Idaho Libertarian Times

Rhonda Jackson, "I'm a Libertarian"

This is an interesting piece does anyone know her?? she seems well spoken

Announcing; The Rob Oates For US House Exploratory Committee

Lets look at one of the reasons Rob is exploring a campaign, The National Debt!

The Gross National Debt

Friends I'm delighted to announce the formation of an exploratory committee for Rob Oates.

Rob, the State Chair of Idaho is looking at running for the US House District #1 in Idaho. Those of you who know Rob as I do know that he is an excellent choice not only for Idaho, but to serve America in Washington. His Website says it all" A Caldwell native, fourth generation Idahoan. Caldwell High and University of Idaho graduate. Wife-Debbie; sons-Nick and Jon; daughter-Amanda. Debbie and I have volunteered in various capacities at each of the Caldwell schools our kids have attended. Presbyterian Church elder. Three+ years into first term on Caldwell City Council. I served for almost 10 years in the Army after graduating at the top of my ROTC class. First as an Armor officer and then I went to flight school and became an Army Aviator proudly wearing the Wings of America! I flew the UH-1 Huey and the AH-1S Cobra helicopters. Served various places Stateside and in the Republic of Korea. While I was the Army weapons test pilot at the Yuma Proving Ground for the Cobra Attack Helicopter development program I updated the fire control computer software now used to more accurately fire rockets from the Apache Attack Helicopters in Iraq! Check out some images. After military service I worked in satellite communications for 8 years. The past 10 years I've been involved in computer education and web application development. Substitute teacher in Caldwell and Vallivue schools. Past president Caldwell High Band Boosters.

NRA Life Member and a Lifelong Student of Liberty." If you agree there is a dire need to change the course of where America is headed, then please consider supporting Robs campaign through this donation link;

Food for thought From Andrew Davis on: Santa,, Saint or Sinner?

This is a blatant copy of Andrew Davis's LP Blog from today, it was just too funny & poignant  to pass up. Kudo's to Andrew!

    Merry Christmas from the Libertarian Party!

    We at the Libertarian Party would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.  We hope that you are truly blessed, and find comfort in families, friends and loved ones over the holidays.

    To bring some holiday cheer, we wanted to share this article written by our former Director of Communications George Getz:

    WASHINGTON, D.C. - When Santa Claus comes to town this week, he'd better watch out -- because the federal government may be making a list of his crimes (and checking it twice), the Libertarian Party warned today.

    "Hark the federal agents sing, Santa is guilty of nearly everything," said Libertarian Party press secretary George Getz. "The feds know when Santa's been bad or good -- and he's been bad, for goodness sakes."

    Does Santa belong in the slammer? Instead of stuffing stockings, should he be making license plates?

    Yes, said Getz, if he's held to the same standards as a typical American. For example:

• Every December 25, the illegal immigrant known as Santa Claus crosses the border into the United States without a passport. He carries concealed contraband, which he sneaks into the country in order to avoid inspection by the U.S. Customs Service. And just what's in all those brightly colored packages tied up with ribbons, anyway? The Drug Czar and Homeland Security want to know.
• Look at how this international fugitive gets around: Santa flies in a custom-built sleigh that hasn't been approved by the FAA. He never files a flight plan. He has no pilot's license. In the dark of night, he rides the skies with just a tiny bioluminescent red light to guide him -- a clear violation of traffic safety regulations.
• Pulling Santa's sleigh: Eight tiny reindeer, a federally protected species being put to hard labor. None of these reindeer have their required shots, and Santa's never bothered to get these genetically- engineered animals registered and licensed. It's no wonder: He keeps them penned outside his workplace in a clear violation of zoning laws.
  
• But Crooked Claus the Conniving Capitalist harms more than just animals -- he's hurting hard-working American laborers, too. Isn't Santa's Workshop really Santa's Sweatshop, where his non-union employees don't make minimum wage and get no holiday pay? Add the fact that OSHA has never inspected the place, and you have a Third-World elf-exploitation operation that only Kathy Lee Gifford could love.
• No wonder Santa is able to maintain his monopoly over the toy distribution industry: He's cornered the Christmas gift market. Santa dares to give away his products for free in a sinister attempt to crush all competition -- just like Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Antitrust Lawsuit Memo to the feds: Is Santa Claus the Bill Gates of Christmas?

    The bottom line, said Getz: "It might be tough sledding for Jolly St. Nick this Christmas if the government decides to prosecute him.

    "We're just surprised it hasn't already happened. After all, Santa Claus is everything that politicians aren't:

    He's popular, reliable, and gives us something for nothing every December 25th -- instead of taking our money every April 15th," says Getz.

