Libertarian Cliff Hyra formally kicked off his campaign for governor Thursday, saying he would work to exempt the first $60,000 of household income from state income taxes, legalize marijuana and pardon people imprisoned solely for using drugs.

Hyra, 34, a lawyer who was raised in Northern Virginia and lives in Mechanicsville, called for an inclusive and innovative Virginia and for a state government that has respect for all Virginians, no matter their beliefs or their backgrounds.

Hyra, who is making his first bid for elective office, says his mother is a Democrat and his father is a Republican. He says he considered himself a Democrat until he went to college and that he has been a Libertarian for most of his adult life.

I feel strongly about empowering people to make their own choices, he said, because I care about other people and about our community and I fear the corrosive effects of a government that thinks that it knows whats best for everybody and is prepared to force everyone to act accordingly.

He made his announcement in bustling downtown Richmond at the corner of West Broad and North Jefferson streets. Hyra sometimes had to raise his voice to be heard above the din of passing buses and construction equipment working on the bus rapid transit project.

On taxes, Hyra would exempt the first $60,000 of household income. On his campaign website, he says he would avoid the massive marriage penalty by allowing individuals to exempt $30,000. Taxable income above that would be taxed at a flat 5.75 percent.

He says the average household would pay no state income tax and would have a savings of $3,000 per year.

During an interview Wednesday at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Hyra said preliminary calculations indicate his plan would cost somewhere between $3 billion and $4 billion.

We have some work to square that, with the states finances, he said.

He said state revenues are projected to rise and that freezing growth of government will take us part of the way there.

He said he also is looking at recommendations by a panel headed by former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder which in 2002 made a series of suggestions about slimming state government.

He also wants to look at state-owned real estate that is sitting vacant or is underutilized and could be made more efficient. In addition, he said he wants to accrue savings through reforms in the criminal justice system.

Ed Gillespie, the Republican nominee for governor, is emphasizing an across-the-board tax cut as the centerpiece of his agenda.

Gillespies proposal centers on a 10 percent cut to the individual income tax rate, phased in over three years. For the states highest income bracket which covers income above $17,000 the rate would drop from 5.75 percent to 5.15 percent.

Gillespies campaign says his plan, once fully implemented, would save a typical Virginia family nearly $1,300 a year, a figure based on average household income of $135,000.

Using the median household income of $69,945, the savings would be $674, according to the Gillespie campaign.

As for the drug issue, Hyra said Thursday that Were spending too much money enforcing the counterproductive prohibition on marijuana use.

He said that as governor he would push to legalize marijuana and until legalization becomes possible I would order that enforcement of the marijuana prohibition is given the lowest possible priority.

He said he would pardon those in prison solely for their use of drugs.

In 2016, according to the Virginia State Police, contributing law enforcement agencies reported 39,666 drug-related arrests in Virginia and marijuana accounted for 58.7 percent of the arrests.

Those figures do not distinguish between simple possession and distribution or manufacturing.

Hyra said he favors putting marijuana on the same level as tobacco and alcohol, which he said would let the business grow and generate tax revenue and improve lives of Virginians.

Hyra also called for the establishment of more charter schools, saying: I want to put choice and competition into the education system here in Virginia.

Nine public charter schools are operating in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Three are in Richmond the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, the Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy and the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy.

On health care, Hyra wants to leverage the power of choice and competition to improve access and decrease costs.

He said he wants to eliminate Virginias Certificate of Public Need program, which requires anyone who wishes to build a new hospital or imaging facility go through an application process with the state.

He is against two proposed natural gas pipelines, seeing them as the federal government taking private property to benefit private companies.

Hyra grew up in Falls Church and in the Springfield section of Fairfax County. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in aerospace engineering and from George Mason Universitys law school.

Hyra started an intellectual property law practice in 2008. He joined Symbus Law Group as a partner in 2012 and specializes in patent and trademark law.

He and his wife, Stephanie, have three young children and are expecting a fourth in August. In 2015, they moved to Mechanicsville, Hyras wifes hometown.

In the 2013 race for governor in which Democrat Terry McAuliffe edged Republican Ken Cuccinelli Libertarian Robert Sarvis received 6.5 percent of the tally, garnering more than 146,000 votes.

Hyra asserted that hes proposing more substance than Gillespie or Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee.

I want to push actual ideas, he said, adding: I think if you want actual change, you should support me.

Hyra stressed that he wants to run a civil campaign.

In the interview Wednesday at The Times-Dispatch, he said with a laugh: If I didnt respect people who disagree with me, I would not respect hardly anyone.

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Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia calls for tax cut ... - Richmond.com

TUPELO Mayor Jason Shelton will provide a keynote address this Saturday at a political event in Biloxi hosted by the state Libertarian Party.

Shelton is a Democrat and will join a roster of speakers that otherwise tilts Republican and Libertarian.

At least some deological diversity is precisely the point of the gathering, which is dubbed Loungin with Libertarians.

Promotional material for the event describes it as a venue for Libertarians and adherents of other political viewpoints to interact and network.

This is the fifth such Loungin event. It will be held at the White House Hotel in Biloxi.

Shelton himself is an advocate of a more collaborative and less ideologically blinkered political discourse. He has criticized the major U.S. political parties as a preoccupation with partisan advantage to the neglect of a functioning government.

With that in view, Shelton is happy to consider his appearance at a Libertarian event as en effort to help leverage his elected officer to broker a different kind of political environment.

I do feel a personal responsibility to do what I can to make it better, Shelton said in a recent interview with the Daily Journal. As mayor of Tupelo, you have a pretty high profile job.

Shelton himself is comfortable in a bi-partisan environment. He has twice now been comfortably elected as a Democrat in a traditionally Republican city and maintains a strong working relationship with a City Council under the control of a Republican supermajority.

Though he hasnt ruled out a run for higher office, Shelton has avoided strongly ideological fights during his tenure in office and has focused instead on what he calls good government.

Other speakers at the Saturday Libertarian event include a Republican member of the Biloxi City Council and the independent mayor of McLain. A member of the state Libertarian Partys executive committee will also deliver remarks. Other guests expected to attend include the newly-elected Republican mayor of Ocean Springs who identifies as largely Libertarian in outlook.

Libertarians generally align themselves with the Republican Party because of their strong support of a minimal federal government, low regulation and light taxation.

The party typically differs from traditional Republican stances, however, on foreign policy and national security issues as well as civil liberties and drug policy.

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Shelton to keynote Libertarian event on coast | Local News ... - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Summer in a gubernatorial election year means its time to start the debate over the number of debates.

And it has, with a flourish. Republican nominee Ed Gillespie proposed a series of 10 debates with Democratic nominee Ralph Northam, a somewhat more modest demand than the 15 debatesRepublican Ken Cuccinelli demanded of Democrat Terry McAuliffe in 2013.

Northam has accepted threedebatesand seven joint appearances, but he dismissed the overall demand as a public relations stunt.

Gillespie called Northams counter-offer insulting.

Both candidates are correct. This is a public relations stunt, as Northam said, and a very old, tired one at that. It is also insulting, but not in the way Gillespie meant.

The insult is that gubernatorial debates in Virginia are little more than smaller versions of the carefully packaged affairs weve all witnessed at the national level.

What people watch for and what the press and political junkies delight in are those gotcha moments that make for great copy and easy attack lines.

But lets indulge Gillespie on his demand for many debates and ignore his own ducking and dodging on the issue in the waning months of the Republican primary.

Lets have 10 debates. Or 19, as the Roanoke Times has suggested.

But lets also insist on a couple of things.

Libertarians had a good case for being included in the 2013 debates between Cuccinelli and McAuliffe. But their candidate, Robert Sarvis, had to settle for running an ad during one debate. He was excluded from another by a media outlet because he didnt qualify under debate rules worked out between the major-party candidates.

Bipartisan agreement is easy to find, especially if it leads to keeping voters in the dark.

While Sarvis ended up winning just 6.5 percent of the vote, and Republicans still blame his campaign for costing Cuccinelli the election (a claim Paul Goldman and I refuted), including Sarvis on the debate stage would have offered voters a bit of relief from that campaigns incessant negativity.

It also might have offered them a critique of the major parties, their policies and their records.

That would have been refreshing and enlightening.

Hyra campaign director John Vaught LaBeaume told me that his candidate would be willing to participate in any and all debates or forums that both the Democratic and Republican candidates agree to take part in.

As he should.

LaBeaume also hopes the debate organizers are open to including Hyra and do not fall prey to the self-interested campaigns of the Democratic and GOP nominees.

That would mean the Northam and Gillespie campaigns would have to agree to allow Hyra in as part of their ground rules for debating one another.

Thats self-serving and should not be tolerated by any debate sponsor, particularly if that sponsor is a media organization.

To its credit, Roanoke television station WDBJtried to get the campaigns to agree to allow Sarvis to join the debate the station sponsored in 2013 owing to quite a bit of negative reaction to [his] exclusion.

The McAuliffe campaign was somewhat interested in the idea; the Cuccinelli campaign wasnt.

Should we expect a similar outcome this year?

Gillespie spokesman David Abrams told me, Either Ed or Ralph Northam is going to be the next governor of Virginia, which is why the organizations sponsoring debates invited them.

Northam spokesman David Turner told me the campaign would agree to include Hyra in the debates.

Thats a good first step. One that fits Northams political calculus, but still good. Candidates should agree to participate in as many as possible and televise them all. And organizers truly interested in an exchange of ideas rather than a clash of talking points dont allow the candidates to dictate terms.

After all, youre paying for the microphone.

