Netherlands and worldwide.

Sahkarov was the famous Russian dissident and Nuclear Physicist who challenged the leadership of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. He advocated reform, and for open and free elections. In 1989, after the overthrow of the Soviet Union by Boris Yeltsin and other reformers, Sahkarov was elected to the first democratic Russian Parliament of Deputies. Though, he died of a heart attack a year later.

Immigration biggest issue in the Race

The Libertarian Party of Arizona now has a hotly contested primary for Governor. Four candidates have filed. And at least two of the four are Right Libertarians. They are being challenged by a hardline Leftwing Libertarian.

The Arizona Republic featured third party candidates, July 10:

Arizona's third-party candidates, representing the Libertarian and Green parties, hope to tap into voter frustration over the economy and the state budget to win election to the Governor's Office.

Although they face an uneven contest that heavily favors their more well-known and well-financed Republican and Democratic opponents, the candidates believe their alternatives for solving some of the state's biggest fiscal issues will appeal to disenchanted voters.

"If we could ever pull off a Jesse Ventura here in Arizona, it is this year," said Alvin Ray Yount (photo - left), a Libertarian candidate for governor, referencing the former governor of Minnesota who won an election as a third-party candidate. "People in this state are pissed."

Hess calls Yount and Olsen "Carpetbaggers"

From Yount's profile:

Yount, who used to be a Republican, said he became disaffected with both parties about 10 years ago.

As governor, Yount said his biggest priorities would be improving the state's economy and securing the border with Mexico.

To prevent illegal immigrants from coming into the state, Yount said, he would use those arrested to finish building the border fence.

Also featured Bruce Olsen (a favorite of this website):

Bruce Olsen, a semiretired pilot and former businessman from Overgaard, joined the Libertarian Party in April 2009 after deciding he was too conservative for the Republican Party.

Olsen said the two biggest issues facing the state are securing the border and fixing the state's economy.

He wants to place more National Guard troops along the border to stop people coming into the country illegally.

He also wants to stimulate the state's economy by granting tax cuts to promote agriculture, creating manufacturing jobs that cannot be shipped overseas and lowering or eliminating taxes.

But perenniel candidate leftwing Libertarian Barry Hess is not pleased:

Hess (photo - right) opposes the state's new immigration law... he sees his primary competitors as "carpetbaggers" who have jumped onto the party's label without truly believing in the party's message.

The Conservative Media Watchdog group Eyeblast.TV has uncovered shocking video from March, 2002. Black Nationalist Malik Shabazz is caught on tape praising Osama bin Laden.

“Let’s talk about this brother (Bin Laden), he’s a bold man, Mr. Bin Laden, got to give him his respect, he’s now bowing down. . . a man, born in Saudi Arabia bringing reform to this World, Mr. Bin Laden”

EyeBlast has the Video.

Shabazz has been under fire for endorsing the carrying of a nightstick at a Philadelphia polling place on election day 2008. Eric Holder's Justice Dept. recently dropped the case.

Shabazz was an early backer of Barack Obama. His New Black Panther Party website issued this statement on Nov. 4, 2008:

"We love Barack Obama, he gives our people great hope and light for advancement! Every President America has had has been a white man, now the Black Man must be given his time to rule. Obama is a man of justice and a leader who wants to do right. We warn you, leave Barack Obama alone and leave our babies alone because Black People are a spiritual people and a people who are trying to do right and we will not hesitate to take up our legal rights of self defense, this case in Crockett County Tennessee is not isolated. ON ELECTION DAY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th, We will be at the polls in the cities and counties in many states to ensure that the enemy does not sabotage the black vote, which was won through the blood of martyrs the of our people.

Black Power!"

Calls for "Free College" for everyone

From Eric Dondero:

The Green Party and Libertarian Party candidates for Governor of Illinois took to the stage in Chicago the other night in a debate sponsored by a third party advocacy group. Third Parties often see themselves as united against the major parties, at least in spirit. However, unity was not in the air.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times - "most of the candidates called for cutting taxes and spending."

Not the Green Party, though. Rich Whitney, a far-left college professor who won 8% of the vote in 2008, launched verbal assaults against the free market agendas of both the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party.

Free Money proves more popular with college students than austerity

From the Sun-Times:

But Green Party candidate Rich Whitney... called for $3 billion more spending to pay for free college for all Illinois students...

Whitney's plan was more popular with students here than the ideas of Libertarian Party candidate Lex Green and Constitution Party candidate Michael White, who backed easier access to loans for students instead of scholarships.

Libertarian Lex Green then chimed in:

Green said by cutting spending on health and education back to 2008 levels, "We really aren't doing anything Draconian."

Whitney vehemently disagreed.

"I don't think we can possibly agree that it's not Draconian to make further cuts in health and education," Whitney said. "We cannot possibly continue this way: teachers getting pink slips, class sizes getting higher. This is Draconian."

Note - in the 2008 election, Green Party activists routinely blocked Libertarian Party petitioners from gaining signatures in states such as Ohio, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

CBS News has declined to allow this ad to be aired on the network.