    Live free,

    Andrew Davis
    Director of Communications
    Libertarian Party

   

NASA Outsources ISS Resupply To SpaceX, Orbital

 

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday December 23, @09:10PM
from the minding-the-gap dept. (on Slashdot)

NASA Businesses Space DynaSoar writes "NASA has signed two contracts with US commercial space ventures totaling $3.5 billion for resupply of the International Space Station. SpaceX will receive $1.6 billion for 12 flights of SpaceX's planned Dragon spacecraft and their Falcon 9 boosters. $1.9 billion goes to Orbital for eight flights of its Cygnus spacecraft riding its Taurus 2 boosters. Neither of the specified craft has ever flown. However, the proposed vehicles are under construction and based on proven technology, whereas NASA has often contracted with big aerospace companies for services using vehicles not yet even designed."

This warms the cockles of my heart, truly this I predict will be the future of NASA, no constellation project, just the use of private sector designs to conduct space operations with.

MAJOR WINTER STORM UNDERWAY...

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
1209 PM MST SUN DEC 21 2008

...MAJOR WINTER STORM UNDERWAY...
...SNOW TO CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...

.AN INTENSE WINTER STORM FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN WILL BRING HEAVY
SNOW TO MOST OF SOUTHEASTERN OREGON AND SOUTHWESTERN IDAHO LATE
TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. AS OF 11 AM MST SUNDAY FOUR TO SIX
INCHES OF NEW SNOW HAD FALLEN IN AND AROUND BAKER OREGON...SIX
INCHES AT HALFWAY...FOUR AT SUMPTER...THREE INCHES AT BURNS AND
DREWSEY IN OREGON...ABOUT TWO INCHES AT MOUNTAIN HOME...EMMETT...
AND CASCADE IN IDAHO ...AND ONE TO TWO INCHES FROM BOISE THROUGH
NAMPA. GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS TO 35 MPH CAUSED BLOWING AND DRIFTING
AT MOUNTAIN HOME.

THE MAIN PART OF THE STORM HAS NOT EVEN ARRIVED YET...IT WILL
COME IN FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. LATEST
COMPUTER PROJECTIONS PUT THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS ON THE OWYHEE
MOUNTAINS AND BOISE MOUNTAINS. THOSE AREAS CAN EXPECT 12 TO 20
INCHES OF NEW SNOW TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING...POSSIBLY 30
INCHES ON HIGHER SOUTHWESTERN SLOPES.

THE TREASURE VALLEY WILL BE DIRECTLY UNDER THE AREA OF MAXIMUM
PRECIPITATION...BUT WILL RECEIVE LESS THAN SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
WE EXPECT A GENERAL 5 TO 10 INCH SNOWFALL IN THE TREASURE VALLEY
TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING...FOR A STORM TOTAL OF 6 TO 12 INCHES.
COMPUTER FORECASTS ARE INCREASINGLY TRENDING TOWARD AN ALL-SNOW
EVENT RATHER THAN MIXED PRECIPITATION. HOWEVER TEMPERATURES IN THE
TREASURE VALLEY WILL BE BETWEEN 32 AND 34 DEGREES THIS EVENING
MAKING THE MAIN ROADS MORE SLUSHY THAN ICY. THE HIGHER TEMPERATURES
WILL ALSO HELP REDUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING. BUT BLOWING AND DRIFTING
WILL CONTINUE TO BE A BIG PROBLEM IN COLDER AREAS SUCH AS THE CAMAS
PRAIRIE.

IN SOUTHERN MALHEUR AND HARNEY COUNTIES TEMPERATURES WILL RISE TO
THE UPPER 30S THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND SOME RAIN OR MIXED
AND SNOW WILL FALL AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4500 FEET
WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE SNOW.

SNOW WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST MONDAY...FINALLY ENDING IN
CENTRAL IDAHO MONDAY EVENING. COLDER WEATHER WILL THEN MOVE IN
AND TURN ANY LIQUID WATER OR SLUSH TO ICE. THIS COULD PRESENT A
PROBLEM FOR COMMUTERS IN THE POPULATED TREASURE VALLEY TUESDAY
MORNING.

My Take On The $17.4 Billion Auto Bailout

 Bush diverts TARP fund to the Motor City!