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Let the Libertarian debate - The Washington Post - Washington Post (blog)

Posted July 7, 2017 by Adam Flanery & filed under American History, Civil Rights, Labor, National Government, National Politics, News and Public Affairs, Social Services, State Government.

A lot of books have tried to explain the rise of conservative power that poses a direct challenge to the reforms that came about under the New Deal, the labor movement, the Civil Rights movement, and the Great Society.

In her new book, a Duke University professor reveals a little known conservative think tank that had its beginnings on the University of Virginia campus. With help from one of the Koch brothers, the think tank helped reframe the debate over the role of business, government and individuals.

The book is Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Rights Plan for America.

The author is Nancy MacLean. Shes the William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. Her previous book is Freedom is Not Enough. Host Rob Lorei interviewed her about her new book.

To listen back to this interview from Thursday, June 15, 2017 click here.

Tags: Koch brothers, Nancy MacLean

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Libertarian Republicans Powered by Billionaire Money Plan to Undo Gains of Last 100 Years - WMNF

FacebookAustin Petersen, the second-place finisher [*] for the 2016 Libertarian Party presidential nomination, is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri currently held by Democrat Claire McCaskill. But he's running as a Republican and explains his decision below. For an exclusive, in-depth interview and podcast with Petersen, who also worked as a producer on Judge Andrew Napolitano's Fox Business show, Freedom Watch, go here.

Dear friends in the Libertarian Party,

For the last eight weeks, I've spent six hours a day calling my supporters to ask them their thoughts on how I might best advance liberty. I took the time to listen to every single persons' opinion about a potential opportunity to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate here in my home state of Missouri.

Of the thousands of people I spoke to, all encouraged a run, hundreds donated, and the vast majority offered their opinion regarding which party I should align with. Over 98% of them, including registered Libertarians, independents, Republicans, and even Democrats, said to run GOP.

For that reason and others, I have chosen to listen to them, as they are the lifeblood of all efforts that I will make to advance our common cause. They are the people whose time, energy, and money I will need to bring our movement a victory that we desperately need. Without the grassroots, I am incapable of action on the field. I feel I must act as a good representative and steward of their hopes and dreams for a better future.

I have served the Libertarian Party in nearly every capacity, at every level, from your humble volunteer coordinator at your national office, to one of your top contenders for President of the United States. Any future successes I may garner in the realm of politics will come in large part because of the experience and opportunities you gave me to advance American freedom, and for that I thank you.

Sadly, I must depart for now. I go with no ill will, and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Best Wishes,

Austin Petersen

For Reason's interview with Petersen, go here.

[*]: The original story mistakenly reported Petersen finished third at the LP National Convention.

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Read Austin Petersen's Goodbye Note to the Libertarian Party - Hit ... - Reason (blog)

Being Libertarian

Libertarian Party of Cuba Experiences Further Tyranny Being Libertarian The Libertarian Party of Cuba has continued to experience state tyranny from the Castro regime simply for having formed a party of liberty-minded dissidents. Less than a month after their initial detainment, members of the Libertarian Party of Cuba ...

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Libertarian Party of Cuba Experiences Further Tyranny - Being Libertarian

Getting elected as a third-party candidate is no easy feat in the United States.

In fact, the deck is so stacked against alternative candidates courtesy of gerrymandered voting districts that favor one of the major parties, ballot access laws that make it impossible for third parties to gain momentum with each passing election cycle, or public debates that only invite Democrats and Republicans to participate that it is practically impossible.

But the Libertarian Party has created a model to bypass this hurdle, and it is working out swimmingly for them at the moment. Since the 2016 election, an increasing number of elected legislators have switched their official party affiliation from one of the major parties to Libertarian.

ALSO READ:The 2016 Elections Biggest Winner: Gary Johnson and The Libertarian Party?

It all started with Nebraska State Senator Laura Ebke. Ebke, an elected Republican, became increasingly disenfranchised with the trajectory of her party.

I got frustrated with some of my colleagues who dont recognize civil liberties and dont seem to agree with getting government out of peoples business, she told the Omaha World-Herald.

To demonstrate her frustration, Ebke made the bold move in June 2016: she swapped the R next to her name with an L.

I got frustrated with some of my colleagues who dont recognize civil liberties and dont seem to agree with getting government out of peoples business.

Ebke was the first of many disenfranchised legislators to jettison one of the major parties in favor of the third largest party in the United States.

In the last year, Libertarian Party representation in state legislatures quadrupled. (Bear in mind that there are over 7,000 seats in all state upper and lower houses combined; Libertarians occupy 4 of them. Sadly, this is still more than any other minor party in the United States.)

Owning up to its libertarian motto of live free or die, New Hampshire has become the trendsetter for this mass exodus from mainstream parties to the LP. In the past year, three sitting legislators Reps. Caleb Q. Dyer, Joseph Stallcop, and Brandon Phinney switched their affiliations. Phinney and Dyer were former Republicans, and Stallcop a Democrat.

I was not elected to do the bidding of a political party at the expense of my principles, stated Phinney, who was the most recent to convert.

Establishment partisan politics do nothing to protect the rights of people, but instead only serve to prop up and expand government with arcane plans to irresponsibly spend our money and enact burdensome regulations on businesses, small and large alike. N.H. State Rep. Joseph Stallcop (L)

With a growing caucus and improved access to legislation, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire is poised to enact legislation that reflect the party platform of limited government and strengthened civil liberties, ranging from the abolition of the death penalty to the legalization of recreational marijuana.

So have Libertarians discovered a back door entrance into mainstream politics? The jury is still out if this is a sustainable strategy.

Undoubtedly, the strategy doesnt entail campaigning as one party and then switching parties after the election. Such a bait and switch will only harm the brand.

I dont suggest that people run for office with the purpose of changing parties if theyre elected, Ebke comments in an email interview. If you run with the intention of doing that, I doubt that youre going to get elected in any race of significance.

Ebke suggests the better strategy for the LP is to keep its eyes open for legislators (and other officials) who seem to be libertarian leaning. She suggests that US RepsJustin Amash and Thomas Massie are both prime examples of elected Republicans who might be prime targets for such a conversion on the national level.

If candidates remain true to the core principles that got them elected in the first place, they can easily make the case that partisan politics are secondaryespecially when those politics are tied to the toxic partisanship of Washington D.C.

Whether or not this strategy is effective will be realized during re-election season. These third party candidates now face a series of new challenges running outside of the mainstream parties. Making the switch to a smaller party means decreased access to the major party funds often needed for re-election.

Ebke is in the midst of fundraising for her re-election, and is thriving on small donations from grassroots donors, since financial support for candidates from her party is minimal. She encourages supporters donors, voters, and state party leaders to be prepared and committed to backing and helping this group of legislators.

And let me be clear helping a candidate is not just about being an internet warrior, Ebke adds. Its about knocking on doors, walking in parades, donating money, and phone banking. If the Party politically abandons those who move in their direction, people will quit moving that way.

The Libertarian Party is often perceived to be an ideologically-driven organization. However, with the nomination of candidates like Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, who often strayed away from party orthodoxy, the ideology that once founded the party appears less rigid, attracting more independent and unaffiliated voters than previous elections.

If the Party politically abandons those who move in their direction, people will quit moving that way.

A party that is successful will be a big tent, adds Ebke. If the Libertarian Party can be tolerant of those who are generally libertarian-minded, but might not agree on every detail, I think its got great potential for growth.

Keeping an open ear to disaffected partisans, who share a common ground on various issues, is the first step in a meaningful and persuasive conversation one in whichall third parties should engage.

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Libertarian Takeover: More Lawmakers Are Ditching The Major Parties - IVN News

Being Libertarian

Sonoma County Cannot Shoot Straight Being Libertarian As libertarians, we undoubtedly find ourselves in opposition to government regulations of all kinds, especially when dealing with guns. However, a special piece of information makes this stipulation especially objectionable within the context of Sonoma ...

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Sonoma County Cannot Shoot Straight - Being Libertarian

The Libertarian Republic

Top 5 Most Libertarian Ways to Celebrate Independence Day The Libertarian Republic Independence Day on July 4th of each calendar year may be among the most libertarian holidays. It is a celebration of rebellion against an oppressive... and more »

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Top 5 Most Libertarian Ways to Celebrate Independence Day - The Libertarian Republic

Happy Independence Day to all the Americans reading today!

In 1776, a brave new document was executed in order to begin implementation of a new nation with a system of governance that, at the time, was unique to anything else that had been tried before it. It was a grand experiment in human thought and the advancement of individual freedoms that changed the world forever. What is most incredible about it is that it didnt just pop into existence. It took years of fighting, arguing, brutal disagreement, even wars between parties, and lots of negotiation in order to have something that has ultimately performed so well. Last week, I wrote in my column all about where nearly everyone agrees. There was even a picture of children holding hands in a circle, and the whole thing was, admittedly, annoyingly cumbaya and why cant we just get along. This week, its all about why disagreement is good. That is, particularly disagreement in government and amongst politicians.

Basic intuition tells us that if no one disagrees and an idea is wrong, then everyone is wrong. The necessity of even quiet dissenting voices can not be understated. At one time, the world was considered by the majority of people to be flat (and unfortunately, there are still too many people who believe it). At one time, it was considered by most people that flying was to be kept to the realm of the birds, and humans just have no ability to get to the skies. If it werent for forward thinkers around the globe, the world might still be stuck in feudalism everywhere. We need rebels and renegades and people who are outcast thinkers just as much as we need people who pull back the reins on those rebels and outcasts so as to not make radical changes with the ease of the wind.