Breitbart has the official notice from CBS:

"CBS Standards & Practices has determined the Ad you submitted is not within CBS Broadcast Standards.”

And we're not talking Rand Paul

From Eric Dondero:

Mike Lee is poised to be the next US Senator from the State of Utah. His election is now virtually secured, having won the GOP primary run-off.

Lee is firmly affiliated with the Tea Party, and has often referred to himself as a Constitutionalist. Now, we have firm evidence that at least among his staffers, there's a heavy Ayn Rand influence, as well.

From the SLC Tribune, Utah News, July 5 "Rolly: Mike Lee and the big tent theory":

When Curtis Mortensen, of Kaysville, tried to contact Lee to get a better idea of how he plans to represent Utah in the Senate, he had a good discussion with a campaign staffer who said Lee followed the personal-responsibility philosophy of author Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged, a legend among conservative, small-government advocates, whose followers also include former Fed chief Alan Greenspan.

Lee’s campaign manager, McKay Christensen, has listed Rand’s books as among his favorites.

So this shows flexibility in the campaign.

by Jim Lagnese, "Right Guy" blog

Edward Gonzalez is running for congress in the 16th congressional district in California. He is running as a libertarian in a race with no republicans.

We interviewed him on Libertarian Politics Live last night. Listen to it here. It was a good interview and those who are libertarian and libertarian leaning will find his positions refreshing.

Excerpts:

"I believe in the free market economics of Henry Hazlitt, Frederich Hayek, and Ludvig von Mises..."

"Our economy is a disaster. Let's put all the social issues aside, and concentrate on bringing our economy back."

"The social entitlements have failed California"

Gonzalez is a teacher at a private school in northern California and talks about his experience. He added:

"Completely, I would advocate the abolishment of the Dept. of Education..."

Note - It is yet to be determined if there will be a Republican write-in candidate on the ballot in this race. But Gonzalez sought the GOP nomination, as well.

edwardgonzalez.com

Remember George Allen and Macaca?

From Eric Dondero:

Democrats in absolute panic mode, reading the poll numbers, and seeing a massive Hurricane coming their way, are now going back to the only weapon they've got left in their arsenal; attacking Republicans personally.

From WaPo "Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans" July 7:

Democratic officials are advising campaigns to hire trackers to follow their Republican opponents to public events with video cameras, ready to catch any gaffe or misstatement. And the Democratic National Committee last week issued a call to the public to submit any embarrassing audio or video of Republicans, as well as copies of their direct-mail advertisements.

Republicans don't need dirty tricks, "we just need C-SPAN"

Joe Sciarrino, Spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told Libertarian Republican:

“After a failed $787 billion stimulus, record high unemployment, and a healthcare takeover that grows more unpopular by the day, this is clearly a Hail Mary as Democrats attempt to cling to power. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that national Democrats are dredging the bottom of the barrel in an attempt to discredit Republican candidates campaigning to fix the problems Speaker Pelosi and her minions have perpetuated.”

Republican Party of Texas (RPT) spokesman Bryan Preston told Libertarian Republican:

"Once you get past the branding and hoopla, the Democrats' 'macaca campaign' shows how desperate they are. They're cornered on the issues and know that they're about to lose big, not just here in Texas but everywhere. They're scared to come home in August to face voter wrath before facing defeat in November. Their astroturf Obama activist army has been an unending source of embarrassment for them here in Texas, as we keep catching them pushing out outrageous messaging and fundraiser emails. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden contribute their own gaffes nearly every day, like Pelosi saying that unemployment checks create jobs. Republicans didn't need trackers to get that one, we just needed CSPAN."

(H/t Memeo)

From Eric Dondero:

Fantastic poll number this morning for those of us on the Right (conservatives and libertarians): Obama is now under-water at Real Clear Politics. And not just barely. He's .3% under.

Real Clear Politics takes the culmulative average of all the major polls: Pew, Gallup, Fox News, CNN, Rasmussen, McClatchy, Bloomberg, ect...

Obama is currently at 46% approvals, with 46.3% disapprovals. This is the very lowest approval rating he's ever received. He came close to this only one other time, with 46.1% on April 11.

The LA Times has taken a look at the numbers and concluded that Obama's tanked with Independents, and mostly over Jobs. From the LA Times "Crucial independent voters abandoning Obama, now under 40%, lowest ever":

The worst -- from Gallup -- finds that for the first time since Obama took the oath, his support among independents, a key voter segment in his decisive 2008 coalition election win, has fallen below 40%. The new tracking finds that Obama's support among all voter segments has declined in the past year, but nowhere more than among independents.

Only 38% now support him, an 18-point drop from 52 weeks ago, when polls first began showing the nation's rapidly-growing population of independent voters peeling off, as Obama relentlessly pushed his healthcare plan and ignored polls saying jobs and the economy were uppermost on voters' minds.