Congressional Republicans apparently don't like the idea of using money from the $700 billion bailout program, while President-elect Barack Obama, praised the administration's action but warned, "The auto companies must not squander this chance" ,also when President he remarked that, "he will be free to reopen the arrangement once he takes office"

Also while not actually buying the big 3 out right, the government will have the option of becoming a stockholder in the big 3, much like it has with the major banks, effectivly nationalizing the industry.

Washington isn’t the only source of emergency funds for the ailing automotive industry.Canada's government, and provincial government of Ontario, will provide the Canadian subsidiaries of the Big 3 auto makers with $3.29 billion in bridge loans.

Here is my take on this mess:

    the worst part of this mess is the double dealing going on in the managing of the TARP fund, the money originally set aside for the bank bail outs, now that Detroit's big 3 have essentially come forward & stuck their hand out asking for loans to keep the doors open.  To be honest I don't mind the lending so much as the fine print the FEDs are putting in the back end of this idea, why if this is a bridge loan, as its represented in the media are they slipping in options to buy stock out right so as to nationalize the industry. This isn't what they or WE need, if in fact the big 3 are living month to month with their cash flows my next question is, why, didn't they make major cut backs far earlier this year, I mean it wasn't like there weren't warning signs we were about to hit a recession.

All acrimony aside;

1. The redirection of Tarp funds is at best questionable, may be even illegal
2. If these guys can't set aside enough funds to weather an economic down turn like a smart business, then may be they need to go to chapter 11(length of time not with standing)
3. Who with any business sense doesn't keep emergency funds for economic downturns, the use of bridge loans while a common practice in good economic times, just are not available in tight economic times like today, there is no excuse for this cash reserve not being long enough to last 18 months for any realistic company.

    So while I understand the need for this loan, I'm still not convinced the real need isn't for them to go to chapter 11.

Calamity and Consequence

posted originally at LP.org by Andrew Davis on Dec 17, 2008

It doesn't take much to go from "bad" to "really bad" when government gets involved.  This is especially true when those in power have the philosophy that, "If it's broken, government can fix it."

Unfortunately, far too often government tries to force itself into problem situations with good intentions that have disastrous consequences.  Because many times these consequences aren't immediate, government officials and the voters who elect them to office don't learn from these mistakes.

At one of my favorite blogs for economics, Greg Mankiw, an economics professor at Harvard, has posted this graph of government revenue as a percent of GDP:

Mankiw makes note of the exponential growth of government from 1929 to 1945.

"It is easy to understand why the size of government grew so much during this period: It was responding to the crises of the Great Depression and, especially, World War II," says Mankiw. "But what is noteworthy is that while these crises were transitory, the increase in the scope of government was permanent."

The problem Mankiw highlights is that while our economic problems come and go, government "fixes" have a nasty habit of hanging around:

"This historical episode is one reason why advocates of limited government are rightly worried about the fiscal stimulus package that the incoming administration is going to propose. Rahm Emanuel, the new White House chief of staff, is reported to have said, 'You don't ever want to let a crisis go to waste: It's an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid.' It is not entirely clear what he meant by this. But one interpretation is that he is going to use a temporary crisis as an excuse to engineer a permanent increase in the size of government."

Government programs are like your crazy uncle who always overstays his holiday visit.  Except, imagine this uncle is constantly drunk, acts without much thought, and wrecks everything he touches.

Yet, we keep inviting him back, year after year.

In his concluding remarks, Mankiw asks: "Five or ten years from now, when the economy is presumably at some normal level of employment and growth, what will the federal budget look like, as evaluated by deficit and tax revenue as a share of GDP?"

I hate to find out the answer to that.

The problem is not one of being pragmatic, but one of philosophy.  The relationship between government intervention and the ensuing disastrous consquences is about as predictable as the Law of Gravity.  You drop a rock, and it falls.  Government intervenes, and the economy suffers.

But as far as philosophy, Democrats have never had any problem to getting involved in economic affairs, and Republicans appear to be heading full-steam in that direction.

During his 2008 presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain never once expressed a genuine opposition to keeping the government out of the economy.  He only opposed it when it was obvious that it wasn't going to work.  When it looked like government had a chance to fix the financial industry, he called off his campaign to run to Washington to help ensure government acted hastily.

Sarah Palin still hasn't figured out if the bailouts are a good idea.

The problem we face when we try to look at each individual situation from a pragmatic point-of-view is that it is easy to become persuaded by the propaganda or swept up in the hysteria surrounding these crises.  After all, if there is one thing government is good at, it's making a mountain out of a molehill.  However, a philosophical opposition will at least throw the brakes on any government plan to get involved in the economy. 