The vast majority of modern constitutions are written in such a way as to purposefully cause discord amongst branches of government and amongst individual political leaders. In my humble opinion, the best systems of governance foster disagreements and long, laborious, and tedious delays of gridlock. They also foster many political parties usually five or more.

People often criticize the US and its long process to get bills passed, along with the courts ability to re-invent them through reinterpretation. It might take years for disputes on law to make their way through the court system, and it might take years for new law to be passed by the legislature and the executive branch. Europe is often criticized for having so many political parties that it becomes difficult to find enough agreement to build a coalition to get something done. They also have systems of checks and balances that draw out the process and re-invent law.

Gridlock is a very good thing. It should be incredibly hard to change the law of the land. In the US, the average time it takes for a bill to make its way through various committees, then to the floor for a vote in both legislative branches, then to be accepted by the President is about 347 days basically one year. It is essentially the same amount of time in Canada and the UK. In the rest of Europe, it takes slightly longer, due to the presence of more diversity in political parties. As a consequence, a nation cannot suddenly become a different entity overnight. In most of the worlds republics, an idea cant suddenly leap through the process without lots of debate and forethought to become law in a matter of a couple of days. It takes a lot of diligence in a real republic to make changes, and we dont suddenly have pure insanity so quickly.

Please forgive this metaphor, but if government is a necessary evil, then one which is constipated on new law is far superior to one that passes new law as if its on laxatives. You get the picture. While I am not happy that the US has chosen to ignore its Constitution and that it has decades of layers of liberty-dousing feces of laws and intrusions, I am thrilled that it has taken decades to ignore the Constitution so much. It may not be a perfect document, but adherence to it would create the most liberty-minded government in existence. The fact that it takes so long get things back to the liberty once fostered is a small concession to the fact that it took so long to destroy those liberties.

So, this Independence Day, I am celebrating the fact that not only was the grand experiment started on this day, but also the fact that it exists through healthy doses of disagreement. And, I am celebrating the existence of glorious gridlock. Individual liberties deserve the careful consideration it takes and the difficulty of gridlock to be reduced. It should be exceptionally difficult to impede on liberty or to consider new law. Rather than complain about the speed of government, I celebrate it. Political gridlock is truly a very good thing. Dissenting voices force such careful consideration, and I am grateful to those voices.

This post was written by Danny Chabino.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

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Red Dirt Liberty Report: Gridlock is Glorious - Being Libertarian

By Andrew Kingaking@hillsdale.netTwitter: @AndrewKingHDN

HILLSDALE In the 2016 presidential election, Americans were presented with two candidates.

Some refused to vote Republican or Democrat, and as a result, Libertarian party candidate, Gary Johnson, received a raft of support, pulling in around three percent of the vote in most states on Election Day; buoyed as high as 9.34 percent in his home state of New Mexico.

Those arent election-winning numbers, as evidenced by Donald Trumps Electoral College victory on November 8. But, the groundswell of support that Johnson received, has given Libertarians at the state and local level cause for celebration: the Libertarian Party has transitioned from a minor party to a major party in nine states, including Michigan.

The biggest difference is that youre automatically on the ballot. Otherwise, theres a very extensive and lengthy petition process to get on the ballot, said Norman Peterson, who is working with Sam Fry, of Hillsdale, among others, to finalize the formation of a Libertarian Party affiliate representing Hillsdale and Jackson Counties.

Peterson is a long time Libertarian who switched parties in the 1980s after reading economist and politician Harry Brownes book, Why Government Doesnt Work. Prior to his political conversion, Peterson had served as the Democratic Chairman for Michigans 11th District. In the newly formed affiliate, he is, again, serving as Chair.

In the intervening years, Peterson served as the director of a non-profit focused on launching charter schools. When he retired, he shifted his attention to full-time political engagement, and one of the first steps he took was reaching out to area Libertarians to gauge interest in forming a local affiliate.

Fry got an email from Peterson and responded that he would be interested. After an interest meeting featuring a presentation from State Chair, Bill Gelinau, the group began the push to officially affiliate in earnest.

The immediate step is now that weve gone through all the hoops provided by the state we have a name, we have bylaws, we have elected officers, we have delegates I simply need to draft and petition a letter to the State Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party, requesting to be accepted as an affiliate, Peterson said. With the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman helping me with every step of this, Im pretty optimistic that will be a formality.

And once formalities are out of the way, Fry believes that there is a large pool of liberty-minded individuals who are looking for an alternate to the increasingly polarized choice between the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Were going to allow people in this area to have a choice for an alternate candidate, Fry said. I think the goal would be to start running a slate of candidates for county-level and state-level office. To allow people to have a third choice, and I think, frankly, thats just about one of the most important things we can do to keep our democracy functioning.

The reality is that most people are going to be somewhere in the middle. Theyre going to agree with one party on the majority of things, but theyre also going have several issues where they disagree. I think that we need to recognize that in politics, theres a spot for people who dont perfectly conform to the ideology of either party and I think we need people who represent that.

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Hillsdale, Jackson form Libertarian Party affiliate - Hillsdale.net - The Hillsdale Daily News

A Libertarian Party candidate for governor has qualified to be on the ballot for November's general election in Virginia.

The Virginian-Pilot reports 34-year-old Cliff Hyra will join Democratic nominee Ralph Northam and Republican nominee Ed Gillespie on the Nov. 7 ballot. The Virginia Department of Elections confirmed Thursday that Hyra had qualified, following the submission of petitions bearing more than 10,000 signatures.

Hyra is a patent attorney from Hanover County and is running for elected office for the first time. He has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech and a law degree from George Mason University.

Libertarian Robert Sarvis collected less than 7 percent of the popular vote in the last Virginia gubernatorial contest.

Comments express only the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this website or any associated person or entity. Any user who believes a message is objectionable can contact us at [emailprotected].

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Libertarian candidate enters Virginia gubernatorial fray - Loudoun Times-Mirror

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - When you think politics, the parties that typically come to mind are republicans and democrats, but a third party is growing across Nebraska: The Libertarian Party.

One Nebraska senator describes the Libertarian ideals as promoting as little government interference in everyday life as possible, lower taxes, and a free market.

"I vote for the people who I think are going to do the job, I want them to act on their values," said Trevor Reilly.

Reilly is the chair for the Lancaster County Libertarian Party, but just a few years ago he was in the marines and a registered Republican, then he decided he wanted a change.

"Being a prior Republican I didn't agree with a lot of it, I didn't agree with the Trump media going on, so when I found the Libertarian party, I jumped into the campaign," said Reilly.

Trevor's not the only high ranking Libertarian who is a former member of the Grand Old Party.

Senator Laura Ebke is the only Libertarian senator in the unicameral, and said the political shift is becoming more and more apparent.

"I think that what we are finding is that people, especially young folks, are more and more turned off by the partisan rancor that goes on," said Senator Ebke.

Right now there are less than 13,000 registered Libertarians, but Senator Ebke believes this is only the start.

"I'd like to see it be a competitive party I think that a long ways coming, but I think we can become an influential party," said Senator Ebke.

The latest registered voter numbers show the Libertarian party is growing at a faster rate than the two major parties.

These numbers from the Nebraska Secretary of State show the percentages of registered Libertarians in Nebraska are just a little more than 1% of the almost 1.2 million Nebraska voters, but it's trending upwards.

Party members understand they are still a very small percentage, but there are plans to grow.

"Starting to run people for local elections, city county offices, school board and things like that, so I think that's a win and that's a way you build a party," said Senator Ebke.

And there are now specific benchmarks Libertarians want to hit by the next presidential election.

"Right now the state party's goal is to actually get 50,000 registered Libertarian voters by 2020," said Reilly.

"If we get to 50,000 that's big, for Nebraska, that's a significant amount of the voting population, and we can make a difference in a lot of elections then," said Senator Ebke.

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Libertarian Party is trending upwards in Nebraska - 1011Now - 1011now

The full Libertarian Party UK 2017 Manifesto content can be read below, or download the PDF version (975kb) by clicking the front cover.

INTRODUCTION

This General Election is allegedly being fought on the interests of giving a clear majority to carry through Brexit. We believe that it is in fact a panic measure with the Conservatives facing a damaging rerun of up to 21 seats following Police Investigations into alleged electoral fraud in the 2015 General Election leading to a loss of the Conservative majority in Westminster.

From 1945 to 2006 there have been only been six petitions to overturn elections, in 2017 alone there could be five times that amount. This is not in the interests of the people of the United Kingdom. It shows a broken system that does not deliver Representative Parliamentary Democracy.

Labour is fighting on the basis of public sector privilege in the NHS and Trade Union power over our lives. It has very little else it can credibly fight a campaign on, especially having Jeremy Corbyn as its Leader.

The Liberal Democrats have cynically painted themselves as the only pro EU, Anti-Brexit Party. Thus showing they are neither Liberal nor Democratic in relation to the result of the Brexit referendum.

The Libertarian Party believes that the main issue that is not being addressed is that of the Constitution, we still need to have a Constitutional Convention and accept that the United Kingdom is rapidly heading for a de facto Federal Kingdom. People are grown up, they want more of a say, and referenda Swiss style should be the norm on both national and local issues, not the exception.

This included membership of the European Union, the final vote showing the political classes were completely out of touch with public sentiment. The Libertarian Party supported and campaigned for Brexit. As a Party we are confident that a new European settlement will be reached for Free Trade without the need for ever closer union.

It is time we moved from a Representative Democracy to a Direct Democracy where every vote matters. First past the post (FPTP) is no longer just or sane. All schools of political thought should be heard in Parliament.