Another interesting factoid: For the first time ever, every single poll cited by RCP is in the 40s, not 50s for Obama approval. Even Obama-loving Newsweek, CBS and Pew can only muster 47 and 48% approvals in their polls. All others are in the 44 and 45% range.

From Eric Dondero:

Could it be a clean sweep? It's starting to look so, with maybe one or two exceptions. Just about all the hot Governor's races where Democrats currently control the seats, are now trending GOP.

Ohio - the latest polls have John Kasich (photo with running mate) comfortably ahead by 7 points.

Pennsylvania - GOPer Tom Corbett has been consistently ahead of Democrat Onorato by 8 to 12 points. The seat is currently held by Democrat incumbent Ed Rendell.

Maine - Democrat Baldachi cannot seek a 3rd term. Republican Paul LePage - a working class libertarian-leaning GOPer - has a 7-point lead over his Democrat challenger.

Michigan - Easy Republican pick-up here. Congressman Pete Hoekstra (photo - above) has been leading the Republican pack. But every Republican in the race, including Mike Cox, scores well ahead of two likely Democrat nominees.

Tennessee - There's a nasty GOP primary race for Governor. But all Republicans are polling way ahead of a likely Democrat nominee.

Wyoming - A Democrat currently holds the Governship in this very Republican state. But that's about to change, with both Republicans vying for the position 15 to 20 points ahead of potential Dem opponents.

Colorado - Former Republican Congressman Scott McInnis (photo - above) from the Western Slope, appears well-poised to gain the Governorship.

Kansas - Another pick-up here, from the Democrat column. Held by Kathleen Sebelius, her Lt. Governor couldn't catch on. Republican Sam Brownbeck is comfortably ahead 15 to 20 points.

New Mexico - The Bill Richardson Governorship may be handed over to Republican Susana Martinez, who is 1% ahead of her Democrat challenger in the very latest poll.

Two more expected easy GOP pick-ups - Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

And now for some absolute Shockers...

We reported recently on Bob Ehrlich taking over the lead in Maryland over incumbent Democrat Martin O'Malley, by 3%. This is a huge development. Of all the Governors races, this one has the potential to symbolically emphasize the huge turn-around for the GOP. Maryland is the bluest of blue states.

And just this morning, news breaking out of another deeply blue state. In Oregon, Hedgehog is reporting that former NBA Star, Republican Chris Dudley (photo) has pulled ahead of Governor John Kitzhaber 41% to 40%.

There are only two states where the Democrats have a decent shot of picking up a Republican seat - California. The very latest poll has Jerry Brown above Meg Whitman by 1%. But other polls have had Whitman slightly ahead. The Dems have a better shot of picking up the Hawaii Governorship.

If the GOP keeps the California seat, (note there are a large number of undecideds in Ca), and all others hold, that could mean the Republican Party controlling as many as 38 Governorships after November.

Lastly, two wildcards: Massachusetts where Charlie Baker, currently behind incumbent Dem DeVal Partick by 5 to 7, is gaining steam, and Illinois where downstate conservative Bill Brady has a decent shot of picking off incumbent Dem Pat Quinn over Blagojevich scandals. If the GOP prevails with these two seats, that would bring the number up to 40.

By Evan Matthews, a Hoosier Libertarian
“Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered. How hard is that to understand?”
Thus begins Paul Krugman’s June 20 article. The answer to his question is that it’s quite difficult if we are living in reality. When speaking in simplified, self-righteous rhetoric, this concept is [...]

BREAKING NEWS!!

EX-MADAM WILL RUN ON ANTI-PROHIBITION PARTY

Kristin Davis, formerly known as the Manhattan Madam who supplied high priced call- girls for Eliot Spitzer when he was Governor and Attorney General announced today that she would run for governor as the candidate of the Anti-Prohibition Party (APP). She had previously considered the Free Libertarian Party and the Reform Party labels but rejected both although neither is recognized in New York State as a party." We need to legalize marijuana, gay marriage and casino gambling by ending the Prohibition on them " said Davis.

"It's time to end the Government prohibition on Marijuana and tax it for the public benefit "said Davis "Its time to end the prohibition on gay marriage and it's time to end the prohibition of casino gambling"

"It's also time to end the government prohibition of prostitution in order to drive those who exploit women and utilize drugs out of the business and to protect the public safety as well as filling the public coffers by taxing it" said Davis,a former hedge fund Vice President.

Davis was convicted of promoting prostitution and spent four months in prison before becoming a feminist, libertarian activist and advocate for a freedom based agenda that includes legalizing pot,prostitution and casino gambling to bring new revenues to New York."These are the best alternatives to higher and higher taxes on the people of our state" said Davis.

Davis requires 15,000 valid voter signatures to get her Anti-prohibition campaign on the ballot. If Davis and the Anti-Prohibition party get 50,000 votes they would win permanent ballot status until the next gubernatorial election and could run candidates for state and federal office in 2012.

Note - the official Party logo for the Anti-Prohibition Party will be the Marijuana leaf (above.)