If we really have any desire for economic prosperity in the future, it is crucial that we not only become pragmatically opposed to government intervention in the market, but also philosophically opposed to such practices.

To read Mankiw's blog, please visit it here.

For a list of other great economic blogs, click here.

The Irony: INSULTING TREATMENT OF RON PAUL

In his BLOG on December 13, 2008 Lew Rockwell  decried this quote"'The Insulting Treatment of Ron Paul". I find  this disconcerting mostly as it was made to seem to be the major issue in " David Nolan's" "RESOLUTION SUBMITTED FOR LNC CONSIDERATION" The part I find disconcerting is we're worried about Dr Paul's feelings, lets be honest, we need to concentrate on the two big questions David posited in his resolution, and in my opinion no they do not include apologizing to Dr Paul! They do however point to some serious questions of the money handling by the Barr campaign. David rightly inquires about the following:

"MISDIRECTION OF FUNDS
The Barr/Root campaign raised more than $1.3 million in contributions, but spent almost nothing on advertising to the voting public. Campaign staffers were paid inflated salaries; money was spent on refurbishing Bob Barr’s Atlanta offices; “political consultants” were paid at least $100,000; $19,000 was spent on limousines. But almost nothing was spent on promoting Barr or the Libertarian Party via paid broadcast or print advertising."

    This is a serious allegation, this all by itself is a resolution un-to itself. It combined with the Ballot access question David asks about, should have been what this resolution was about, not about whether we alienated a Republican with Libertarian leanings.

People if the allegation of money diversion is true we need to concentrate on that and let the personal feelings go. We need to focus on the here & now not the fond memories we have for a time now passed.

WE need to know if there was any monetary impropriety with this campaign primarily for our party's  and each individual represented by that party's benefit, not for any one persons feelings.

The difference between business & personal & The LNC

Dear Fellow Libertarians

    As we approach the end of the Bush -2 administration this January, we're all aware the incoming administration is deeply steeped in the classic mental view of the Democratic Party of the 1960's & 70's concepts of “we know what’s best for you so just shut up & take it.” You know the Nanny state mentality, where the most terrifying phrase in the world, "I'm from the U.S. Government, & I'm here to help" is uttered, almost bleated actually to throngs of hopeful handout recipients .
    Yes this new administration’s big "change" they were running on as a pseudo platform if you will, is in fact no change at all, it is in fact nothing more than a smoke & mirrors power change, where we get rid of the R's for the D's. and the essential players stay the same. The Secretary of Defense is staying on from the preceding R administration, and all the major players are old hands in the D's political machine. If you don't believe me look at who he has appointed:

Timothy Grinner at Treasury
Robert Gates at Defense.
Janet Napolitano at homeland security
Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador
Hillary Rodham Clinton at state.
Eric Holder US attorney general
Bill Richardson at Commerce
Rahm Emmanuel as Chief of Staff

    So what do we do about this non-change in Washington DC? First we as a party must unify, we must put on a good solid face to the world, not just the R's & D's but to everyone that we stand in common cause for freedom.

2nd & most importantly & yet the hardest part of this equation is, we have to put aside personal distaste for some of the people we will be working with. Let’s face it there will be people we don't agree with or just plain can't get along with. But that is no reason to lose sight of the bigger picture we will be dealing with for the next 4 years.
And that picture should not include kicking members off the LNC because they castigated you in an email & then blog last spring. We need to set these painful personal issues aside for the good of the party & we need to press our case as a unified party for the following items:

1. Fight the Tarp bail out plan, they have hooked us all for 1 trillion dollars for mismanaged financial institutions who by rights should have been arrested for fraud & embezzlement on how they kept their books.

• They are already expected to add the BIG 3 (GM, Ford & Chrysler) to an add on appropriation sometime this month, we need to vigorously fight against this!
• In order to fund this litany of bailouts the R's & D's will have to raise taxes. We Need to concentrate on this concurrently with the fighting the bailouts to make it plain to the American people that this will only en-debt our children & their children.