Finally the D word has to be addressed our national debt of 1.4 Trillion has to be paid down, either through a specific Tax the Gordon Brown Tax or by a much reduced State.

Switzerland and other countries have in their Constitutions a prohibition on the State borrowing above a certain limit. We need to enshrine this into our Constitution and have it codified.

Adam Brown LPUK Party Leader

+++++

BALANCING THE STATE

The Libertarian Party is aware that for many people the State is an unfeeling, unresponsive animal. When things go wrong, its first instinct is to cover up. The NHS, HMRC and others are state institutions where state employees enjoy a virtually entrenched immunity from prosecution other than by the very rich. This has led to declining standards of civic behaviour.

The Libertarian Party is committed to:

Making Misconduct in Public Office a statutory criminal offence.

Compensation for those injured by the State.

Ensuring the State makes compensation to the individual by implementing the Law Commission Report 322 on Administrative Redress: Public Bodies and the Citizen.

Restoring the impeachment process for public servants that abuse their position including Ministers of State.

A recall system for MPs whose standard of behaviour brings Parliament into disrepute, by local referendum.

The Libertarian Party will establish local tribunals or Ombudsmen made up of lay citizens elected to the position, with a legal advisor to assist to ensure that complaints about public servants and public bodies are heard quickly. Each complaint is to be heard within six weeks before referring to a Judge to decide whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will be directed to prosecute on the citizens behalf.

The Libertarian Party is committed to a written Constitution that protects the individual against the State and to have the Magna Carta and other documents codified into a single Constitution. The rights sought from Magna Carta down to the 1951 European Declaration of Human Rights have been continually usurped.

The party takes as its model the Swiss Constitution of 1999.

A Constitutional Court would be established.

The Monarch under law would be the head of State, but subject to the Constitution.

Switzerland is a stable country with a devolution of power to its diverse cantons with different languages, religions and Cantonal Tax rates as our preferred model. England, alone out of the United Kingdom is disenfranchised amongst the home Nations, not having a Parliament of its own. The Libertarian Party is committed to an English Parliament not based in London.

There would be a Federal Parliament for the United Kingdom in that we would adopt either the traditional counties with multi seat constituencies with proportional voting as being the only rational way for the country to have representative government. Alternatively, the return of the 1,000 year old seven English Saxon kingdoms as the basis of public administration together with Ulster, Wales, Scotland and Kernow, emulating the German Lander or Swiss Cantons. Each would determine and have its own tax raising powers that will be devolved from Whitehall.

The House of Commons would be by popular election. The Libertarian Party would terminate the House of Lords as an anachronism that allows hereditary and unelected members along with the Clergy to influence public policy.

The Libertarian Party would immediately abolish the requirement for paying any deposit to the State to stand for any elected office. Democracy should be on the basis of ideas not cash.

Westminster would only deal with Defence and Foreign affairs. The House of Commons would be reduced to two hundred members and shall only sit from September to December each year, on the basis that the less time Parliament is sitting, the less interference in the life of the individual citizen. Exceptions would be made in a time of national emergency.

The Military and Police would swear allegiance to the Constitution.

No clergyman from whatever faith shall have the right to a seat unless elected. There will be a complete separation of Church and State.

All public honours and decorations other than proven military service shall be set aside. No public servant shall receive an honour as a matter of course for doing a job that they are already paid to do. The honours system has become a degraded and corrosive form of patronage.

The Libertarian Party would establish Commercial Tribunals with experienced business people sitting alongside specialist Commercial Judges to hear commercial disputes in the interest of speed of resolution and competence.

Disbarment from holding commercial Directorships will be removed from the Civil Service to such Tribunals.

DEFENCE THE ONLY LEGITIMATE ROLE OF THE STATE

The Libertarian Party follows the Jeffersonian line of Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

Following the Crimean War disaster in 1856, the British Army was overhauled by Edward Cardwell Secretary of State for War in 1868, determined on a programme of reform to overcome the incompetence and maladministration of our armed forces.

At a time when we have more admirals than ships and aircraft carriers with no supply of aircraft to land on them, together with there being more civil servants working in the MOD than full time soldiers there is a requirement for a Cardwell 2.

Our aim is to ensure a strong, independent, sovereign nation. This requires a well funded, trained and equipped professional Armed Forces (both full time and Reservist), geared for the defence of our nation and shipping, a policy to be called Armed Neutrality.

National Defence is one of the few legitimate reasons for the State to exist. This is different to mounting wars in support of other nations and invading other sovereign nations on the command of the Prime Minster exercising the Royal Prerogative.

Our Armed Forces need to be able to make an enemy think twice, so must have the ability to project force rapidly, globally and flexibly in focused ways, e.g. submarines, amphibious assault, Marines and Special Forces.

To protect supply lines and commercial shipping and fisheries from piracy and other interference will require a suitably sized fleet of corvettes, frigates and associated support craft.

Reformation of Volunteer Yeomanry on a county basis for 18 to 25 year olds wishing to enlist as part time soldiers with no requirement to serve overseas and to be paid. This based on the Swiss Militia system.

Maintain membership of NATO while in the National Interest.

Maintain strong ties with non-aggressive Commonwealth countries.

Any nuclear deterrent to be made truly independent, retained, maintained and eventually replaced in the foreseeable future.

The establishment of a separate military pension over and above the State pension for those that have served in the armed forces.

The establishment of separate military hospitals for those servicemen and ex-servicemen and their families.

The establishment of a living wage for the armed forces.

A programme of demolition of old housing and building of modern accommodation using the disposal of MOD assets.

This is to establish real substance to the Military Covenant which should be on the Statute Book.

Military Pensions by the State should be seen not as entitlements but as rewards for actual service, and to benefit dependants of those killed on active service.

IMMIGRATION

Our immigration policy will be points based whilst the State provided Welfare System exists. The core tenet is that there should be free movement of peoples. Anybody arriving in the country should have no expectation of being supported by the State, subsidised housing or any benefits of any kind.

The state will not issue any National Insurance (NI) numbers to anybody not born in this country, or has made not less than five years contribution in payments to an NI approved scheme.

Anybody granted a residency permit will be obliged to demonstrate that they have adequate medical insurance.

In parallel, we will establish bilateral agreements with countries to enable free flows of people.

Longer term, and in conjunction with the shrinking of our unsustainable current Welfare System, we are committed to pursuing an open borders policy towards those who would wish to come to the United Kingdom in order to contribute to our economy and share our values.

Totally free movement of people into the UK is not practical whilst we have a large welfare state and other countries are themselves not broadly Libertarian in nature.

A free flow notwithstanding, any Libertarian government will reserve the right to eject or refuse entry to foreign nationals convicted in a court of law as part of the Governments prime role in protecting the population and maintaining Rule of Law.

The UK shall have full control over its immigration policy, with any right of final appeal remaining within the UK jurisdiction.

Asylum Seekers must present at a UK border or at the British Embassy of a neighbouring country to their own, otherwise their claim shall not be accepted.

Those refusing to declare originating country and accept that the failure of their application will result in their return shall be denied entry, and any right to seek asylum will be refused outright without appeal.

Asylum seekers to be held air side while their case is heard as swiftly as possible, meaning weeks, not months or years. This shall not apply to children under the age of 15.

End automatic access to education and resources for any child who presents itself to the authorities, i.e. vouchers will not be available.

We believe any concept of a mass amnesty, actual or de facto forgiveness for illegal immigration undermines the Rule of Law and as such will not be entertained.

The policies above are strict but are drawn up in regard to those who approach the process lawfully and follow the rules, not those who try and bend the rules or bootstrap their way in.

Acceptance into the armed forces will be dealt with by the Ministry of Defence.

The Libertarian Party fully supports the CANZUK proposal, for a free trade zone including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom having shared legal and cultural heritage.

THE RULE OF LAW

Freedoms won for us by the blood of our ancestors have been seriously eroded over the decades, and this erosion is gaining speed and must be halted and reversed. It is a core responsibility of the State to enable the citizens to go safely about their lawful business without let or hindrance.

A central tenet of Libertarianism is that we are all equal before the Law from the mightiest to the poorest. This is the Rule of Law. The failure to hold former Prime Minister Tony Blair to account before a Court of Law undermines Law and accountability.

We have car insurance, we have life assurance, yet so few of us carry Legal insurance. Going to Law to protect an interest or to defend yourself is frustrating and seriously injurious to your wealth.

The Libertarian Party will advocate an insurance scheme to balance out the individual against the State or the wealthy abusing the legal system.

County prosecutors elected at the same time as MPs will defend the individual or prosecute the powerful and the State on behalf of the individual, paid for by this insurance scheme.

Unenforceable Law is bad Law, the Libertarian Party will advocate that after thirty years each Law on the statute book is reviewed and has a sunset on its provisions.

Law that is clearly not understood by the Layman is bad law. It should not need a thousand pages of Civil Procedure Rules to enable any citizen to obtain both Justice and redress.

The Libertarian Party wants less Law and regulation, replacing it with enforceable Laws. This is on the basis that which is not proscribed is free to do, rather than the State giving freedom or licence to carry out an activity.

The Libertarian Party will reaffirm the Nine Peelian Principles:

1. The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

2. The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon the public approval of police actions.

3. Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observation of the Law.

4. The degree of cooperation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force.

5. Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

6. Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be insufficient.

7. Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

8. Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions, and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

9. The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.

Police Chief Constables to be locally elected, and given a greater amount of autonomy.

Drastically simplify and reform Police/CPS targets, now the remit of the Chief Constable, and to remove the desire to prosecute innocent parties.

A reduction in paperwork to enable more beat officers to remain on patrol for as long as possible.

We will undertake a review of the Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) concept, with the potential to recruit those capable in to the main police force, and to disband the remainder.

Limit retention of DNA only in the event of a conviction, and to discard after that conviction is spent.

Futhermore:

Disorder to be handled via the courts, not on-the-spot fines, which we believe are unconstitutional as laid out in the 1689 Bill of Rights.

Read the original here:

Manifesto 2017 | Libertarian Party UK

Colorado Springs has always leaned hard on its reputation for natural beauty. An hours drive south of Denver, it sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains southern range and features two of the states top tourist destinations: the ancient sandstone rock formations known as Garden of the Gods, and Pikes Peak, the 14,000-foot summit visible from nearly every street corner. Its also a staunchly Republican cityheadquarters of the politically active Christian group Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs is nicknamed the Evangelical Vatican) and the fourth most conservative city in America, according to a recent study. Its a right-wing counterweight to liberal Boulder, just a couple of hours north, along the Front Range.

It was its jut-jawed conservatism that not that long ago made the citys local government a brief national fixation. During the recession, like nearly every other city in America, Colorado Springs revenueheavily dependent on sales taxplunged. Faced with massive shortfalls, the citys leaders began slashing. Gone were weekend bus service and nine buses.

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Out went some police officers along with three of the departments helicopters, which were auctioned online. Trash cans vanished from city parks, because when you cut 75 percent of the parks budget, one of the things you lose is someone to empty the garbage. For a city that was founded when a wealthy industrialist planted 10,000 trees on a shadeless prairie, the suddenly sparse watering of the citys grassy lawns was a profound and dire statement of retreat.

To fill a $28 million budget hole, Colorado Springs political leaderswho until that point might have been described by most voters as fiscal conservativesproposed tripling property taxes. Nearly two-thirds of voters said no. In response, city officials (some would say almost petulantly) turned off one out of every three street lights. Thats when people started paying attention to a city that seemed to be conducting a real-time experiment in fiscal self-starvation. But that was just the prelude. The city wasnt content simply to reject a tax increase. Voters wanted something genuinely different, so a little more than a year later, they elected a real estate entrepreneur as mayor who promised a radical break from politics as usual.

For a city, like the country at large, that was hurting economically, Steve Bach seemed like a man with an answer. What he promised sounded radically simple: Wasteful government is the root of the pain, and if you just run government like the best businesses, the pain will go away. Easy. Because he had never held office and because he actually had been a successful entrepreneur, people were inclined to believe he really could reinvent the way a city was governed.

The citys experiment was fascinating because it offered a chance to observe some of the most extreme conservative principles in action in a real-world laboratory. Producers from 60 Minutes flew out to talk with the towns leaders. The New York Times found a woman in a dark trailer park pawning her flat screen TV to buy a shotgun for protection. This American Life did a segment portraying Springs citizens as the ultimate anti-tax zealots, willing to pay $125 in a new Adopt a Streetlight program to illuminate their own neighborhoods, but not willing to spend the same to do so for the entire city. Ill take care of mine was the gist of what one council member heard from a resident when she confronted him with this fact.

Rocky Mountain Town Colorado Springs has a reputation as a GOP stronghold, though its downtown features art studios, a kombucha shop and a book seller that gives prominent shelf space to Noam Chomsky. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

Thats where Colorado Springs was frozen in the consciousness of the countrya city determined to redefine the role of government, led by a sharp-elbowed businessman who didnt care whom he offended along the way (not unlike a certain president). But it has been five years since This American Life packed up its mics. A lot has changed in that time, not least of which is that the local economy, which nearly drowned the city like a concrete block tied around its balance sheet, is buoyant once again. Sales tax revenue has made the books plump with surplus. Enough to turn those famous streetlights back on. Seven years after the experiment began, the verdict is inand its not at all what its architects planned.

One of the lessons: Theres a real cost to saving money.

Take the streetlights. Turning them off had saved the city about $1.25 million. What had not made the national news stories was what had happened while those lights were off. Copper thieves, emboldened by the opportunity to work without fear of electrocution, had worked overtime scavenging wire. Some, the City Council learned, had even dressed up as utility workers and pried open the boxes at the base of streetlights in broad daylight. Keeping the lights off might have saved some money in the short term, but the cost to fix what had been stolen ran to some $5 million.

Sometimes the best-laid plans dont work out the way youd hope, says Merv Bennett, who served on the City Council at the time and asked officials at the utilities about whether the savings were real.

There has been a lot of this kind of reckoning over the past half-decade. From crisis came a desire for disruption. From disruption came, well, too much disruption. And from that came a full-circle return to professional politicians. Including onea beloved mayor and respected bureaucrat who was short-listed to replace James Comey as FBI directorwho is so persuasive he has gotten Colorado Springs residents to do something the outside world assumed they were not capable of: Five years after its moment in the spotlight, revenue is so high that the same voters who refused to keep the lights on have overwhelmingly approved ballot measures allowing the city to not only keep some of its extra tax money, but impose new taxes as well.

In the process, many residents of Colorado Springs, but especially the men and women most committed to making the city thrive, have learned a few other lessons. That perpetual chaos can be exhausting. That the value of the status quo rises with the budgets bottom line. And that it helps when the people responsible for running the city are actually talking with one another. All it took was a few years running an experiment that everyone involved seems happy is over.

***

Like many revolutions, the one in Colorado Springs began with a manifesto.

It was an email that was intended to be private, sent from Steve Bartolin, then CEO of luxury hotel The Broadmoor, to the mayor and City Council. The Broadmoor is a city unto itselfa century-old resort whose three golf courses, 779 rooms and skating rink sprawl over 3,000 acres around a lake in the foothills on the citys western boundary. In a tourist-dependent region with an unusually large reliance on sales taxes, The Broadmoor is an economic powerhouse. In 2009, at the height of the impasse over the worsening budget, Bartolin had made a comparison between Colorado Springs budget and the budget of his resort. Observations like the fact that the city had a computer department with 81 people, while The Broadmoor employed only nine. The email didnt stay private for long. It quickly went viral, was published in full in the newspaper, and so energized the business community that it inspired a dozen locals to start their own shadow council, which they called the City Committee. One of the members of the committee was Bach, a private real-estate broker who had gotten his first corporate job by the audacious move of cold-callingcollectthe CEO of Procter & Gamble. Soon, the committee members prevailed upon Bach to run for mayor, to bring their principles to City Hall.

Merv Bennett Sometimes the best-laid plans dont work out the way youd hope. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

Bachs mantra on the campaign trail was one that voters nationwide would recognize from last years presidential cycle: Run the government more like a business. He said he was intent on transforming city government so it works for everyoneand without tax increases. In fact, he wanted to do away with the personal property tax for businesses and expedite how long it takes developers to get permits, all in service of promoting job growth, which he later vowed would hit 6,000 a year. Bach considered himself an outsider fighting the citys regulatory agency mind-set.

The only difference I can see between me and Donald Trump, he told Politico Magazine recently, is that I dont tweet.

In 2011, Bach was swept into City Hall with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Not only did he win, but he arrived in office with powers no mayor of Colorado Springs had ever wielded. A ballot amendment approved by voters a year earlier had taken power away from the City Council and given it to the mayor. Now that mayor happened to be someone who felt that political compromise was a dirty word. Shortly after the election, two top council members asked Bach to give them a detailed weekly report just as the previous city manager had done. He said no. The mayor wouldnt answer to anyone. The council, he indicated, would answer to him. And he showed that by taking on a major deal, the council was negotiating to rid itself of the local hospital.

Leaders at Memorial Health claimed the hospital was hemorrhaging money in the recession. But to Bach, the hospital was an incredible asset that was just being mismanagedan argument he buttressed by pointing out that it was sitting on some $300 million in free cash. The council wanted to lease the hospital to a team of local leaders led by Memorial Healths CEO for about $15 million over 20 years. Bach called it a giveaway. He demanded that the council open up the process to other bidders. Eventually, that process led to a very different financial arrangement with the massive University of Colorado Health System: a 40-year lease that, counting capital improvements, came out to nearly $2 billion. You dont have to have an MBA to appreciate the benefits of Bachs deal.

Steve Bach The only difference I can see between me and Donald Trump is that I dont tweet. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

I was really angry when I got on council and found out they just wanted to hand over the hospital, Merv Bennett says. Steve kept us from going down a terrible path.

Bach also turned out to be right on another deal he said City Council had mismanaged before he was elected. The council had approved a generous contract to a physicist from the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy to develop and implement what he said would be a $20 million, coal-scrubbing technology on the citys downtown power plant. Just a terrible deal, Bach says.

The city had pitched it as a way of making a profitwhen the technology was licensed to other plants, Colorado Springs would share in the rewards. But the city was also on the hook to pay for the research and development it required, and costs quickly spiraled. Just last month, the business shut down without having made a single additional sale. The cost: some $150 million over budget. As with the hospital deal, in which the council chose to go with a local rather than open the bidding to all comers, Bach raked officials for their shortsighted provincialism that he and others felt wasnt befitting Americas 40th-most populous city.

This town is so easily scammed, says John Hazlehurst, himself a former council member and now a columnist with the Colorado Springs Business Journal. Why? Because were hicks. Its really that simple.

John Suthers Some personalities in the business world dont suffer fools very much. Youve got to suffer a lot of fools in politics. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

But there was a cost for all that head-butting in City Hall. Although the economy continued to improve, and although Bachs outsourcing of jobs had done enough to repair the parks budget so that trees were being watered and the lights were back on, some business leaders were skittish about moving to town or expanding.