• Civil Liberty this is a long list lets start at the top

1. 2nd Amendment, The NRA made good headway this year with (Heller Vs. D.C.) where the Supreme Court upheld the 2nd amendment as an individual right. But there are plans to challenge this afoot, we should be looking to help out on this issue when & where possible.
2. The Real ID act: a national id card where all the cards contain a radio frequency identifier chip also known as (RFID) the RFID chip responds with the personal identification information stored on the chip when surveilled by a card reader, even when in your pocket. The problem is not the Orwellian nature of this chip, it is the incompetence with which they implemented it.  In Short, there is no encryption on these chips, they literally put all your data out there on the chip un-encrypted for a criminal with a card reader in his pocket (yes they're that small) can skim all your vital data, to make stealing your identity a trivial matter. After all they just have to simply walk with in several feet of you on a street or office corridor & they have your identity data stored on the RFID chip. This is a huge issue that no one wants to acknowledge! YET!
3. The NSA's warrant less wire taps, national security letters. This is an issue we all know of, but it is still one we need to continue to press with the incoming administration, because I believe he will turn a blind eye to this system that the president elect did vote for last summer. In short it will become a status-quo item, after all rhetoric dies, it will be just part of the system that is over looked for 25 more years. We need to keep the heat on this & continue to work for change.

           
  But what we don't need right now is to split the party with interpersonal rivalries that dilute our efforts & message of Peace & Freedom, lets stay on message and lets let go of the past personal issues for the good of the party.

The difference between business & personal & The LNC

Dear Fellow Libertarians

    As we approach the end of the Bush -2 administration this January, we're all aware the incoming administration is deeply steeped in the classic mental view of the Democratic Party of the 1960's & 70's concepts of “we know what’s best for you so just shut up & take it.” You know the Nanny state mentality, where the most terrifying phrase in the world, "I'm from the U.S. Government, & I'm here to help" is uttered, almost bleated actually to throngs of hopeful handout recipients .
    Yes this new administration’s big "change" they were running on as a pseudo platform if you will, is in fact no change at all, it is in fact nothing more than a smoke & mirrors power change, where we get rid of the R's for the D's. and the essential players stay the same. The Secretary of Defense is staying on from the preceding R administration, and all the major players are old hands in the D's political machine. If you don't believe me look at who he has appointed:

Timothy Grinner at Treasury
Robert Gates at Defense.
Janet Napolitano at homeland security
Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador
Hillary Rodham Clinton at state.
Eric Holder US attorney general
Bill Richardson at Commerce
Rahm Emmanuel as Chief of Staff

    So what do we do about this non-change in Washington DC? First we as a party must unify, we must put on a good solid face to the world, not just the R's & D's but to everyone that we stand in common cause for freedom.

2nd & most importantly & yet the hardest part of this equation is, we have to put aside personal distaste for some of the people we will be working with. Let’s face it there will be people we don't agree with or just plain can't get along with. But that is no reason to lose sight of the bigger picture we will be dealing with for the next 4 years.
And that picture should not include kicking members off the LNC because they castigated you in an email & then blog last spring. We need to set these painful personal issues aside for the good of the party & we need to press our case as a unified party for the following items:

1. Fight the Tarp bail out plan, they have hooked us all for 1 trillion dollars for mismanaged financial institutions who by rights should have been arrested for fraud & embezzlement on how they kept their books.

• They are already expected to add the BIG 3 (GM, Ford & Chrysler) to an add on appropriation sometime this month, we need to vigorously fight against this!
• In order to fund this litany of bailouts the R's & D's will have to raise taxes. We Need to concentrate on this concurrently with the fighting the bailouts to make it plain to the American people that this will only en-debt our children & their children.

• Civil Liberty this is a long list lets start at the top

1. 2nd Amendment, The NRA made good headway this year with (Heller Vs. D.C.) where the Supreme Court upheld the 2nd amendment as an individual right. But there are plans to challenge this afoot, we should be looking to help out on this issue when & where possible.
2. The Real ID act: a national id card where all the cards contain a radio frequency identifier chip also known as (RFID) the RFID chip responds with the personal identification information stored on the chip when surveilled by a card reader, even when in your pocket. The problem is not the Orwellian nature of this chip, it is the incompetence with which they implemented it.  In Short, there is no encryption on these chips, they literally put all your data out there on the chip un-encrypted for a criminal with a card reader in his pocket (yes they're that small) can skim all your vital data, to make stealing your identity a trivial matter. After all they just have to simply walk with in several feet of you on a street or office corridor & they have your identity data stored on the RFID chip. This is a huge issue that no one wants to acknowledge! YET!
3. The NSA's warrant less wire taps, national security letters. This is an issue we all know of, but it is still one we need to continue to press with the incoming administration, because I believe he will turn a blind eye to this system that the president elect did vote for last summer. In short it will become a status-quo item, after all rhetoric dies, it will be just part of the system that is over looked for 25 more years. We need to keep the heat on this & continue to work for change.

           
  But what we don't need right now is to split the party with interpersonal rivalries that dilute our efforts & message of Peace & Freedom, lets stay on message and lets let go of the past personal issues for the good of the party.