For those who opposed Bach, the political newcomer was doing damage by firing longstanding department heads without consulting anyone beforehand. Jan Martin, then the councils pro-tem president, said she heard of Bachs firing of the citys police chief by word of mouth, rather than from Bach himself. He was draining the city of all of this accumulated knowledge, she says. Hazlehurst, watching from the sidelines, is more succinct. Bachs dysfunction and [the] councils dysfunction were intimately related, he says. It was just a rookie government.

There was a price to pay for Bachs imperiousness and lack of diplomacy, and this is something about which he and his critics agree to some extent. Job creation, which had been a pillar of Bachs campaign, never got up the steam that he had promised and, by his own admission, lagged other similarly sized cities in the region like Albuquerque, Omaha and Oklahoma City. He never managed to get the business tax repealed. And his signature plan to boost tourism with a multipronged project of museums and an outdoor stadium ran into headwinds from a council that said it wasnt sufficiently involved in the planning.

By 2015, the final year of his term, Bach was no longer talking to any member of City Council, save for Bennett. Both sides were fighting proxy battles in the middle of council meetings, quibbling over the sorts of thingsmoving money from one government account to another to pay billsthat would normally be routine. People outside the council chambers were paying attention, and they didnt care for what they were seeingthe city that was supposed to run like a business was actually scaring companies. The business leaders who had once supported him had even started their own, newer version of the City Committeecalled Colorado Springs Forwardand were looking for a different candidate to back.

Richard Skorman They spent $200,000 to portray me as a tax-and-spend liberal, and thats why I lost. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

Mike Juran, CEO of a midsized company that puts displays in anything thats not a laptop or a phone, had a choice to make in the last year of Bachs administration. He believed his company, Altia, was poised for big growththanks to an automobile industry that wanted to put more gadgets in their cars. Juran wanted to stay put, but he wondered whether he would have trouble attracting young software engineers to Colorado Springs. The city was in a weird funk and getting a bad national reputation, he says. Juran knew that if any of his potential recruits googled the city, they would see that it had gone dark, a wildfire had recently destroyed 300 homes, and the city was home to disgraced pastor Ted Haggard. Much of this had nothing to do with Bachs administration, but Juran also knew that Bachs belt-tightening had hidden effects that were going to erode the citys quality of life. Colorado Springs had spent years putting off enormous infrastructure problems that would one day come dueone, an issue with stormwater, was so bad it would soon be the focus of a lawsuit from the Environmental Protection Agency. Juran began looking into offices in Denver or Silicon Valley.

Bach had made a campaign promise to serve only one term. But the promise wasnt necessaryby 2015, he, along with everyone else, knew the then-71-year-olds chances for reelection were close to zero. Even the business leaders who had helped get him elected knew Bach wasnt the man for the job anymore. What was needed was a steady hand, and Colorado Springs ended up getting exactly what it needed.

Finally, Juran says, we had grown up and decided we wanted to be a real city.

***

If every election is a referendum on the politician who came before, John Suthers was as clear a renunciation of Steve Bach as could be found. Far from a political outsider, Suthers had spent his life working inside government, from student body president of his high school (No others than Suthers), to local district attorney, to head of the Department of Corrections, to state attorney and all the way up to attorney general of Colorado, where he served for 10 years.

John Hazlehurst This town is so easily scammed. Why? Because were hicks. Its really that simple. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

When Suthers came in it was as if Michael Jordan had joined your pickup basketball team, says columnist Hazlehurst. Hes a consummate politician. He knows what hes doing.

Suthers was a Republican like Bach, and he shared Bachs belief in keeping government budgets on a leash. But unlike Bach, he wasnt going to try to strangle the city with it. Suthers believed there was a fundamental difference between business and governmentno matter how strong the mayors office is, there are still a bunch of other elected officials who need a say. So Suthers first goal after getting elected was, he says, to improve his relationship with the City Council. He did that by scheduling two monthly catered lunch meetings, acquiescing to many of their requests for staff and resources and, in the minds of many, treating them like partners rather than combatants. My predecessor sent over a budget on the day it was due and said, Take it or leave it, Suthers says. Ive been doing this for a long time. I didnt wait until [the last minute] to tell [the council] what I was thinking.

Suthers collaborative approach also led to something that might have been unthinkable in the dark, budget-strapped days of 2010.

Colorado Springs reputation as a Republican stronghold might seem overblown to a visitor walking downtown. Just minutes from the pricey liberal arts school Colorado College is a kombucha shop, a store that sells hour-and-a-half stays in sensory deprivation tanks, and a book seller that gives prominent shelf space to the latest Noam Chomsky and is owned by Richard Skorman, the current City Council president. Yet despite those superficial signs of changing demographics, Donald Trump still beat Hillary Clinton by more than 22 points in Colorado Springs El Paso County. Even with that small-government mind-set still relatively intact, three times in his first two years as mayor, Suthers has gone to voters either proposing a new tax or asking to keep extra tax revenue. By overwhelming margins, he has now persuaded the supposedly anti-tax zealots of Colorado Springs to commit $250 million to new roads, $2 million to new park trails and as much as $12 million for new stormwater projects. The ballot items were enormous statements of confidence, says Chamber of Commerce Director Dirk Draper. They showed that while the community is fiscally conservative, its not radically so. If you can find someone to explain it to where it makes sense, voters will allow it.

Seeing the Light In some cases, the citys budget-cutting backfired: Turning off the streetlights saved about $1.25 million, but after thieves stole the copper wiring inside, the cost to fix the lights ran to some $5 million. | Erika Larsen for Politico Magazine

Today, Suthers can point to a whole host of data points that suggest Colorado Springs has more than recovered. Were on a roll, big-time, he says. The citys unemployment is a vanishingly low 2.7 percent. Some 16,000 jobs have been created in the past 24 monthsa pace that exceeds Bachs lofty goals. Flights at the airport have increased nearly 50 percent from a year ago. And large projects have either opened recentlysuch as a National Cybersecurity Center that takes advantage of the defense ecosystem built up around the Air Force Academyor will soon, like the U.S. Olympic Museum slated for 2018, a natural offshoot of the fact that Colorado Springs has been home to the U.S. Olympic Training Center for nearly 40 years.

The citys experience as a political petri dish might not have produced any easy answers. But at least for Suthers, it has produced a verdict on the run-the-government-as-a-business mantra. Some personalities in the business world dont suffer fools very much, he says. Youve got to suffer a lot of fools in politics.

This is the larger lesson of Colorado Springs experiment: Ideas matter, but so do relationships. Colorado Springs remains fiscally conservative; on this score, theres more agreement than not between elected officials and their constituents. But ideological consensus isnt enough to overcome a lack of surrogates willing to advocate your policies when, even with the strongest mayor system, its not entirely up to you.

At a recent charity roast, the 180-degree change in attitude among the citys political class was on full display. The emcee joked that while Suthers had agreed to come and endure good-natured jokes about his comb-over, the previous year Bach had been invited and offered a different response. It was two words, he said, and the second one was you.

Despite Bachs sandpapery reputation, many who used to spar with him are willing to give the former mayor credit today. Suthers says Bachs extreme focus on the budget helped right the city financially, and his efforts helped set the stage for a revival of the airport. But most of all, what the leaders of Colorado Springs seem most thankful for is that one mans turmoil begat another mans harmony.

Steve was the ultimate change agent, and they usually have a short shelf life, Bennett says. If it werent for the lights going out, we might not have had Steve. And if it werent for Steve, we might not have John.

Caleb Hannan is a writer in Denver.

Link:

The Short, Unhappy Life of a Libertarian Paradise - POLITICO Magazine

ReasonGary Johnson's back! (To the political advocacy game, anyway.) So, are libertarians greeting the two-time former Libertarian Party nominee for president with open arms? Not unanimously, no.

Over at Rare, the always-interesting Jack Hunter, who is close to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), has a scathing piece headlined "Please, Gary Johnson, stay the hell away from politics." Excerpt:

[W]hen Reason reported on Thursday that Johnson was returning to politics, I did not rejoiceI recoiled.

Johnson had his chance, the biggest chance the Libertarian Party will likely ever have in our lifetimes, and his campaign did more to diminish liberty than promote it. Johnson's simple 2016 task was two-fold: First, present libertarianism coherently, and hopefully, attractively. Second, don't look like an idiot.

He failed on both.

Hunter mostly leans on the "Aleppo moment" and related flubs, and while those errors were almost all self-inflicted, highlighting the candidate's self-acknowledged limitations as a public speaker (a real hindrance when public speaking is about your only campaign weapon), I am convinced that even the most smooth-tongued of L.P. candidates (Larry Sharpe, anyone?) would have been excoriated as a gaffe-making weirdo or dunce in September 2016. Why? Because the presidential race was tightening (boy was it ever), debate season was imminent, Johnson's poll numbers at that point had failed to experience the usual third-party summertime fade, newspapers were starting the make their general election endorsements (including for the Libertarian), and the journalistic Left was throwing everything it could think of at a guy they feared was wooing too many impressionable young'uns.

Tom Steyer would have spilled tens of millions in swing states that autumn against any Libertarian candidate polling at 9 percent, and that money would have been converted into attack pieces on any John, Austin, or Darryl. (Speaking of which, do we really think that the L.P. alternatives would have polled or media-accessed anywhere near TeamGov?) Donald Trump had several more egregious foreign policy brainfarts than "Aleppo," and Hillary Clinton's actual (and unapologetic) policy record helped produce the very chaos that Johnson was being criticized for not understanding, but the media didn't care about any of that: September 2016 was Libertarian-killing season, and unfortunately Johnson offered the world a loaded gun.

That's not to say that Hunter's wrong about Johnson squandering the election overall; I still don't know how best to assess that question. (Check out the Brian Doherty/Matt Welch post-election co-production "Did the Libertarian Party Blow it in 2016?" for our most educated guesses.) As that piece states in the opening, and as the intervening months have only underlined, "Objectively speaking, 2016 was the Libertarian Party's best year ever. It was also a savage disappointment." Libertarians will be arguing about this stuff for years.

Austin PetersenSpeaking of intra-Libertarian arguments, Charles Peralo over at Being Libertarian has a long defense of the Johnson campaign against criticism that has been leveled against it from the John McAfee/Judd Weiss ticket. In the Orlando Sentinel, State L.P. Chair Marcos Miralles gives an interesting interview, mostly about local party-building stuff, that ends on a spectacularly optimistic note: "But what I can guarantee you is that whoever the Libertarian delegates pick in 2020, that candidate will have a better result than Gary Johnson had in 2016 and will have a real chance at unseating the current president." Meanwhile, 2016 L.P. presidential runner-up Austin Petersen has formed an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Senate from Missouri, and is promising a "special announcement" on July 4.

And in one of my favorite recent pieces of local journalism, The Free Press of Fernie, British Columbia, caught up with Gary Johnson in the middle of his epic Tour Divide bike race, spent several paragraphs detailing how he "may well be the fittest U.S. presidential candidate of all time," before plunging the knife in paragraph nine:

The man can clearly take care of himself. He is a self-made millionaire and ultra-fit, so of course he would run for a party that endorses the survival of the fittest. If you're wealthy and fit, Libertarianism works but if you are not, it doesn't.

Then follows a Guernica-style hellscape of local horrors that would be unleashed should Libertarians ever come close to smelling power ("Their plan to cut regulations in transportation, accommodation and other sectors to cause the sharing economyto destroy traditional businesses. Hotels and taxi companies would go bust, thousands would be left unemployed," etc.). It's a reminder, one that Jack Hunter's old boss Rand Paul knows all too well, that for wide swaths of the public, libertarians will suffer from the Weird Man's Burden, probed relentlessly for every policy taboo, and held to a standard of conduct that standard Democrats and Republicans rarely have to answer for.

Below re-live my shaky-cam video of Johnson flipping out at a reporter asking about Aleppo, moments before the first presidential debate last September:

Continued here:

Libertarians Still Arguing About Gary Johnson's 2016 Campaign ... - Reason (blog)

As of this week, New Hampshire has three sitting Libertarians in its House of Representatives. First elected in 2016 as a Republican, Brandon Phinney, representing wards 4 and 5 in the city of Rochester, announced he's joining Caleb Dyer (former Republican) and Joseph Stallcop (former Democrat) as Libertarians, giving the L.P. a three-man caucus. (In the 1990s for a period there were four sitting Libertarians in the New Hampshire House.)

Libertarian Party

"The Libertarian Party platform gives us, as legislators, the best possible framework to expand social freedoms, support a free-market economy, and ensure the checks and balances on government power are enforced," Phinney said in the Libertarian Party's press release announcing the switch.

Phinney works for the Carroll County Department of Corrections. (Being one of the 400 members of the New Hampshire House is a part-time job.) "We do what we can to rehabilitate offenders, implement new programming in the county to help addicts get treatment, and we manage inmate behavior," he described his day job in a phone interview this week after he announced his move to the Libertarian Party.

His work in corrections "has given me inspiration as far as government's role in policing" and led him to realize "we need to be ending the drug war. I know the system is broken. I know there are people in jail who don't need to be there."

Before running for office last year, Phinney had been deployed for a year to the United Arab Emirates with the New Hampshire Army National Guard working as a construction engineer.

He has also been slightly famous in atheist circles for being a rare out-and-proud atheist politician. Phinney himself doesn't like to make too much of that, and points out that it isn't his atheism per se but his atheism combined with his previous GOP membership that made it seem like news, since Republicans "have a tradition of being faith-based." (He even once sang for a metal band named Godcrusher.)

Phinney says his initial attraction toward government work came from "issues in the past with the family court system" and a desire to reform such policies in a more father-friendly direction, though he doesn't want to discuss his personal specifics and says they are not currently an active problem in his life.

The issues he likes to front and center as a legislator that he discussed in our phone interview include some that fit well with the Libertarian Party platformsuch as marijuana legalizationand some that don'tlike increasing state programs for veterans. But he describes his overarching way of judging proposed legislation as having "three criteria, which are, will [a bill] expand government growth? Will it have a burden on taxpayers? And is it in the interest of freedom?"

Like fellow L.P. convert Stallcop, the former Democrat, Phinney at first considered running as an independent but found the ballot access issues too troublesome and thought the Republicans were the major party that were "closest to what I felt." He has since realized that the Republican platform didn't "actually represent what I thought should be the role of government in our lives."

He quickly found caucusing with the GOP wearying and "stopped going" to the meetings; "every time something controversial came up they wanted the Party to vote united." Phinney didn't always want to go along with their desires but "they didn't want to hear" any dissent from the Party line.

He says his friend Dyer helped him see the way clear to the L.P. switch. He'd been thinking about it since February and knew for weeks before the official announcement he intended to do it. The only Republican he informed beforehand was Gov. Chris Sununu, during a conversation over why he, Phinney, was not going to be able to vote for the budget the Republicans proposed since it raised spending too much. The $11.7 billion budget will put state spending on an "unsustainable" course, Phinney believes. (He found Sununu "nonjudgmental, understanding of why I felt that way" about the Party switch.)

Like Dyer, Phinney is also confident many other New Hampshire House members are philosophically more compatible with the L.P. than the two major parties, but are afraid to make the switch out of fear of losing re-election, a fear he hopes he and Dyer can prove groundless in 2018. His own town of Rochester, he says, tends to "lean purple" and he hopes name recognition from retail politicking and his incumbency will make the L.P. switch irrelevant to his constituents. Even running as a Republican he says his constituents "knew I have these philosophies, they get it, no problem."

Although he has a tendency to stutter and thus found door-to-door contact with voters sometimes nerve-wracking, Phinney says it's essential to winning in New Hampshire's small districts. He won his first race with 2,323 votes, only 117 votes more than a Democrat who Phinney says didn't even campaign. He does not yet know who, if anyone, he'll be running against next year from the two major parties. He advises would-be voters to look beyond Party labels and "see how I voted. That's what actually matters. If I voted in your best interest, keep me in. If I haven't, vote me out."

Fear of a Libertarian New Hampshire

Phinney has lived in New Hampshire since the late 1990s, predating the Free State Project, which advocates the libertarian-minded moving to New Hampshire to sway its politics in a liberty direction. While Phinney thinks it's a "great idea to get people who want to minimize the scope and power of government to come to this state" he has no specific opinion about anything any given Free Stater has said or done. He is aware that some New Hampshire residents "view them in a not-so-favorable light. I personally don't have an opinion as long as they are not hurting anyone."

The FSP's existence helps draw out concerns that make political progressives unhappy with the thought of libertarians in their midst. The folks at FreeKeene, not institutionally affiliated with the FSP, recently summed up a 90-minute anti-libertarian presentation by Zandra Rice Hawkins of the group Granite State Progress.

Hawkins is trying to get her fellow citizens of New Hampshire to believe the FSP's mission involves attempted secession from the U.S. (it does not), to worry that the FSP's internal communal self-help and attempts to help their communities' food needs are just sinister cover for their radical mission of dismantling government, and to condemn them for their alleged connection to the national website CopBlock which encourages keeping an eye on and curbing the power of police to harass citizens.

Compare those fears with how Phinney expects to guide his future as a state representative, believing that all he and his fellow Libertarians are "trying to do is minimize government interference in lives and businesses and just try to keep as much money in people's pockets" as possible.

To many Americans, that sounds like common sense. To those living in quivering fear of a Libertarian New Hampshire in which people might just, to sum up some of Hawkins' worries, keep a watchful eye on police, act undignified in court, pay other people's parking meters, or advocate for legalization of drugs and prostitution, it sounds like something that requires organized opposition, including trying to keep a public record of Free State Project associates involved in New Hampshire politics. She is especially worried that some of them even fly under the Democratic Party's banner.

As the recent moves of Phinney, Dyer, and Stallcop to the Libertarian Party show, the libertarian-minded certainly can keep using major party labels if they wish. But in New Hampshire, they may not have to. The electoral success or failure of Dyer and Phinney in 2018 will tell.

See more here:

New Hampshire Now Has Third Sitting Libertarian Party Legislator - Reason (blog)

Ever since William F. Buckleys death, commentators spanning the political spectrum have searched for someone to succeed the conservative intellectual leader and National Review founder.

Most recently, Washington Post columnist George Will decried the scowling primitives who populate the conservative intelligentsia and pined for a Buckley figure someone who can, with vigor and high spirits, fashion conservative thought into coherent ideology.

Will is right that conservatism needs a intellectual leader in Buckleys mold, but not for the reasons political writers often advance. I especially want to separate my motivation from the mass of left-of-center writers who are suckers for Buckley.

Many liberals bemoan the loss of educated, well-spoken conservatives and the rise of unsophisticated rage-mongers. They claim that if the GOP only had more intellectual heft, it would be compassionate and measured. Many center-left folks admire Buckley for cosmetic reasons: Because he defended conservative ideology with eloquence and literary charm, he deserves our esteem.

This is silly. Conservatism doesnt need a Buckley figure because Buckley used big words. And heaps of evidence undermine the claim that intelligence inspires virtue just look at Mitch McConnell! When it comes to the lives of Americans, it doesnt matter whether the leader of the conservative intellectual movement has the vocabulary of President Trump or William Shakespeare.

No, conservatism needs an intellectual leader because, without one, it will be dominated by white identity politics. Within the conservative movement, there has always been a tension between free-market devotion and the defense of white identity. For many decades, the Republican party was the party of small government and libertarian economics. But beneath the surface was a torrent of racial resentment and fear; its no accident that the GOP won back the South after Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.

Buckley created a free-market orthodoxy to which conservative politicians adhered for years. In the inaugural issue of National Review, Buckley wrote, The competitive price system is indispensable to liberty and material progress. From Barry Goldwater to Paul Ryan, Republican leaders were forced to praise the wisdom of markets and criticize progressive government projects.

This devotion to markets restrained the worst impulses of white identity politics. To be sure, racism and libertarian economics sometimes work in tandem, such as in Reaganite attacks on Welfare Queens.

But the most destructive forms of white supremacy rely on state intervention in the economy. In his classic piece for The Atlantic, The Case for Reparations, Ta-Nehisi Coates details how governments created housing policies that denied equal economic opportunity for black people.

Pure libertarianism despises state-sanctioned racial inequality; consequently, its role in conservative orthodoxy kept white nationalism in check. Trumps 2016 campaign revealed a conservatism without libertarianism.

In 2016, Trump campaigned without the burden of free-market ideology. He promised massive government projects to benefit his followers. He promised to seize power from urban cosmopolitan elites, and return it to the forgotten men and women of our country.

It doesnt take much imagination to see this rhetoric as welcoming a redistribution campaign: take wealth from urban minorities and give it back to white folks. Trump campaigned as Robin Hood for white people.

A big caveat: Im not claiming Buckley was innocent on race issues. He once defended segregation by arguing that the claims of civilization supersede those of universal suffrage. However, Buckley did insist on free-market orthodoxy and defend conservatism against racial loonies like Pat Buchanan. For decades, commitment to libertarian economics restrained the worst racial instincts of American conservatives.

In conservatism, the absence of free-market values attracts unabashed white nationalism. Im no libertarian, but white identity politics is the most pernicious force in American life. We should cheer anything that diminishes its clout. Whoever steps into Buckleys role Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, libertarian economist Tyler Cowen and The Federalist publisher Ben Domenech are candidates faces a mountainous challenge. Libertarianism is on the retreat, and Trumps 21st century white nationalism has the power to devour our politics.

Read more:

A libertarian leader can save the GOP from white nationalism - The Diamondback

Ryan Blessing rblessing@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 425-4205 rblessingNB

Libertarian Bill Russell, who ran for mayor of Norwich four years ago, is again in the running for the position after being nominated Wednesday by the Libertarian party.

Russell's name was added to the ballot Thursday, and the party also made six nominations for City Council.They are James Fear, Darlene Woodbridge, Staceylynn Cottle, Janice Loomis, Nick Casiano and Richard Bright.

It also expects to nominate six Board of Education candidates, Russell said.

"I've been going door-to-door and everybody absolutely loves what I have to say," Russell, a 22-year member of the Libertarian Party, said. "Democrats and Republicans have run this city into the ground. So much can be done to reduce the budget and bring industry and people back to Norwich."

A political newcomer four years ago, Russell said in 2013 he favoreda strong-mayor form of government that would give him ultimate authority over spending and budgetary decisions to reduce the tax burden on residents.He also proposed privatizing or selling off nearly every piece of city-owned real estate not essential for day-to-day operations, including Dodd Stadium and the citys ice arena, golf course and Intermodal Transportation Center.

Russell also has opposed the city buying the site of the former Shetucket Iron and Metal Company on the harbor. The issue has come to the forefront again since a July 29 auction of the property was set.

Russell joins a crowded field for the mayor's race.Democrats H. Tucker Braddock and Derell Wilson, Republican Peter Nystrom and unaffiliated petitioning candidate Jon Oldfield all have announced they are running for mayor.

Incumbent Deb Hinchey, a Democrat, has decided not to seek re-election.

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Libertarian Bill Russell nominated to run for Norwich mayor - Norwich Bulletin

My Libertarian Transformation

When it comes to politics in the United States, the clearly defined parties are undoubtedly the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. With that said, these are not the only two parties around and given the recent political turmoil, many people are growing more and more curious about other political options. Next to the democratic and republican parties, the most well-known party is probably the Libertarian Party. With that said, while the party is known by name it is often not very well understood. Lets take a look at the Libertarian Party and what it stands for.

One of the most important ideals in America, and perhaps the one most staunchly defended, is that of freedom. This freedom can take many forms freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press being among them but one thing is invariable: the United States of America stands for freedom, and this is something its citizens expect. This idea is one of the core in the Libertarian Party, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining individual freedom. The party believes that individuals should have the right to pursue success and freedom in any way they so choose as long as doing so does not hurt anyone else.

Much like their beliefs regarding personal liberties, libertarians also hold various social ideals that tend to place them on the leftist part of the political spectrum. They believe that the government should not be able to restrict or define personal relationships. Before you believe that this is a clear endorsement of any particular sexuality, however, keep in mind that this belief stems mostly from the idea that the government should not be allowed to interfere in citizens lives. This includes personal relationships, and libertarians tend to believe that consenting adults should be free to pursue relationships that make them happy. They hold the same to be true of things like drug use, which they believe to be a victimless crime.

Finally, another important libertarian ideal is that of a smaller government. To put the issue as simply as possible, libertarians tend to believe that the government should have a smaller reach than it currently does. The government today has too much control and ability to control and interfere in the lives of citizens as well as the countrys business practices and norms. The party often advocates a smaller government that, most notably, does not collect income tax or fund a welfare state.

In todays society, there is often much conversation regarding the future and what our collective societal ideals might look like in a few decades. There is much debate as to whether a liberal or conservative view might be more beneficial moving forward, where the views in question seem to be associated with the Democratic Party and the Republican party, respectively. There seems to be relatively little talk, however, regarding the viability of ideas and concepts related to other political parties. It might surprise you, then, to hear that libertarian ideals seem to already be making a big impact upon modern business.

The Libertarian Party tends to emphasize the importance of civil liberties and capitalism as they relate to the government and interventionism. The basic idea is that the government should take a step back when it comes to regulating and controlling citizens in both the private and public/business spheres. But how exactly do these values fit into todays modern businesses?

One aspect of current business endeavors that clearly reflects libertarian ideals is that of the sharing economy. Partially spurred on by the increasing reliance on technology, particularly mobile apps that are designed to facilitate easy communication, a new wave of businesses has taken over the modern workplace over the past few years. Exploring the possibility of collaboration and sharing, these businesses have created an economy that is essentially based upon the decisions and possessions of individuals. Someone with a vehicle and some extra time, for example, could decide to become a taxi of sorts and earn money from someone without the ability or desire to drive themselves. The same holds true with hospitality options like Airbnb.

Epitomized by businesses like Lyft and Uber, this new wave of businesses seems to be firmly based upon perceived leftist ideas of decentralization and sustainability. It is important to note, however, that libertarian ideals are often at the very heart of this kind of business model. To the free-market libertarian, for example, an economy based between individuals rather than the state or government and an individual is appealing. It seems to promote the idea that the government could and should take a step back and allow individuals to thrive on their own. The sharing economy is a great way to promote civil liberties and emphasize the self-reliance that the Libertarian Party promotes.

What do you think about the sharing economy and the wave of businesses that have sprung up as it has developed? Do you think that the libertarian values present in these businesses are sustainable? For the time being, it appears as though modern businesses will continue to grow in this direction.

The Libertarian Party and Taxes

With all of the attention focused on the two main parties in the United States the Democratic Party and the Republican Party it can be easy to forget that there are other options available. Another party in the United Stats is known as the Libertarian Party, and it has some pretty strong ideas regarding the place of taxes in our economy as well as how much money should be collected.

First and foremost, the Libertarian Party believes that forcing people to give part of their income to the government in the form of taxes is wrong. Instead, they emphasize the importance of ensuring that citizens of the United States have autonomy over their money, their lives, their bodies, and their time. That means that a libertarian government is one that would do away with much of the tax system as we currently know it. But while the Libertarian Party would certainly lower taxes, does that mean that we wouldnt end up paying any at all? Lets take a closer look.

In order to determine what the United States economy would look like under the control of the Libertarian Party as well as how taxes would be affected, it might be most helpful to look at Gary Johnsons recent proposals. A libertarian hopeful for the presidency in 2016, Johnson has many ideas regarding how taxes should and should not be conducted in the U.S. First and foremost, he would have abolished the IRS along with both income and corporate tax. In its place, Johnson advocated the use of FairTax, a proposal that would see services and goods for personal consumption receive a flat tax of 23%.

In order to help offset the regressive nature of FairTax, Johnson would include a prebate used to allow households to consume aforementioned services and items tax-free up until the poverty line. This would help ensure that the family in lower income brackets are not unfairly impacted by the flat tax. In return for this flat tax, income taxes would, as mentioned above, no longer be a thing. Your money would be your own, in other words, aside from paying a higher flat tax on items and services. This kind of tax allocation is touted as being beneficial because it removes economic distortions impacting workplace and professional productivity by forcing individuals to make decisions with their tax status rather than efficiency in mind. This, in turn, would help businesses to flourish as they streamline their processes without worrying about negatively impacting their tax status in the process.

As you can see, the Libertarian Party believes that lower taxes is the best way to ensure economic success for the country and its citizens.

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My Libertarian Transformation - HuffPost